Boston Bruins 24-25 Roster/Cap thread IV

[Sheppy]

All this “speed and skill” vs “tough and gritty” talk.

This team needs balance. Is it wrong to want defense to have toughness on one side and puck moving ability on the other?

Or to not be left with a black hole after pastrnak on lines 2-4 RW where we’ve spent a combined > $4m on those 3 RW positions?

I definitely want a mixture. I like what we have going currently. That said, I'd like a top 6 winger for sure.

I was simply being snarky back to a snarky response when a poster dogged the "Toughness" people, that's all.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

Are you a fan of speed and skill players and analytics or not?

Sure. I like size and toughness too though. Overall I just like good hockey players more than I like hockey players who aren’t good.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Does it? Has my tune changed?

a year ago you threw a fit that they signed a 34 year old player you perceived as washed up "roster spackle" in part because he blocked whatever lane existed for a kid to make the team. JVR had .47 points per game the prior season.

now you're advocating for them to sign a 34 year old player coming off a .46 point per game season specifically to fill out a roster spot firmly in the open lane that you were worried about blocking last year.

so...you tell me if your tune has changed

 

[SPV]

Man, I just found out about cap friendly, bummer news.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Are you a fan of speed and skill players and analytics or not?

tell me something. do you think analytics somehow only favors speed and skill? why are you (and @Sheppy) lumping these things together? What exactly do you think is the purpose of hockey analytics? Is the analytics in the room with us right now?

 

[Sheppy]

Sure. I like size and toughness too though. Overall I just like good hockey players more than I like hockey players who aren’t good.

Sure, but you also said Zadorov is Forbort and that Peeke wasn't an upgrade over Shattenkirk.

 

[GlenFeatherstone]

Man, I just found out about cap friendly, bummer news.

What Puckpedia already has and what they’re adding, I really feel like they are going to blow away what cap friendly was doing.

 

[Sheppy]

What Puckpedia already has and what they’re adding, I really feel like they are going to blow away what cap friendly was doing.

They definitely can, I just don't like the layout on their site as it sits right now. It's pretty, well, ugly.

 

[UncleRico]

I definitely want a mixture. I like what we have going currently. That said, I'd like a top 6 winger for sure.

I was simply being snarky back to a snarky response when a poster dogged the "Toughness" people, that's all.

This certainly wasn’t directed at you or even at this current conversation. It’s kind of been a few year thing if we are being honest.

I love the addition of zadorov and like how we’ve built out the 4th line full of guys with grit, toughness and speed. He’ll, Beecher is probably the “softest” lol.

I’m 100% with you that I want balance and I think it’s close, but not quite close enough.

I don’t like the current winger situation and only putting ~$4m (I think less) into 2nd/3rd/4th line RW combined. Especially with an aging Marchand going into his age 36 season.

I think we have a vastly different style of play than previous years which should be more exciting. I’m just not sure if we are any better. I don’t see much balance through this forward group, personally.

 

[jgatie]

tell me something. do you think analytics somehow only favors speed and skill? why are you (and @Sheppy) lumping these things together? What exactly do you think is the purpose of hockey analytics? Is the analytics in the room with us right now?

As a computer scientist with a specialty in algorithm analysis, my opinion on analytics is the same as the famous mathematician Johnny von Neuman's opinion on any multiple parameter mathematical analysis:

"With four parameters I can fit an elephant, and with five I can make him wiggle his trunk".

I back up that notion with the constant use of analytics to show that Matt Frigging Grzelcyk was a great defensive defenseman.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

a year ago you threw a fit that they signed a 34 year old player you perceived as washed up "roster spackle" in part because he blocked whatever lane existed for a kid to make the team. JVR had .47 points per game the prior season.

now you're advocating for them to sign a 34 year old player coming off a .46 point per game season specifically to fill out a roster spot firmly in the open lane that you were worried about blocking last year.

so...you tell me if your tune has changed

To be fair, a year ago this team was in a much different position than it is now.

I really didn't see the point to signing JVR last year either. Sometimes we're right, more often we're wrong.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

As a computer scientist with a specialty in algorithm analysis, my opinion on analytics is the same as the famous mathematician Johnny von Neuman's opinion on any multiple parameter mathematical analysis:

"With four parameters I can fit an elephant, and with five I can make him wiggle his trunk".

I back up that notion with the constant use of analytics to show that Matt Frigging Grzelcyk was a great defensive defenseman.

as a fellow computer scientist, this post lines up very well with the number of computer scientists i've worked with over the years who don't have a firm grasp of the field

 

[jgatie]

as a fellow computer scientist, this post lines up very well with the number of computer scientists i've worked with over the years who don't have a firm grasp of the field

Yeah, OK. I'll take the guy in charge of the math calculations for the Manhattan Project over a flex on a hockey forum every time.

 

[Sheppy]

This certainly wasn’t directed at you or even at this current conversation. It’s kind of been a few year thing if we are being honest.

I love the addition of zadorov and like how we’ve built out the 4th line full of guys with grit, toughness and speed. He’ll, Beecher is probably the “softest” lol.

I’m 100% with you that I want balance and I think it’s close, but not quite close enough.

I don’t like the current winger situation and only putting ~$4m (I think less) into 2nd/3rd/4th line RW combined. Especially with an aging Marchand going into his age 36 season.

I think we have a vastly different style of play than previous years which should be more exciting. I’m just not sure if we are any better. I don’t see much balance through this forward group, personally.

I think the team will definitely fare better in the playoffs if the players added play to their full potential and bring exactly what they were brought in for.

I think Lindholm will be a fine addition and help out offensively as well as faceoffs where the Bruins got absolutely dummied in last year.

Zadorov brings a nasty to the defense that they just didn't have, as well as having a good shot from the point.

Max Jones has size, speed and will create havoc in the corners and in front of the net on the 4th line. Could possibly be used on the PK as well.

I trust that the coaching will help these guys quite a bit, too.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Yeah, OK. I'll take the guy in charge of the math calculations for the Manhattan Project over a flex on a hockey forum every time.

it's wild to think that von Neuman quote is some kind of checkmate about Matt Grzelcyk but ok

 

[Sheppy]

it's wild to think that von Neuman quote is some kind of checkmate about Matt Grzelcyk but ok

It's also weird to use cherry picked analytics in arguments to "prove" a point that Grzelcyk was an elite d-man.

 

[Gee Wally]

Alright. Enough for now.
Everyone mark their calendars to have the same ‘taste great, less filling’ argument in a month or two.

Thanks.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

a year ago you threw a fit that they signed a 34 year old player you perceived as washed up "roster spackle" in part because he blocked whatever lane existed for a kid to make the team. JVR had .47 points per game the prior season.

now you're advocating for them to sign a 34 year old player coming off a .46 point per game season specifically to fill out a roster spot firmly in the open lane that you were worried about blocking last year.

so...you tell me if your tune has changed

Perhaps you missed my post in the Max Jones thread.

Here are the facts. This current roster is both the biggest in terms of height and weight in the NHL. And we’ve added enough hitting that we should finish first by a significant margin in this respect.

I’ve lauded the offseason thus far for precisely these reasons. A return to an identity that I crave for my Bruins. A team that will dictate the pace physically. The hammer - not the nail.

I have two concerns and they are solved by the same addition. The first is I think we’re going to notice a speed deficiency in our top nine. And I think we need another 20 goal threat somewhere in there as well. Without it, I think we are going to be frustrated too often with an inability to score. With it, I think we can balance the lines well enough where we can minimize this frustration.

If Lysell is that guy (which I hope he is), then top-to-bottom, I’m one hundo with the roster. Let’s go. But if he’s not ready to beat out a Tyler Johnson on a PTO (a player with speed and 20 goal ability), that’s something I’d like to know before the season starts and have a plan in place for.

Is it ideal? Nope. But perfection is rare and cap space is as limited as the options available in free agency, as are the options in-house.

 

[jgatie]

it's wild to think that von Neuman quote is some kind of checkmate about Matt Grzelcyk but ok

von Neuman's point was to not be that impressed by the results of multiple parameter analysis, because with enough parameters you can map any data set you desire (such as Grzelcyk being good defensively).

 

[Gee Wally]

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

It's also weird to use cherry picked analytics in arguments to "prove" a point that Grzelcyk was an elite d-man.

who is doing that?

Matt Grzelcyk was only just brought up in this 23 page thread in the last 20 minutes. and he was brought up by someone claiming the analytics were wrong to call him good defensively.

so who are you arguing with right now exactly?

 

[Dr Quincy]

Are you a fan of speed and skill players and analytics or not?

Who isn't a fan of speed, skill and having as much information as you can get about a player?

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Who isn't a fan of speed, skill and having as much information as you can get about a player?

how much time do you have?

 

[Sheppy]

who is doing that?

Matt Grzelcyk was only just brought up in this 23 page thread in the last 20 minutes. and he was brought up by someone claiming the analytics were wrong to call him good defensively.

so who are you arguing with right now exactly?

Literally no one. It was brought up during the playoffs when his defenders would go off when people said he had a bad game.

 

[jgatie]

Who isn't a fan of speed, skill and having as much information as you can get about a player?

Who is saying any different? I was asking a question, not making a statement.