On this episode of Bruins Beat, Evan Marinofsky is joined by Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal. Evan and Mark discuss the probability of Jim Montgomery losing his job, if now is the time, and how much it would even change things. That, and much more!
Topics:
- Another drubbing
- Feels like the time might be right for a firing
- But is it the right move?
- What else must change?
- Are the Bruins just a mediocre team?
- Evan pulls out some damning stats
********************************************************
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Topics:
- Another drubbing
- Feels like the time might be right for a firing
- But is it the right move?
- What else must change?
- Are the Bruins just a mediocre team?
- Evan pulls out some damning stats
********************************************************
💰 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 NHL tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Terms apply. What time is it? Gametime!
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SportsTranscript
00:00Bruins Beat is brought to you by PrizePix and the GameTime app.
00:07And welcome into the Bruins Beat presented by PrizePix.
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00:16And we're presented by GameTime.
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00:23Terms apply.
00:24I am Evan Maranofsky.
00:25That is Mark Diver.
00:26Mark, what is up?
00:29Hi, Evan.
00:30How are you?
00:31I am great.
00:32I am great.
00:33How are things going with you?
00:34I assume lots of college, hockey, you know, you're at BU, Maine last last weekend, right?
00:40BC, Maine.
00:42Yeah.
00:43BC, Maine.
00:44Sunday.
00:45I was there.
00:46Yeah.
00:47I was at Northeastern Providence on a week ago.
00:50Yeah.
00:51I've been doing the college thing, you know, getting around hockeys tonight.
00:57And I'm going to Quinnipiac Brown.
00:59Oh, that's a good one.
01:01Yeah.
01:02You know, I'm passing up.
01:04It'll be a historic occasion at the Amp with Matt Potras first American League game.
01:09But you know, I'm going to bite the bullet and go watch Pelosi and Gronewell, the future
01:18the future of the Bruins in some way.
01:21Yeah, they are the future bees.
01:24That's for sure.
01:25Yeah, it's a fun time of year.
01:28I know we were together last weekend at New England Sports Center watching the Mass State
01:32Tournament, which was very fun.
01:34It was a good a good event.
01:38Lot of lot of New England Sports Center stuff.
01:40Land of the Bruins, though, a little turmoil right now would be the right word, just sort
01:45of uneasiness.
01:46And it's been that way for a month now.
01:49Like we're we're fully in we're a month in and we're recording this after the Bruins
01:54lost seven to two in Dallas, ugly loss after a nice win on Tuesday with that three to come
02:04from behind in the third period win over St. Louis, which came after a really bad outing
02:11against Ottawa, which came after an overtime win against Calgary.
02:15And you get where I'm going with this.
02:17I've just sort of the ups and downs of the season so far.
02:21Where are you at right now with everything?
02:25Well, I think I'm like a lot of people.
02:28I don't really know what to make of all this.
02:32You know, the ups and downs of recent weeks are not something that we've really experienced
02:43in watching the Bruins over recent years.
02:46The last two years, especially when they started out really hot and piled up a bunch
02:51of wins and, you know, by by mid-November where we are now, it seemed like we were just
02:57waiting, counting the days until the playoffs started.
03:01And that is certainly not the case right now.
03:07You know, are they just not a very good team?
03:09Are they?
03:10Well, they aren't a very good team at this point.
03:14I think that's it's fair to say that.
03:15But is it because the talent isn't there?
03:19Is it because a lot of guys who have been good players are not playing well right now?
03:27You know, what is it?
03:28I can't say I have any answers.
03:32I don't think I don't think anyone anyone does at this point.
03:36It's been kind of baffling the way this this has gone.
03:42You know, it's just not something we used to.
03:44This is how other teams live.
03:46It's not how it's not how the Bruins do it.
03:49But no, maybe it is.
03:51Maybe it maybe we need to get used to this, like the Patriots.
03:54Just like, all right, time to time to have some normalcy.
03:58I'm surprised.
03:59I continue to be surprised because coming into this year, I thought this roster would
04:04be better.
04:05I think where I'm at right now is you sort of look at the roster as a whole and guys
04:10are just underperforming and they've consistently underperformed throughout the year.
04:15And your guys that you needed to be stalwarts have not been your secondary guys like a Trent
04:21Frederick, who we'll get into in a little bit.
04:24Your Morgan Geekies, your Brazos at times just haven't been there.
04:30And I think it's you have to wonder, like, OK, have those guys just overperformed the
04:34last couple of years?
04:36Or is this the outliers?
04:37This is, you know, they're just having a bad year and it's just all happening at the same
04:41time.
04:43I think that's where you wonder about roster construction, where it's like, OK, maybe this
04:48team just isn't very good and we'll get into that later.
04:51But like, I mean, again, you look at the lines and you've got, you know, Geeky up with Zaka
04:57and Pasternak.
04:58And what was the one thing we said after last year?
05:00Like, you can't have Morgan Geeky on your top line.
05:03He's a good player, but that's why he went out and got Lindholm.
05:07And now, you know, that's the case.
05:08And now you have Marchand with Brazo and Lindholm on that second line.
05:13And like, what is what can you chalk that up to?
05:17I think that's the biggest thing is like it's just underperforming across the board.
05:21Five on five scoring power plays dreadful penalty killing is bad, taking too many penalties.
05:27You're I mean, again, Elias Lindholm doesn't have a goal in the last month or since the
05:32start of the year has two assists in his last like, I don't know, seven or eight games.
05:39And you know, some of that obviously, yes, is chalked up to, you know, he's not playing
05:42with Pasternak at the moment.
05:44But I also just haven't noticed him being a difference maker.
05:48And you know, you look across the board and it's not just him.
05:52And you can't fire the roster like they can't keep running this team back every night.
06:00They can't because nothing's changing.
06:02I tweeted it out.
06:03I said that game on against St. Louis should have been a season correcting win where you
06:10build off there.
06:11All right.
06:12You know what?
06:13We came back.
06:14Montgomery was kind of on the hot seat.
06:15We're back.
06:16And you respond with a seven to loss.
06:17I know Dallas is better.
06:19You and I talked about this after they played Dallas the last time.
06:23I know Dallas is better, but like they're not five goals better there.
06:27You know, like there's more of a fight in this team, isn't there?
06:31I mean, it just isn't there at the moment at all.
06:37So they fell behind early last night, you know, and they're down two goals.
06:43But I like the way they they played when it was two to nothing.
06:47They got a goal.
06:49They were they were right in it.
06:50They were right in it.
06:52And then the second period happens and all of a sudden, you know, it's like they got
06:57run over.
06:59I don't know how to explain what went on there in that second period, and it just got worse
07:04and worse.
07:05They didn't get any saves.
07:07They didn't stop anybody defensively, and they didn't they didn't make any life difficult
07:13for, you know, at the other end for Dallas.
07:17I don't know how you explain that.
07:21You know, as far as Elias Lindholm, it's kind of scary to think, you know, what if.
07:29You know, he got the big money and, you know, and all that, he doesn't have to worry about
07:34money ever again.
07:36You know, what if he's just going off the cliff here and this is this is who he's going
07:39to be from now on?
07:42You know, a guy who's on the you know, on the other side of of his career and and headed
07:47down from here, that that's a daunting thought if that's if that's how it works out, because
07:53he you know, this isn't what this isn't what the Bruins signed up for from him.
08:00And you know, he's not the only one, by any means, by any means.
08:04Charlie Cole's been good lately.
08:07You can never fault his work ethic, but you know, I think more was expected of him.
08:14You know, there's a list of guys, Trent Frederick, you know, you need more from him.
08:21This is a guy in a contract here.
08:24That's what's so baffling is him and Geeky and some of these other guys are in contract
08:28years and you would think, yeah, equal more production and it hasn't.
08:32Yeah.
08:33So I don't know.
08:34I really it's baffling.
08:38And you know, as far as yes, it can't continue.
08:42But what do you do to to kind of snap them out of this?
08:47A trade, a fire in, you know, I don't know.
08:52I don't know if that's going to work.
08:54If you do that and it doesn't work, well, then where are you?
08:57That's the thing.
08:59You know, the flip side, if you look at the standings, yeah, they're not where they want
09:05to be or where they expect to be.
09:06But they have the same record as like the Colorado Avalanche.
09:10I don't know what's going on in Denver, but I don't think anyone's talking talking about
09:13like firing the coach out there.
09:15Well, they've had a million injuries.
09:16They have.
09:17They have had a million injuries, Bruins, but I get what you mean.
09:21In the standings.
09:22What are they, five points out of first place in their division?
09:27Miraculously, yes.
09:29They're not far.
09:30They're not that they're not.
09:31They're not far out of last place either, unfortunately.
09:34But I don't know.
09:37I don't know what the answer is or if or if there is an answer to this at this point.
09:42It goes back to like this is what I struggle with.
09:45Right.
09:46Now, the way that the up and down nature, the uncertainty with the head coach passed
09:53this year, because for all we do not, there's no but no news of an extension.
09:57So we have no reason to believe that there's been an extension.
10:00This feels like the time that he would get fired like this does feel like the time now
10:04they play Saturday and then they play, I think, Monday and then they don't play again until
10:11Thursday.
10:12Do they do they use these next couple of games as, you know, proof?
10:17He's also just not signed yet.
10:19So like, that's the other part is like, do they really believe in this guy going forward?
10:23And that's where like, I have publicly and even like privately not talked about him getting
10:31fired yet.
10:32Like, I have not said that they should fire him yet because I don't believe up until now,
10:36I don't believe that they should.
10:37And I don't even know if I fully like, I, I just get this feeling that you can't keep
10:44doing this night in and night out.
10:47And nothing's changing.
10:48And it's just the same thing.
10:49And it's a month in and we're almost at Thanksgiving.
10:51And that's sort of the barometer for the playoffs.
10:54And yeah, you're right.
10:55They are in a playoff spot, which is wild.
10:58We'll get into that.
11:00But I mean, that is the easy move.
11:03Like, that's the tough part, right?
11:05And I don't want to sit here and say they should fire Jim Montgomery right now.
11:10Because this isn't all his fault.
11:12But I will say like, and I'm not, you know, screaming at a ref isn't going to change a
11:17call.
11:18It's not, never has, never will.
11:21But I was, and I wasn't, I wasn't obviously in Dallas on Thursday.
11:25So I don't know what Montgomery's reaction was on the bench other than what the camera
11:29showed.
11:30But what the camera caught after they changed Carlos hit from behind from a major to a minor
11:35was him just kind of up against the glass going, all right, come on, power play.
11:38Like, I would expect a coach, especially one in this position, where it ain't going right.
11:45This team needs a spark badly.
11:49And there's just, there's not that.
11:51And I'm not saying like, again, yelling is not going to do anything.
11:53But it's like a manager getting tossed out of an MLB game.
11:57Like it, it shows the team something.
12:01And I didn't, and I haven't been seeing that at all recently.
12:05And it doesn't help his case.
12:08It doesn't, I don't think.
12:10Yeah, I, you know, I, yeah, you, you like to, you like to see a coach go all, all Don
12:21Cherry on, on the referee.
12:25But you know, I, I think if you're the coach, you got to weigh whether that really helps
12:32when you're a team that looks to be in a very fragile state right now, the Bruins does,
12:40does airing out a referee, does that make the situation better?
12:44Or does that, I don't know, how does that affect the team?
12:48Does it make it better?
12:50If it does, then yeah, I guess you should do it.
12:52But if he's, if you're afraid that it makes it worse or that it doesn't have any effect,
12:57then, uh, then I guess you get what, what we got last night, which to, uh, you know,
13:02like you said, they didn't the time they did show him, it didn't look like he was, uh,
13:07he was all worked up about it.
13:09So I don't know.
13:10No.
13:11And again, I don't want to, it's not, that's not everything and optics are a whole different
13:15thing and like it, they get overrated completely.
13:18Um, I just, I, I keep seeing this and I don't know how you can keep running this out.
13:26And to me, like I think a trade off the roster, like that Trent Frederick idea, which we'll
13:30probably get to in a little bit, like trading Trent Frederick, I think you, like if you
13:35can get a legitimate package for him, I do it, I do it.
13:39And he's a likable guy in that room and I, you know, I wonder if that's it.
13:44But again, I go back to the, the, the head coach does not have a contract past this year.
13:51Like to me that, that seems like the obvious thing that they are going to do or feels that
13:57way, at least if this continues.
13:59And I've said for a couple of weeks now, if this continues, if this continues, I'm running
14:03out of, if this continues, cause it is continuing.
14:07Um, and again, like stable organizations don't just fire coaches on a whim.
14:13They don't like every good coach, Bednar, Cooper, Mike Sullivan.
14:20It's currently going through it now.
14:21Like they all go through stuff and the team sticks by them.
14:26I just don't know if the Bruins are willing to stick by this guy.
14:30That's like, that's what I keep going back to is like, I do think Montgomery is a good
14:34coach.
14:35I don't think he's a bit, he's going to get a, if he got fired tomorrow, he'd have a job
14:38either whenever he really wanted to.
14:40I think he'd been great here, but I just did nothing seems to click right now with
14:47this group.
14:48What about all the changes, the number of changes that they made in the off season?
14:53That's a big, that's another thing.
14:56Is it a chemistry thing where this was for all, uh, all indications were that over the
15:02last couple of years, this has been a very close knit group.
15:05Uh, you know, you had the, the goal, the two goalies, uh, you know,
15:11doing their thing and a lot of other guys, you know, who, uh, all indications where they
15:18liked each other and they liked playing with, with each other.
15:20And now this year, uh, you know, there's kind of a, an exodus of guys, uh, you know, Lena
15:28Solmark's gone, Matt Griswold's gone.
15:30Jake Dabrowski is gone.
15:32Uh, Derek Forbert, Derek Forbert, um, you know, and replaced by a different group of
15:39guys, uh, who, you know, who are they fitting in?
15:44Are they not fitting in?
15:44Well, you know, from the outside, we'll never know at this, at this point, but, uh, you
15:50wonder if that has something to do with what's going on and whether time can kind of, uh,
15:58meld this group together a little bit more than they appear to be right now.
16:02Uh, you know, I think, uh, a situation like last night where Carlo gets, gets
16:11trucked, uh, and Zdorov steps in and, you know, beats the wheels off Jamie Bennett.
16:17That can be a, a galvanizing moment for a team.
16:21We've seen that, I think, in the past.
16:23Incidents like that, where, uh, everyone rallies around that, uh, didn't happen
16:31last night, that's for sure.
16:35And, you know, Zdorov, I mean, not to pin it all on him, but he was awful in last
16:41night's game.
16:42Horrible.
16:43And he's been bad for the first time.
16:47I mean, a lot of the things that maybe you usually lean on or, you know, hope that,
16:54uh, that they would help, uh, they're not this year.
16:58And they just continue to drift in this, uh, you know, I don't know.
17:05I don't know.
17:05I want to, I don't want to call it a rudderless ship because that's, that's
17:09a shot at Monte and I don't think that's warranted at this point, but I don't
17:13even, you know, it's, it's just, it's, it's baffling.
17:18It's a mystery how a team with that appears to have a good roster is, is not
17:24playing that way, uh, night in and night out.
17:27Once in a while you get it, but not often enough, not consistently.
17:31They're better again.
17:32They're better on paper.
17:32I think than they were last year.
17:34Like I, I, that's what's baffling.
17:36I want to continue this, especially the part about roster construction.
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19:19So you mentioned Nikita Zdorov and the signings as a whole.
19:23I mentioned Lindholm and they're underperforming.
19:25I mean, especially those two.
19:27I mean, Zdorov is nothing like what you needed.
19:30And again, it's been a month.
19:31So like, you know, these are long contracts.
19:35Um, Lindholm started hot, has completely cooled off.
19:39Um, I do wonder if we get to, or I think we already are at a point where you're
19:45questioning the GM and you're questioning the moves that were made in the off season.
19:50Um, we have said numerous times, you can't build your team through free agency.
19:54Now they didn't, they're not building the core of their team through free agency,
19:57but Lindholm was brought in to be a top line center.
20:00Zdorov was brought in to be a top four left shot D man who, you know, gave you
20:04all these different elements of a game.
20:06And a month in, you have Montgomery questioning, uh, Zdorov's ability to
20:11learn a system and coachability.
20:13Um, and you have Lindholm who has, you know, again, they really haven't been
20:17able to find the perfect spot for him.
20:18And again, it's been a month in, but again, like what you mentioned, does Lindholm
20:25look all that different from what Charlie Coyle gives you?
20:30Like that's what I continue to go back to is like, is he that different from what
20:34you had last year with your Lindholm or Geeky or Sokka down the middle?
20:37No, he isn't.
20:38He hasn't been at least right.
20:40So that is concerning.
20:42Like that genuinely is concerning.
20:44And, um, again, that's a long contract, uh, and it's cheap.
20:49We all, we always said like, if, you know, that money will look good when he's a good
20:53number two center in four or five years, not going to look good if he's an average
20:58number two center right now, that's not so good.
21:03Um, but you know, I, I, Ty Anderson mentioned, um, on NBC sports Boston the
21:08other day, uh, the idea of Montgomery sort of being a human shield for roster
21:13inefficiencies.
21:14Um, and I, you know, I don't know if Sweeney and Neely are intentionally doing
21:18that, but you know, let's say they fire Montgomery tomorrow, right?
21:22Let's say Montgomery is gone and Jay Leach comes in or Joe Sacco gets promoted.
21:27Um, is, you know, I assume there will be a boost, but what if a month from then
21:35they're kind of back to almost 500 again?
21:37Like that's the other part of it too, where it's like, all right, well, then
21:41there's real issues with this roster and you have guys like Lindholm locked up for
21:44a long time and Zdorov locked up for a long time.
21:47And then you got to ask some tough questions about other parts of the roster.
21:50Like, what are the chances that it might be that?
21:55Well, uh, you know, as far as Jay Leach and Joe Sacco, uh, I don't know.
22:05Why would you think that things would change?
22:07Appreciably with those guys, one of those two guys as the head man, instead
22:12of Monty, those guys are in the room every day, you know, they're, they're
22:16part of this, uh, of what's going on here.
22:20So making one of them, the head coach in a couple of days, is that
22:25really going to, is that going to change things?
22:29You got to make sure that the guy, you got to make sure.
22:32I think that when you make a change, that it's going to be a change for the better.
22:36If it's just going to be the same, then, uh, I don't know, I guess that speaks
22:42to maybe riding this out with Monty and seeing where it goes for another,
22:47I don't know, week, two weeks.
22:49And, you know, maybe make a decision that as far as building the roster, I mean,
22:58they didn't, I mean, Zdorov and Lindholm were the best, I believe the best
23:05guys available, or at least near the top of the list.
23:08I don't know the Lindholm signing.
23:10I was completely on board.
23:11I mean that you had to do that.
23:13You had to, who should, should, was there somebody else out there that
23:16they should have signed instead of him?
23:18I don't, I don't, I don't think there was, I don't think there was.
23:21And Zdorov, I mean, I think the fans and many in the media have been
23:27pining for a guy like him, you know, since, since, uh, since big Z left the
23:34other big Z, you know, a guy that can step up like last night and just pound
23:38somebody, uh, you know, and now they got him and yeah, he's, he's playing
23:44poorly right now, without a doubt.
23:46I think he would, uh, you know, I, I heard some, a little bit of video of
23:50him after last night's game and, you know, he, he was, uh, he was not, not
23:56hiding from it, you know, the, how poorly he played last night.
23:59He was not hiding from that.
24:01No.
24:01So I don't know.
24:02They kind of in free agency, you're, it's not like everyone's available.
24:07There's a certain number of guys available and you do the best you can with it.
24:11So, uh, you know, as far as what that means for the rest of the construction
24:17of the rest of the roster, well, I mean, there's the lack of a scoring
24:21winger after DeBrusque left, would he have been that guy if they signed him?
24:26You know, we've been through the DeBrusque thing.
24:29He's not lighting the world on fire in Vancouver.
24:32You know, he's kind of been the same as he was here.
24:35Long, a great guy, great guy, great kid, great smile.
24:39He's got like one goal in 12, 12 games or something, you know, like, okay.
24:44So I don't know.
24:45I mean, they, they really are stuck, uh, at this point, um, with the roster they
24:53have, I don't know what changes could they trade their way out of this.
24:56I don't know.
24:57I'm, I'm doubtful that that would work.
25:00I don't.
25:00Yeah.
25:01I mean, you'd make a trade now to shake up the roster.
25:06You and I talked about this with Trent Frederick, where you, you know, whether
25:08it's for Vitrano or you do a Tanner Janot like deal where you get like three picks
25:14back, whether it's like, you know, two seconds and a third or a first and a
25:18third, whatever it is, like I'm for that, by the way, like I, I am, because I don't
25:24know if they're going to resign him at the end of the year.
25:28I don't know if it's worth keeping him around.
25:29I love the idea of what Frederick can bring.
25:32The consistency just isn't there.
25:34It hasn't been there.
25:36And I do wonder if this is the time where, you know, you've
25:38got to, you've got to, you know, deal him.
25:41Um, and you know, in terms of like, if you feel that this roster is not good
25:49and it does need to be retooled and they're headed for sort of a 2014 15
25:53type thing, which is not good when you have guys like Pasternak,
25:56McAvoy, Swayman locked up.
25:58And I don't think they think that they're headed for this, but if
26:00they end up having to do that.
26:04Martians in the final year of his deal.
26:06Um, and if this team continues to be kind of a miss and I'm not saying
26:12they should do this and they won't, they will not do this.
26:14This is not them.
26:15They're not going to trade their captain, but if you really did want to
26:17retool things and you want it to be bold, um, and they were 500 and out of
26:22the playoffs comfortably come February, like Martian would get you a first,
26:28a top product, like you would get something legitimate for him.
26:30A team would want him in for the playoff run.
26:32Um, but again, I, I still don't think that's what you, like what you do.
26:37I'm just saying like, if you truly want to trade your way out of it, that's
26:40probably how you would have to go about it.
26:43Um,
26:44well, you know, this, this, uh, has no, it's neither here nor there in
26:50terms of what's happening right now.
26:52But, um, you know, Bruins, uh, followers of a certain age, like me, uh, go back
26:59to, you know, right around this time in 1975, the Bruins were kind of in this,
27:06you know, middle of, you know, one good night, one bad night they turn around
27:14and they trade Phil freaking Esposito, you know, Phil Esposito.
27:21And they get back, you know, Brad park and, and John Rattel.
27:26And they were all set for like the next seven, eight years.
27:29They, they, uh, you know, that, that massive trade trading an
27:34icon in the franchise, uh, it worked.
27:37I don't think you can make a trade like that these days.
27:40No, because back then there was no salary cap.
27:44There was none of that.
27:45You just, you paid guys and, uh, and they played and, you know, so the
27:51parallel doesn't really work, but, uh, the Chuck trade is the closest
27:55that we've had to that, I think.
27:57Yeah.
27:57Yeah.
27:58Yeah.
27:58That's, that's a good point.
27:59I didn't think of that one, but yeah.
28:01Uh, but that doesn't, that's not regular and that doesn't happen like ever.
28:06It's very rare.
28:07Right.
28:08So that's, yeah.
28:11I don't know if you trade your way out of it, if the roster's bad.
28:13Um, again, it feels like a vent session for Pete.
28:18People are like, it's just bringing people down.
28:21Well, I'm going to bring you guys down even more.
28:23I have a stat.
28:24I was, I was curious about this.
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29:42Now back to the show.
29:44So I was curious, Bruins are eight, eight and two at the time of recording this,
29:49um, uh, again, up and down completely.
29:54And I was wondering, I was like, huh, how are they doing against teams that are
29:57currently in the playoffs versus teams that are not?
30:00Um, so they, again, eight wins, eight losses, two ties.
30:03I'll read these off.
30:05Eight wins.
30:06Two have come against teams in the playoffs and it was LA and Toronto.
30:13The eight losses, uh, six of them have come against playoff teams.
30:17Two were against non-playoff teams in Nashville and Philadelphia.
30:21Um, they also have beat, they, they beat Philly the next time they played them.
30:25They've not played Nashville since.
30:27Um, and then the two ties were non-playoff teams or not two ties, but two
30:32overtime losses, Utah and Ottawa, two teams that are not currently in the
30:36playoffs.
30:37So again, you have two of your eight wins are against playoff opponents.
30:42As of now, six of your eight losses are against playoff opponents as of now.
30:48Um, maybe we are at the point where this just is a mediocre team.
30:55Like this is a middle of the pack team.
30:57Yeah.
30:58I mean, and it kind of calls to mind the, the, uh, the Bill Parcells quote that
31:04you hear all the time.
31:05You are what your record says you are, you know, it's there.
31:10Yeah.
31:11Yeah.
31:12Uh, yeah.
31:13Teams that you would think that they would be handily.
31:17It's not happening.
31:18So, you know, it's, uh, it's not a good sign.
31:23Uh, it's not a good trend.
31:25No.
31:25And I mean, even look at like, obviously, even if you're the best playoff team in
31:30the world, you're going to lose to playoff teams throughout the course of a
31:32season.
31:32That's not the point, but like, you know, lost to Florida, both times lost to
31:37Dallas, both times, um, lost to Carolina by six goals, lost to Toronto in a kind
31:44of a helpless game last week.
31:46Um, fall to Nashville who might get James Hagan's they're that bad.
31:50Um, and so, you know, you only beat LA beginning of the year.
31:56You squeak when you got out against Toronto at home, all that, like, yeah,
32:02yeah, I just, you're right.
32:04You are what your record says you are.
32:06And maybe they are just a mediocre team.
32:09Like, I don't want to believe that they're going to be me.
32:13I see.
32:13I look at this roster.
32:14I think they're better than that.
32:15They should be at least
32:17the fact that they're getting their doors blown off by legitimate Stanley cup
32:21contenders like Carolina and, and, and Dallas and, you know, Florida, the
32:28standard of the first game.
32:30Yeah.
32:30It's just, you know, it kind of tells you they're not, they're not a contender.
32:37Not right.
32:38Not right now.
32:39So I don't know.
32:40Uh, it's, uh, it's a bad spot to be in here on November 15th.
32:47It is.
32:47And that's why, like, I get the whole, like, Oh, they're in the playoffs.
32:51They're, you know, they're still in it, this and that.
32:53And I understand it.
32:54And that's terrific.
32:56They also have played three more games than Tampa who's right behind them.
33:01And I, again, I look at this and you, you're right.
33:06Getting blown out by Carolina, blown out by Dallas, blown out in the first half
33:11against Florida to open the year.
33:12Like, and then that comes down to this dibs, like, and this is where I think it
33:19gets a little scary as you look at Pittsburgh, right?
33:23So Pittsburgh is free falling at the moment.
33:27They are, that team is, I don't know what they're going to do.
33:31Cause you have all these vets and I don't know if you, you don't really have
33:34many high-end young guys coming up.
33:38Bruins are an interesting spot.
33:40Cause you have young, you have a young core.
33:42You have Pasternak, you have McAvoy, you have Swayman, you do have Lindholm, you
33:46both Lindholm signed, you know, you have some others obviously.
33:50So like blowing it up is not the move.
33:52Like blowing it up is dumb.
33:54Do not do that.
33:56But I do wonder if you look at this year as a retool where you sell your spare
34:02parts at the deadline, you recoup some picks, maybe get a roster player or two.
34:08Um, and try to reload for next year or the year after, you know, Washington
34:11did that two years ago when they traded Orloff and Hathaway.
34:15Um, I wonder if we're at a similar spot where do you trade Frederick?
34:19Do you trade Geeky?
34:21Um,
34:22it's, I think it's worth, maybe it's on November 15th, it's too, uh, you know,
34:28too soon to really embrace that as a, as a way to go, but, uh, it's certainly
34:36worth considering, um, you know, if you could, uh, if you could do that and get
34:43some, you know, assets that would help you not only say next year, but, uh, in
34:48the following years, you know, if you got some draft picks, uh, you know, the
34:53thing with Washington and I don't, you know, their coach was, was, was an
35:01assistant coach in Providence.
35:02Uh, you know, and I'm not going to say they let him get away.
35:08Cause he got offered a HUD head coaching job in Hershey.
35:11So of course they, he took it, but, uh, you know, I don't know what if, what
35:16if he had stuck around, you know, would, uh, would that, would that have changed
35:21things?
35:22Probably not, but it's, you know, just kind of an interesting thing to, uh, to
35:26ponder if Spencer Carberry hadn't left after one year, you know, would, uh, would
35:32things have changed at all?
35:33Probably not, but we can, uh, we can wonder.
35:37We can, it's like a draft pick.
35:39What if you're right though?
35:40I mean, you had him in house.
35:41Um, and obviously moods does a great job in Providence.
35:44So like, that's, you know, they weren't going to like can move just to be like,
35:47you know, I went into the future and Spencer Carberry was a tremendous NHL
35:51head coach.
35:52Goodbye, Ryan.
35:52Like they don't
35:53Carbs was Carbs was Jay Leach's assistant.
35:56Uh,
35:57Oh, I didn't know.
35:58I, I didn't put too much.
35:59Yeah.
35:59And, uh, and yeah, you know, just a really smart, uh, smart guy, you know,
36:07hockey wise, but also a guy with a person, a winning personality, a guy who
36:12was, you know, fun to be around, probably fun to work with, I would guess, but,
36:17uh, you know, um, and, and, you know, I'm glad to see him doing well in Washington
36:23because I thought they were a disaster waiting to happen at the start of this
36:27I did.
36:28You know, and, and instead he's breathed new life into the, uh, into the, the
36:35husk of, uh, Ovechkin and, uh, wild they're, uh, you know, they're, they're
36:43kind of flying high.
36:43They had an awful game against the Leafs the other night, but in general, they're
36:47doing very well, exceeding expectations, I think in a big way.
36:52Yeah.
36:52And, and that's what I wonder, like, do the Bruins look at that and say, you
36:57know, if you're Don Sweeney, these are his moves, you know, Hey, we can't, you
37:03know, if, if I started admitting that I messed up on all these guys, I'm going
37:07to be shown the door, you know, let's get a new coach in here to breathe new
37:11life in.
37:11And we'll see if that works.
37:12Like, I wonder if there's sort of a lot.
37:14I mean, Sweeney has been here now for 10 years, so it's been here a while.
37:19Um, you know, they haven't won a cup yet under him.
37:23They've been there.
37:24They've been competitive every year, which again is huge.
37:26I'm not like, I'm not discounting Don Sweeney and the job that he's done, but
37:30you know, I wonder if this starts to really stink, not just this year, but
37:35future years where they fall out of the playoff picture and they become
37:38unwatchable and things like that, like that move will have to be made.
37:42I wonder if they look and say, you know, let's get a new head coach in here and
37:44see if they can breathe some life in to the room, sort of kind of what Washington
37:48has done to an extent.
37:52Yeah.
37:52Well, that would, uh, that would be, uh, you know, something that they, it might
37:58come to that unless they, they get, get a little spark here in, in, uh, in the
38:05next few days, uh, not to mention the next few weeks, it's, you know, you got
38:10to think that like you say, you know, a change might breathe some life into,
38:18into this and, uh, and, and then go from there.
38:22If that doesn't work, then yeah, you got to make personnel changes.
38:25You got to make, you got to make trades, all of that.
38:28Everything's everything's on the table, you know?
38:32Yeah.
38:33I just, I wonder like it's November 15th.
38:35If we're sitting here, December 15th, I have to think there were some changes
38:40made to this roster or the coaching staff.
38:42Like, uh, you know, obviously, yeah, if they start winning, if Saturday they
38:46win and then they go on like a seven game winning streak with this group
38:50that it's a go, it's good, they're finding their game, they're putting it
38:54together, but if they, but if they, if they don't, I wonder like how different
38:59the group, if at all, they'd look in a month, if you look at the upcoming
39:04schedule, there's a lot of, uh, there's a lot of opponents coming up that, you
39:11know, if the prunes were playing better, you might look at them and figure they
39:17were layups that they can make some hay over the next few weeks.
39:23And if they don't, if they, if they can't beat those teams consistently, well,
39:27then that's, that's, uh, that's a message right there.
39:30That's the, I think that's, I mean, again, you meant you hit it like the
39:33team's coming up St.
39:34Louis, Saturday, Columbus, Monday, Utah, Thursday at Detroit, the 23rd against
39:42Vancouver, the 26th, um, in the, uh, at the New York Islanders, the 27th and
39:49then home against Pittsburgh on black Friday.
39:53Uh, I mean, the, the, the, if the Bruins were the team that we thought they
39:58were going to be, they would be, they would be looking their chops going
40:02into the stretch of games instead.
40:04They're, uh, they're right down there with a bunch of those teams in the
40:09standings and, and it's not, uh, there are no guarantees of any, uh, that
40:15they're going to go on any kind of a run and be able to handle those teams.
40:20Yeah, no, I agree.
40:21I agree.
40:23Um, so yeah, not the most uplifting Bruins beat, not the, not the, not
40:28the most to give, but I think people feel this way, so that's where I think
40:31like, I think it, we're right to talk about these things, discuss big picture
40:37stuff.
40:39I agree, you know, and you know, people looking to, uh, you know, maybe they
40:45can bring this guy up or bring that guy up and give them a spark.
40:49You know, I don't, I don't see that, uh, you know, happening really.
40:54I don't think there's anyone in the minors that can provide that.
40:58Uh, unfortunately, so anyone who's looking down that Avenue is probably
41:04going to be disappointed.
41:06Yeah.
41:06I don't think one's coming up.
41:08That's just gonna light the team on fire.
41:10Um, and by the way, another person who left the soft season was Jacob
41:14Lauco, Jacob Lauco was gone.
41:16So that's another one, another integral piece.
41:19Um, divs as always, it's a blast.
41:21It's a pleasure.
41:22I know you've got, uh, you, you have your, um, ringside Rhode Island, uh, a
41:27lot of Providence Bruins musings.
41:29You'll have stuff for us at doing a hockey journal coming.
41:32You just talked to John Muse, right?
41:33I did.
41:34Yeah.
41:36So that'll be the man who, uh, there's a lot of guys out there who
41:39love hockey and love playing hockey.
41:43John Muse loves it more than just about anyone, you know,
41:47isn't he like 36?
41:48He's 36.
41:51Two NCAA championships.
41:53Uh, you know, beanpot championships, East coast league championships.
41:58He's played in China.
41:59He's played in Russia.
42:01He's played in Denmark.
42:02He's played all over this continent and he's still at it.
42:06Cause, cause he loves it.
42:07It's miraculous.
42:09Yeah.
42:10Yeah.
42:10Found my soul, John Muse.
42:12He'll probably make a great coach someday.
42:14I would think maybe, maybe.
42:16I don't, I don't think he's looking at quitting anytime soon.
42:19No, I, that's the thing he's going.
42:21I good for him.
42:22So you guys can look forward to that.
42:25Um, and yeah, that's Bruinsbeat.
42:27That's Mark Diver.
42:27I'm Evan Maranofsky Bruinsbeat listeners.
42:29Have a great rest of your week.