Boston Bruins 2023 Off-Season CAP, Trade Rumors and Free Agent Talk XII

[Babajingo]

I think Marchand is the most important player to begin the season. He's a year older and without Patrice. If he doesn't keep it up, then all the opposing team needs to do is shadow Pasta and make Debrusk, coyle, zacha and Geekie beat you

 

[Guelph Bruin]

It may be in their hands but waivers may have a say in who stays and who goes

True but Sweeney has shown he isn't afraid to take the waiver wire risk with guys that are underperforming ...none of the guys he signed for cheap one-way contracts should feel safe including JVR, Boquist, Brown, Geekie, , etc. IMO, the only untouchable is Looch from the offseason cheap contracts (Freddy and Sway aren't included in my cheap one-way contracts).

 

[EverettMike]

@EverettMike did you see Money Ball? And notice they forgot to mention in the movie the Oakland A’s had the best rotation in the game

As someone who also loves the book, it has always, since the day it got published, been the book's biggest flaw. And it's a weird omission, because addressing the pitching would do nothing to diminish everything else Beane was doing. Not like they were only going to compete because of the staff. He still needed a team that could score runs.

 

[Hookslide]

Zacha and Pasta shouldn't be separated
Marchy needs to stay with DeBrusk
Freddy needs to stay with Coyle
Milan needs to play 4th line

JVR-Zacha- Pasta
Marchy-Geekie-DeBrusk
Freddy-Coyle Lauko
Lucic-Brown-Boqvist

And then pray to the heavens that someone in Prov can step up.

I will not disagree with much of what you put together , but I would like to see Boqvist given more of a chance than 4th line , not sure I am loving JVR hope I am wrong, would like to see Frederics or maybe Beecher get a shot at center .......

 

[WhalerTurnedBruin55]

I think Marchand is the most important player to begin the season. He's a year older and without Patrice. If he doesn't keep it up, then all the opposing team needs to do is shadow Pasta and make Debrusk, coyle, zacha and Geekie beat you

I feel like that was the strategy for defending against our PP already.

 

[JOKER 192]

I will not disagree with much of what you put together , but I would like to see Boqvist given more of a chance than 4th line , not sure I am loving JVR hope I am wrong, would like to see Frederics or maybe Beecher get a shot at center .......

I don't love JVR on the 1st line either but you gotta work with what you have

That's a border line DNQ group of forwards deployed like that.



Lol, Beniers w\o the skating is an AHL player.

So what are you doing?

 

[JOKER 192]

I really don't think they roll into the season with a Zacha - Geekie 1/2 punch

Hope you're right but if it's Zacha Coyle that's not better

 

[Hookslide]

Hope you're right but if it's Zacha Coyle that's not better

One of the biggest bitches I have had in the past with Sweeney is he really does not build his roster in the offseason ,he tends to try and put a team together at trade deadline , this year with the signings and young players that we are hoping to make the team and hopefully be productive I think he needs to see who and what he has before he starts making blind moves , lets not think this player can be the guy ,they are here so give them a shot to do the job if cannot produce move on from them these contracts are not total anchors like some in the past.........

 

[EverettMike]

I need Doctor Strange to bring me to the dimension where all of this major roster loss/turnover/minus 5 million cap space is happening to the Leafs or Habs cause I would love to see what this board was saying about their chances.

 

[BradMarchandismydad]

Hope you're right but if it's Zacha Coyle that's not better

It’s only slightly better—unless Geekie truly has another gear to him (I don’t think he does but would love to eat crow)

Basically we have to make a move or center by committee until someone can step up. We’ve got Geekie Merkulov and who else internally?

Otherwise we might miss playoffs and not have a pick to justify the performance

The east has just been loading up, and now that we officially lost our 1 and 2 C there’s a power vacuum. Lots of really good teams are going to be fighting for a WC spot. Leafs and Panthers are gonna be top 3.

 

[NDiesel]

It’s only slightly better—unless Geekie truly has another gear to him (I don’t think he does but would love to eat crow)

Basically we have to make a move or center by committee until someone can step up

Otherwise we might miss playoffs and not have a pick to justify the performance

Center by committee makes the most sense to me...split the lines up like:

Zacha-Pasta
Marchand-Coyle
Debrusk-Geekie

Mix and match the rest of the roster with those pairs.

 

[JOKER 192]

It’s only slightly better—unless Geekie truly has another gear to him (I don’t think he does but would love to eat crow)

Basically we have to make a move or center by committee until someone can step up. We’ve got Geekie Merkulov and who else internally?

Otherwise we might miss playoffs and not have a pick to justify the performance

The east has just been loading up, and now that we officially lost our 1 and 2 C there’s a power vacuum. Lots of really good teams are going to be fighting for a WC spot. Leafs and Panthers are gonna be top 3.

Every team has its weaknesses.
In goal Bruins are top 5 if not 1st
Defense again top 5 if not 1st
Wings top 10
Center is where they are weak. How weak? That remains to be seen. I really don't see this team fighting for a PO spot.
2nd or 3rd in the division is where I see them.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

Center by committee makes the most sense to me...split the lines up like:

Zacha-Pasta
Marchand-Coyle
Debrusk-Geekie

Mix and match the rest of the roster with those pairs.

I keep seeing Marchand/Coyle being listed as a "must pair." Couldn't disagree with that more. Coyle can't make a decision with the puck in the offensive zone to save his life, which is the complete opposite of what Marchand is used to playing with.

I imagine that combo as being incredibly frustrating to watch.

 

[DKH]

I need Doctor Strange to bring me to the dimension where all of this major roster loss/turnover/minus 5 million cap space is happening to the Leafs or Habs cause I would love to see what this board was saying about their chances.

The Leafs need Loki as their coach to come up with trickery to mask their D and backend

 

[EverettMike]

The Leafs need Loki as their coach to come up with trickery to mask their D and backend

If I'm looking to the MCU for help on the backend I want Wong in net and every available Hulk on defense.

 

[DKH]

I keep seeing Marchand/Coyle being listed as a "must pair." Couldn't disagree with that more. Coyle can't make a decision with the puck in the offensive zone to save his life, which is the complete opposite of what Marchand is used to playing with.

I imagine that combo as being incredibly frustrating to watch.

The top two lines

JVR- Zacha - Pastrnak
Marchand - TBD- DeBrusk

TBD fall back is Coyle but Geekie & Merkulov are most interesting and can drop Coyle back to third line

If Merkulov works you have a very good top 9

Third line
Frederic- Coyle - Geekie

Lindholm still has to be the apple of Sweeney’s eye - if Calgary can’t extend him this will be one to watch

 

[Gordoff]

Trying to predict the lines is a waste. Tons of competition going on. Probably only one line you can predict and even that will change as their team rolls. This year, we will see what Monty is made of.

Jello?

 

[DKH]

If I'm looking to the MCU for help on the backend I want Wong in net and every available Hulk on defense.

My big 3
Scarlet Johansson
Natalie Portman
Hayley Atwell

But they are all number ones

 

[Dr Quincy]

Hope you're right but if it's Zacha Coyle that's not better

I think it is. Coyle is a functional 2C. Geekie is still an unknown as a top 6 player. Btw if you want to use projected stats like the Geekie's pts/60 that are thrown around, considser this:

Laukko had a higher pts/60 last year than Marchand or Bergeron, and Garnet Hathaway had a higher g/60 than Bergeron, Zacha, Marchand, Krejci, Coyle and Hall.

Those projected stats are tricky. Sometimes they are evidnece of an underutilized guy ready to break out, and sometimes they are just flukes of small sample sizes combined with easy usage.

 

[NDiesel]

I keep seeing Marchand/Coyle being listed as a "must pair." Couldn't disagree with that more. Coyle can't make a decision with the puck in the offensive zone to save his life, which is the complete opposite of what Marchand is used to playing with.

I imagine that combo as being incredibly frustrating to watch.

That's just my idea because in the past Debrusk and Coyle were not very good together on a line...maybe they'll try that again, but my hope is Marchand and Coyle can possess the puck and hopefully the 3rd guy can be capable of burying the passes.

 

[Absurdity]

The top two lines

JVR- Zacha - Pastrnak
Marchand - TBD- DeBrusk

TBD fall back is Coyle but Geekie & Merkulov are most interesting and can drop Coyle back to third line

If Merkulov works you have a very good top 9

Third line
Frederic- Coyle - Geekie

Lindholm still has to be the apple of Sweeney’s eye - if Calgary can’t extend him this will be one to watch

In my opinion, Sweeney would be keeping tabs on the wrong Elias out west.

 

[Ned Bouhalassa]

We got no centre depth, it's time to think way outside the box.

Ladies and gents, allow me to introduce the all-3rd lines Centennial Bruins!:

Freddy - Geekie - Pasta
Marchand - Brown - Boqvist
Lucic - Zacha - Debrusk
JVR - Coyle - Lauko

I need more coffee.

 

[KnightofBoston]

My big 3
Scarlet Johansson
Natalie Portman
Hayley Atwell

But they are all number ones

Atwell was pretty good in dead reckoning part 1

 

[Bruinfanatic]

I think Marchand is the most important player to begin the season. He's a year older and without Patrice. If he doesn't keep it up, then all the opposing team needs to do is shadow Pasta and make Debrusk, coyle, zacha and Geekie beat you

Hopefully he looks better than he did last year,he did pick up his game for the playoffs,but most of the regular season he definitely wasn’t the same player,he seemed to get worse as the season went on.

 

[Horton Hears A Woo]

They have best G and D in league and top four wingers are right there

They have two good not great 200 foot centers who treated Florida like their bitch games 3 and 4 before Monty kid did lineup and lines game 5

They are good enough to be in playoffs today

I have them 98 but I historically come in low

I expect 105 or above

I would like Sweens to not go all in till trade deadline and see if we get a surprise or two

My 5 top TC I will be watching

Geekie
Jvr
Poitras
Waksh
Mitchell

Anyone want to make a lot of money take over on Bruins at 96 or 97

Like stealing

You can’t really believe this team is going to put up 105 points…you keep saying best d group and goaltending in the league…. You’re reaching with best d core… also you keep acting like losing the forwards that we did won’t impact the d and goaltending.
Do you know how much easier it’s going to be for teams to matchup against the bruins top six and plan around it without bergy and Krejci? This team is going to be in big trouble as they will be spending a lot more time in the d zone and praying the goaltending is outstanding.