On this episode of Poke the Bear, Conor Ryan and Evan Marinofsky take a deep dive into the struggles the Bruins continue to have on offense. With little to no production form the top lines, could the Bruins front office be having some regret over letting Jake DeBrusk walk? And how to the Bruins right the ship now? All that, and much more!
Topics:
Boston’s offensive woes have been shocking
Who have been the most disappointing players out of the gate?
Any regrets over letting free agents walk?
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Topics:
Boston’s offensive woes have been shocking
Who have been the most disappointing players out of the gate?
Any regrets over letting free agents walk?
**************************************************
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
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SportsTranscript
00:00PokeTheBear is brought to you by PrizePix and the GameTime app.
00:07And welcome to PokeTheBear episode 274 presented by PrizePix.
00:11Go use that promo code CLNS to get $50 back when you play just $5.
00:17And presented by GameTime.
00:18Go use the promo code CLNS to get $20 off that first purchase.
00:22Terms apply.
00:23I'm Evan Maranofsky.
00:24That's Connor Ryan.
00:25Connor, what is up?
00:27Evan, I'm doing well.
00:29Unlike the Bruins.
00:33That is...
00:34That adds up.
00:35That adds up.
00:36So for those who are listening, we're recording this on Wednesday, October 30th.
00:40Might come out later in the week.
00:43Potentially after they play the Hurricanes.
00:45We don't know how they did.
00:46But this is going to kind of...
00:47A little bit of a look back.
00:48A little bit of a look-sees-back-sees at the first 10 games of the season.
00:55And sort of the recent trends that we've identified.
00:59Which are not very good.
01:00They're not very good trends, Connor.
01:01We're recording this after Tuesday's 2-0 loss to Philly on home ice.
01:07That's one of those games where, like, you should get a refund.
01:11You should get partial money back.
01:13You know how the Clippers are doing that thing where, like, if you're standing up and cheering
01:17a lot, the chair can tell.
01:19And so you'll get, like, discounts at the pro shop.
01:21That should be what the Bruins do.
01:23Like, if it's a crappy loss to a crappy team, give them a little something.
01:2915% off chicken tenders next time they're there or something.
01:32I was going to say, maybe you get, like, the little Zamboni box with the chicken thingies
01:37in them.
01:38You should.
01:39You should.
01:40Or at least, like, a large fry at the McDonald's in North Station.
01:43Like, something.
01:44Yes.
01:45You know how they always have...
01:46I think I have the McDonald's app.
01:47Because I live near McDonald's.
01:49So it's convenient sometimes.
01:50So you live at a McDonald's.
01:51Yeah, I live at a McDonald's.
01:52Yes.
01:53I live in the back room right next to the Fry-O-Lator.
01:57But the app, the day after the Celtics win, usually has, like, a big deal for the Celtics.
02:02And the one near me is Jason Tatum's McDonald's when they won the NBA championship.
02:08That was...
02:09It's the one on Soldiers Field Road.
02:10Please don't come to my house.
02:11Please do not come to my house.
02:13But I...
02:14Yes.
02:15Yeah.
02:16That's the one that's near me.
02:17So you figure out where I live.
02:18That's not great for me.
02:19But they always have...
02:20They should have deals after the Bruins lose.
02:23That would make people feel better.
02:24What's wrong with that?
02:25I think that'd be a good idea.
02:26They're gonna need it this year.
02:27It's true.
02:28It's like the inverse of...
02:29Remember, I think, when the Patriots, in their heyday, when they would win every Sunday?
02:32And I think it would be like...
02:33Like, Gronk had a...
02:34Yeah, Gronk had, like, a deal with Duncan.
02:36So it'd be like, you get, like, a large cold brew for, like, 87 cents.
02:39It was clutch.
02:40It was, like, an automatic every Monday.
02:42It was great.
02:43Yeah.
02:44Or, you know, kids eat free after the Red Sox win.
02:47The 99 doesn't happen very often.
02:48Shut up.
02:49It does not.
02:50God bless the 99.
02:51God bless the 99.
02:53But there should be something if a team loses.
02:57The offense.
02:58I mean, we have to start there.
02:59Not just a Tuesday night problem.
03:02Not just a last couple days problem.
03:05This has been a problem since game one.
03:08Five on five offense just has not been there.
03:11And then it kind of hits it, you know, you and I obviously did a lot of podcasts prior
03:15to the year saying, this is a better team.
03:18They should be our cup contender, should be first in the Atlantic.
03:21They're really good.
03:22They're top rated.
03:23Did we expect the offense to be this bad at any point?
03:26I don't think so.
03:28Not at this level.
03:29No.
03:30Right.
03:31Where you're at a point now where coming off of Tuesday's loss, going into Wednesday, you've
03:36got now David Pasternak and Lief Lindholm are split up.
03:40And you can look at, like, the mixing and matching that Jim Montgomery has done so far.
03:45And you can make the argument like, hey, maybe let some of these lines breathe a little bit.
03:49See what they could do in a full game.
03:51Pasternak and Lindholm have been together for 95 minutes now, like a pretty, pretty
03:55solid chunk of time now, 10 games.
03:57And they've accounted for two five on five goals.
04:00They've been out there for two five on five goals and two against.
04:03So they haven't broken even there for your top line that is getting a lot of ozone time.
04:10Opponents are generating 24 high danger scoring chances during that time, Bruins are generating
04:1412.
04:15And I mentioned this speaking with Ty Anderson.
04:17I didn't become a journalist to get a math major and I did quite the opposite.
04:22But I think 24 to 12 is not what you're looking for in terms of your line.
04:28That's should be, again, shouldering most of the scoring burden for this team.
04:32So yeah, like.
04:36I don't think you ever expected that to be the case with a team that good.
04:40And with two guys that I mean, you look at David Pasternak, he had Pavel Zakha for a
04:45couple of years and he's elevated him.
04:48He had Eric Holla, who was a guy that didn't really know what to expect and had a career
04:52year as well.
04:53Like, that'll be like a trivia question.
04:55And you know, 20 years would be.
04:58But you look at like what he's done in terms of elevating the teammates around him.
05:03Elias Lindholm.
05:04Yeah, maybe he's not the most skilled player, but feels like a perfect complement to what
05:08you have with that group and with what how effective David Pasternak is hasn't worked.
05:13Well, you can look at how shocking it is that, you know, guys that maybe exceeded expectations
05:18last year, like Morgan Geeky, even like Charlie Coyle, like what they've done, which is not
05:23a whole lot.
05:24And that's jarring.
05:25But even like your top line, which should be your go to group that even as you're mixing
05:31and matching the guys you had this offseason, like David Pasternak should be able to shoulder
05:36most of the scoring burden out of the gate.
05:38And having that be the case, it's it's jarring right now in terms of just how many guys are
05:43either in a funk or not confident with the puck.
05:45It's like, again, who would have guessed that right now, 10 games in that your leading five
05:49and five score is Cole Koepke, like are you outrightly outright leading score, which is
05:54nuts.
05:55And it's been that way for the last week.
05:57Yeah, that nothing's changed.
05:59Like obviously, they win against Toronto on Saturday, which is great.
06:03I think everybody thought would be sort of this jumping off point.
06:06And it's the anomaly.
06:08It's the it's the outlier.
06:10It's not what they've been doing recently.
06:12I mean, you go back to that.
06:14It started with the Utah game.
06:15I mean, you know, again, like you even look at the new top six that Montgomery is debuting,
06:21at least that he debuted at practice on Wednesday.
06:23And by the time you listen to this, maybe we'll know like how how that how that's how
06:29that shaped out.
06:31But again, like that top line of Beecher, Zaka, Pasternak, the second line, Marcian
06:36Lindholm, Kastelik, like two of your fourth line has two guys who at the beginning of
06:41the year, we were not sure if they'd be in the lineup every night are now in your top
06:44six.
06:45And they've been great.
06:46Like, I'm not I'm not demeaning them.
06:47Like, they've been freaked.
06:48They've been your best people like and Cole Koepke, too, completely like I'm not diminishing
06:54what they've been doing, but it shows you just how desperate they've gotten.
06:59And is that a roster issue?
07:01Is that a coaching issue?
07:02Is that a player issue?
07:03I think it's all of them.
07:04I mean, we knew going in this team was top six forward short, but I never in a million
07:09years thought this was what was going to happen.
07:13And I think it's in large part due to everything like almost every forward outside of that
07:18fourth line is giving their like the worst case scenario they can give.
07:22Zaka has been you know, I mean, he had chances on Tuesday night, hasn't been able to convert
07:27Lindholm's pointless in seven straight games.
07:31Your top line center like that to me again, a guy you you gave almost eight million dollars
07:37a year to is pointless in his last seven games.
07:42And I know he looked okay on Tuesday night, but like and we let you know, obviously good
07:46two way play and face offs and all that stuff.
07:49But there's got to be offense.
07:51And when you're playing with David Pasternak, who also hasn't been great, you expect more.
07:56And that like to me, that's the thing is that everybody is on is doing their worst.
08:03And it's, you know, like, you don't your top six isn't even worthy of being called
08:07the top six right now.
08:09And your best line just got broken up.
08:11Yeah.
08:12And I think the most concerning thing, right, is, as you said, like, there was a few quality
08:16chances on Tuesday, Lindholm had a good look.
08:20It's a joint turtle, turtle relative.
08:22So you know, there's going to be a shit ton of block shots on that stuff, which is all
08:25well and good.
08:26But still, I think the most concerning thing is it's not just like the chemistry or lack
08:30thereof.
08:32It's the lack of urgency, right?
08:34Like you look at especially that game on Tuesday, you get that win over Toronto, a team that
08:40is maybe treading water a little bit.
08:41But you expect to see in the playoffs in Toronto, a very talented team.
08:45You have a little bit of a setback there in the third period, go out and win it in overtime,
08:50get some momentum.
08:51You've been in a rut for weeks now, feel like you're building towards something and jumping
08:56off point.
08:57Brad Martian gets on the board, you feeling feeling better about where you are.
09:01And then you have this game on Tuesday at home against the Flyers team that was last
09:04in the Eastern Conference, I believe, gave up, I think, 40 goals throughout their last
09:09six games.
09:12Not a good team.
09:13The team that you look at as if you're the Bruins and you think you're a legit contender
09:17in the NHL, you tab as that's a get right game.
09:20And now it's been the opposite.
09:22You've been the get right team, whether it's the Flyers, whether it's the Nashville Predators.
09:27And for the Bruins, yeah, that's the Dallas's power play.
09:30Yeah, exactly.
09:31Like, I think you just look at the Bruins is like the lack of urgency there because
09:35now, you know, as we're recording this, you lose that game, arguably your worst effort
09:40of the year.
09:41You're feeling like shit.
09:42Your lines are all jumbled up and I got to go to Raleigh, a team that has kicked your
09:47ass in their own building for years now and a team that I was mentioned this to tie like
09:52a few days ago.
09:54Carolina's a team that people are like, are they going to make the playoffs?
09:56They lost a whole bunch of guys.
09:58Tell you what?
09:59They have an identity.
10:00They're buying in.
10:01They're they're stingy on defense.
10:03They flying in on waves on the four check.
10:06They're fast.
10:07They're effective.
10:08Doesn't matter what the personnel is.
10:09They have an identity.
10:11What's the Bruins identity right now, Evan?
10:13You can like we know what they want to play, play like.
10:16We know like what they did in the offseason.
10:18But what is the Bruins identity right now?
10:20Because it is it's nothing.
10:23It's not nothing.
10:24Yeah, there's it's a hodgepodge of stuff that is leading to nothing productive on the ice
10:28right now.
10:30I mean, I would say it's just, you know, failing to get to high danger areas.
10:34It's failing to get shots on net.
10:36And like to your point of blocked shots, yes, it's gutsy when you can block shots, I agree.
10:42But that's also a symptom of not moving.
10:44You're stationary and you just shoot the puck.
10:48You're playing in the NHL defenseman and forwards covering, you know what you're doing.
10:54And that's again like the power play.
10:57You're just standing stationary.
11:00And when you're stationary, it's easy to block those.
11:02You and I could jump in front of.
11:03I mean, it would hurt.
11:04It would suck.
11:05It sure would gauge on me and like bubble wrap.
11:08But like you can read that.
11:10And other teams are doing that with ease.
11:12And you know, I thought what was telling on that Tuesday night game was they did have
11:15a good amount of zone time, three shots in the third consistent play along the perimeter.
11:21No method of attack to get to the front of the net and no urgency to say, you know what?
11:28We're not getting any shots from the inside.
11:31Philly's packing it in.
11:32Let's throw some pucks from the outside and crash the hell out of the net.
11:35It was none of that, none of that.
11:38And to me, like that's what's been most egregious.
11:41And I think it goes back to no, we could not have imagined the offense being this bad.
11:46And I want to get in a sort of disappointing players.
11:50We're hitting on all of these.
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13:31So the most disappointing players so far.
13:33We're already on this.
13:3410 games into the year.
13:36We were so excited for the season to start too and we're already doing this.
13:42Disappointing players so far.
13:44Who would be your pick right now?
13:46I mean, I would say right now, I mean, you can pick up a whole lot of guys, a lot of
13:52dudes.
13:53I'll tell you what, Alyssa, yeah, we're each going to have a couple of good responses here.
13:58I'm going to go with a guy in Charlie McAvoy who I don't think is doing enough to drive
14:03play to impact the game down both ends of the ice.
14:06And I think especially look at the power play right now.
14:10It just feels like it's waterless there in terms of playmaking, in terms of being decisive
14:17with the puck, moving the puck quickly, which I think you need to do in these instances
14:21where you're trying to really kind of stretch out the PK and get them turning their heads
14:27and kind of feasting on that kind of chaos and unpredictability that we saw so many times
14:32with the Bruins over the years when their power play had guys like Torrey Krug up there.
14:36You're just not getting it from McAvoy right now.
14:39Like whether it's, you know, a guy like Hampus Lindholm or Laurie are more dynamic there,
14:44whether they're lefties, they can kind of feed the puck to Pasternak at a quicker rate.
14:50And then just like McAvoy down the other end of the ice, I don't think he's been as sharp
14:53as he needs to be.
14:54So again, he's got a couple of goals, which is more than you can say for a couple of guys
14:59I'm sure we'll mention in this grouping.
15:01But as the guy that has to be your kind of anchor on defense and an impactful play down
15:06both ends of the ice, I just don't think you get enough from Charlie McAvoy out of
15:09the gate here.
15:10No, you're not.
15:11And he's trying to do too much.
15:12You see it.
15:13I mean, him jumping up into the offense, you know, being like the F3 in the offensive zone
15:18sometimes.
15:19It's like, yeah.
15:20And I think it also goes back to like, and I wondered this, playing with a guy like Zdorov,
15:23do they feel have they been telling him, hey, dude, you can be an offensive defenseman.
15:28And it's like, no, man, like me.
15:31And again, we always say there's more of a ceiling with McAvoy.
15:33And I do believe there is some more.
15:35But maybe he is a 50, 55 point a year guy who gets a ton of assists, you know, like
15:41good two way guy, elite two way guy instead of, you know, hey, he's going to rush at every
15:46shift.
15:47He's going to, you know, run the power play.
15:49He's going to be super active in the offensive zone.
15:53And I agree with you on the power play.
15:54I mean, you know, forcing pucks to Pasternak, they've got to figure out a way to get Lindholm
16:01more active on that power play to make him somehow more lethal.
16:04Marchand from the shoulder and whoever they choose to put in front of the net, be it Zakkab,
16:09Rizzo, whatever.
16:10Like it's such a one trick pony and McAvoy and like there's just not enough movement
16:15up there.
16:16And that's where like a low ride comes into play or a Lindholm.
16:21And we've said this for the last year now of, you know, obviously, McAvoy is your top
16:25earner on D, like he's your big dog.
16:27He's a top five, seven defenseman in the NHL.
16:30Like it's also OK if he's not doing the first unit like he he's not it's not Quinn Hughes.
16:36This is not just an offensive defenseman, but he is a good two way guy.
16:40So yeah, OK, that's OK.
16:42It's almost like, yeah.
16:43Would you rather him be like Jacob Slavin?
16:47It's like 40 ish points would rather him be maybe what he isn't of like a Quinn Hughes
16:52and a kill him a car.
16:53And again, we're in the age of hyper skilled offensive defenseman, like just because you're
16:57not kill friggin McCaw or Quinn Hughes or Roman Yossi, that's really fine.
17:02You can be a damn good defenseman, which is what Shelly McAvoy is, even if it's not power
17:07play one minutes and those points that come along the way, I'd rather be a dynamic two
17:12way rover defenseman who can crack guys down both ends of the ice and chip it offensively.
17:18Yeah, I'd rather be that kind of yeah, I'd rather be that kind of player that's forty
17:22five fifty points and stick to that than being a spot where maybe just the overall
17:27unit just isn't.
17:28They're not just as crisp with the puck as you need them to be in at this level of hockey.
17:34That half second of hesitation can mean a world of a difference in between where the
17:38pucks go and what passing lane is going to be available, what what chances are going
17:41to be there for you.
17:42And you're just not getting nearly enough of that right now.
17:46No, you're not.
17:48If I was to say like most disappointing, I mean, Coyle has completely missed the mark
17:53coming into the year as a number two center, one point in ten games.
17:57I think he's like a minus eight through ten games, like just not noticeable, not noticeable,
18:05no offense, not nearly good enough as a shutdown guy.
18:11The chemistry with Marchand is not there.
18:14No driving offense like that.
18:17He's a he's been dried up like that.
18:19He's been bad.
18:21Definitely his worst stretch as a Bruin.
18:23And, you know, again, it couldn't come at a worse time because every but no one else
18:28is playing well.
18:29So it's it's just sort of collective.
18:32And I'll go I'll stay at center for my other one, which would be Lindholm, Elias Lindholm.
18:36I mean, you know, I think it's more just the lack of production that's been such a bummer
18:42and such a just a miss like.
18:44All right, Pasternak finally gets his guy that he that he wants, which are good.
18:49We all wanted them to get Elias Lindholm, but to go seven points to go seven games on
18:54a point like number one center, it's not like you're it's not like he's counted on to lift
19:00his wings.
19:01Like you're playing with arguably the best right winger in hockey and you're playing
19:05with, you know, on the other side, two damn good forwards, either Zacher Marchand.
19:10Like I and you're on the first power play.
19:13Yeah.
19:14So I don't get that either.
19:16Yeah.
19:17And it's one of the things, too, where like you look at these lines and hell, you can
19:20go into Thursday's game in Carolina and like David Pasternak is such a dynamic player that
19:24if he gets right, it wouldn't shock you.
19:27It wouldn't shock you if he has a two goal, you know, to assist night with a Beecher and
19:32a Zacher.
19:33He's done it countless times.
19:35Yeah.
19:36Elias Lindholm, we've always put in the qualifier that he's a really good player, but he's maybe
19:39not a line driver.
19:41He's a guy that you put in that, you know, elevates a line with other talented players.
19:47You saw that in Calgary.
19:48And now it's what we put as our stipulation right of like we can be a 60 point guy because
19:53he's with David Pasternak.
19:55So now will you have him on a line with Brad Marchand and Mark Tassel?
19:59Like it's like, yeah, sure.
20:03Like I still feel like you're you're not going to get the most out of him unless he's with
20:06Pasternak, but it's not working right now.
20:09So it's like I wouldn't be surprised if a guy like Pasternak, you know, gets right with
20:14whoever he's with because he's just that talented to play offensively.
20:18Lindholm, it's like, yeah, he's better than he's showing right now, but I don't know if
20:23he's going to get the most out of him with a cast like in a Marchand, right?
20:26So that that is the concerning thing is that I think he needs Pasternak and the chemistry
20:31just not there right now.
20:32No, it's not.
20:33And I also wonder, like, so Zaka and Pasternak have a good history together.
20:38So there is some promise there.
20:39Yeah, I do wonder what Lindholm and Marchand like.
20:42Is there anything there?
20:44I mean, look, Castlick's game is great.
20:47I like it.
20:48He's given you a ton.
20:49I just don't know if that's what Lindholm needs.
20:54Maybe it is.
20:55Maybe Lindholm needs a bruiser down there who just frees up space and causes havoc.
20:59Like maybe that is they might be on to something there or they might not be.
21:05And again, like, I don't know.
21:08And that also comes down to, like, Castlick being up in that spot, Beecher being up in
21:11that spot.
21:12It's because guys like Frederick and Geeky have also massively disappointed.
21:17Massively disappointed.
21:19So there there's a lot of names we could give.
21:21We're not going to drag everybody.
21:24We don't like doing this.
21:25I don't want to do this.
21:26This stinks.
21:27Ten games into the year, a coach might get fired.
21:31My God.
21:32Incredible.
21:34Anyways, before we get on to some more big picture stuff, a quick word from our friends
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22:56Obviously, the Bruins entered the year down a top six wing and that is because Jake DeBrusque
23:02walked and they never really replaced it.
23:04They were open about it.
23:05It was, you know, going to be an open competition.
23:07Jake DeBrusque, four assists through eight games start the year.
23:10So nothing, nothing crazy.
23:13Good things do take time.
23:14I fully expected him to have like seven goals and five assists in like eight games and it
23:20was just, it would be the worst case scenario for the Bruins.
23:24Do you have any regrets over the Bruins letting a guy like Jake DeBrusque or any other free
23:28agents walk?
23:29Yeah, I mean, I think you look at DeBrusque and maybe I think it was just time for both
23:34parties to move on there.
23:36But I do think, yeah, when you look at it, maybe the secondary scoring depth where you
23:39look at a guy like Denton Heinen, who wasn't going to break the bank, who I think has two
23:44goals and two assists with Vancouver right now, like how much can just one more of those
23:48players help you out right now?
23:49It's the same reason why I think people are anointing Tyler Johnson as the second coming
23:54of the Messiah.
23:56When like, I think you have to put like in perspective, like, you know, I think he provides
24:00a spark, right.
24:01And he's a guy that has produced in this league.
24:04So that's where people desperately need him.
24:05Cause right now you're getting nothing from this group.
24:07Dan Heinen is not a 30 goal scorer, but he can produce, he had 17 goals last year for
24:12the Bruins.
24:13Like just having one more of those guys, I think would have really helped you here.
24:17And it comes down to, yeah, maybe if it wasn't the brusque, was there another guy out in
24:21the market that you look at it now and you know, is it, you're picking between a top
24:26six or a middle six winger and Zdorov, right?
24:29Like, are you looking at, you know, not to say that the Bruins had to pick between Zdorov
24:34and you know, a Marchessault or like a Stamkos or someone like that, but like even a guy
24:40that necessarily wasn't going to break the bank, like a Duclaire, I know he's out long
24:44term now, but like that guy that, yeah, that's the guy that I really thought would make a
24:49lot of sense because he's really fast.
24:51He's you put him in the right spot.
24:52He's going to give you 20 goals, plays with pace, effective on the four track, was a Florida
24:56Panther for a while there and fit into that identity.
24:59Like not the most physical guy, but closes in quick, makes things happen.
25:04You're just not getting that.
25:05And that's kind of where you miss like what the brusque brought, like even when people
25:09didn't like that he was up and down production wise, he was always moving his feet, always
25:13making things happen or trying to make things happen.
25:17And that's why I think he was so effective in the playoffs, because when I shrinks and
25:21the ability to make plays is really limited.
25:23You need guys with the wheels to make something kind of out of nothing.
25:26That's why he always seemed to pop up when he gets to the playoffs.
25:29So maybe not like specifically looking at depressed because I just think maybe it was
25:33time to, to, to split there.
25:36But yeah, I think the, the absence of another guy that again could give you a 15, 20 goals
25:42could add a little bit more speed, more playmaking.
25:45All you need is just one of these guys and all of a sudden, like if it's someone generating
25:49offense and all of a sudden a guy like geeky gets on the board or Charlie coil gets on
25:53the board and all of a sudden it starts building that momentum.
25:55You're just missing that.
25:57That one piece.
25:58It feels like that is why you got so many lines kind of stuck in a rut right now.
26:02Yeah.
26:03It's funny.
26:04Cause going into the year, I thought Lindholm coming in would kind of put everybody back
26:06in their place.
26:07And I think that's how it should have been.
26:09Guys just are not performing.
26:12I agree with you.
26:13I think the brusque, it was time.
26:14I think he'd been here a while.
26:15Um, there'd been, you know, trade requests and things like that over the years.
26:19And um, I mean, I agree with you.
26:21I think they absolutely could use a guy like him.
26:23I think the big question is, should they have allocated the door off some money towards
26:29a top six winger or, you know, a top six winger and a depth guy or a defenseman?
26:35Like I think that's the big question.
26:37I know that when they made that Omar deal, we kind of railed against the corporate solo
26:41money cause it was like, oh man, like you could have used that towards another free
26:45agent.
26:46And yeah, I mean, I look at the defense and you take the door off out of the mix and it's,
26:49you know, Lindholm, McAvoy, low ride, Carlo, and then, you know, peak and who, you know,
26:54is it Watherspoon?
26:55Is it, you know, a cheaper veteran option on D which is kind of what I wanted at the
26:59time.
27:00Like, um, I think Brendan Dillon was the name that I kept saying like, Hey, that makes sense.
27:05But again, like Zdorov, I get it.
27:07Like has the upside.
27:08He's big.
27:09Um, I think you also have to, you know, consider with a lot of these free agents, be it Lindholm's
27:12a door off.
27:13Um, even some of the lower end ones, Max Jones, you know, Riley Tufti, like it does take time
27:19to adjust to a new place.
27:22And there is that.
27:23I think that that's important to note.
27:25Um, Dan Heinen, like, obviously, yes, you would love his production, but we said it
27:30a number of times during the summer, like you want to find the next Dan Heinen and the,
27:35but the part about Dan Heinen that's great is he's comfortable here.
27:39He's proven here.
27:40And it goes back to what I just said about free agents, like it does come down to comfort
27:44and things like that.
27:45And, and you'd like to playing for Montgomery.
27:47So that was a great fit.
27:48You know, are these guys going to be great fits doesn't look at yet.
27:53We don't know yet.
27:54Um, so, uh, yeah, I mean, I think the big regret is they probably should have, um, replaced
28:01some sort of top six scoring depth.
28:03And cause again, Lysell, they kind of took out of the gate from the beginning and he
28:08gave you nothing.
28:10Frederick's given you nothing.
28:11Um, Brazil hasn't given you a ton up there.
28:15So like six minutes to, that's the whole thing is when you started off in the second line
28:19on, on Tuesday, then he's back down to like the, the hodgepodge that's down there in the,
28:24the bottom six.
28:25It's like, and he, and he's on that fourth line on Wednesday practice.
28:28Like my guess is that these lines of Beecher and cast to look up there, I guarantee you
28:33they're back to the regular lines midway through the end of the second period.
28:36They're back to square one with the lines.
28:38Um, so yeah, I mean, yeah, like declare I would have loved, or like Tyler to Foley,
28:45like that's bank.
28:46I mean, fuck me bank 30 goals for the guy like him, you know, like, yeah, I know it's
28:52money.
28:53You gotta make the money work.
28:54I get it.
28:55But like, you know, would you have taken Nikita Zdorov for Tyler to Foley?
28:59No, man.
29:00Like to Foley is a pretty solid school score.
29:03Um, it's probably going to make you feel, but it's probably going to get traded like
29:07at the deadline too.
29:08I'm, he sounded like, I think a longer term deal, right?
29:11Like three or four years.
29:13Maybe San Jose doesn't want to move them because they think he's one of these veteran, you
29:17know, guys they want to keep along as they hopefully improve.
29:21But I feel like he's a guy that maybe, maybe next year is when they'll put him back on
29:24the market.
29:26It always feels like there's those kinds of players that are out there and the way that's
29:29going right now, if the Bruins want to contend and they, they want to go for it this year,
29:33then they probably looking at the market again and seeing what's out there.
29:35Cause it feels like you desperately need, again, the very least 15, 20 goal scorer.
29:41He has 10 points, six goals, 10 points, 11 games with sharks with the sharks.
29:48So like, that's the other thing, but again, it's a longer term deal.
29:51So I mean, all right, let's play this game, right?
29:53So he's what?
29:54Three or four years.
29:55Two or three years left on that deal.
29:56Yeah.
29:57I forget his age.
29:58Is he like 30?
29:59I think he's old.
30:00I think he's like 31, 32.
30:01It's been around a while, right?
30:04He is 30, 32.
30:07So here's the fun one.
30:08Would you deal a first round pick for him?
30:14Like I want to say no, I wouldn't, let's have control.
30:19So I'm like, and you put them with a center, like I couldn't, you make the argument.
30:23I would rather they make the first round pick.
30:25They need high end prospects in the system, but like, I'm intrigued.
30:31They need, they need to get a pick, even if it's in like the 20s, which they're not playing
30:34like they're going to be picking in the 20s right now, but they need someone.
30:37Maybe they will get James Higgins.
30:38Maybe they will get James Higgins.
30:39You talk about the ultimate monkey paw.
30:42So it's just shitting on that James Higgins thing, and they just are so bad.
30:46They just draft him outright.
30:47They don't even need the sharks help for it.
30:49Yeah.
30:50No, they get, they get James Higgins on their own.
30:51I wonder like with the sharks, I said this on Pucks with Hags the other day, kind of
30:56jokingly saying the Bruins should go after Will Smith, who struggled out of the gate.
31:00Like on the real, like if the sharks are the worst team in hockey and they get the number
31:04one pick and they pick Higgins, you have Higgins, Smith and Celebrini on the same team, which
31:08is bananas, but they're not all like, Will Smith's not going to say, yeah, put me as
31:14the third line center.
31:15Like someone's got to go.
31:17So like, yeah, that's my whole thing with the sharks.
31:21If I had a shark's podcast, I would just talk about that like every episode, like what are
31:24they doing with that pick?
31:27But I mean, essentially the shark's podcast is like a hockey's podcast.
31:30Just bring in like, bring it, bring in divs, bring in like Andy Mahoney, bring in all the
31:35hockey East guys.
31:36And no, it's pretty much a shark's podcast.
31:38That's all you need.
31:39Yeah.
31:40To have them talk, you know, hockey East guys and prospects.
31:42Sure enough, they will draft someone.
31:43Greer will take all this hockey East guys.
31:46So Greer will take a Greer.
31:48I think his first year took, I want to say it was two guys out of New England prep that
31:52went on.
31:53Surprise you guys.
31:54Michael.
31:55No, James Fisher, I think.
31:56Oh, God.
31:57I, my brain.
31:58Yeah.
31:59I was gonna.
32:00Yeah.
32:01I don't put you on.
32:02I don't know what.
32:03I don't put the New England Hockey Journal guy on the spot.
32:04But yeah, I'm cooked.
32:05But I it's something around that.
32:07But yeah.
32:08So, huh, not the greatest time, not the greatest time.
32:13Hold our.
32:14Like even like the rooms, DACA, just, yeah, I mean, look, I sit in the dark ruins are
32:19like five games under 500 by the time I record again, we can do it in pitch black.
32:23Yeah, we'll do it.
32:25We'll do it.
32:26Just I'll sit here with like, no, it's going to be the Blair Witch Project.
32:29Yeah, it's going to be just like my face up against the camera like that.
32:32Yeah, it's hard.
32:33Yeah.
32:34It's how it's how we feel right now.
32:35We need help.
32:36Yeah.
32:37He's sent someone.
32:38Yeah.
32:39That's how I feel.
32:44Like that is exactly how it would go.
32:47God, that's going to get clipped.
32:50Yeah.
32:51Anyway, Connor, what can the people look forward to from you at Boston dot com and the Boston
32:56Globe?
32:57Yeah.
32:58You can read us over at the Globe and Boston dot com.
33:00We have recaps, features, columns, breakdowns, all that good stuff.
33:03So you can find it over there at those two sites.
33:06And if you want to follow me on Twitter, you can add Connor Ryan underscore 93.
33:11Go do all that.
33:13That's Connor Ryan.
33:14I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:15I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:16I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:17I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:18I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:19I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:20I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:21I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:22I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:23I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:24I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:25I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:26I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:27I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:28I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:29I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:30I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:31I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
33:32I'm your host, Connor Ryan.
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