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

[Dr Quincy]

Fair enough but both Lauko and Hathaway were small sample sizes whereas Geekie was almost a complete season. Still a small sample but a better sample than those other two.

True, but I just picked those 2 because they were Bruins.

I could say that Daniel Sprong (about the same number of minutes as Geekie) was the 3rd best 5 on 5 scorer in the league... better than Tkachuk, Pasta, Jason Robertson, McDavid, Matthews, etc.

Or that Jamie Benn was better than McDavid or that Brock Nelson was better than any F on the Bruins, or Will Carrier was better than Bergeron or Marchand.

I'm not saying there's no value in the stat, but that it needs to be looked at a bit carefully. I don't think Geekie is a top 6 C. But if they got a 3rd line C for free, at a good salary number, that's really good. Of course he could surprise and be more, but I wouldn't be penciling him in for top 6 duty just yet.

 

[Dr Quincy]

I think there has to be a lot of mental gymnastics for people to suggest that there is a better 2C right now on this roster better than Coyle.

 

[UncleRico]

Here's the thing.

There are no lines.

And there likely won't be halfway through the season. Gone are the days of knowing that Bergy/Marchand are your go-to pair, the lopsided deployment of lines 3/4 in the defensive zone, knowing who your #1-4 Cs are, etc. Hell your top center this season may not even be a center!

This isn't plug-and-play like we're used to. So could we see precisely what this article suggests? I doubt we won't. But I also doubt that any combination is going to last over 50% of the entire season. There are just too many question marks.

Ya but we aren’t going to be seeing first line frederic and that 3rd line either unless there’s injuries.

It was just simply a terrible lineup suggestion. I like Ty he’s good at what he does. This is a peak middle of August let’s throw shit at a wall and see if it sticks and gets some clicks type article

 

[JOKER 192]

True, but I just picked those 2 because they were Bruins.

I could say that Daniel Sprong (about the same number of minutes as Geekie) was the 3rd best 5 on 5 scorer in the league... better than Tkachuk, Pasta, Jason Robertson, McDavid, Matthews, etc.

Or that Jamie Benn was better than McDavid or that Brock Nelson was better than any F on the Bruins, or Will Carrier was better than Bergeron or Marchand.

I'm not saying there's no value in the stat, but that it needs to be looked at a bit carefully. I don't think Geekie is a top 6 C. But if they got a 3rd line C for free, at a good salary number, that's really good. Of course he could surprise and be more, but I wouldn't be penciling him in for top 6 duty just yet.

Your point is valid. I'm not really basing my hunch on stats. I'm not at all a fan of advanced stats, I find way to much stock is put into them, especially by those who think they are what every decision should be based on. Thankfully managment and coaching staffs seem to know better.

I remember when the Bruins played Seattle he really stood out to me. Not so much for playmaking and scoring but he had a motor and was a pain in the ass. Really strong on the forecheck. He did have me asking who's this guy?

He was being used in different capacity than he will be in Boston so it's all based on nothing more than that one game and looking at Seattle's depth at center . It is arguable that he was underutilized.

We have to accept that we lost all our depth. As I pointed out in my original post I was looking at it from a chemistry angle . Keeping as many players who have had success in the past together. Also as many here have their player they don't want to see on a certain line I have mine too. I also want as few players as possible playing higher in the lineup than they should. By putting Geekie in the second line C spot he will be the only one that is playing higher up than he should IMO. Obviously there will be others that don't share my opinion. One thing most of us can agree on is that there is no real perfect way to go about it. It is but one idea, not better than the next.

 

[Shroud of Orrin]

Can someone explain the condition in the DeBrincat trade 1st pick from Detroit to Ottawa?

Am I right that Detroit “must” send the lesser of their 1st or our 1st unless our pick is top 10. If so, Detroit has an option to keep both and send their ‘24 first instead.

Is that correct? Thank you.

 

[Kegs]

How about getting basic facts straight? He played 21 RS games and had 16 points in them. That damn close to .8PPG.

With Bertuzzi, Orlov, and Hathaway they went 15-1 down the stretch. Can we can this crap about the deadline additions not adding to the record?

When they added him they were already destroying the league at a record pace. He was just some icing on the cake.

 

[Kegs]

I think there has to be a lot of mental gymnastics for people to suggest that there is a better 2C right now on this roster better than Coyle.

I could argue he is their best C. Is zacha even a true centre? I think he has mostly played wing. I’ve penciled him in but I don’t know if he can win face offs.

 

[JOKER 192]

How about getting basic facts straight? He played 21 RS games and had 16 points in them. That damn close to .8PPG.

With Bertuzzi, Orlov, and Hathaway they went 15-1 down the stretch. Can we can this crap about the deadline additions not adding to the record?

I agree, let's can it but can we say it didn't matter?

 

[JOKER 192]

Except people are arguing they weren't important parts of the team responsible for help setting the record and they won't be missed and its clearly illustrated by getting basic facts wrong, like number of games played by Bertuzzi to downplay his contributions.

People did it with Hathaway, a 4th line winger who potted two game winners in the 3rd period of tie games in March.

Its appears more than a couple of people just want to ignore how much offense the team lost and what that means next year.

[/QUOTE]

Perhaps it's because you only look at loss. Sure they have lost talent but you make it sound like they lost, Bergy, Hall, Krejci and Bert and it will be replaced with nothing. Are the replacements as good? No. Will it cost them games? Yes. Will they make the PO's ? yes Will they lose in the 1st round? Maybe, but how is that different from last year?

I see more downside than upside gifting Geekie 2C minutes to start off a transitional
forward core. Guy hasn't scored 10 goals in a season at the NHL level or broken 30 points in the NHL. Let Geekie get his feet wet with better match ups early on at 3C and adjust to Boston's system.

You know when someone presents a lineup it's just a suggestion right?
Nobody is gifting anyone anything.

 

[JOKER 192]

People keep saying Geekie played 4th line how can you put him on the second line?
Geekie had 28 points in 69 games which projects to 34 points. That's pretty dam good for a 4th liner.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

People keep saying Geekie played 4th line how can you put him on the second line?
Geekie had 28 points in 69 games which projects to 34 points. That's pretty dam good for a 4th liner.

People here tend to look at anything good last year as an outlier, or at least a players ceiling, if the player is on the Bruins. And have a hard time projecting any kind of improvement or jump in play due to development or role. No one here (including myself) would have projected Zacha as a top 6 Player - much less a center - a year ago. How many expected a top 5 Norris season from Lindholm? Imagine being the guy pounding the table for Lauko this time last year (I certainly wasn’t).

Seriously, how many posts project any player on the Bruins to have any improvement next year? Any player. And this isn’t limited to this off-season - it’s every year. It’s baffling.

 

[PlayMakers]

With Bertuzzi, Orlov, and Hathaway they went 15-1 down the stretch. Can we can this crap about the deadline additions not adding to the record?

You say that like 15-1 was unusual. They went 11-1 in the dozen games before the deadline. They went 22-3-1 in the 25 games before that. They were blisteringly good before the deadline and they were blisteringly good after the deadline.

 

[Caper Bruins fan]

You say that like 15-1 was unusual. They went 11-1 in the dozen games before the deadline. They went 22-3-1 in the 25 games before that. They were blisteringly good before the deadline and they were blisteringly good after the deadline.

Until the playoffs started. I’m kind of glad there are so many changes to the roster and expectations are low after last year’s playoff collapse. If they had the same roster , after every regular season win , all we would hear is “ but wait until the playoffs “ . Actually we will probably hear that anyway .

 

[Kegs]

Until the playoffs started. I’m kind of glad there are so many changes to the roster and expectations are low after last year’s playoff collapse. If they had the same roster , after every regular season win , all we would hear is “ but wait until the playoffs “ . Actually we will probably hear that anyway .

They out played the panthers.

 

[DominicT]

Can someone explain the condition in the DeBrincat trade 1st pick from Detroit to Ottawa?

Am I right that Detroit “must” send the lesser of their 1st or our 1st unless our pick is top 10. If so, Detroit has an option to keep both and send their ‘24 first instead.

Is that correct? Thank you.

Detroit has the option of sending their own 2024 1st or Boston's 2024 1st. If Boston's is top 10, then Detroit has the option of sending their own 2024 1st or Boston's 2025 first.

 

[slim399]

Merkulov-Zacha-Pastrnak
Marchand-Coyle-Debrusk
JVR-Farinacci-Geekie
Lucic-Frederic-Lauko

 

[Blowfish]

Merkulov-Zacha-Pastrnak
Marchand-Coyle-Debrusk
JVR-Farinacci-Geekie
Lucic-Frederic-Lauko

Not bad....

 

[Dr Quincy]

I really can't see a young guy starting off on the 1st or 2nd line while Frederic is on the 4th. I think this will be the basis of the lines (1st 2 lines are fairly equal, no real "top line"):

Marchand-Coyle-Debrusk
xxx-Zacha-Pasta
JVR-Geekie-Frederic
Lucic-xxx-xxx

with a possibility that JVR gets 1st shot at the 2nd line wing.

The candidates for the 3 open spots in likelihood are: Boqvist, Lauko, Brown, Greer, McLaughlin, Merkulov

Marchand-Coyle-Debrusk
Boqvist/JVR-Zacha-Pasta
JVR/Boqvist-Geekie-Frederic
Lucic-Brown-Lauko
Greer

I don't think any of the kids make the team to start. Sweeney brought vets in, like he almost always does, and those guys will be given 1st crack while the kids will have to prove it in the AHL. I do expect Lysell, Farinacci and Merkulov to play in the NHL at some point, but whether that's just a cup of coffee or someone sticks is unknown.

Lohrei and Beecher I don't think see any action until late in the year, unless there are a bunch of injuries.

 

[Riverfront]

marchand coyle debrusk
frederic zacha pasta
JVR geekie lauko
lucic boqvist lysall
greer
keep the 2 sweedes together on the 4th line and lucic as protection, hopefully they
can develop some chemistry with no pressure on the 4th line and maybe see
boqvist & lysall move up in the line-up later on in the season.

 

[Bruinfanatic]

Think the hip surgeries are the things to worry about the most this season with Brad. Typical those can have an impact on performance

I thought he looked good when he first came back ,but kind of went down hill ,he just wasn’t as hard on the stick, and was getting hit a lot more ,and those were huge parts of his game puck control and avoiding hits.

 

[wintersej]

I think there has to be a lot of mental gymnastics for people to suggest that there is a better 2C right now on this roster better than Coyle.

I think it's more of a question if you are better served sacrificing from the 2nd line to make sure your d-zone heavy 3rd line is solid. Hall might have put up more points on the Krejci line last year than Zacha, but the Bruins were better served giving the 3rd line more help.

I really can't see a young guy starting off on the 1st or 2nd line while Frederic is on the 4th. I think this will be the basis of the lines (1st 2 lines are fairly equal, no real "top line"):

Marchand-Coyle-Debrusk
xxx-Zacha-Pasta
JVR-Geekie-Frederic
Lucic-xxx-xxx

with a possibility that JVR gets 1st shot at the 2nd line wing.

The candidates for the 3 open spots in likelihood are: Boqvist, Lauko, Brown, Greer, McLaughlin, Merkulov

Marchand-Coyle-Debrusk
Boqvist/JVR-Zacha-Pasta
JVR/Boqvist-Geekie-Frederic
Lucic-Brown-Lauko
Greer

I don't think any of the kids make the team to start. Sweeney brought vets in, like he almost always does, and those guys will be given 1st crack while the kids will have to prove it in the AHL. I do expect Lysell, Farinacci and Merkulov to play in the NHL at some point, but whether that's just a cup of coffee or someone sticks is unknown.

Lohrei and Beecher I don't think see any action until late in the year, unless there are a bunch of injuries.

JVR-Geekie-Frederic, for instance, is a 3rd line that will be skating in mud.

 

[Yeti34]

JVR-Zacha- Pasta
Debrusk-Coyle-Marchand
Boqvist-Geekie-Freddy
Lucic- open spot- open spot

Hopefully one of the young guys can force his way up the lineup as the season starts. It would be nice to slot JVR down to the third line.

 

[Kegs]

JVR-Zacha- Pasta
Debrusk-Coyle-Marchand
Boqvist-Geekie-Freddy
Lucic- open spot- open spot

Hopefully one of the young guys can force his way up the lineup as the season starts. It would be nice to slot JVR down to the third line.

Don’t forget Lauko.

 

[Dizzay]

There would have to be an epic collapse for JVR to be on the 1st line for the Bruins this season. Zero chance he was brought in to ride shotgun with Zacha and Pasta. He's depth scoring and a net front presence on the PP.

 

[NDiesel]

There would have to be an epic collapse for JVR to be on the 1st line for the Bruins this season. Zero chance he was brought in to ride shotgun with Zacha and Pasta. He's depth scoring and a net front presence on the PP.

I think he is insurance for that line if Merkulov/Boqvist/someone else doesn't claim that spot.