Expectations for Jeremy Swayman, Bruins this season? | Poke the Bear - video Dailymotion

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Welcome back to Poke the Bear! In this episode, Ty Anderson joins Conor Ryan to discuss the latest developments in Jeremy Swayman's contract impasse and map their expectations for how the remaining timeline will play out.  0:00 - Intro 1:01 - Bruins preseason update 5:02 - Negotiation insights 7:49 - Timing challenges 10:47 - Importance of Swayman 15:38 - Team's potential lift 18:00 - Arbitration concerns 19:51 - Surprising negotiations 23:04 - Arbitration experience 24:58 - Bruins playoff reliability 27:24 - Preseason game struggles 30:01 - Lysell's performance issues 31:35 - Physicality and speed 34:01 - Matt Poitras's injury 35:57 - Bruins season preview 38:28 - Goalie situation discussed 42:41 - Power play struggles 45:12 - Upcoming season preview    Prize Picks - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS Download the app today and use Code CLNS when you sign up & Get $50 instantly when you play $5!   Gametime - https://gametime.co Take the guesswork out of buying MLB tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply.  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to the #CLNS Media Network’s YouTube channel for Boston #Bruins hockey. CLNS Media is the leading online provider of audio/video coverage for the Boston sports. Get complete inside access to the Bruins at TD Garden, the game day skates at Warrior, and everywhere on the road. CLNS #NHLBruins' credentialed insiders Mike "Trags" Petraglia, Evan Marinofski, Conor Ryan, and Joe "Haggs" Haggerty. Providing instantaneous news and analysis all in real time, as well as full access to complete videos from the players, coaches, ownership and everyone else on Causeway Street.  For the CLNS award winning Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, College hoops, NBA History, go here to featured channels- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiP7KyKodc3OHuN_XhEyPPw?sub_confirmation=1

Transcript

00:00PokeTheBear is brought to you by PricePix and the GameTime app.

00:07And welcome into PokeTheBear episode 266, presented by PricePix and GameTime tickets.

00:13My name is Connor Ryan.

00:15Once again, we are joined by the esteemed, the knowledgeable, Ty Anderson of 98.5 The

00:21Sports Hub.

00:22Ty, what's going on?

00:23Not scruffy, not nerve hurter, just chilling.

00:26I would never do that.

00:28I appreciate it.

00:29How we doing?

00:30How we doing?

00:31This is exciting.

00:32This is the final episode that we are doing forever, because I'm leaving now, until the

00:40games get real and the finish line is in sight here.

00:44So it's exciting.

00:45I think we're getting into like the true nitty gritty of the season beginning here.

00:50Yes, the Bruins are getting to the finish line, thankfully, at the end of preseason.

00:55Seven games, way too much.

00:57We're going to get this show on the road here.

00:59But as the Bruins are getting ready for the finish line of the preseason, there is no

01:04finish line in sight quite yet, Ty, for Jarby Swayman and the ongoing contract talks, which

01:10I don't know about you, but going into this past week, like the season opening press conference

01:16on Monday at the Garden, you're like, all right, like getting a little, get a little

01:20close here, like a little too close for comfort.

01:22Maybe, you know, he's not going to be available the first week, but we'll sort things out.

01:28Nothing really to be too, too worried about.

01:31I think that's maybe changed a little bit from, and again, we've, this is the latest

01:35in a long line of podcasts.

01:37So I don't think we need to go through the entire history of what has gone on over this

01:41past week.

01:42But best way to sum it up, the vibes are not great right now, I would say, between Jeremy

01:47Swayman and the Boston Bruins.

01:49Yeah, it's hard to feel good right now.

01:51And I think that, you know, listen, information changes, opinions change when you have more

01:56information.

01:58And all summer long, you were hearing from people, at least I was, you know, internally,

02:03like, no worries, it's going to get done.

02:05We're going to find a landing spot.

02:06It's going to get done.

02:07It's going to get done.

02:08And then I talk with Swayman in August and he tells me, yeah, I'm confident it gets done.

02:12It's going to get done.

02:13It's just a matter of when, and here we are now.

02:16We have one preseason game left.

02:18We have the season opener and what, four days, five days down in Florida.

02:23And he's not signed yet.

02:24And the tenor, I think the tenor is what concerns me.

02:28It hit a point this week where I was like, oh, that's, that's not good.

02:32Like that, like, and you could tell that Cam Neely was kind of waiting for someone to ask

02:37him about it to the point where he was getting involved in questions that were to Don Sweeney,

02:42which is always a sign that, oh, he wants to say something, guys, guys.

02:49And then, you know, and then you have sort of what I find funny in all of this, and please,

02:53this is not to knock people like Frank Zaraveli or Spittin' Chicklets.

02:59But the people that have received the information from Swayman's side of things, which is fine.

03:03That's how these things operate.

03:05I understand that.

03:06But then to take the moral high ground of we don't negotiate through the media.

03:10And then the next day, hey, the Bruins only offered 62.7.

03:14Okay, well, who's getting that number then?

03:16Who's giving that number out?

03:17Because it's not the Bruins that they just said 64 the day before.

03:20So it's just getting ugly, right?

03:23And that's, I think what your big concern is, I think with all of this is like, it needs

03:27to remain professional and it needs to remain, you know, with the same goal in mind.

03:32I think the Bruins, I think frustration finally boiled over this past week.

03:36Yeah, no, I agree.

03:38It is a fascinating, this entire saga, whenever it gets done, wherever Swayman ends up, wherever

03:43he ends up signing, it's going to be fascinating in terms of just the amount of back and forth,

03:48the amount of, I think, insight this negotiation has probably provided to like, you know, either

03:52fans or anyone in terms of just how these things operate with stuff getting leaked through

03:57the media, who's hearing what, all the back channel conversation, how the market changes,

04:04how I think Swayman and his representatives are approaching the market.

04:08There's so many different factors that have made this, not just the run of the mill contentious

04:14negotiation, like even like Nylander, right, which that one was really drawn out.

04:18He was a pretty established top six, great player by then.

04:22And like Jeremy Swayman is, has all the makings of a future franchise goal.

04:26There's not been, you know, there are questions about Swayman's workload, stuff like that.

04:31But I don't think any of us have seen like a point here where we're like, oh, like, I

04:36don't know, like, it remains to be seen, like, you know, maybe he will flame out.

04:40Like, I think we all are more or less agreement, I don't know about you, that like, you sign

04:45him to an eight year deal, he's probably going to continue to get better and better.

04:47Like, is that a top five goalie?

04:50We'll see. But a top 10?

04:51Like, I don't think we've seen anything that would dispel that notion.

04:55It's just where do they bridge the gap right now in terms of these contract talks?

04:59Because as you said, it just feels like it's boiled over.

05:02And it's, it's concerning, because when you hear these, you know, latest reports, whatever,

05:07you know, 64 million, 62.4, or whatever, whatever the number that Sour Valley had, right.

05:13And then Swayman's asking now for eight and a half.

05:17They're pretty close, right, in terms of latest reports are that you would think you'd be

05:21able to bridge the gap here.

05:22But is the, you know, can you get over the sour sentiment that comes from these contract

05:29talks? Can you move past that?

05:31And digest it?

05:32It's something that Brad Marchand mentioned of like, listen, it's not fun going through

05:36these negotiations.

05:38Tough things are said, but you sign it and a weight is lifted off your shoulders and

05:42a weight is lifted off the team's shoulders.

05:44And you move on from it.

05:45And that is more or less what the standard, I think, procedure is for any of these players

05:51that even in the moment, whether it's arbitration, the back and forth, the contract talks,

05:57stepping back for a little while, it sucks.

05:59It's not great to go through that as you're trying to preach what your worth is based

06:05against what the team that's paying and signing your checks, what they think it is.

06:08It's not fun, but you get it done and you move forward.

06:12I think the concern probably is not like how far apart they are in money now, like where

06:17they are philosophically or anything like that.

06:18It's can you move past this?

06:20Because from, you know, Lewis Gross's comments to, you know, we'll touch on a little bit

06:26later, but from what Jeremy Swineman mentioned, you know, during the Amazon series months

06:30ago, like, is he wired in a way that you can't, you know, are the bridges burnt right now?

06:35I think that is the biggest concern right now.

06:37100%.

06:38And I think that sort of, you look at where they are and yeah, like they should be close.

06:44And the other thing that I think is important to note here from the standpoint of like,

06:50I'm very quick not to, not to plant my flag in any one camp, because I think it's not

06:55that simple.

06:56Nothing is ever that simple, but you know, it's like, I understand why Swineman wants

07:01to be paid.

07:02I get it.

07:03He's 25.

07:06He had a great playoff.

07:07I think he was the best goalie in the playoffs.

07:09Doesn't matter if the team didn't go as far as, as they should have.

07:12I think he was the best goalie in the playoffs.

07:14And so when you look at that, it's like, yeah, you want to get paid, but sometimes timing

07:19is everything.

07:20You know, I talked about this the other day.

07:22I did a podcast with Matt, uh, Matt Dolph, 98 sports hub.com, the sports of underground.

07:27We talked about this and I said, you know, a couple of years ago, I talked to a player

07:30who had a career year and he was entering UFA status.

07:35The biggest problem though, he was entering UFA status in a flat cap era.

07:40And he's like, I wish I was going to be a free agent two years from now, because I could

07:43really make some money, you know, but like he understood timing is not, timing is everything,

07:48right?

07:49So if you don't have the timing on your side, you kind of have to settle sometimes and it's

07:53not what you want, but it's what you kind of have to do.

07:55And I think that's kind of where Swayman is.

07:57Like he's been great, but the sample is small, 132 career games, 125 career starts one playoff

08:04run as the uncontested starter essentially.

08:07Um, and so it's like, yeah, you know, seventh place doesn't, uh, finish.

08:12You want a Jennings in tandem with a Vesna winner, Lena Solmark.

08:16You guys were a great one too that year.

08:18But you're not Sorokin yet.

08:20You're not just Durkin yet.

08:22You're not hella buck.

08:23Like, so it's tough to have that comparison of, yeah, you want to be a top five goalie.

08:28And, and listen, like to your point, that contract may age well, it may age very well

08:32for the Bruins, but it may also not like if you're not the guy that you think you are

08:38and you do drop down over time to maybe the seventh or eighth best goalie in hockey, well,

08:43then guess what?

08:44You're getting paid your proper amount.

08:47And so I just think that like the timing is not on his side.

08:51So I understand the cases that he's making for himself and that his agency is making

08:55firms making for their client.

08:58But like, I don't know, I see both sides of it in that respect.

09:02And so I'm not like, well, how dare Swayman?

09:05And I'm not like, how dare the Bruins?

09:07But I think if either side digs in, they're being a little short-sighted here.

09:10Yeah, no, absolutely.

09:12And it's something to where you look at just where this team is at and how they are a win

09:17now roster that, you know, if Swayman signed and he's ready to go October 8th, you're ready

09:22to roll of, you know, I think you will get like, especially that preseason game on Tuesday

09:27where like the forwards were all clicking pretty well.

09:30The decor was, you know, firing the puck, getting involved in offense.

09:35You like what you see there when those guys are executing, you just need that stability

09:39in net.

09:40But I think it, you know, even going into this past week, if the Bruins open the year

09:44with Corporate Solo for a week or so, you're like, all right, it's not ideal, not what

09:49you're looking for, but you can, you know, stay afloat for now.

09:52But this team, you know, as you say, short-sighted, it hurts Jeremy Swayman to not be out there

09:59right now.

10:00It hurts him to, if he's trying to hold out for a whole year, if it gets to that point

10:05and it hurts the Bruins, the longer he's not out there either, because one, it helps the

10:09team at this moment.

10:10But even if it's, you know, things really go to shit and it's a trade request or anything

10:16like that, the mockage is not tenable for you to get probably a good return.

10:21Like no one wins in that regard.

10:23And there's people who are like, ah, just trade up now, whatever, screw it, get whatever.

10:27One remains to be seen what you'd even get, who's available, who could take on whatever

10:32that contract is that he wants.

10:33It's kind of like the Brendan Aiyuk thing, that was half like, again, changing sports,

10:37but it's one thing to trade for a guy, but also given the money on top of it, it's kind

10:42of, you have to, you know, handle two different things in that situation.

10:45But regardless of what you would get of unprotected first, a top prospect, it still hurts what

10:54you've built right now with the expectation you have a guy like Jeremy Swayman in net.

10:58Because as much as people look at this Bruins and it's like, ah, you know, Bob Isenza can

11:03fix anyone and the decor is great and all those things.

11:06Bruins were 22nd last year and high danger chances against at even strength play.

11:11They gave up a lot of quality looks and they were bailed out quite a bit by Swayman and

11:16Allmark who were fourth and seventh in the league last year and expected goals saved.

11:20Swayman was fourth with 18.4.

11:22He saved 18 goals, bailed you out, which over the span of 82 games is quite a few wins and

11:28losses considering how narrow kind of the margins are.

11:31So I think people have to realize that even if you maybe disagree with the stance Swayman

11:36is taking and his representatives and what his ask is, all those things, you don't want

11:42to cut your nose out to spite your face, right?

11:44In terms of moving him just for the sake of doing it now.

11:47Cause like he is still, I think a key part of what you're trying to build here and a

11:52trade request or anything like that would be the worst case scenario regardless of what

11:56you get back.

11:57Yeah.

11:58So going back to those numbers that you're mentioning, um, last year, Lena Salone, I

12:02think was plus 15 in terms of goals saved above, uh, expected and, uh, Jonas Corpus

12:10Salo was minus 16.

12:12So you're talking about a 32 goal swing right there.

12:14Now it's not great.

12:15I do believe that we are in agreement that the Bruins can fix Corpus Salo to a certain

12:21degree, but it's like what I've said before, and I don't know if I've said it on here or

12:25not, but like you want him to be a supercharged number two because it's like, well, wow, if

12:33he's a number two, that's great.

12:35If he's a workhorse, number one, that's not great.

12:38That's not ideal.

12:39And so, yeah, to your point, like you got, like the team is built to have Swayman.

12:44We've talked about that.

12:45We've acknowledged that they're built to have him.

12:47And so I'm curious and Elliott Friedman wrote about this and I think it was a great point

12:51that we sometimes lose sight of and all this.

12:54When does it come from the players saying to Swayman not get your bag man to, Hey man,

13:00when is this going to be over?

13:01Cause like we need you.

13:02You like you're, you're a very vital piece of this operation.

13:06When does that happen?

13:07You know, does it happen the first time that the Bruins have to lean on Corpus Salo for,

13:12you know, a four and seven, you know, making three starts in six days, whatever it is like,

13:18or do they, do they survive?

13:19I think that's the, that is, and we're looking way ahead here, I know, but like, that's the

13:24real sort of interesting month you have in front of you here.

13:28Now let's say this drags out until Thanksgiving.

13:30Okay.

13:31What if they're great?

13:32And what if Corpus Salo is a nine 22?

13:34What happens then or, or the, the doomsday?

13:39What if they're bad?

13:40The guys behind Corpus Salo are bad and they're five and 11, you know, or something horrible.

13:47Okay.

13:48Now is that 8,000,008 and a half?

13:49Now is that nine and a half?

13:50Like, like what, like, what do you do there?

13:52And so given those unknowns on both sides, both sides, I would want this done by opening

13:59night and think about the lift.

14:01You can give your locker room, you walk in pregame sunrise, they're raising the banner.

14:06You're already pissed off.

14:07And they go, Hey, by the way, guys, Bulldogs back.

14:09And it like, wouldn't that just be the ultimate lift for that team?

14:13Yeah.

14:14I mean, I don't know.

14:15I assume you saw the behind the beat, the season opener, where they had them giving

14:19the speeches at the set of training camp and don't do any specifically mentions that they're

14:25opening the year with that game against Florida.

14:28And it's literally like that is on their mind in terms of that being a statement game and

14:32wanting to prove something for the team that's kicked you out of the playoffs the last two

14:35years.

14:36So no, I agree that.

14:37And even if he's, even if he's not ready for that first game and it's a ramp up having

14:43him back in the fold, you know, this is a guy that, you know, it's also why these negotiations

14:49are rough now in terms of the optics and how I think he's kind of taken a hit.

14:54Because this is a guy that is loved in that locker room in terms of just how competitive

14:58he is, how, you know, I think woven into the fabric of the team is how much he embraces

15:03this city.

15:04I mean, I think I mentioned it to you after the press conference on Monday, look at where

15:09Swayman was a few months ago, like the Bruins lose game six and he's got Chia's, you know,

15:15coming off the ice.

15:16And, you know, he's mentioned it time and time again, how much he loves the city.

15:20And now he's got people who are clamoring to trade them or, you know, even if he signs,

15:24he's going to have that scrutiny.

15:26And maybe that also is a byproduct of the contract he's going to sign.

15:29And that comes with the territory of being a number one goalie in Boston.

15:32So I'm not saying like it's unfair or it's unfortunate or all these things, but it is

15:37going to change some of his perception.

15:39But just having him in that room where he's valued amongst that group, it would be a tremendous

15:44lift for a guy that, again, this team, I think as currently constituted is a really good

15:49team.

15:50I like the way they've kind of built their team, but your ceiling is severely stunted

15:53if you don't have Jeremy Swayman in net for the long haul, especially when the games really

15:57start mattering in the spring.

15:59Yeah.

16:00And I think that you look at where they are right now, right?

16:02Like with Swayman, are they better than Toronto?

16:06Yes or no?

16:09I would say yes.

16:10Are they, I'm not going to say better, are they on the same footing as Tampa?

16:16If you want to say better, you can say better too, but.

16:18Than Tampa?

16:19Yeah.

16:20Yeah.

16:21I think they're better.

16:22I think Tampa is extremely top heavy.

16:23So I'm actually, I would be proven wrong when they go on a crazy run this year with this

16:27weird ass like roster they've constructed, but Tampa, eh, no.

16:33I guess the roundabout point that I'm trying to make is that if you have Swayman, I think

16:40you're better than Toronto.

16:42And I think that you are more equipped to handle Andre Vasilevsky, who's been very good

16:47against you when healthy.

16:50And as you mentioned, they're very top heavy.

16:52Okay.

16:53Well, you don't really have all that scoring right now, but you have the great goaltending.

16:57So that again, that puts you on more equal footing.

16:59I think that if you don't have Swayman, I think Toronto is more of a coin flip because

17:04you've always had goaltending over them.

17:05Okay.

17:06Well, what if it's a coin flip now and goaltending, and they have Matthews and Marner and Nyes,

17:11who I thought was great last year for them in the playoffs.

17:14And they, and they have a Nylander and they have Tavares, you know, transitioning into

17:19a third line role where he might be a better weapon.

17:22Like again, it puts you on more equal footing, but if you have the goalie, you are in that

17:28you have the advantage in my opinion.

17:30So there's that part of it.

17:31I think that's, that's a huge, a huge part of this for sure.

17:36And you know, you were alluding to it and I think it's true.

17:38Like I think you want to avoid this becoming ugly to the point where the fans are kind

17:46of in this corner now where they're like, you know what, Swayman better be the best

17:49goalie in the world.

17:50Or we're going to hate him.

17:51It's like, Oh, I hate that.

17:52I hate that possibility.

17:53Cause that's just like, nobody wins then.

17:56Nobody wins.

17:57It's a zero sum game of he's got to be the best goalie in the world and he's got to win

18:00a Stanley cup.

18:01And guess what?

18:02You're probably gonna be pretty pissed off.

18:03Like the odds are not in your favor, unfortunately, in that regard.

18:07Yeah.

18:08And I think when you look back now and obviously this is that new Amazon series that dropped,

18:13I think on Friday and one of them features Swayman and of course like all this stuff

18:17gets leaked before it even drops.

18:19I would have liked to actually watch the series to see, you know, it would have been nice

18:22instead of getting just like walls of text.

18:25But I hate media embargoes.

18:27I hate them.

18:28Yes.

18:29So 20 people get to watch it and tweet about it, but no one else.

18:33Okay, great.

18:34I'll just skip it then.

18:35Thanks.

18:36Right.

18:37Exactly.

18:38So again, I have not watched it because I've got all the Swayman content apparently I need.

18:40But when you look at his comments, right, about, you know, the fact that he wrote down

18:45all that was said during arbitration, um, had a checklist for it.

18:49The fact that he expressed doubt of, you know, whether he'd be back at the end of the year.

18:52And again, maybe some of that also factors in that's before the old mark trade and all

18:56that kind of uncertainty.

18:57So that probably plays into it.

18:59But I think especially looking at like the arbitration and where that exactly falls into

19:04things.

19:06Are you surprised that it has gotten to that point when I think we've seen, you know, how

19:10Swayman operates.

19:11This is a guy that is hyper competitive, has a very long memory, thrives off of I think

19:16people doubting him.

19:17That's why he went from, you know, a relatively unheralded prospect lands at Maine and it's

19:23kind of proven people wrong every step of the way.

19:26That being said, no one kind of just how he, you know, has channeled that emotion, that

19:32motivation.

19:33Are you surprised that still it's gotten to this point where what is a contentious negotiation,

19:39but part of the business has put him in the brunts in a spot where, hell, we don't really

19:44know if he's going to be back in Boston, you know, come either Tuesday or a few months

19:49down the road from now.

19:50Yeah.

19:51I'm surprised I, cause I felt like we hadn't moved past all of that.

19:57One of the things that I asked him when I caught up with him back in August was, are

20:01you in a better place mentally now than you were a year ago, knowing the arbitration,

20:08the, you know, how that affected you and how you felt with the team.

20:12Are you in a better place now than you were a year ago?

20:14And he said, absolutely, 100%.

20:17And so to kind of have these things still lingering or, or having some of that lingering,

20:24it's like, all right, well, that's when I look at your agent and I say, did you not

20:28do a great job of preparing your client for what arbitration is there?

20:32There are people who don't want to go to arbitration because they know what it's like.

20:37So the fact that he's surprised by that is a little, a little bit, I want to say alarming.

20:43That's too strong, but like, all right, there was a player, people can connect the dots

20:48here.

20:49Honestly, there was a player about six years ago on the Bruins who was set to go to arbitration.

20:56I talked with that player and I said, are you going to go to arbitration?

20:59And their response was, I sure hope not because they know that it's not a fun thing to go

21:04through.

21:05They didn't want to go through with it.

21:06They want to get a deal done before then.

21:08And then sure enough, they did.

21:10But it's like, people know it's not a good thing to go through.

21:13They don't want to go through it.

21:14And so to go through it and then be stunned, you know, it's kind of like the shock Pikachu

21:18face right now where it's like, well, what do you expect?

21:20What'd you expect, man?

21:21They weren't going to tell you how great they are.

21:23They come in low.

21:24I'm sorry.

21:25They come in low.

21:26You come in high.

21:27Guess what side they're going to argue for the low side.

21:32So that part's a little annoying to me because it's like, you should have known that was

21:35going to be the case.

21:36So if they want their pound of flesh for that, I mean, what are we doing here?

21:42That's how I feel about that.

21:43Right.

21:44It's, it's even like, I think Frederick was supposed to have his a few days after Swayman's

21:49right.

21:50Or was it this past year?

21:51And it got resolved.

21:52I think it was like 20 minutes for it was actually going to happen.

21:55It's like, it's like going to like an amusement park ride and you like are waiting in line

21:59wondering what the ride is.

22:00And then you see like the big loop de loop, like people screaming as the roller coaster

22:05flies overhead.

22:06And you're like, no, no, I'm good.

22:07Nevermind.

22:08Like I'll set, you know, you know, that's what's good.

22:10You know, that's what's coming during a, uh, during arbitration hearing, like the writing

22:15is on the wall of what's going in.

22:16If you go through those doors, it's not like it's one of those like, uh, rides where it's

22:21like, uh, can it be like park the mine ride?

22:23Like if that like have like flowers and like a bunny rabbit out front and then you go inside

22:28and it is a hellish mine that's messed up.

22:31That's not arbitration is there is a skeleton.

22:33There is like creepy shit all out front.

22:35Shout out.

22:36Can it be like park?

22:37Like, you know what you're getting yourself into.

22:39So I don't, yeah.

22:40Is it just not getting prepared for it?

22:42I believe like you get to see like essentially what, um, like the, the other party is going

22:49to say, like almost say like a mission statement that you can see what is going to be the talking

22:54points going into these things.

22:55This is probably why like Frederick and a lot of guys probably get to that point.

22:58You're like, Oh fuck this.

23:00Let's meet in the middle.

23:01Like, yeah, you know, more or less.

23:03It is not going to be a pleasant experience.

23:05Even if you, maybe you win arbitration, you don't, you know, as you said, you don't all

23:09of a sudden get way above what you're looking for.

23:12You still get, Oh, that's above expectation, but I still don't feel great because they

23:16still said I was lacking in this, this and this, right?

23:20Like again, there's a reason why a lot of these guys do not go through with the actual

23:24hearing because it sucks.

23:25Yeah.

23:26And the other part of it that annoys me based on the quote that's been shared from the Amazon

23:30thing is that they said that I wasn't reliable in the playoffs.

23:34Okay.

23:36You weren't like, or I don't want to say reliable, but you weren't proven.

23:40No, neither, neither one of Jeremy Swayman or Lena Solmark were established in the playoffs

23:45prior to 2023 or 2024.

23:48I'm sorry.

23:49And then Swayman proved that wrong, but it was Connor.

23:53The biggest storyline going into that playoff run was a got two great goalies, but neither

23:57one of them has really taken it and run with it.

24:00Can that change?

24:01And then sure enough, it did.

24:02But like, I can't begrudge the 2023 Bruins for saying that to him because it was true.

24:09It was true to that point that neither, again, neither Swayman nor Olmark had really been

24:14like a playoff ace.

24:17And you know, like I get it.

24:19They didn't put them in a great spot in 2023, putting in game seven.

24:22We've acknowledged that.

24:23We've talked about that in the past, but even go back to 2022 against Carolina, they could

24:27win at home and on the road.

24:30And and I think that goes beyond Swayman, but like, I don't know, it's it's I don't

24:35think that's an unfair criticism.

24:37Like, if you want nine million, don't you kind of want to say like, OK, we we got we

24:44know this guy's going to be good in the playoffs.

24:46Like, that's kind of a thing that I don't know.

24:48You want to know.

24:49And now they know it.

24:50But I just don't like him saying that back then.

24:52It's like because that was that was reality at that point in time.

24:54That was reality.

24:55Yeah.

24:57So it is how this thing gets resolved remains up in the air.

25:00But ideally, again, as we've said before, the money seems to be close.

25:05So you just hope that everyone kind of move forward and cast this aside as what business

25:09is, even if maybe there are still some hurt feelings and all that, that inevitably does

25:14sprout up in these negotiations.

25:16So that was our let's see, 25 minute Jeremy Swayman segment to open.

25:21I'm so sorry.

25:22I'm so sick of it.

25:23I know.

25:24And it's going to get where I thought like we were nearing the end of it.

25:27I think the last podcast we did, it was like we had 10 minutes talking about it.

25:31Then this week, it's just all the way back.

25:33It's now it's like probably the top story in the NHL right now.

25:35So not great.

25:37But Ty, before we move on to what else is going on with the Bruins, let's take a quick

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27:21Now, let's get back to the show.

28:19I don't know what it is.

28:21I don't know if it's like the like the Bostonian in me, but like, I'm just stubborn.

28:26And if you say, oh, you got to watch on this, I'm going to go, no, I'm not going to do that.

28:29I'm going to go do something else because I don't like that.

28:31I don't like the way that you're proposing that idea.

28:33I don't want to do it that way, which is really stubborn, idiotic behavior.

28:39But no, I think the biggest thing that I take away from that game is that, um, two things

28:45twofold Fabian Lysel had to be better, had to be better.

28:51And it's one of these things where if you come up, if you get sent down and you're pissed

28:56about being sent down and you get called back up and you do a media availability and you

29:02say, how did you feel when you got sent down?

29:04And you said, I felt like I was just getting started.

29:06I felt like I was getting better and better.

29:08So I guess I'm going to have to try to make it harder than to send me down.

29:12You got to do better than one shot on goal and a minus two.

29:16Like, I, like, I know it's not perfect, but if they're demanding that out of you, you

29:21got to show it in some fashion.

29:22And I thought he had a couple of good looks on the power play, but overall just not enough,

29:27not enough energy, not enough pace.

29:28Uh, this is a guy who, when his game is going a lot of speed, um, I'm not, again, I'm not

29:34like a lot of people.

29:35I'm not throwing the towel in on him, but like, I thought that was a great chance for

29:39a response and I didn't see it.

29:41And that's a little frustrating.

29:42Um, if you're gonna, I would say passive aggressively complain about, uh, your utilization and getting

29:49sent down.

29:50Like you gotta come up with your hair, with your head on fire and go from there.

29:54And I didn't really feel like he did that, uh, in that game.

29:57And, and the other thing, um, is Corpus Allo thought he was great in the first period,

30:02but some leaks start happening and it's like, this is what we're kind of talking about.

30:06Like he can't be, you can't say to him, you gotta be Lena Solmark and Jeremy Swayman.

30:11You gotta, you gotta bail us out for 60 minutes.

30:13Like that's just not reasonable to ask out of him, in my opinion.

30:16Yeah.

30:17No, I agree.

30:18Yeah.

30:19For myself, same thing where even if, you know, we've all mentioned how high his ceiling

30:23is and how great it would be for the Bruins to have a guy at that age, at that contract

30:29value wise, um, with that skill in a featured spot, it'd be great, but you gotta show something

30:34there when you're already kind of clawing yourself, clawing your way back up to make

30:39a legitimate case for yourself and just wasn't there.

30:43Um, same thing with Corpus Allo, I thought, you know, Max Jones, uh, made his debut.

30:49I thought, you know, even going into camp, he was a guy that probably was like the leader

30:53in the clubhouse in terms of a lock for that fourth line.

30:56Um, it's interesting how it all kind of plays out, uh, moving forward, but I did like some

31:01of the physicality he provided.

31:03Um, you mentioned like playing with your hair on fire.

31:06Max Jones has said that I think twice now to describe his game.

31:09Um, and I, I do like kind of, as he gets kind of a shaved head too, I think he's got it.

31:16If he does, that's why it's always, uh, but you look at just, you know, even if he was

31:22a little bit rusty, which I think is what Montgomery mentioned on Friday, um, the, the

31:27speed, the pace, the physicality you put him with Mark Haslick, who will not rest until

31:32he gets involved in every single scrum out there on the ice.

31:36Uh, you look at Johnny Beecher, who's been, I think as advertised in terms of his skating,

31:40obviously, um, even like Cole Kepke, what he provided.

31:44Um, and I think, again, you look at a guy who's made the most of the opportunity with

31:48guys not being available and a guy like Kepke, I think has done that.

31:51Um, I think there's a lot to like of where that fourth line, uh, can function and what

31:56their identity can be this year, because it's physicality, I think is, you know, is the

32:01name of the game on that grouping, but they have a lot of speed.

32:04I think they have a lot of guys that can really put puck carriers under duress this year.

32:08I really like how I think once you find the right pieces, what that line can become this

32:12year.

32:13Oh, a hundred percent.

32:14And I think that's been a, that's been something that I do think Don Sweeney and, and

32:20listen, it's not going to help you win a Stanley cup most years, but I think he's always

32:26been really good at, at identifying fourth line types, uh, players who can play with

32:32some speed, some energy, some tenacity, uh, you kind of look at all the moves they've

32:36made on their bottom six over the last, you know, I would say half decade, if not a

32:40little bit longer, they, they have an eye for that kind of talent and, and how to best

32:45deploy those kinds of players.

32:47And, you know, it all comes down to, okay, what, what does it look like above those

32:51players?

32:51But yeah, I think the way their fourth line plays this year, I mean, you got a great mix

32:57of, of size, of speed, of overall reach, uh, when it comes to, you know, pinning, uh,

33:04teams in their own zone and grinding them down, drawing a penalty at the end of that,

33:08or, or a great scoring chance, getting an Ozone face off and then boom, or force an

33:12icing.

33:12Okay.

33:13Now here comes Posternok, Lindholm and Zaka.

33:15Have fun with that guys.

33:16You know, like, like that's what you want.

33:18It's gotta be like a, I always say I, the term I use is tenderizing.

33:22Your fourth line has to tenderize the opposition to make it easier to score goals for your

33:26skill guys.

33:27And that's, we're definitely going to get that.

33:29I think out of this team this year, honestly.

33:31Yeah.

33:32And I think when you look at other things to take note of, um, one area of concern,

33:36I'd probably say right now, uh, Matt Potra still day to day with an undisclosed injury.

33:41He took a hit at the, at the very end of regulation, I believe from Brassmasters to

33:45Linen, who enjoys doing that, uh, at a repeated rate.

33:50Um, so he hasn't played since I think last Saturday was his last appearance.

33:54Montgomery mentioned on Friday, Marines up in the air, whether or not he's available

33:58on Tuesday for the season opener.

34:00And, uh, just a, a tough setback for a guy that I think was something we touched on last

34:05week for a guy that has the option of going down to Providence through those first three

34:10games.

34:10It looked like a guy who is ready for NHL reps in terms of his poise, added strength

34:16on the puck.

34:16Now his versatility, being able to play on the wing.

34:19Um, just a tough setback for a guy that seemed like he was one of the few guys, especially

34:23amongst this younger group that was ready to roll right out of the gate this year.

34:27Yeah, I, it's really difficult, right?

34:30Because I, I, I think you see the promise.

34:34And then, I mean, the biggest question mark that I have is like physicality, like, can

34:37he hand, can he hang for a full season?

34:41Is his body at that level yet?

34:43And that's why, you know, I've been saying like, I always said all summer, right.

34:47I think he starts in Providence because I think they want to get him up to speed and

34:50get his body right.

34:51And all that, because like, I thought he was getting worn down before he suffered that

34:56injury and, you know, texting with people, uh, talking to people.

35:00I was told like he's beat up right now.

35:03Like he's, he's doing his best, but he's beat up.

35:05And so if that's still an issue for him, I'd rather him start in Providence where he's

35:11not getting NHL physicality every night.

35:13And I know, listen, you're going to have to face it at some point, but does it have

35:17to be right away after a major, uh, shoulder operation?

35:20Or can you take some time?

35:22And so I do wonder what happens from here.

35:25If that injury maybe spooks them into thinking that, that, you know, he's got to start in

35:31Providence.

35:31You gotta, you know, try to protect him a little bit, save him from himself if you have

35:35to.

35:36Uh, because I think leading up to that, I think he was playing with such determination

35:40that made you go, oh, he's going to make this team.

35:43Like he's gonna make it.

35:44And so maybe there's an element here of saving him from himself in the name of, you know,

35:48career longevity or, uh, his ability to help the Bruins now versus, you know, two or three

35:54years from now.

35:55Yeah, no, absolutely.

35:56So we'll see what exactly plays out there and when his availability will be, um, and

36:00what the next steps are for Patra moving forward.

36:03Um, Ty, before we wrap this one up, let's take another quick break here from our friends

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38:01Now let's get back to the show.

38:02Shout out once again to our good friends over at game time tickets.

38:06All right, Ty.

38:07The Bruins season starts on Tuesday.

38:10We will both be down in Florida going to the Rainforest Cafe, catching some rays,

38:15watching a hockey game.

38:17It's all going to be great.

38:19Where are you at right now as just a maybe a brief preview of where you think this team

38:23is at and is it tough to really gauge the ceiling of this team or what you can expect

38:29when you don't know exactly if your franchise goalie is in place as kind of the last line

38:33of defense out there?

38:34Your your mic is.

38:41Oh.

38:43I was muted because I was sneezing.

38:45Sorry about that.

38:46No, I'm great.

38:48I'm golden.

38:50No, it's hard.

38:53It's hard to judge them because I think like you, I think they are the best team in the

39:00division.

39:00I think we're in agreement.

39:01If they have Jeremy Swayman, this has the makings of a really good regular season team.

39:06Keep in mind that they were in the president's trophy race until game what?

39:1077, 78.

39:11And that was with a patchwork roster of guys that run one year deals and veterans kind

39:17of trying to, you know, keep keep working in this league.

39:21And so they're a good team.

39:24Their foundation is good, but it comes back to the goaltending.

39:27If they don't have the goaltending, I think that as we alluded to earlier, we talked about

39:31earlier, like they're closer to being second place, third place, maybe a wildcard team.

39:37If they go through a slump on the power play or they suffer an injury to one of their key

39:43guys for a month, like it could be hard for them.

39:46And so it's hard to get a full gauge of what they can be.

39:51Assuming that you get number one on this roster.

39:56I think, I think conference final is a fair, maybe a little bit eager expectation, but

40:03I don't know if teams go out and spend the money they did on the guys they spent money

40:06on with the expectation that they're going to remain in neutral.

40:10They're going to get to the second round.

40:11That's going to be good enough.

40:12Like, I think there's a legit reason or internally to believe.

40:17And, and came nearly said this multiple times, Stanley Stanley cup contender.

40:21They believe they're a contender.

40:22So, okay, let's hold them to that.

40:25I think if you're in the final eight, you're a true contender.

40:28So let's see if they get there.

40:30Yeah, no, I'm, I'm in agreement in terms of it.

40:32It's tough right now to gauge where exactly they are if they don't have swimming, but

40:37you look at how they fortified areas of their roster.

40:40You look at getting a guy like Lindholm, what he provides, I think maybe the most underrated

40:44part of his game.

40:45If we know he's great two ways, centerman should be able to have his scoring bounce

40:51back a little bit with a season next to posture knock.

40:53But I think him on the power play at the bumper position, I think adds another element

40:57that you kind of need for a power play that really kind of regressed as the year went

41:01on.

41:02Struggled against Florida.

41:03I think there were one for 16 in that series against Florida on the power play.

41:08So I think he helps obviously known as the door off brings both the physicality and the

41:12puck movement really like just their whole decor.

41:16I'm not concerned about their decor at all, regardless of how they kind of mix and match

41:20those three pairs.

41:21And there's a lot to like there.

41:23And then you've got guys in spots where they can continue to take steps forward, whether

41:27it's the younger players, whether it's a guy like Mason Laurie, who has, I think, so much

41:32to give, you know, a guy like Beecher with another year.

41:35Potter, if he's healthy and even like a guy like Frederick, who I think has taken steps

41:39forward every year.

41:40Now you look at Morgan geeky, who I think limited playing time with Martian and coil

41:46in that game on Tuesday, but sure.

41:48Looked apart, right.

41:49In terms of having a high motor winning board battles, making kind of the small place to

41:54compliment his two line mates.

41:55There's a lot to like about where this team is at.

41:58And I agree that like my projection is that if they play to their capabilities, they can

42:03be a team that's in the conference final that can be on the cusp of this and should continue

42:08to build moving forward.

42:09When you look at just where the team is and like, I think they're in the bottom third,

42:13I think of the league now in terms of average age, like they're really a lot of guys that,

42:18it's not, they're all 24, 25, but they got a lot of guys that the, the, the older group

42:23are still 29 to 32.

42:26Like, it's not like it was the last couple of years.

42:28So like they should be in a spot to continue to build moving forward.

42:31It should be an exciting year.

42:32It's just the, the anticipation and seeing what this new kind of group can show out there

42:40is kind of waned a little bit when you just don't know exactly if you're missing that

42:44one piece that it was the reason why you went so far last year and Jeremy swimming,

42:48and he's probably going to be the reason why you go far again.

42:51It's just unfortunate that we're in this spot where you're this one guy that puts this

42:56whole group together is still not here.

42:58Not net on October 8th.

43:00Yeah.

43:01And I think the biggest thing is that, you know, we talk about what they did a year ago.

43:07This team is not built to have their power play be the fourth worst power play from

43:11February on like that from February on last year, they were, I think only three teams

43:17had a worst power play than they did.

43:18It was something like that, or they have a third war or something, but anyways, bottom

43:21is bottom four in the league.

43:23This team is not, if they don't have the goaltending, they're not built for that.

43:27You got to score more.

43:28Where does that come from?

43:29Does that from within, do they have to make a move externally?

43:33So they're going to have some questions.

43:34I got to get that got to be answered.

43:36But, um, I think, you know, this is a team that they should be able to hang with.

43:44And I think that's more of a statement on the, on the Eastern conference, more than

43:47anything else is that, you know, the Rangers are in my opinion, the best team in the, in

43:53the Eastern conference.

43:55Once you get beyond them, it's kind of a, just a big bowl of uncertainty.

43:58You know, Florida's played a lot of hockey.

44:01They are their, their, you know, their boogeyman until proven.

44:06Otherwise we all know, but a lot of hockey last two years, uh, Tampa, we talked about

44:11Toronto, um, Carolina, I think took a step back is going to take a step back this year.

44:17You look at their roster right now and it's kind of, it's a little bizarre.

44:20It's a kind of a hodgepodge, you know, group of players and mixes and all that there.

44:25Um, and so I think that could be a team that takes a step back.

44:29So in theory, the East is wide open.

44:32It's just, can the Bruins overcome their internal issues, which are the swayman situation.

44:38And you know, can they find scoring balanced scoring?

44:41That's going to be the biggest question I'm with you.

44:43I liked Morgan geeky there.

44:44We only got four minutes of it though.

44:46And, and what can you realistically expect out of him after he had a career year, a year

44:50ago?

44:50Does he, is that the new norm for him?

44:52Or was that, that was a flash, not a flash in the pan, but that's a one year bubble.

44:57And now teams are going to key on key in on him more.

45:00So they have some uncertainty, but I still think they're a top five team in their conference.

45:06It's just, are they five or are they one?

45:08And that comes back to number one, Jeremy Swainman.

45:11Yep.

45:12Well, we're about to find out whether it's, uh, the Swainman, uh, negotiations or where

45:16exactly this team is.

45:17And it all starts on Tuesday in Florida, Ty, I will see you there.

45:21Uh, before we let you go, where can we read your stuff?

45:24What can we, uh, hear you on the airwaves?

45:26All that stuff.

45:27Yeah.

45:27So you can find me at 98 pub sports hub.com.

45:30Uh, you can also find me, uh, on the radio 98 pub sports hub.

45:34Uh, the podcast I do their sports sub underground with my friend, Matt Dollef.

45:38Um, we also, um, not sure when this is going live, so this might be going live after it's

45:44already happened.

45:45Uh, but we will be doing a brew and season preview show on Saturday, October 5th from

45:509am to 11am.

45:52So, uh, if this comes out after that fact, uh, go back on the website and find it and

45:57listen to it.

45:57It'll be there.

45:58So, yeah.

45:58And how about yourself?

46:00Yeah.

46:00So you're going to read my stuff over at boston.com and the Boston globe.

46:03We have recovered every step of the way, uh, from, uh, October 8th through hopefully June

46:09of this team is playing that far into the playoffs.

46:11Um, and if you want to follow me on Twitter, you can at Connor Ryan underscore 93, uh,

46:18tie.

46:19Thank you once again for hopping on, talking Bruins hockey with us.

46:22This is episode 266 of poke the bear.

46:26You fans have a great rest of your week.

Expectations for Jeremy Swayman, Bruins this season? | Poke the Bear

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