On this episode of Pucks with Haggs, host Joe Haggerty opens up the Hagg Bag mailbag and answers your questions after a big 2-0 win over the Ottawa Senators, the young players getting a chance, Trent Frederic's future in Boston, and much more!
00:00 - Intro
01:45 - Bruins win over Sens
05:45 - Battling through injuries
07:40 - Ugly losses
12:00 - Re-signing Frederic
20:55 - PrizePicks
22:50 - Blowing late leads
26:12 - Morgan Geekie’s future
27:50 - Controversial goalie interference call
28:24 - Calder & Jack Adams discussion
31:00 - Gametime
32:20 - Bruins’ young players
37:00 - Will the Bruins retool?
💰 Prize Picks - https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/CLNS
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🎫 Gametime - https://gametime.co
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00:00 - Intro
01:45 - Bruins win over Sens
05:45 - Battling through injuries
07:40 - Ugly losses
12:00 - Re-signing Frederic
20:55 - PrizePicks
22:50 - Blowing late leads
26:12 - Morgan Geekie’s future
27:50 - Controversial goalie interference call
28:24 - Calder & Jack Adams discussion
31:00 - Gametime
32:20 - Bruins’ young players
37:00 - Will the Bruins retool?
💰 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
00:00Pucks with Hags is brought to you by Price Picks and the Game Time app.
00:05Welcome 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 160th
00:14episode of the Pucks with Hags podcast. So welcome in. Thank you very much for listening. I'm your
00:18host, Joe Hagerty. You can find my work at joehagerty.substack.com. Subscribe and get
00:23yourself premium membership. Get all of my NHL and Bruins writing sent straight directly to your
00:27inbox. I also write columns three times a week for the Boston Sports Journal and I do a Q&A each
00:33week for the Boston Sports Journal as well. So check out bostonsportsjournal.com and get a
00:38subscription there to get my Bruins writing on that site to you as well. We got a mailbag episode
00:44today so I'm actually going to answer some of those questions from the Q&A as well as questions
00:49I get on Twitter, on Facebook from fans out there. So we'll answer some Bruins questions and
00:57get to the bottom of some things. We'll also talk about the two nothing win over the Ottawa
01:01Senators on Thursday night which was a big one for the Bruins. So let's thank our sponsors real
01:05quick though before we get into it. Download the Prize Picks app today and use the code CLNS and
01:09get $50 instantly when you play $5. That's code CLNS on Prize Picks to get $50 instantly when
01:16you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive the $50 bonus. It's guaranteed. Prize Picks run
01:23you our game. Let's also thank our friends at Game Time. Anytime you need any kind of tickets,
01:28sports, comedy, theater, what have you, use the Game Time app. Download the Game Time app,
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01:42purchase. Download Game Time today. What time is it? Game Time. That's right. All right.
01:50Two-nothing win for the Bruins over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night. They move back into
01:57one of the three, the third playoff spot in the Atlantic Division at least temporarily.
02:03It's going to be a dogfight the rest of the year. They've put themselves, the Bruins have,
02:07in a very difficult spot based on some of the things that have happened with them.
02:11This month, that six-game losing streak blowing a game to Ottawa earlier this week.
02:18Or last weekend, I should say. You know, doing some things that they've done have made it a high
02:24degree of difficulty. They've given themselves a really no margin for error. And as David Posternak
02:30said, after the game on Thursday night, they're basically fighting for their lives for the rest
02:35of the year and they've kind of put themselves in that spot. That could end up being a good thing
02:41come playoff time. I don't have high hopes because of the flaws that I've seen on this team and
02:46because of some of the, you know, some of the bad losses, some of the just non-competitive games
02:52I've seen, like the loss they had to New Jersey prior to that 2-0 win over the Ottawa Senators,
02:59where they basically just really didn't show up. They had an okay first period and then after that
03:04it was just ugly hockey, just not even competitive. Gave up three power play goals. I think that's
03:11the third time they've done that this year. So the New Jersey game was ugly. The Ottawa game was
03:16one of the best in the entire season. Certainly one of the best since Joe Sacco has taken over.
03:26Really ultra competitive top to bottom. Everybody brought everything that they had. It was a
03:30playoff level effort. They were competing for pucks. They were moving the puck fast.
03:36Good passing. They did have a lot of scoring chances. They didn't get frustrated when they
03:42didn't cash in on any of those scoring chances in the first period when they were all around it
03:47and frustration definitely could have set in and it did not.
03:51And they ended up getting a goal from Morgan Geeky in the second period.
03:55His fifth in the month of January. His 13th this season. He's on pace to get over 20 for the first
04:01time in his career and really, you know, after a very slow first two months where he had two goals,
04:07I think, in the first 20 games in October and November, Geeky has come on and he's been very
04:13good. And he's really become, he and Pavel Zakha and David Paschnack have become the Bruins' best
04:21line. Their most dangerous line. Their most productive line. Their best line in all situations.
04:28Not only did Morgan Geeky score the goal, but he flattened Thomas Chabot and drew a cross-checking
04:35penalty with a great open ice clean, like, punishing hit in a game that was physical and
04:40nasty and playoff style. So Morgan Geeky is playing at a very high level right now. He's
04:46playing very good hockey and he was, I think, one of the best, if not the best, players on the ice
04:52for the Bruins in that game. So that was good. And there was, you know, a lot of good things.
04:59The Bruins had to hang on and kill penalties in the third period. Their penalty kill did really
05:03good. They, Senators had 30 seconds of 5-1-3 time. They had extended power play time.
05:09Brandon Carlo had over 40 minutes short-handed. So he was really doing the job on the penalty
05:14kill and played a really good game. He had a bunch of giveaways, but that's okay. As long
05:19as he's doing the job on the PK and in the defensive zone, I think you're going to live with,
05:24you know, mistakes with the puck or anything else. And I thought he was, was very good.
05:28And, you know, really top to bottom, there wasn't much to complain about. And Matt Potcher,
05:32I thought, again, was very good. He was not great in New Jersey in the loss, but he was
05:36good and dialed in and looked good again with Coyle and Marchand centering them in this game
05:43against Ottawa, which was, like I said, was a playoff level game. And I haven't even mentioned
05:50it yet, Corpo Salo, I think it was 29 saves, shutout, because Jeremy Swayman was banged up.
05:57And that was the, he was pulled in the third, from the beginning, prior to the start of the
06:02third period against New Jersey, he was pulled. And the thought was they were going to pull him
06:06to rest him against Ottawa and put him back in against Ottawa. But lo and behold, they pulled
06:12him because something was wrong with him physically. And he was not even the backup.
06:17It was Michael DiPietro backing up Jonas Corpo Salo. Jeremy Swayman was not dressed in that
06:23Thursday night win over the Senators. So another key Bruins player has now been injured and is a
06:30little dinged up. So there's a lot going on here. There's no question about it.
06:37There's plenty of adversity. This Bruins team, if they get to the playoffs, I think the one
06:45positive you can say about them, their situation, the season that they're having is that they're
06:50going to be battle-hardened and battle-tested by the time they get to the postseason in a way
06:55that they have not in recent vintage years been because they've just been able to pull away from
07:00other teams and had a big cushion and didn't really have to fight for their lives. So,
07:06you know, there may be some advantage to that. There may be some good that can come out of that.
07:12And it may be a little bit of an optimistic view looking at it that way, but I think it's
07:19undeniable that they will be, you know, they're going to be basically in the playoffs the whole
07:24second half of this year fighting to get in. And if they get into the postseason, they're going to
07:27be like in playoff form and playoff level, like right from the jump. And maybe that helps them
07:35get a quick start in a series. Like we'll see if they get there. I'm still not optimistic that
07:41they're going to make the playoffs based on what I've seen over the last couple of weeks, based on
07:44another just like gross loss against the New Jersey Devils. Just there's no way to put it.
07:51Just not a lot to write home about as far as positives. Felt like they didn't even bring
07:57it competitively and kind of folded the tent in the second period once things started going wrong.
08:02And we've seen that happen a few times with this particular Bruins team that like when things start
08:07to go against them, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of in-game resistance while that's going on,
08:12especially if it's on the road and it's against a pretty good team. It seems like that's, you know,
08:17when they fold and that on the other side of the token is not a great sign for the playoffs when
08:22they consistently do that. And it just like sort of game over once things start going against them,
08:28against a good team on the road. Cause that's kind of, that tells you right now, like when that
08:33happens in the playoffs, which it will happen in the playoffs. So it'll probably happen every
08:36single game on the road in the playoffs that that's not a good sign as to how they're going
08:40to react. Maybe eventually they learn from that and they build up some resistance to when that
08:46adversity hits, but I haven't seen it. Not against good teams. They're still very far below 500
08:52against good teams. And I did the numbers yesterday. They've obviously changed slightly
08:57after the two nothing win against Ottawa, but I think their goal differential against teams in the
09:03playoff structure this year was like minus 31, which just to me says not a good team, not a good
09:11team against good teams, a team that's going to be aced pretty quickly in the post season. If they,
09:19you know, they get a draw against one of the best teams in the East, it's not going to be a long
09:22stay for them. It just feels like that way based on the way the Bruins have performed. And I don't
09:29feel like I'm going on a limb saying that. But, you know, just when you write them off, just when
09:35you knock them off as like, they should retool, they should trade away players, they should break
09:39things up. They have a win like that two nothing win over the Ottawa Senators where, you know,
09:45there were some things to like, and certainly they played hard and showed they could beat a team that
09:51looks like they might get to the playoffs by playing hard. Or at least, you know, we're able
09:57to knock down somebody that they're competing with for the playoffs. So they showed something.
10:01I have to give them that and I have to give them credit for that. Even if like it came after a
10:07couple of disastrous games before that. So they continue to sort of keep you hanging on a little
10:13bit. And at least they played well on home ice. Like at least you're giving the fans something
10:17that they're paying all their hard-earned money to go watch. Like if you're gonna be bad, be bad
10:22on the road, be good at home, give your fans something to see and watch and cheer for and
10:28feel like they, you know, got their value for the hard-earned money that they're putting into
10:33the tickets. So that is a good sort of change of what it's been the last few years for the
10:38Bruins too, where I think they struggled on home ice. And I think this year they've been a lot
10:41better. And that is something to like and to, you know, also, you know, give them some compliments
10:48on and give them credit for. So we'll see what happens. They got a high-powered Colorado
10:56Avalanche team coming in this weekend. That could be interesting. But they got the game they had to
11:02get. They needed that win to really sort of, you know, keep them in a decent position. I wouldn't
11:08say a good position because Tampa Bay still has four games in hand on them. Ottawa still has two
11:13games in hand on them. And there's a huge bunch of teams vying for those wildcard spots in those
11:20last playoff spots. So as David Pasternak, like I said, as he said, after the win on Thursday night,
11:27they're going to, they're fighting for their lives. So are the Ottawa Senators. And it's going
11:30to be like that for the rest of the year. So at least give them credit for a good win. Morgan
11:36Geeky, Pavel Zakha, David Pasternak, just the chemistry is on point and they've been excellent
11:44the better part of this entire month. So that's a good development as well.
11:48And we'll get to Geeky a little bit more with questions in the mailbag here. So let's answer
11:56some fan questions. First one from Dan H. Hi Joe, appreciate the coverage as this team is tough to
12:04watch. Who are you moving off this team in order to re-sign Frederick or are you just going to move
12:10him? Trent Frederick. I don't think I'm moving players to sign Trent Frederick. I'm just not,
12:19you know, what is he making now? 3 million, something like that. I think, you know,
12:32my thought on Trent Frederick is that that would probably be the player I would deal
12:40at the trade deadline in order to get some future assets back. I think that is the player I would
12:47not choose to spend an inordinate amount of money on to keep. And I don't know that the Bruins are
12:56going to do that. You know, I think they've made a determination on this player that he's got a
13:02certain level of value. Let's see here. Trent Frederick is making $2.3 million this season.
13:10And he's at the end of a contract. I believe it's a two-year contract that he was on.
13:17And from everything I gathered from talking to him, he wants security. He wants a long-term deal.
13:27He wants to get a contract somewhere where he's going to stay there for a little while where he
13:34doesn't have to worry about year to year where he's going to be. He gets that long-term security
13:38that he's really never had with the Bruins. I don't think he's going to get that here. And I
13:43think I've said this multiple times. I think he is in the same vein as Jake DeBrusque last year and
13:49Tory Krug a few years ago, where these are players that I think at this point, as they hit free
13:55agency, are going to hit a level where you're not going to want to have to pay them what it's the
14:01going rate market value-wise. They definitely weren't going to pay Jake DeBrusque a long-term
14:06big money deal like he got with Vancouver. Same with Tory Krug. And I think for Frederick,
14:13he's probably looking at somewhere in the $5 million a year range in free agency as a player
14:21that has proven he can score 20 goals, is a tough guy, is a power forward, is somebody that the
14:28other teams probably think they can turn into a Tom Wilson type player. Now, I don't think that's
14:34Trent Frederick. I don't think he's ever going to be exactly that. I think he has moments of
14:42really good effectiveness. He has moments where he's really impactful from a physicality standpoint,
14:51from a stand up for his teammates and throwing down standpoint. He can do enough offensively
14:59to at least get you to double digit goals between 10 and 20 goals, maybe 30 to 40 points.
15:05But this year, 48 games, seven goals, a minus 11, worst on the team. And I think he's frankly
15:13struggled. Struggled to find his groove, struggled to find a permanent place for him in the lineup.
15:18He's kind of been moved around a lot, which tells you the coaches kind of don't know what to do with
15:22him or where to put him. He's moved around from wing to center to wing to center. It's been a
15:28really difficult year for him and for the Bruins to figure out what to do with him.
15:36And frankly, I think that Mark Estelic, while not the same as Trent Frederick, I think he's
15:46similar in some ways and will be the kind of bottom six staple that Frederick was probably
15:53going to be. And they signed him to a three-year contract extension. Now he's banged up right now,
15:59and I think he's always going to be banged up just because of how physical he plays.
16:03But I think Estelic is like 1.5 million for three years, and that is cheaper than Trent Frederick is
16:09now. So I think that signing was an indication that that's the guy they're going to keep around.
16:17That's one of the guys they're going to keep around instead of Frederick. And I think Morgan
16:21Geeky is another guy that's kind of similar in some ways to Trent Frederick in job description,
16:26where he's probably like a third liner but has some upside, where he could play top six wing,
16:33can play center or wing, is big-bodied, has the skill to be in that 20-goal, 40-point range.
16:41But Geeky's producing. Geeky has shown chemistry with David Posternak. Geeky scored his 13th
16:48goal of the season in the win over Ottawa and is on pace for 20 goals and 40 points,
16:57both career highs, and is in the last year of his contract but is still a restricted free agent with
17:04arbitration rights after this year. He was making $2 million, I believe, on the contract that he's
17:09on right now. So you're talking about a player that is still going to be cheaper than Trent
17:14Frederick next year based on where they are service time-wise and what kind of free agents
17:21they're going to be after this season is over. So I think you could make the argument that basically
17:28the Bruins have signed Kostelik. They are going to sign Morgan Geeky. And those two players,
17:35I think, are basically going to price out Trent Frederick from being able to stay
17:40just based on what they both bring to the table in their price tags. And I think that's
17:44business in the NHL. That's just what happens. So even if the Bruins think that they're a
17:51playoff team this year, even if they think they're going to buy at the deadline, I still think they
17:56may explore trading Trent Frederick because they just know he's not in their plans beyond this year
18:02and they'd like to recoup on an asset they're going to lose and potentially recoup the first
18:10round pick that they used to draft him in the first place. It was a late first rounder that
18:17they used. And I remember being, I was really critical of them at the time because they didn't
18:20take Alex to Brinkett and they took Frederick instead. And Frederick has turned out to be a
18:24perfectly good player and it's been a good pick. Anytime a player, first, second round, whatever,
18:31it turns into an NHL player that's playing day in and day out and becomes a core part of your team,
18:35I think that's a good pick. So Frederick has turned out to be a very good pick and it kind of
18:41like projected to what they thought he was going to be. Now the problem becomes, and I mentioned
18:47this, I think somebody's going to pay him to be like a big bad power forward in the league and
18:54is going to look at him and look at the penalty minutes, look at the ability to fight, look at
18:57the ability to hit, look at the ability to play multiple positions, to put up close to 20 goals.
19:03And they're going to say, this is like the power forward mythical beast that there's not many of
19:08these in the NHL and they don't grow on trees and we have to go out and get this guy. But, and that's
19:14fine. I think that he may be somewhere else. Maybe he goes home to St. Louis and he becomes that guy
19:19every single night and he really lives up to the money he's being paid and he becomes a hometown
19:24hero and he becomes like a great St. Louis blue. Maybe something like that happens. And that would
19:30be awesome because Trent Frederick's a fantastic kid. I would love to see that for him. And I think
19:34he, part of him, I'm sure wants to go back home and play. But I just think that I don't think if
19:43the Bruins pay him that kind of money, I don't think he's going to live up to that contract.
19:47And I think he's going to have a hard time living up to those expectations, meeting them consistently,
19:52being that guy all the time. He has not been that guy all the time in Boston. Certainly this year,
19:59he has not been that guy as he struggled. And I think he would have a hard time doing that.
20:04So I would deal him and try to get a first round pick, maybe a second round pick,
20:08maybe a pick and a prospect, but get some future assets back from him. As you know,
20:13you may not be bringing him back next season. And I think that's, you know, with that particular
20:20player, I don't think that's a read on them being a buyer and a seller. I think that's just a player
20:23they should sell to get assets back and recoup some assets, even if they're still going for it
20:27the playoffs this year. And given the forwards that they have, I think they can withstand,
20:32you know, losing him. I think having guys like Geeky and Koselec is going to allow them to be
20:38okay, even if they dealt him in season, which would still be a tough move because he's a popular
20:43teammate. Everybody likes him. Teammates like him, media likes him. Everybody likes Trent Frederick.
20:48So it would be unpopular as far as that goes. But I think this is where the business of the NHL
20:54definitely comes in. All right. Speaking of business, let's take a break in the podcast
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22:49here from Cap77. And Cap77, I gotta shout him out. He's on the Q&As for the Boston Sports Journal.
22:57He sends in a question every single week and Cap77 has, I think, some of the best questions,
23:04some of the best observations. I think he's fantastic and I think he's on point with a lot
23:09of stuff that he says. So I just really enjoy the back and forth with Cap77. So let's read,
23:16he's got a four-part question here. Number one, I feel as though our season went down the drain
23:24on Saturday in Ottawa. Losing a late two-goal lead in such a crucial matchup is just egregious
23:29and a potential big win and the standings got turned upside down. Was there any doubt they
23:33would lose the shootout, their first of the year? Yeah, I'm kind of down on the Bruins.
23:39Gotta be honest with you, after that loss to Ottawa, I felt like that was a gut check
23:43game that they had to have. And they blew it. They blew it down the stretch in the third period.
23:49They couldn't come up with a win when they really had to and you had to get a stop at the end.
23:55And, you know, with a growing team, with a young team, with a team that's still figuring out who
24:01to put out in certain situations and how to win those games, you're gonna have some growing pains
24:06and you're gonna have some stumbles along the way. But I just, I looked at that and I saw the
24:13way they lost and the way they couldn't hang on to that third period lead. And in a game they had
24:18to have against a team that they're going, you know, hard against for a playoff berth at the
24:24end of the year, I just said this was like indicative of what's gonna happen at the end.
24:29Like this is what's gonna happen at the end of the year when they need a win and they need to
24:34get points and they're gonna crumble like this in certain instances where adversity hits and
24:41in-game adversity. Like Joe Sacco mentioned after the game on Thursday last night, the win,
24:47that they respond well like from losses in the next game. And that's true. They still have
24:53continued to do that. It's a good show of character. It's a good show of competitiveness,
24:57all that stuff. The in-game response is something that has not been good and continues to not be
25:03good. And like, frankly, that's a huge problem too. The in-game response needs to be better from
25:09the team instead of waiting for the next game to say, all right, we'll get them next time. Like
25:14I don't think, if you want to be a playoff team, I think you need to respond in-game to being
25:21pushed to when another team makes a push, when they come at you. And I don't think the Bruins
25:26do that well enough, frankly. And I think that that game in Ottawa that they lost and where
25:31they blew the third period lead was an indication of that. Now, there's other things going on in
25:37that game. I did not love, and I've said it a couple times, Brad Marchand getting benched for
25:43the overtime session when he's been an overtime hero his entire career. Losing in the shootout
25:48is always kind of crappy. It's just not a great way to lose in the NHL, but that's just the way
25:56it goes. All right. Question number two. I will watch and back the Bruins to the end in this
26:03playoff scramble, but at this point, I won't object to any so-called shock trades for assets.
26:10Morgan Geeky stock is rising. Should they take advantage of that? Well, like I just said,
26:16I wouldn't trade Geeky. I would sign him. And there's no rush, I guess, because he's a restricted
26:22free agent. He's got arbitration rights. It may come down to an arbitration or setting an
26:28arbitration date before they get something done with him. But I don't think you trade him. I think
26:35you keep him. You hang on to him. I think you trade Trent Frederick. That's the guy I would
26:39trade for assets, even though the stock is in a different place right now. Frederick stock is down.
26:45Geeky's is up. But I just think you hang on to him. I like the way he plays. I like the chemistry
26:52he has with Pasternak. He's big and strong and rugged. He hangs on to pucks. He's got a great
26:58shot. He seems to get better and better. His numbers last year were career highs. He's going
27:04to set career highs, I think, again this year, as long as he continues to play the way that he's
27:07playing right now. And this comes after he was poster boy for that terrible start that they had
27:13because he was just invisible for most of that first 20 games. So I just think you hang on to a
27:20player like that. If somebody gets crazy and wants to give you a first round pick for Morgan Geeky,
27:26I would definitely think about it, like a first round pick and a great prospect.
27:31If the offers came in and they were outstanding, I would think about it. But I just think
27:35Frederick, given his track record, given his pedigree, given where he is as a rental,
27:40makes much more sense to trade. And I think you're going to get pretty close to what you
27:44would get for Geeky, even with a stock up, as to what you're going to get for Trent Frederick,
27:50even where he is right now. Number three, how do you feel about the penalty assessed to Justin
27:55Brezow for goaltender interference against the New Jersey Devils? I hated it. He got tripped
28:00into the goalie. There's nothing he can do there. He's just going hard to the net.
28:04And he can't stop when, obviously, somebody gets their stick into your skates and trips you up.
28:10I feel like the penalty got called because there was a goalie injury. It was based on the
28:15result rather than the intent. And I always hate that, too, when referees do that.
28:21So I understand why it happened. I just don't think it's right.
28:25Number four, if you had to vote today, who would get the calder? This is a great question.
28:30I looked it up the other day. And I would have said Max Celebrini right off the hop without
28:35looking up the numbers. But I would say either Hudson in Montreal or Celebrini. So it's going
28:43to be a very BU calder trophy awarding this year, which says a lot for BU that they have the top
28:52two guys vying for the Rookie of the Year in the NHL after coming off the Terriers.
29:00But I think they've both been extremely good. You can't argue with the production
29:07for either one. I think Celebrini has been more of a dominant type player
29:12than people expected him to be with San Jose. And I think he's been productive. He's generated a lot
29:19of shots. I think he's been a guy that's driven the line that he's on. Very impressive. And him
29:25with Will Smith. Obviously, San Jose is headed in a good direction. But Hudson, I think, has gone
29:30into a pressure-filled place in Montreal where the expectations were high, where they need guys
29:34like Hudson to start performing. And they've surprised a little. And they've done better
29:39than expected. And I think Hudson's a big part of that. He's got, I think, close to 40 points.
29:44He's got 30-something assists, which is excellent. So I would say it's a two-man race. And we'll see
29:50what happens the second half of the year. As far as... This is the second part of the question.
29:57I assume Spencer Carberry will get the Jack Adams. But who would be the other two finalists?
30:02Dean Everson with Columbus, definitely. I would say Birubi with the Maple Leafs and the way that
30:08they've played and how he's kind of toughened them up. And they've been looking good lately.
30:14I would give him some consideration for sure. I think there's some other coaches out there
30:18that have done a really good job. But I think Spencer Carberry with the Capitals has been
30:23excellent. And I think he would be a guy that definitely will get a lot of consideration
30:30and should. All right. Let's move on to the next question.
30:35Why does Bruins management hate young offensive-minded players
30:40days after saying we need to see what we have in-house and the kids languish in Providence?
30:46I am hoping Jones comes in and plays the way I thought he would when we signed him, though.
30:50That's from Kinchmo. And he's talking about Max Jones, who was called up
30:55prior to that game on Thursday night and did okay. Max Jones did okay.
31:00But before we answer that question, let's take another break to talk about game time.
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32:14time is it? Game Time. All right. So getting back into the question, why do the Bruins management
32:23hate young offensive minded players? Do they hate Matt Potra? Have they put him in a top six role
32:28with Brad Martian and Charlie Coyle? Look, this isn't about the Bruins hating young offensive
32:33players. This is about the young offensive players not being ready for prime time, not being ready
32:37for a pressure situation, not being ready to play with a guy like Brad Martian. Matt Potra has done
32:43exactly what you need to do if you're a young offensive minded Bruins player and you want to
32:48get up to the NHL and you want to get good looks in good spots. He shut his mouth, he worked hard
32:54and he produced and he dominated at the AHA level in Providence. And now he's back up in
33:00Providence, in Boston. And I don't think Matt Potra is going back down to Providence ever again
33:05based on the way that he's playing. And it was the perfect decision to send him down for a stint
33:10to boost his confidence, up his offensive mojo, get his mind right back to where he's constantly
33:18looking to make plays. The motor is constantly going and his confidence is high. And I think
33:22we've seen that from him since he came back. I think he's got a different mindset now and I think
33:26he understands that he's good enough to create here. It doesn't mean it's going to happen every
33:32single game. That doesn't mean it's going to be, you know, multi-point games all over the place,
33:37but he's in the mix every single game creating stuff. He's creating scoring chances. He had a
33:43bunch of setups last night. He's had chances to score. He's had shots on net. He's had a lot of
33:50time with the puck on his stick. He's much more noticeable transporting the puck up the ice
33:54and getting it through the neutral zone. I think he looks much more comfortable playing with Coyle
34:00and Marchand and he looks much more willing to take the bull by the horns and be assertive
34:04playing with those kind of players. So, you know, I think it rings false when people are
34:11bitching about the way the Bruins are treating their young prospects when you see Matt Potra
34:14because he's done it the right way. He's shown he has the right stuff. And frankly, Mason Lowry,
34:19who has good games, makes mistakes, is having like the full first year, full season NHL rookie
34:27experience where it's a roller coaster and it's ups and downs and he's made some mistakes and
34:31he's had some good games and he was pretty solid in the Thursday night win over the Senators.
34:37He's looked very good on the power play at the point. I think the power play has looked as good
34:42as it's looked all year since he's been there running the point and I think it should stay that
34:45way. Had five block shots in that win over Ottawa and played tough at times. And, you know, he's
34:52learning from other mistakes where he's like trying to make a quick play along the board,
34:57skating over the puck, turning pucks over, you know, doing things where he's thinking offense
35:03rather than like making the safe, solid play to make sure the puck gets out of the zone. And he's
35:07going to learn like it's going to happen. But I think those are the players because they've
35:12shown real NHL talent. That's why they're there as young guys. Fabian Lysell and Georgie Merkulov
35:19have looked borderline NHL talent when they've been up there. That's just the way it is. That's
35:23the truth. And they need to be better. And when they are better, they will get longer looks and
35:30they just haven't deserved it right now. Guys like Patrick Brown, guys like Max Jones are a little
35:36more NHL caliber as far as bottom six NHL talent goes in a playoff level physical nasty game. Like
35:45you can't drop guys like Merkulov and Lysell into games like Thursday night, put them on a third or
35:50fourth line role and expect them to survive and to thrive. It's just not going to happen
35:57in those kinds of situations. They need to be used if they're going to be used in a top six
36:01kind of role where they're playing with skilled players, where they're getting maybe some power
36:06play time and where they're put in the best spot to succeed. And last night against Ottawa in the
36:12third or fourth line, that's not a best spot to succeed. Matt Potra has earned the looks that he's
36:18getting. He's earned the spot that he's in right now. And he is and should be the North Star for
36:26all these other young players in Providence that want to get to the NHL is doing it the way he did
36:31it. Dominating at the HL level and leaving no doubt whatsoever that you are ready to be called up,
36:37that you are going to be productive when you get there and that you were too good
36:41basically to continue to stay at the HL level. And those guys just aren't there yet. And that's
36:46not on the Bruins. That's more on them. And that's something that they have to get done.
36:51So I hope that answers your question. I'm going to just leave this one and then we're going to go
36:59because this is more of a comment than question. This is from Maddie McGee. I'm not sure what else
37:03the Bruins need to see. Brass needs to see here. They clearly aren't contenders. They aren't even
37:08scrappy fun-to-watch losers. They play bad hockey and will only make the playoffs because another
37:12team stinks worse. What are they waiting for to blow this up? What hope are they clinging to?
37:17Lysol doesn't seem to be an answer to anything. The Lindholm contract is a disaster. Sorry,
37:22Elias Lindholm, but I kind of agree with that one. Swayman might be turning the tide, so that's good.
37:26So what else is there? We have a bunch of AHL All-Stars for prospects and overpaid third liners.
37:32Time to start over for Maddie McGee. Not starting over, but retooling maybe in the future,
37:38especially if they continue to have losses like the one against New Jersey and the one against
37:42Ottawa last weekend. The win over the Senators on Thursday night, the 2-0 win, keeps you sort
37:47of hanging on for a little bit longer. But we will see where all of this goes.
37:52If it turns blow-up time, it will be stunningly obvious. I just don't think we're there yet
37:57because they show enough character and enough life not to do that. All right,
38:01thanks everybody for listening this week. Let's thank our sponsors again real quick.
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38:30off your first purchase. Download GameTime today. What time is it? Game time. Everybody else out
38:39there, thank you very much for listening. We'll be back next week with a couple of episodes,
38:46guests for both episodes, but thank you for listening to this mailbag ep of the Pucks
38:51with Hacks podcast. As always, thanks for listening. We'll see you at the next one.