In this episode, Conor Ryan and Evan Marinofsky discuss potential players the Bruins might trade during a retool and examine the challenges ahead. They explore why the Bruins' path isn't getting any easier and identify which trade assets hold the most value. Additionally, they analyze new contract projections from AFP and consider how a rising salary cap could provide the Bruins with the flexibility needed to make significant changes.
Poke the Bear is presented by:
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Poke the Bear is presented by:
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SportsTranscript
00:00PokeTheBear is brought to you by PricePix and the GameTime app.
00:06And welcome into PokeTheBear episode 297 presented by PricePix.
00:10Go use that promo code CLNS50 to get $50 back when you play just five bucks.
00:18Just five bucks and are presented by GameTime.
00:21Go use that promo code CLNS to get $20 off that first purchase.
00:24Terms apply.
00:25I'm Evan Maranofsky.
00:26That is Connor Ryan.
00:27Connor, what is up?
00:29Evan, doing well.
00:30How are you doing?
00:31Doing great.
00:32Doing great.
00:33I think if this falls through, so this is 297, if this happens, 300, we have a special
00:38surprise planned for episode 300.
00:42Not going to give it away now, but I think you mentioned this to me, I think we might
00:46do it.
00:47I might blow people's, back people's heads off.
00:50We'll see.
00:51I mean, you never know.
00:52Like the way this season has been going, Evan, like maybe there's going to be nothing to
00:55talk about.
00:56Maybe there's going to be us and some of the special guests just staring, just staring
01:00at the screen.
01:01Just being like, yeah, this team stinks.
01:03That might be all it is.
01:04Maybe it's going to be like a, it's going to be like a nice 15 second episode.
01:07Who knows?
01:08Maybe.
01:09That would be a heck of a 300th episode if it was 15 seconds.
01:12I'm sure people would really appreciate that.
01:15But you mentioned it, you said it, Bruins have stunk at points this year.
01:22Ironically enough, they've taken seven of their last eight points, which doesn't feel
01:25that way.
01:26It's like the beginning of the year, right before Montgomery got fired, where I think
01:30it was Andrew Raycroft tweeted out, like they've won their last X amount of games or X amount
01:33of points.
01:34And it was like, it doesn't feel that way.
01:36They have a tough road ahead.
01:39We're recording this Wednesday afternoon.
01:40We apologize.
01:41It's a weird week.
01:42We did Bruins beat later, but we have to continue with the regular schedule.
01:46It's just the way it goes at New Jersey, Wednesday night, versus Ottawa, versus Colorado at Buffalo
01:55versus Winnipeg versus the Rangers versus Minnesota.
01:59That ends January.
02:02That's a tough road.
02:04That's a tough road.
02:05Yeah.
02:06It's not ideal, right?
02:07This team.
02:08Again, they also started off this year with a pretty easy schedule, which again, when
02:12you look at where they are in the standings and how jam packed everyone is, those games
02:18that they let slip away in November against really bad teams or teams that maybe are playing
02:23better now, but who are, weren't back in, you know, November, December, look at like
02:27Columbus who's really come on late, but like you had two games, you should have taken care
02:31of them a couple early on this year where you're losing to bad teams or you're letting
02:36points slip away.
02:37Like, I mean, uh, look at the last game against Ottawa, the game that, yes, they have seven
02:42of their last eight points, but man, that one point you missed and the way you lost
02:46that game against the, uh, senators sure kind of lingers right now.
02:50Right?
02:51So you just took care of business against that Ottawa team.
02:53If maybe we're doing what we do every couple of months on this podcast, Evan, we're like,
02:57Oh, this team, maybe they are turning a corner.
02:59Nope.
03:00We're not feeling that way now based on the way we learned our lesson.
03:02We're not doing that anymore.
03:04But I think, yeah, you look at, um, how tough the schedule is in January.
03:09And again, we're going to see like, is other Bruins going to continue to take on water?
03:13Are they going to, um, you know, fight through this stretch here?
03:17It's tough.
03:18A back-to-back against a devil scene that's, you know, what third place in the Metro.
03:22And then you follow that up, uh, with a game against Ottawa, which obviously this takes
03:26are going to be pretty raised for that game.
03:28Um, and yes, like you look at the devils right now, speaking of course, before this game,
03:34where who knows the devils do have the firepower that they could like, uh, blow the doors off
03:39the Bruins and the Bruins aren't ready, but, uh, New Jersey has lost four in a row.
03:43They're two, six and three in their last 11 and they're averaging under two goals per
03:47game.
03:48So they're kind of fighting through it right now.
03:49So if you're the Bruins, this is an opportunity to, again, stack, stack a win against a team
03:54that's fighting through it right now.
03:55Um, and take advantage of that, especially going into Thursday's game against Ottawa
04:00because, uh, Jeremy Strayman is going tonight on Wednesday against New Jersey.
04:04So my main corporate solo on Thursday, um, he is really not played all that much.
04:11And when he's been in there, he's kind of been a little up and down, I would say, um,
04:15because of like solo and Ottawa, uh, beyond the fact that they're just playing much better
04:19the last month or so has a lot of firepower, um, and they can make life pretty miserable.
04:24You saw early on in that game against Ottawa on Saturday where the Bruins, um, weren't
04:30being accountable or being lazy in their own zone and Ottawa has the, the skill, um, in
04:35the depth, you know, across the line to make you pay if you're not, uh, kind of locked
04:39in there.
04:40So yeah, you look at kind of where the Bruins are right now.
04:43And then of course you go Saturday against the Avalanche, who, what do you know?
04:46They have a goalie that when he's the puck, they stop it, they don't let it go through
04:50and they're better.
04:51So like, again, uh, it's, this is something you expected.
04:56This is always going to be a tough part of the schedule, but we look at where the Bruins
05:00are now.
05:01Um, and the, the limited, you know, the, the small margins where they have, you look back
05:06at how much of, you know, treading water or one step forward, two steps back, this team
05:11was stuck in for the first couple of months of the year.
05:13And you heard the same thing of that.
05:14So literally we're still fine, man.
05:17What five or six more points would do for this team right now, instead of where we are
05:22talking about the theme in an episode, Evan, where I think we're going to talk a lot about
05:25trades and selling and into the future, I would say.
05:29And it's ended.
05:30She, it's not even like, you know, we have like 10 days left to January and we're talking
05:35about this and that, what do you think we were talking about during the four nations
05:38time too?
05:40It's the other part.
05:41Like, look at all these good players that the Bruins don't have.
05:43Exactly.
05:44And the other thing is like, you look at the stretch coming up, good teams, obviously.
05:50And I, and we've said this a couple of times this year of these stretches that remember
05:53that Westco or the, uh, Pacific Northwest stretch, it was like, all right, that's going
05:57to help dictate where they're going to be, um, you know, what they're going to do with
06:02the deadline.
06:03And then you look at sort of when they played all those good teams after kind of the string
06:06of teams after they hired Sacco and the Bruins struggled there and I was like, all right,
06:10that's going to dictate what they do.
06:11And I think this is going to also help them get some clarity on what they should do.
06:14I just, I don't think you need that clarity.
06:17I think you have it.
06:18I think you have it unless they go and win all these games, right?
06:22Like I rattled off seven games.
06:23If they go like six and one, then like, all right, you know, maybe you got to change things.
06:28But even then I still just don't have the faith because we've been burned so many times
06:33by this team, some stuff for Wednesday, um, Adam Pellerin tweeted, we're doing this at
06:391230.
06:40So he tweeted this like at 12 Bruins just wrapped up morning skate, Brad Marchand told
06:43the team during stretch to clean it up and they better be ready to go tonight as in Wednesday
06:49night.
06:50So that's not so encouraging.
06:53We'll see what ends up happening again.
06:55To be fair, I think, um, Sheldon Keefe, I've, you know, they had skate before the Bruins
07:02over at Prudential center, which is where the devil's play.
07:05But I always just think that they're at like the, the cheesecake factory by like back Bay
07:10is when they're, where are they going?
07:11They're at like the restaurant on top of the city.
07:13Yes, exactly.
07:14Uh, no, but Sheldon Keefe also apparently was laying into his team as well, dropping
07:18a multiple F bombs.
07:20So apparently everyone's, uh, skating like shit to start today.
07:23So we'll see what happens when you go to New Jersey, you just get angry.
07:26You just get angry in New Jersey.
07:27That's all.
07:28And then you go to Newark and it's like, just the tone of shifts.
07:32Um, so yeah, the road just doesn't get easier.
07:35Um, and it's, you know, again, we'll see how they do, but I, I just don't, I don't have
07:40a ton of faith.
07:42Um, and this kind of hits it like trade chips.
07:45We talked about this one Bruins beat.
07:47We've been talking about this off and on for a couple of weeks, but just in terms of kind
07:51of who, who has the most value in your opinion when it comes to trade chips?
07:57Um, cause I think that's one thing that fans, I consistently see in the comment section.
08:01Yes.
08:02I often read the comment section on these, these videos and I appreciate the comments,
08:06by the way, even the negative ones, I read them.
08:08Um, and I see it on Twitter is like, they have nobody to trade.
08:12They're not going to get anything for anybody.
08:13Um, who do you see as, as most valuable?
08:16Well, we already talked last, uh, earlier this week on, uh, not poke the bear Bruins
08:21beat about Brad Marsh and so, I mean, that's an obvious one, right.
08:24In terms of contending team wants to get over the hump, um, at a top six winger with
08:30playoff experience, uh, veteran leadership, like it makes plenty of sense for a team that,
08:35you know, is looking for a rental Marsh and, um, could get you a pretty nice hall.
08:39Like you look at even, yeah, he's 36 going on 37, but you look at like what the Bruins
08:45gave up to get Rick Nash, who was a pending UFA was what, 34, 35.
08:51I, I think that you could probably get something similar to that, uh, first round
08:55pick prospect, maybe an NHL or, um, so that would make sense again, as we talked about
09:00before, I don't know if the Bruins are going to do that in terms of, um, whether they want
09:05to retain him because he's probably, you know, is going to sign a cheaper contract you'd
09:09imagine next year.
09:10And so you can still have a top six player for a third of what he's making right now.
09:15That's just a guess.
09:16That's not walking in that he's going to sign for a Bergeron chart deal, but value
09:21plus the fact that I think the Bruins are ideally looking at this as a one year kind
09:25of retool, as opposed to like, are we going to clear house?
09:28I could see them wanting to keep him and keep that leadership hierarchy intact.
09:31Um, but then you look at, obviously you've got the guys that are pending free agents,
09:37right?
09:37Like Frederick, I still think you look at his skillset and especially I think the state
09:43of the market that is across the NHL right now, where there's so many teams that are.
09:47In the mix.
09:48It's not 10 plus teams that are like, all right, well, we'll get them next year.
09:50Like we're open for business.
09:52There's a lot of teams that, you know, you look at Montreal and Ottawa and Columbus,
09:57maybe where they already got a young core or players or teams like that, that are like,
10:01we're on the brink.
10:02Like we just need one or two guys who really get this popping off.
10:06And Montreal, by the way, is hot.
10:07I've watched them beat Tampa on Tuesday night.
10:09Like yeah, good team.
10:11That's a good team now.
10:12There's a lot of teams that aren't, you know, that probably you look at them going into
10:16the year being like, ah, like this team's not going to make any noise.
10:19Like maybe they're not going to be sellers, but that's going to stand pat and develop.
10:22But there's a lot of teams that probably are like, Hey, if we're a player or two away from
10:26getting in the playoffs for the first time in a couple of years, or we think this can
10:29really accelerate where we're going, there's not going to be a lot of teams selling off
10:32assets.
10:33So if Fred Frederick is, who's already kind of a unique player, uh, like a unicorn in
10:38today's NHL in terms of being a solid two way player, um, physical, obviously can score
10:44goals.
10:44I know it hasn't been the case this year.
10:46Like he could be going for a pretty high price for a team that really values what he can
10:51bring to their lineup.
10:52So I think he makes sense.
10:54Um, geeky is a guy that, you know, I think could get you something, even though I feel
10:58like the Bruins would be more tempted to keep him where one, he's a restricted free agent
11:02and two, he's also a player that, um, is like actually shown that he can at least hold
11:08his own in a top six role.
11:10And you don't have a lot of depth behind him in terms of talent on the wing.
11:13But I think you also though can look at, um, yes, you got like the guys like Brezo and
11:18what have you, but use of teams, uh, players with term that if a team is really, um,
11:24looking to, to add a missing piece, you know, as much as people probably Brunson's like,
11:28Oh, this guy doesn't have any value.
11:30Like Charlie Coyle is a player that I think you look at what he does, how versatile he
11:35is.
11:35Yes.
11:36Maybe he's not the 25 goals, 60 point player he was last year, but I think a lot of
11:42teams see his skillset, how he can play center play wing contribute on the power play.
11:47If need be, it's really good on the PK.
11:50Um, they can look at him as like, this is our three C that we need.
11:54Like this can be our, you know, guy, Blake, Blake Coleman, Barkley Goudreau, kind of what
11:59Tampa saw where they're like, this is a guy that can elevate another area of the
12:03lineup and really, you know, help us win a playoff game or two.
12:06So a guy like him, a guy like Brendan, Carlo, and again, coil, Carlo, these are guys
12:10that have been around forever.
12:11So it's something that would be a pretty sizable retool, right?
12:14You're taking away guys that have been in this locker room for a while, but I think
12:18you look at their, uh, their contracts, especially, uh, Carlo, who, whatever, I
12:23think Burns fans think about him.
12:24He's still a pretty dependable top four defenseman who can anchor a PK can be really
12:30effective as a lot of teams that have a high powered offenses and are lacking quite a
12:35bit defensively.
12:36So if a guy like Carlo, who's what, 27, 28, still signed for a couple of years at a
12:41pretty agreeable cap hit 4.1 million.
12:43Um, those are, those are players.
12:46I think if the Bruins really are open for business or really are taking a long look
12:49at shaking up the roster, I think you can get something for them.
12:52I think people who, you know, maybe see them every day and they're like, ah, these guys
12:56aren't worth it.
12:56Frederick's not playing well.
12:57Coil, you know, he's, he's taken a huge step back.
13:01There's a lot of teams that just look at that skillset and how they could, uh, you
13:05know, mesh it on their team, on their roster, how they want to play.
13:08And it could be willing to pay a pretty high price for a few of those players.
13:12Carlo and coil are borderline core players on this team.
13:16They're veteran leaders.
13:17They have term they're not signed to their contracts.
13:21Aren't burdens.
13:23I think you can get a lot for those guys.
13:24I think it's more.
13:25So it comes down to, do you want to part with them?
13:27Like, and I think that's where you get into, what do you get for Frederick?
13:31What could you get for a peak?
13:32Is that enough to do a retool or do you need to deal one of coil, uh, coil or
13:38Carlo we'll continue this in a second.
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14:00And we got the, uh, NFC and AFC championships this week, Connor, and I got a
14:04little, I'm going to let you guys in on a little secret, a little inside, little
14:07inside news for the NFC championship.
14:10Jane Daniels only needs one passing yard for you to win one square.
14:14So all you need to do is pick one other and you can win cold, hard cash, which is
14:19what we're here for, uh, for Buffalo and Kansas city, which I think is the most
14:23anticipated game, at least for Pat's fans.
14:25Well, my home's throw for more than 253 yards.
14:28Well, Kelsey have more than 69 yards.
14:31Well, at will Josh Allen rush for more than 48 yards.
14:34And then obviously Philly and Washington Jane Daniels only needs to throw for a
14:38one yard to win, but can Jalen hurts rush for more than 31 yards.
14:42We'll say Quan rush for a touchdown.
14:43I think that's an easy.
14:44Yes.
14:46That I can, I think I can put my name next to, uh, and again, prize because
14:50mastercard, so transactions and deposits are quick and easy, uh, Bruins wise.
14:57Poster knock.
14:58I'm riding with that.
14:59I'm riding with David Poster knock.
15:01Um, I'd also take Jeremy swimming more, whatever his save number is, because I
15:04think right now that's a, that's a good pick.
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15:26So you mentioned, uh, Frederick and I think Frederick's an interesting one.
15:29Cause we've talked a lot about him throughout like the entire year on
15:34trades and I think it really stems from a lot of the insiders saying he's got a big
15:39market.
15:39I remember Kevin week saying it early in the year.
15:41He had Elliot Friedman, uh, who's repeated that a couple of times.
15:45And I, there is this notion out there that Trent Frederick is, you
15:48know, the perfect playoff performer.
15:51That's what you want on your team, on your third line as a physical guy.
15:54And we've seen that he hasn't always been that in the playoffs.
15:57So I think that is kind of a, uh, a notion from afar.
16:01Um, but if you can get a team to bite on that and if you can get more, you know,
16:05many teams, and I think this is where like the idea of Trent Frederick helps
16:10you because Florida has been in the cup the last two years and they're agitators
16:16and they're jackasses and they get under your skin.
16:18And there's a, again, there's an idea that Trent Frederick is that, and he can
16:21be that we've seen it at times.
16:24And I think there are probably teams out there that are like, we want that kind of
16:27player.
16:27And he's that kind of player.
16:29And that's where, like, I don't think the Tanner Janot trade package is wildly
16:34like inaccurate for, uh, predicting what Frederick might get.
16:37And I think if you did get a lot for Trent Frederick in terms of draft picks,
16:41you're not trading him for a player, but if you've got a bunch of picks in return,
16:45maybe you don't need to trade a coil.
16:47Maybe you don't need to trade a Carlo because the reality is if you, you know,
16:51I'd be more open to probably trading coil because you know, you can, you have
16:56internal centers, like you can make that work.
16:59Um, and he, he's been in your top six.
17:01He's on the wing, but like you have other guys, Carlo on D I don't know what you
17:05have on the right side after McAvoy.
17:08I don't, that's where like, I'm, I'm be very hesitant.
17:10That probably would, you know, I think Carlo would probably get you more in a
17:14trade than a coil, just given his value and past playoff success and all that.
17:19But if you get a lot for Frederick, I think you might, you probably would be
17:23able to keep on, uh, keep hold of both of those and still net yourself a good
17:26amount of picks.
17:27Yeah, no, I, I do feel like, um, again, famous last words, but I, if Frederick
17:33is, uh, traded, it does feel like the return would be pretty, pretty significant.
17:38I think for a guy that is again, a pending UFA and doesn't mean that all
17:41of a sudden Brunson going to get to a first and a future first or anything like
17:44that.
17:44But, um, yeah, it could be, I think so much of the Janot trade, which was just
17:48a hall of picks for a guy that obviously did not work out, um, where he was.
17:53And I think Frederick's maybe not a better fighter than Janot, but I think
17:57he's a more complete player, um, than, than Janot in terms of, I think he has a
18:00higher upside, higher offensive ceiling.
18:03Um, and I think a lot of teams just look at, um, what he could provide to the team.
18:09And I think they'd be willing to pay up whether it's a couple of seconds, a first.
18:12Um, and again, I think you mentioned this on, uh, Bruins beat, like yes, you'll
18:17take the first, obviously it gives you more chances to kind of swing for the
18:20fences, but even like a couple of seconds, how much that could change this team
18:24where they, you know, listen, they've not had a lot of first round picks anyway,
18:29but they've actually hit on a few pretty intriguing players, like with those
18:32picks in the forties and fifties as well.
18:34Like you look at Laura, you look at Padra, there's been a couple of guys that you
18:38can still find some pretty good value, especially I think high floor types of
18:43players, even like Brennan Carlo, right?
18:44Like high floor types of players in that second round, if you consistently pick
18:48there, so, um, yeah, listen, I wouldn't be opposed that if you are retooling,
18:54that you are moving as much as possible just to, um, shake things up, free up
18:59cap space, especially because I think there's going to be a whole lot of cap
19:03room opening up this off season, uh, across the league.
19:06Um, but I agree that like, I think Carlo is a guy that you have to take a long look
19:10at in terms of how exactly you replaced him.
19:13I know there's Bruins fans who are not fans of Carlos.
19:15He's not really that flashy, but you look at what he does do as a, you know,
19:19second pair on the right side, plays a lot of minutes on the PK, uh, kills
19:24plays a lot in the D zone.
19:26I think he has a lot of value that maybe he doesn't guy that he feels like a guy
19:30that you move on from, and then you spend the next couple of years looking for a
19:33guy to replace them and whoever it is.
19:35It's not as stable or dependable as what Carlo, I think brings you right now,
19:39especially at his age, right?
19:40That's why I'm not, I don't want to move Carlo.
19:44I don't, I don't want to move coil either, but if you really want to do a
19:47retool, if you want to get picks back and you want to replenish your system,
19:52like you do have young guys up front that can step in.
19:56Uh, you do have a number of middle six centers on this roster, uh, as seen
20:03Elias Lindholm again on Wednesday, practicing on the third line and morning
20:06skate second straight.
20:08I think it's second straight game, uh, technically on the third line.
20:11Um, that can be a topic for another day.
20:15That's I don't feel like diving into that again today.
20:17We've done a lot on that this year.
20:19Uh, I want to get into contract projections because this is fun.
20:23We can, we can say whether we like them or not, because these, uh, these are at,
20:27these are good.
20:27These are good contract projections too.
20:29These are not just me and you sitting here going, well, I think he could get this.
20:32This is, I think scientific.
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21:48Connor, what time is it?
21:50A game time.
21:52It's game time.
21:54It is game time.
21:56Um, so AFP, AFP analytics, uh, they're a consulting firm seeking to provide
22:02innovative insight to fans, agents, and teams.
22:05Uh, they focus on player valuation, came out with their mid season extension
22:09projections and the Bruins had six contracts on the list.
22:12I'll read them out.
22:14Johnny Beecher, two years times 1.76 million per Justin Brezow, two years
22:21times 1.4 million per that's an interesting one.
22:24We'll get into that in a sec.
22:25Trent Frederick, four, four years times 3.9 million per Morgan geeky, four times
22:333.25 million per Mason low ride, two times 3 million per and Brad Marchand
22:39three times 7.5 million per.
22:44That's an interesting one.
22:45So, um, from those six, where do you want to start?
22:49What what's catching your attention?
22:51Uh, I mean, I'll go with the Martian one, because I think that listen, I, AFP,
22:56when they do these predictions, look at value, uh, you know, the age of the
23:01player goes into that, which is why it's a three year deal for a guy who's going
23:05to be 37 going into this off season.
23:07Um, but they also don't factor in, you know, the, a player going against like
23:12the market rates or anything like that.
23:15Right.
23:15So, um, I could see Martian signing for a two, three year deal maybe, but I don't
23:21think if he is back, um, it's going to be that seven and a half million.
23:25Is it going to be the 1 million Bergeron Tarik on a deal?
23:29Not sure about that, but I could see it being like two years at 3 million a year
23:34or something like that, which would save the Bruins.
23:36What a little over 3 million in cap space.
23:39I think if he's back, it's going to be around 3 million or, or even below.
23:44Um, because again, if you're, if you're a Martian and you look at how frustrating
23:47this year has gone and, you know, we'll talk a little bit about the cap and
23:51they're expected, um, how that's expected to jump up quite a bit this off season.
23:55If taken a discount freeze up for 5 million in extra cap space that can net
24:00you a pretty dependable middle six winger, which this team needs a lot of, uh, I
24:06could see Martian coming back at a pretty low rate.
24:08So that one, I think it's AFP looking at value, you know, the market, all those
24:14things, nothing wrong with that, but it also factors in the guys like Bergeron
24:18who want to sell key his final year while making a million dollars, right?
24:22Like there's that you have to add to it.
24:24So I could see that being the case.
24:26I do wonder if, and again, this is an inside information.
24:30I wonder if Martian looks at the direction of this team and says, all
24:33right, well, not going to be in the playoffs potentially this year, if they
24:36go with the retool route, which is what they should do.
24:39And then how far off are they in the off season?
24:42What's their plan?
24:43Cause if you're freeing up cap space, right.
24:45Frederick's gone.
24:46Let's say, let's say you dealt coil coils, gone that frees up cap space and
24:50you know, whoever else you want to get rid of.
24:53Um, what are you going to do with that cap space?
24:56He's going to go sign a bunch of free agents.
24:57Are you going to make trades?
24:58Are the Bruins back in the playoff picture next year?
25:01Are they a wild card team for the next two years?
25:03And that's where I wonder if he looks at that and says, well, if you want me to
25:06stay for that, you got to give me, give me more money.
25:09And I wonder if that factors into where like Bergeron was coming back to a team
25:13that was a contender, a cup contender, David crazy came back from the, from
25:17Czechia, um, to a team that was a contender.
25:20Is this team, a cup contender the next couple of years?
25:24I don't know.
25:25That's a tough one.
25:25Like we talk about it as a retooling.
25:27You can be in the playoffs next year or at least the playoff picture.
25:31But I mean, they're in the playoff picture now.
25:35They are like, you know, they're in, they're in the playoffs.
25:37I think as of right now, still as of Wednesday, right?
25:40Like they're that they're out of it, right?
25:43I think, right.
25:43Okay.
25:43They're out of it.
25:44Yeah.
25:44So they keep thinking Ottawa and Montreal, Ottawa and Montreal ahead of you right now.
25:48Okay.
25:49So they're out of it.
25:50But they're in the picture.
25:51So again, I just, I wonder if that factors into it too, where it's
25:54like, do I really want to go back to that?
25:57I mean, I think he wants to be here.
25:58Like I've no doubt he's the captain.
25:59I think he definitely wants to be here.
26:01His whole family is here.
26:02Obviously.
26:03Like he's, he's picked to live here long-term.
26:06Um, I just wonder if he's going to need a little bit extra money to, and
26:10also he took a bargain on his last deal.
26:12And it's like, well, I'm not going to bail you out again.
26:14If we're just going to be, uh, um, uh, a wildcard team.
26:18Right.
26:19So, yeah, I think that's something to keep tabs on feature, you know, that's
26:25the guy I still want to see a little bit more of his defensive numbers
26:28have dropped quite a bit this year.
26:29Uh, almost 2 million.
26:31I know like the cap's going to go up, but like 2 million, I don't know, man.
26:34I think he can, I don't know.
26:36Brezo signed for a 1.4 million.
26:38I think you keep a guy that I think you plug him in the lineup.
26:40He's going to get you 15 goals.
26:41Like that for the, for that price.
26:44Yeah.
26:44You lock him in Frederick.
26:46Uh, I'm not comfortable right now.
26:48Giving him 4 million based on how this year's gone, especially if you're
26:52going to get a bigger, bigger return.
26:54And also, I, I honestly think if he hits the market, I think he's
26:57going to get like four and a half million.
26:59I think some team's going to give him that.
27:00Yep.
27:01So that would, I wouldn't be shy for that.
27:03Laurie bridge deal.
27:05So I'm not really surprised by that.
27:06I think the bridge, ideally want to have it be like a three or four year bridge
27:10deal to lock him in a little bit longer, but also players can also see how this,
27:16this cap ceiling is expected to jump up quite a bit.
27:18And they also probably want to hit freed and see a little bit quicker.
27:21So that'll be interesting to see what they settle on in terms of a bridge
27:24contract and what the payout's going to be.
27:26So, um, as much as he's had his warts this year, that's still a guy.
27:30I think you want to keep, uh, especially as of late, he's playing better.
27:33Um, and if he can end the year on a high note, I think you still have a guy that
27:37can be a, a key piece of this team moving forward, would you sign geeky
27:41at 4.4 times 3.25?
27:46I think I would.
27:47Yeah, he's 26.
27:48I would like for 3.25 million.
27:52He's playing at like a 45 point pace, which like it's kind of what
27:55the breast was doing the last year.
27:57And I think the breast is a better player than Morgan geeky.
27:59But if he's a guy that can consistently get you like 20 goals and 40 ish points
28:05for 3.25, when that's going to all of a sudden look like a 2.5 million dollar
28:10contract in another year or so, I would absolutely sign geeky to a contract like
28:14your, your thing threw me off.
28:15I was looking, uh, up low rise stats this year.
28:19He's fifth on the team in points and he's first among your defensemen and
28:23he has struggled at times.
28:24He has played only 43 games and he's still up at the top.
28:28So like, I'm with you.
28:30I think low rise is, you know, like do a bridge deal, but.
28:34You know, if you get three or four, if you can do it, if you can get three or
28:37four years out of that, which maybe three is the most you're going to get out of a
28:40bridge deal, but keeping him around and, um, you know, I don't think you're going
28:44to assign him to a long-term deal right now.
28:46I think that wouldn't be wise for low, right.
28:48Or his, his representatives to sign up to lock him in right now when he's
28:51still far from a finished product.
28:53Yeah.
28:53I don't think they will.
28:54Um, geeky.
28:55Yes.
28:56Like he works anywhere.
28:58He can play the middle.
28:59He can play on the wing.
29:00We've talked about this over the last week.
29:02They don't have much after posture knock in terms of wings.
29:06They don't, they didn't replace DeBrusque.
29:09Martians getting older.
29:10We've already, you know, question marks there.
29:12He's playing.
29:13I mean, he's, if he's here, he's the top six winger.
29:15Obviously he's playing like it.
29:17Um, but geeky, you can rely on he's proven over the last two years to be
29:21reliable.
29:223.25 is not breaking the bank for years as well.
29:25Like he's 26.
29:26He gets, gets an age 30.
29:28Like, yeah, I would do that.
29:30I think that's perfect.
29:31Um, and again, like, I think that's also like third line money too.
29:36Like you could fit on your third line and it's not like, Oh my God, you're
29:39paying 3.25 million for your third line center or like a third line right winger.
29:43I think that's completely fine.
29:45Um, and I think he kind of plays their style of hockey too.
29:49So that, that to me works of these contracts.
29:52I mean, Brazil at two times 1.4, I don't know how he doesn't, I think
29:55he's gonna get more than that.
29:56But like, if that's what it was, like, I think Bruins fans would be
30:00like signing the check themselves.
30:01Yeah.
30:02You, even if he doesn't work, even if like his, his scoring dips or he
30:07struggles find his game, if it's a $1.4 million contract, you can move that
30:11center to Providence of neat.
30:12Like that's a contract you can, if you, if you have any concerns, the money is
30:16so, uh, so low that you can, you can move that contract around if need be.
30:21And if he is what he is, then he's still a guy that can get you 15 goals,
30:25which on, if on a third line role, when you look at how much this team has
30:28struggled, um, you know, if this, again, it goes back, like this team's probably
30:33missing like one or two other wings, but if he was like your permanent, like
30:37third line, right wing, or even fourth line.
30:39And like, if you kind of change that checking unit a little bit, um, he still
30:44offers a lot of value for what his payout is.
30:46And I think he can fill in, in the top six on the right wing, like he's a big guy.
30:51Like, and I, that's why I think he'd actually be somewhat like, I've been
30:54surprised I was reading a story in the athletic, uh, Tuesday of like some under
30:58the radar trade candidates and no Bruins run.
31:00And I was surprised like a geeky or a Brazil wasn't on it.
31:03Cause I'm like, those guys can provide scoring and our depth guys come to
31:07playoffs, I'm surprised they're not really kind of mentioned with, uh, with
31:11some of the other, uh, under the radar guys around the league.
31:14Um, so it's interesting.
31:15I mean, yeah, the Marcian one obviously is 7.5 would be a lot for three years
31:20at 30 starting, you know, next year when he's 37, that would be a difficult pill
31:24to swallow.
31:25Um, but we'll get into that more as time rolls along.
31:28And I think it hits it a bigger question, Connor of cap ceilings going up.
31:32I believe it's at 92 million for next year.
31:35Correct.
31:35Or are they talking and Google or even more?
31:37So the current projection is was 92.
31:40And then I think when they have like the, the owners meetings, which is usually I
31:44think in late, late November, early December down Palm beach, Batman mentioned,
31:49uh, 93, but they said it could go up even more.
31:51And then, um, Marco D'Amico from, uh, RG, uh, who's had a couple of
31:58different reports now.
31:59I know it's been shared by a couple other insiders mentioned that, um, NHL's
32:04canceled escrow payments for the players for the rest of the year due to higher
32:07revenue.
32:08And they're also sharing an extra two to 6% of extra profits with the players,
32:12which is good news means, uh, businesses are booming in the NHL, which is good.
32:17Oh, yes.
32:19Uh, but, but, uh, Alan Walsh, NHL agent, uh, recently noted, or I gave his opinion.
32:26He thinks the cap's going to jump up from 88 million this year to 97 million for
32:31this upcoming year.
32:32Um, and that would be pretty significant.
32:35And again, it's not like it's going to be a one year jump and then it's going to
32:39level off.
32:39They think this is the first of many where two, three is down the road.
32:43The cap could be 110 million, which is pretty, pretty nuts.
32:47So, um, it does give you the opportunity for the Bruins one, uh, for everyone
32:52who's complaining about some of these, uh, longer contracts they've handed out
32:56already, whether it's McAvoy or Poster knock campus Lindholm, which already that
33:01deal's going to look great.
33:03Brennan Carlo, Jerry, we swim and even, um, if he continues to look like what
33:07he's been like the last couple of weeks, um, if your cap all of a sudden, another
33:11year, two is over a hundred million.
33:13These guys are going to be bargain deals for what they provide.
33:16First of all, and then it also opens the door that if yes, you hope, yes.
33:21Um, but like, again, uh, a guy who's like a 30 goal score, 30 goal, 70 point
33:28player, some like solid top six players probably going to start making like 10
33:32million a year, you know, the two, three years, which is pretty crazy.
33:35So, um, that's good news for the Bruins in terms of the fact that guys, you
33:39already have committed to long-term those deals should, should age well, but also
33:45if you're the Bruins and you have a little bit of cap space this upcoming
33:48year, I think I saw it was like 16, 17 million, but if all of a sudden you
33:52have another four or 5 million added on top of that, plus you look at potentially
33:57moving out some money this off season, whether it's Frederick or coil or someone
34:02like that, um, you could be in a spot where again, you shouldn't completely
34:06retooled through free agency.
34:07That's not wise.
34:08I think if you're the Bruins, you have to make a bold trade or
34:10two to change things around.
34:12But, um, all of a sudden you also could be in the mix for a, you know, a Brock
34:17Besser or a Nikolai Euler or some other player like that, that could
34:21be available in the market.
34:22Um, you know, with the cap jumping up, it also could mean that some
34:26guys that are worth 5 million ish, like Brock Besser is also going to be
34:30asking for six or something like that.
34:32Or Nikolai Euler could be asking for more.
34:34So you do have to, um, factor that in, but I think that production projection
34:39had ranted in at over 13 million.
34:42Yeah, it was crazy.
34:43So they're not going to be swinging fences there.
34:45There's not a lot of centers that you're going to just find on the open market.
34:49You have to be like pretty bold to really retool this team.
34:52Um, and add in players kind of similar to what the caps did, where they
34:55signed out a couple of freedoms that helped them out, but also bought a low
34:59on Dubois bought low on checkering and those, you know, have to do deals like
35:03that, but if this cap space and you move out money allows you to get a guy like
35:08a Besser or an Eulers who super skilled player, uh, could easily be a 35 plus
35:15goal player, um, don't look at his playoff numbers.
35:17It's not good.
35:19So that is the one concern.
35:20Uh, people will call him soft if you sign them, but you can, at the very
35:24least you shouldn't just do, you did this past off season.
35:27I'm like, Oh, Lynn Dolman Zadora.
35:29We're all set.
35:29Like, but if you can bring in a guy like that, that can give you a
35:33bit more of a scoring punch, um, that.
35:36Suddenly becomes an option.
35:37If the cap does jump up to this degree.
35:40It does.
35:40I think it's gonna be interesting because again, you nailed it with, you
35:44can't build your team through free agency.
35:46You can't go out and, you know, expect to get a number one center
35:49and, you know, a high end winger.
35:52But there are some interesting wingers who I think can fit in your top six,
35:55kind of in the mold of a Tyler Toffoli, like last year, like I think Besser
35:59is sort of on that level.
36:00Eulers might be a little bit more so, but even that, like Besser should
36:04be reliably 20 to 25 goals every year.
36:08I think Bruins need one of those guys.
36:10Yeah.
36:10Um, so they should be in the market for one of those.
36:13And, you know, it kind of hits it.
36:14What I said earlier about Marshand, where it's like, what's
36:16the direction of this team?
36:18You know, if they did go out and get Besser and a couple other
36:20depth pieces in free agency.
36:22And then again, trade's hard to predict, but if you can do a couple
36:25of trades, like, can the Bruins get back into that, you know, cup contending
36:31group or right outside of it?
36:33I don't know.
36:34I don't know.
36:35Cause again, like when you have Elias Lindholm, who's slotted in
36:38on your third line at center, like, you know, that doesn't help.
36:41I also wonder who's the head coach next year.
36:44That's the other end of it too.
36:45Who is getting the most out of these guys?
36:47Is it Joe Sacco?
36:48Is he back?
36:49I think that's a whole episode we can probably do at some point.
36:51So I don't want to give away anything there.
36:53Um, but that's it for today's episode.
36:55Connor, what can people look forward to from you over poke the bear?
36:58Uh, not poke.
37:00You call me right here, Evan, right here.
37:02We're staying right here.
37:03We're going to be live for the rest of the year, uh, on, on a stream.
37:06Uh, no.
37:07What can we look forward to from you over at the globe and boston.com?
37:10Yeah, you can read all of my stuff over at the globe and boston.com.
37:13We'll have you covered every step of the way this season with recaps,
37:16features, columns, breakdowns, all that good stuff, and also find me on
37:20poke the bear and Bruins beat on the CLMS network on these podcasts.
37:24Um, and you can also find me on Twitter X, whatever you want to
37:27call it at Connor Ryan underscore 93.
37:31Or at a local Dunkin near you.
37:32You'll probably as well.
37:34Yes.
37:34Uh, that is this week's episode of poke the bear.
37:37That's Connor Ryan.
37:38I'm Evan Maranofsky poke the bear.
37:39Listeners have a great rest.