Pucks with Haggs host Joe Haggerty and guest James Murphy discuss the Bruins coming out of the Christmas break and whether Joe Sacco deserves to have the interim tag removed from his head coaching title.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Pucks with Hags is brought to you by Price Picks and the Game Time app.
00:04Welcome to another edition of the Pucks with Hags podcast powered by Price Picks,
00:08the exclusive daily fantasy partner of the CLNS Media Network. I believe this is the 153rd episode
00:14of the Pucks with Hags podcast, so thanks very much everybody out there for listening. As always,
00:18I'm your host Joe Hagerty. You can find my work at joehagerty.substax.com. Subscribe and get
00:23yourself a premium membership. Get all of my NHL and Bruins writing sent straight directly to your
00:27inbox. I also file columns three times a week for the Boston Sports Journal,
00:31so go to bostonsportsjournal.com, get a subscription there, and check it all out.
00:35Today with me, I have longtime friend and colleague Jimmy Murphy. James, please tell
00:39everybody where they can find your work, my friend. Well, you can tune in to the iTest podcast I do
00:45with Pierre Maguire every Monday through Friday, 4 to 5 p.m. live on YouTube, and then you can
00:51always get it on the podcast platforms, and you can also find me at RG Media, where I do some
00:57writing for them at least twice a week. Awesome. Check out the writing and check out the podcast.
01:01Good stuff from Murph as always. Also good stuff from our sponsors, so before we get to the podcast
01:07itself, let's thank them real quick. PrizePix, download the PrizePix app today and use the code
01:13CLNS and get $50 instantly when you play $5. That's code CLNS on PrizePix to get $50 instantly
01:19when you play five bucks. You don't even need to win to receive the $50 bonus. It's guaranteed.
01:24PrizePix run your game, and if you need any kind of tickets whatsoever, comedy, theater, sporting
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01:44app, create an account, and use the code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download GameTime
01:49today. Murph, what time is it? It's GameTime, buddy. GameTime. That's right. See, Murph knows
01:55it's GameTime, too. We all know it's GameTime here. Beautiful. All right. 42 points, Murph,
02:02at the Christmas break. Five-point cushion for a playoff spot for the Bruins. They're in the
02:08playoff structure in the Atlantic Division right now. They've been kind of in and out the last
02:12week or so going into Christmas because Tampa Bay kind of goes back and forth with them,
02:17and Tampa Bay's got a lot of games in hand on the Bruins, so they may end up passing them at
02:22some point when they catch up, but they're in a pretty good spot right now. Columbus is going to
02:28be kind of a sneaky game for them, I think, going into Columbus on Friday night coming out of the
02:34break because they have to fly in this morning. Friday morning, they can't travel on the 26th.
02:41They have to wait until the 27th, so they fly in the same day, which they almost never do,
02:46skate in Columbus, and then play on Friday night, and Columbus is a team that's in the mix
02:51for the wild card. They've been hanging around, and they've been kind of an annoying opponent,
02:56so I feel like this is a pretty tough game for them coming out of the Christmas break and then
03:02having Buffalo on a back-to-back at home right after that. This is a challenging little stretch
03:08for a Bruins team that started to show the ability to meet some of these challenges and
03:12then overcome some of the adversity. Yeah, I love that you say that, Hacks,
03:17because I think a lot of people overlook Columbus. If I was a gambling man and betting on hockey
03:23tonight, I'd stay far away from the Bruins. I'd just stay away from this game. I think it's an
03:28ultimate trap game right now. Like you said, they had a fly-in today. They haven't had practice in
03:33a bit, and also Columbus notoriously on Friday night is a pretty rocking place. They usually
03:40pack the arena for their Friday night games. Not that the college kids are there right now
03:44because they're on break, but it's a good atmosphere for the home team on a Friday night,
03:48and it's a tough place to play there. I agree with you. I think they've been a scrappy team
03:53all year. I like the direction they're headed, and I don't think they're going to win all said
03:57and done. I don't see them in the playoffs, but they're one of those teams that are going to
04:01be a thorn in the side of teams like the Bruins who are trying to be in the playoffs or trying
04:05to climb up the standings. I agree with you, and then looking forward, there's some tough games.
04:09I think they could come back tomorrow, and I see them winning on home ice, but
04:14after that, the week ahead is going to be a good test. Yeah, exactly.
04:18The safety factor is always there.
04:20Yeah. Maybe they go on a run. We'll see. One thing I'm looking at,
04:26they have been playing better hockey, and I think it shows when you look at the standings,
04:31they're still the only team in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a negative goal
04:35differential. They're negative 14, but just a week ago, that was at negative 21,
04:42Joe. Clearly, they've done a good job of buying into Sacco's defensive system and making it work.
04:49They definitely have. The goal differential thing, let's face it, that's due to three blowout losses
04:55to Winnipeg, Dallas, and Carolina. That's basically where their goal differential comes from,
05:01the massive goal. I guess you could say that about any team with a negative goal differential,
05:05is that it's the blowout losses that really hurt them. Essentially, when you look at the Bruins and
05:10you look at goal differential, it's three blowout losses against good playoff teams
05:15that has really put them in that spot. I'm with you. I think they're a playoff team.
05:24What I've seen out of them lately is they're starting to get used to the system that Joe
05:30wants to play, that he's preaching to them, that the coaching staff is preaching to them.
05:33I think they're starting to get comfortable playing the system that he wants, playing
05:37defensively the way that they want, offensively, shot volume, funneling pucks, volume, quantity
05:46over quality as far as the shots go in the offensive zone, scoring on rebounds, scoring on
05:50chaos in front of the net, creating things like that. You're starting to see all that stuff happen
05:54and them start to play that way. It's been interesting to watch because the way they're
05:59playing now and what they're preaching now is so different than what Jim Montgomery wanted.
06:03I think it's taken them a little while to really cycle out of that and become the team that they
06:09are now. I think they're starting to get confident and get the instincts to play the way they are now
06:14rather than thinking their way through it or still shedding some of the stuff that they were doing
06:19with Monty, especially offensively. The holding on to pucks, the short passing,
06:25the playmaking, the trying to get the perfect tic-tac-toe goals and all that stuff, the stuff
06:32that Monty wanted to see out of them, it takes a while to get that out of your system and realize
06:38that they want pretty simple hockey now, which I think for this team and this personnel is better.
06:43It's a better fit for the players that they have than trying to make Trent Frederick and
06:49Morgan Geeky playmakers. That's just not what they're built for. I really think now they're
06:55playing a style that at least suits the personnel that they have and what they are. It's about time.
07:05I don't blame Don Sweeney for the roster that they have because I think it's a playoff caliber
07:09roster. I think they did the best they could as far as the free agency, the players that
07:13were available, filling needs, all that stuff. Honestly, since that first year that Monty was
07:21the coach, the team that they had was less and less matching with what he wanted to do and just
07:28not a good fit with him as a coach. I think we saw that progressively over the last couple of years.
07:34Finally, they made the move this year. I think what we're seeing out of this team and the way
07:37they're playing is proof of that. What I wonder and what I ask you is, at what point do we decide
07:47that Joe Sacco is the guy? Maybe he's the long-term guy and you shed the interim tag,
07:54you give him the job. Maybe this doesn't happen until after the season's over and the playoffs
07:57and all that stuff. If I were the Bruins, I would probably wait to see the whole show this year and
08:03see the whole production from all the way through until their playoff run has ended to make a
08:08decision and to do that. There's no reason not to. I feel like Joe Sacco is doing some good things
08:13here. I really like his temperament. I like how calm he is on the bench. You don't see him really
08:18flipping out or blowing a gasket, even when the Bruins aren't playing well. He kind of reels them
08:22in and reminds them what they're supposed to be doing and who they are. They get back to basics.
08:27Really, they're playing like Bruins hockey. I feel like they've been doing that since Sacco took over
08:32and much more recognizable to what we've seen in the past with this team.
08:36I give a lot of credit. One of my gifts under the Christmas tree for this podcast episode would be
08:41just credit to Joe Sacco for doing a really good job and for making the most of an opportunity that
08:47came 10, 11, 12 years after his first gig in Colorado. He was definitely waiting for it and
08:53ready for it. He's doing a good job and the results are the way that they're playing.
08:58Them, like you said, shaving some numbers off the goal differential, the one loss record,
09:03and then being in the playoffs. Joe, I think it was over the summer I was on with you and
09:09Mick Colaggio on this podcast. We were all sort of looking at the roster and looking at Monty
09:16and his situation and why he didn't have an extension yet at that point. Something smells
09:23Denmark here. We all kind of sensed it. You looked at that roster and clearly the focus was
09:30size and grind. Like you just said, and everything you said was absolutely right,
09:36that was not Monty style. It was attack. It was offense. Just all the time, go, go, go.
09:42This roster wasn't suited to his gameplay. The writing was just so much on the wall that if they
09:50didn't get off to a good start, he was going to be gone. Sure enough, we were right. This whole
09:54situation reminds me, and you just mentioned how Sacco's waited so long for his next shot as a
09:59head coach. It reminds me so much of when Cassidy took over for Julian. I just remember having those
10:06same conversations with you at that time. Something's weird. Why is this roster not
10:11catered to how Julian coaches? Why is it starting to look like a different roster for a different
10:16coach? You could see it coming. Sure enough, they hired Cassidy. He got his shot after a long time,
10:21just like Sacco. This is twice now where Sweeney's wrote this script. I'm with you. I think Sacco
10:29deserves a ton of credit. However, I will say the one thing is, I don't know this for a fact.
10:37This is me just speculating. Don't go and say that I reported this. This is just me speculating.
10:42I feel like there's a lot of management, hockey ops direction in play here. I think it's more of
10:49a collaborative effort when it comes to Sacco and Sweeney and Neely than it was with Montgomery.
10:56We had heard so many reports that there were differences in philosophical approaches
11:02between Montgomery and Sweeney. That was one of the things that led to the coaching change.
11:07Now, when you see this, it makes sense to me. I think it's all coming to the surface now.
11:12Again, I'm not taking anything away from Sacco. I like what you said about how he's been able to
11:16calm them down with the exception of those blowout games you mentioned earlier. We've seen other
11:22games where they've gone down early and they've stuck around and they clawed back in and at least
11:26got a point. I think maybe once where we've seen them blow a late lead was that game in Edmonton.
11:33Then again, it's Conor McDavid. You give him a chance late, it's going to happen.
11:37I think it's all coming together right now. Another thing I like what you said too
11:42is that the players had to say, okay, we're not that, we're this. They had to admit that to
11:49themselves and admit it as a group and say, okay, we need to do what they're telling us to do here.
11:54We can't be what we want to be. We're not that flashy team. We're not that. We're going to be a
12:00boring, grind you down team. On the flip side, that's what usually wins in the playoffs. That's
12:06a good sign. Yeah. Look, if you want to simplify what the Bruins mindset is or what they're trying
12:13to do, they're trying to be more like the Florida Panthers. They want more of an aggressive four
12:17check. They want more of an attack on the defenseman. They want more of a grind you,
12:22wear you down kind of a style that is going to be more effective in the playoffs with bigger,
12:27faster players, with players that have speed and size. It will pound you if they catch up to you
12:33in the corner when you're retrieving a puck and will grind and wear you down over the course of a
12:38seven game series. And they want to start playing a little bit more of that style. Then that was
12:42definitely not Monty. And that was not his style. And that is not the way that he wanted to play.
12:47And yeah, I heard the same thing you did. There were differences of opinion. I know for a fact
12:51that they did not agree on Matt Potra getting sent down to Providence. I think there was
12:55definitely a disagreement about that when it happened. Probably because Monty felt like
13:00Potra could help them here and was an offensive player and could help them create goals.
13:05But organizationally, they felt like the right call for him was to go down to Providence and
13:09develop and play minutes and build up his confidence. And that's exactly what we've
13:14seen happen. He had goals in seven games in the AHL. It was the perfect example of player
13:19development where you put a guy down that doesn't have his mojo and kind of has lost his confidence
13:25a little bit at the NHL level and isn't really the player that you thought he was going to be.
13:30He was able to go down to the AHL, play in all situations, play big minutes. And all of a sudden,
13:34almost immediately, it happened within a couple of games. He started scoring point per game,
13:39playmaking, doing all that stuff. And he's exactly the guy you thought he was.
13:43And really, I mean, for Potra, it's showcasing him and how good he is and why he should be viewed
13:51on a different level as a 20-year-old player than Fabian Lysel, than Merkulov, than all these other
13:57guys. He can dominate in the AHL, but those guys cannot do. He's a legit NHL talent. I think he
14:03needs to get bigger. He needs to get more confident offensively and get back to where he was. And he
14:08needs to figure out how to operate without putting himself in harm's way too much for hits. And it's
14:14hard for him because he's not, I wouldn't call him elusive. I wouldn't call him fast. He's not
14:18going to be able to out-skate some of those big hits and be able to avoid them with his skating
14:24ability, because his skating ability is very average. But I think he needs to figure out a
14:29smart way to do that. And he can do that at the AHL level and figure out some elusiveness slipping
14:35out of some of those big hits that he's taking when he gets back to the NHL level. But they
14:39disagreed on that. I'm sure, I mean, it would seem like the Tyler Johnson thing maybe they disagreed
14:46on too, because he didn't last very long after Monty was gone. Certainly, I think Mark McLaughlin
14:51must've been a difference of opinion between Monty and the front office because, I mean,
14:56it was very obvious when McLaughlin gets called up a couple of days after Monty gets fired,
15:00and he's been pretty regularly in the lineup since then. So I think it is very apparent that there
15:07were some differences of opinion between the two sides. And look, I'm sure from Don Sweeney and Kim
15:13Neely's perspective and Bruin's management, it's like, what has this guy done to really be able to
15:18dictate all this stuff to us? You know what I mean? He's been a pretty good regular season coach,
15:22hasn't done enough in the playoffs. Really any, I hate to say this, but anybody could have coached
15:27that team the first year he was here. And he even said, you know, like coach that team and got a
15:34great season. Maybe it wouldn't have been breaking like it was, but like, I kind of still think
15:39Patrice Bergeron was sort of the coach of that team, you know, in a lot of respects. So like,
15:45what did he actually do to deserve that kind of clout and deserve like a big money, which I'm sure
15:50he was holding out for contract extension and like credit to Monty, right? Like clearly he knew that
15:56St. Louis was going to want him. And he knew that, you know, that that was going to be in play and
16:04that he had history there. And you don't want to say collusion, but like, it's funny that you hear
16:09the NHL start to talk about like looking more seriously into the back channels or like chatter
16:15that's going on before free agent sign, maybe before coaching changes, all of that stuff.
16:21Because I just feel like that was a very clear example of like somebody knowing he had something
16:26in his back pocket as far as Monty goes when all this stuff was going on. And maybe that played
16:31into the Bruins and the way that they played and the players knowing kind of knowing that was the
16:36deal as well, that he wasn't signed and that, you know, there were potentials, potential of him
16:40going elsewhere. And that played into some of the conflicted sort of like strange things that we saw
16:46on the ice and the way the players were operating is they were sort of like at a loss to know what
16:52was going to happen long term too. And that, that can be, you know, really unproductive for hockey
16:57players, for NHL players, if they don't know that everybody's on fully on board and a part of the
17:01group and is going to be there for the longterm. Yeah, I agree. I mean, I think, you know, the guy
17:07I actually, when you, when you sit back and you really think about it, the guy I feel the worst
17:11for is Drew Bannister. You know, it's like, he's like, what the hell? I thought we were in a rebuild
17:16and now you just kicked me to the curb. And like you said, he had to probably sense the same thing
17:20you just said that, you know, they were thinking Monty all along. And so he was kind of just a
17:25sitting duck as well. And, you know, going back though, to what you're saying, like, what did
17:29Monty do coaching wise to really dictate a more lucrative contract and long-term contract?
17:36I agree with you a hundred percent. And he even said like, I just had to like tell the guys what
17:40to do, call the line. I mean, he admitted that it was such an easy team to coach in, you know,
17:48in that year when they broke all those records. But I think arguably, I think last year he did
17:54a way better job. I thought he actually coached. I thought he really, in my opinion, exceeded some
17:59expectations, getting them to the second round. It looks like they were going to lose to Toronto.
18:05And then they ended up going six games with Florida. That was a grinding series. You know,
18:09Florida said at the end, I remember Paul Maurice, after they won the cup saying that was arguably
18:14one of our toughest series, other than the Edmonton Oilers, one that went seven games. So
18:19I think, you know, it's ironic that he got the Jack Adams a year before. I mean,
18:22obviously he's done it because of all the points they accumulated, but he had a better coaching job
18:26last year. So I thought that was, you know, a little different there, but you're right. I mean,
18:30when he, when he came back, look, he was waiting for it to happen. The players are waiting for it
18:36to happen. And it was almost like as a group, they were just in this purgatory where they didn't know
18:41where things are going to go, but they could sense something was coming. And how do you go out and
18:46play? I mean, and how do you go out and form an identity when you don't know who your coach is
18:50going to be? And if that identity is going to have to change all of a sudden again. So, you know,
18:55there are a lot of things that led to it, but right now in the current, you know, they're buying it.
18:59And one thing I like to, when I look at this team too, is they're not always leaning on their stars.
19:07There's other guys trying to step up because I think, you know, people will disagree with me and
19:12people will say, oh, well, Posenak hasn't been himself and he hasn't done this. Well, maybe it's
19:16because for a while Posenak had to do everything. He was trying to compensate for other guys,
19:22not really getting to their point of what their worth is. And I think now that there's more guys
19:28doing that, it's easing up the load on the star players like Posenak and Marchand. And they're
19:34starting to come back to themselves. So, and by the way too, I don't mind Posenak being a playmaker
19:40as opposed to just a goal scorer. I like it. I think if they got another winger,
19:45it would really be great. I like, I like it too, to a degree, but it's too frustrating to watch him
19:51when he passes up like, I mean, you can't do that if you're him and you're really the most gifted
19:59guy in this team as far as scoring goals on a team that has a hard time scoring goals. I think
20:03there are times, like when it's the right play to make, I absolutely. And I think he and Zaka have
20:07a good chemistry going and he can set up Zaka quite a bit. And like, that's a good thing. And
20:13it's clear that he is able to do that and that he should do that.
20:17But I think there's also times where he passes up clear shooting chances that are there.
20:22But it's been less lately. He does it less since the coaching change. I think he's shot more. I'd
20:27have to look at the stats. Especially when it turns into a turnover. You know what I mean?
20:30When he passes up a shot, forces a pass, turn over the other way, especially in an odd man
20:36situation where it's like, you got to get a shooting, you got to get a shot on net in that
20:40situation. You have to be able to at least get something on net. But I agree that he's been
20:45better in a lot of respects lately until he ended up getting banged up. And we'll see what happens
20:50with that too coming out of the Christmas break as well. Let's take a pause in the podcast to
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22:19run your game. All right, Murph, we've got a couple of questions here from the fans,
22:24so we will go over these ones in the second half of the show here. Hi, Joe, I have a question,
22:29comment for your podcast that I hope you can answer. With all the talk recently about Trent
22:32Frederick being a trade candidate because he's not producing, I feel there might be a comparison
22:37with Nick Foligno after his first year in Boston. Foligno was also well-liked by his teammates and
22:42was willing to play a bottom six role if it was best for the team, and both were not afraid to
22:46drop the gloves if it might give the team a spark. Don Sweeney had the opportunity to get rid of
22:50Foligno after year one, but he didn't because of all the positive intangibles. My question,
22:54do you think Trent Frederick might stay in a B's uniform for the same reasons that Nick Foligno was
22:59kept here under his contract? Thanks. I love the podcast, Roger Perry. Now, I think this is an
23:05interesting comparison. I hadn't really thought about this one. Little age difference, though.
23:10There's definitely a little age difference, and the one thing I would say to Roger, too, is they
23:14kept Nick Foligno around because they had him under contract, and there was a coaching change in
23:19there, too. He and Bruce Cassidy, I think, did not really get along well. He was another one of those
23:25veteran players that clashed with Bruce Cassidy a little bit, and he had a better year when he
23:31was healthy under Jim Montgomery during that loaded season. The big question and the big
23:38reason why Trent Frederick might get traded and why there's so much talk about him getting traded
23:42is this is the last year of his contract. He's going to be a free agent after this year. He's
23:46in a totally different situation where I think the Bruins are going through their calculations
23:53right now to try to decide if they want to pay him what he's going to get on the open market as
23:58far as term, as far as money. I said this on the podcast last week, Murph, and I've said this a few
24:04times. I'm really starting to get Jake DeBrusque, Tory Krug vibes with Trent Frederick where there
24:10isn't a ton of chatter about a contract. I think the Bruins know that they can't afford him and
24:18that they don't have the money to sign him, and they don't want to extend themselves to the point
24:22to give him what he's going to be able to get somewhere else. I think Trent Frederick maybe
24:26knows this. Maybe it's St. Louis, maybe it's somewhere else, but I got to imagine that
24:33there's a place that's going to give him the contract security that he's never had with
24:37the Bruins. Give him a three, four, five-year deal that he's never really had in Boston to
24:43have that security. That's something he mentioned to me when I talked to him about it. I just feel
24:48like he's one of those guys that you have to really think about. I think the Bruins maybe
24:53need to change their thinking when it comes to an asset like Trent Frederick or Jake DeBrusque or
24:58Tory Krug that you know is a valuable asset that can get you things in return at the trade deadline.
25:04Don't you have to think about trading them and getting that value back instead of just letting
25:08them ride off into the sunset after the season is over and signed somewhere else if you know
25:12that's going to happen, especially with a team like the Bruins this year where they must know
25:17by now that they're a playoff team, but they're probably like a one, two-round playoff team.
25:22It doesn't feel like this is a team that's capable of a deep run. They're sort of transitioning to
25:27who they're going to be as a contender, and I don't think it's going to be this year unless
25:31they go lights out in the second half. Maybe this is the perfect time to flip off a guy like
25:39Frederick and get some value in return at the trade deadline.
25:42Yeah, two things. I totally agree with you. Keep an eye on the Blues. I think they'd be
25:46first in line to acquire him or sign him should he go to market. And don't forget, Joe, you listed
25:54DeBrusque, Krug. We go as far back with Don Sweeney as Louis Erickson. That was another guy that they
25:58didn't meet the deadline that really I think they regret now in hindsight's 2020.
26:04Well, they made the right call, Louis Erickson, though, right? There were several players like
26:08him that really didn't do much after that. I think they made the right call with Tory Krug,
26:13even though they- No, I'm not saying don't bring
26:14him back. I'm saying they should have moved him at the deadline. I don't think they had
26:17an intent to sign him. So I'm with you. Let's say if you're more than 65% sure that you're
26:25not going to bring this guy back, trade him. That's it. Why sit on it? Like you said,
26:29he can bring you assets. Get something. Don't just let him walk. And I think if Don Sweeney
26:33does this again, he's really going to get it from the fan base. They're going to be like,
26:37this is a patent with you and it needs to stop. So I'm with you. But the one thing I don't get
26:44about not wanting to bring him back is, isn't Trent Frederick, if he could get to his potential,
26:51is he not just the type of player that now fits in with the style of play that we just discussed,
26:56that grinding, heavy hockey type style? I think he would be the perfect guy to fit into that.
27:01So it's like, why wouldn't they want to bring him back? Or maybe they just think that he's
27:06not going to ever get to that guy that they thought he would be when they drafted him.
27:10I don't know. It's an interesting situation. But as far as the trade rumors go,
27:14I've been told pretty much flat out that it wasn't them shopping him, more as it was teams
27:20interested in just asking Sweeney, what are you going to do with this guy? So I just don't want
27:24fans to think that they're out there saying, we don't want Frederick, so give us your best offer.
27:28That could have changed. This was a month ago when I was told that, but for right now,
27:32it's been more teams looking into it. And you wonder when that story first surfaced,
27:37I think it was Friedman who reported first, you wonder how much the agent had to do with it too.
27:42He's probably like, look, they're not talking to me. I got to do something to spark up the talks
27:45here, whether it's talks on a new contract or whether it's to get my client to a team that
27:50will sign him. So it's definitely something we're going to have to keep an eye on in the second
27:54half. Yeah, no doubt. I think Weeksey was another guy that very early on had said something about
27:58Frederick and trades too. It was both Elliott and Weeksey were both, I think, on that one.
28:04But had sort of, it was kind of nebulous the way that they worded it or mentioned it to your point
28:11where I don't think they made clear that the Bruins weren't shopping this player, but there
28:15was interest and other teams were asking about him. And of course they would. The thing about
28:21Frederick is I think he's a guy that I'm not sure he's ever going to be exactly what you would
28:26hope him to be or want him to be. I don't know if he's ever going to get to that place,
28:30but the potential is there for him to be something that every team wants.
28:35He's like a tier two powerful. He's not a tier one, you know what I mean?
28:38But teams think they're going to be able to turn him into a tier one powerful because the size is
28:42there because the toughness is there because he's shown the skill to be a 20 goal scorer
28:47somewhere around there. The elements, the pieces are all there for him to be something more than
28:52he is right now. But I just don't know that he can put it all together consistently to be that guy
28:56all the time. And I think we've seen enough of a body of work for him now that the Bruins have
29:02maybe made that determination. There's a ceiling to who and what he's going to be.
29:07And maybe he's reaching a point where the ceiling is not going to match the salary
29:12and the contract after this season. And that's when you really have to,
29:16the Bruins have done a good job of moving on from those kinds of players. And I feel like maybe
29:20that's where they are with Frederick. But extremely popular, love the kid. I think he's a
29:26great kid. It's nice having him around. He's turned himself into a very good NHL player.
29:32They're going to miss his toughness and his presence.
29:35He's good shooting in the game too. That's what I like about him.
29:37He really appreciates the nuances and loves to talk hockey.
29:41And they're going to miss him if he's gone. There's no doubt about it. On the ice,
29:44off the ice, all of it. But I think this will be a business decision with him.
29:50It might be better off for him. Maybe he just needs to find the right fit. You never know.
29:55Yeah. All right. This is from Steven Bentley. Any timeline on Hampus Lindholm?
30:01I have not heard anything about him returning. I have not seen him.
30:03He looked good getting engaged.
30:05What's that?
30:06He looked pretty healthy getting engaged.
30:08Well, I was going to say, there's been talk about it's a broken hip, all this other stuff.
30:12He was down on one knee getting engaged during the Christmas break.
30:16And he was playing Santa for Pasternak's kids.
30:19So he seems to be getting healthy. And at least he's out and about.
30:22And I didn't see any casts or crutches or any of that stuff.
30:25Exactly.
30:26So he's definitely on the comeback trail. I have not heard any word yet.
30:30But think about how much better they're going to be when he comes back,
30:34based on the way that they've played in his absence,
30:36where I felt like he was probably their best defenseman, consistency-wise, when he got hurt.
30:42Totally agree. I'm so glad you said that.
30:44When he comes back, he's going to really add something.
30:46Yeah. I don't think he gets enough respect, honestly, in his fan base.
30:51Pags, I don't know what it is.
30:53I think people thought when he came in and they look at his contract,
30:56maybe he's got to be a complete superstar or should be more like McAvoy.
31:01But they missed him at times.
31:04But thankfully, the way they've been able to buy into the system
31:07and be more responsible defensively has helped compensate for his loss.
31:10But it's only going to help when he comes back.
31:13The one thing I wondered, too, though, when he got hurt,
31:15in terms of a timetable and when he'll be back,
31:18the thing I always wondered was, you know when they named those teams
31:21early in a month for the Four Nations, right?
31:24A lot of those GMs, when they were doing their press conferences,
31:27listed off some injured players like,
31:29hey, if X, Y, and Z get healthy, we're going to call on them, too.
31:33They'll probably be added to the roster.
31:35And that wasn't one of the guys that Sweden mentioned at all.
31:38And when that happened, I was like, hmm, do they know something we don't?
31:41Like, do they know that he's going to be out even
31:43up until then or past that point in mid-February?
31:46Right.
31:46But now, like you said, I mean, you see him.
31:48He looks healthy right now.
31:49He looks like he's on the comeback.
31:50So maybe he's going to be coming back earlier than they expected.
31:53Yeah, maybe.
31:54Or, you know, maybe the Bruins, it's like too close to when he is going to come back.
31:58And they don't want to, like, you know.
31:59Yeah, maybe they told them, yeah, you're not don't even think about it.
32:02That's a good point.
32:02You just cleared the decks.
32:03That could be as well.
32:05All right, let's take a break again to talk about our friends at Game Time.
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32:37The game of the week for this week that would make an outstanding, would have made
32:40an outstanding Christmas stocking stuffer is the December 28th showdown between the
32:46Bruins and the Sabres at the Garden on Saturday night, right after the Christmas
32:50holiday.
32:50That'll be a fun one.
32:51You won't get to see Todd Angeli sing the hits, the Christmas hits like you did
32:55December 23rd against the Washington Capitals.
32:58But the first game after Christmas is also a fun time as well.
33:02The super deal is $229 for seventh row loge seats, which is pretty great value for
33:07Bruins tickets at that game.
33:09Some great features at Game Time, Priority Game Time Picks.
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33:38Download Game Time today.
33:40What time is it, Murph?
33:41It is Game Time, brother.
33:43All right.
33:47Oh, by the way, they're playing the Blue Jackets.
33:50Yes, I didn't want to correct, but we did it again.
33:54It's a home and home with the Blue Jackets.
33:55I thought they were playing the Sabres.
33:58Yeah, you know, Sabres, Blue Jackets.
34:00Pretend I said Blue Jackets instead of Sabres.
34:03I've been saving Sabres for like weeks now.
34:05All right.
34:06Yeah.
34:08Here's a question from Dan Brunais.
34:10Hey, Joe.
34:11Great job on the pod.
34:12Question for you.
34:13Why is the PA announcer at the Garden so slow to announce the goals?
34:17This is an interesting one.
34:18Sometimes he's like two to three minutes later in the game before announcing them.
34:22I look at the other rinks in the league and the goals are announced much quicker after
34:25being scored.
34:26Hope you have an answer for me.
34:27Thanks.
34:27And that's from Dan Brunais.
34:29I got to admit, the PA announcer is fairly new.
34:32It's the last couple of years he's been there.
34:34That probably has something to do with it.
34:35But Murph, you have any insight into this?
34:38Yeah, but even like with veteran ones, too, you know what happens sometimes, Joe, is
34:42sometimes a penalty or another goal happens so fast that they don't have a chance to get
34:46out there.
34:47Yeah, and so sometimes it's out of the PA announcer's control.
34:51But, you know, I do think that this current one is still learning on the fly.
34:55So give him a little time.
34:56Be patient with him.
34:57Yeah, that should be the least of the worries right now, right?
34:59It gets there eventually.
35:01And I do think there's also it seems like these days with the NHL and the off-ice officials,
35:07there's a lot of tugging back and forth between the league and the off-ice officials as far
35:11as who gets the assist, who gets the goals.
35:13And it seems to take them some time to officially decide, like, who is scored, who's assisted
35:19and all that.
35:19And they review it multiple times.
35:21And I think that can be part of the reason there's a delay as well is just the natural
35:28procession of refs announcing it to the scoring table and then that going to the league and
35:34the league reviewing it and the off-ice guys reviewing it and then everybody making sure
35:37it's official before tossing it out there.
35:40But I think it's a combination of the PA guy is fairly new.
35:45I think it's a combination of like the way things work with the league now and the operations
35:51crew at the Garden.
35:52And I think it's around the league.
35:54I would have to watch more games in other markets in another building to determine that
36:00it's different.
36:00I think it's pretty much the same uniformly around the league where there's a delay before
36:05it gets denounced as a goal because the league has some involvement now in making sure they
36:11get everything right before they announce it in the rink.
36:14Imagine being that guy too when there's like three goals in a minute and a half, you know,
36:19and you're just trying to get it out there.
36:20You're like taking a note, trying to get it out and like, whoa, whoa.
36:23So yes, it happens.
36:24It does.
36:25And that's, you know, that's when it comes fast and furious.
36:28The Bruins have to hope they have more flurries of goals like that.
36:31Yeah, exactly.
36:32The action comes flying out.
36:34All right, Murph, thank you very much for joining us.
36:37Let's thank our sponsors again real quick.
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36:54Also, if you're looking for tickets, especially the December 28th game between the Bruins
36:58and the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Garden as part of a Home and Home series that is
37:03going to be sneaky tough.
37:04We talked about that before.
37:06Yeah.
37:06By the way, why are they doing Home and Homes with out-of-division teams?
37:10Like if you're going to do a Home and Home, give me it within the Atlantic Division.
37:13Yeah, give me the Canadians.
37:14Give me a Home and Home with the Montreal Canadiens.
37:16Try to stir up the rivalry a little bit.
37:18December 28th at Home is going to be Columbus Blue Jackets.
37:22So if you want to get tickets to that game, go to GameTime.
37:24Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the code CLNS for $20 off your first
37:28purchase.
37:29Terms do apply, but download the app, create an account, and use the code CLNS for $20
37:33off your first GameTime purchase.
37:35Download GameTime today.
37:36What time is it, Murph?
37:38It is GameTime, Hatch.
37:39GameTime.
37:40All right, everybody.
37:41Thanks, everybody, for listening.
37:42Hope you had a great Christmas.
37:44Hope you have an excellent New Year's.
37:46Murph, thanks for joining us.
37:48Always a pleasure, my friend.
37:49All right, you too.
37:50Happy holidays.
37:50You too, bud.
37:51Happy holidays.
37:52Everybody else out there, thanks for listening.
37:53We'll see you at the Rift.