Boston Bruins 24-25 Roster/Cap thread XII
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The Bruins are at risk of not making the playoffs, so what are they going to do about it? - The Boston Globe
The Bruins have slipped to 11th overall in the East in points percentage (.522) as of Monday morning.
www.bostonglobe.com
In critical need of an emotional spark, their playoff hopes slip slidin’ away, the Bruins on Monday plucked journeyman forward Vinni Lettieri out of AHL Providence in the hopes that the ex-University of Minnesota standout can help cure what ails them.
That’s a mighty tall order for the diminutive (5 feet 9 inches), right-shot center, and frankly, way over Lettieri’s pay grade (NHL minimum $775,000). Frankly, it’s too much for anyone else wearing that Spoked-B right now.
Something’s got to give, and that certain something has to be bigger than the Bruins’ cousin Vinni.
With the Lightning in town Tuesday night, , the 29-year-old Lettieri likely will line up as the No. 3 line center, flanked by Trent Frederic (LW) and newcomer Oliver Wahlstrom (RW).
All of that, and everything else in a 21-19-5 season parked at the edge of the DNQ badlands, is subject to the whim and discernment of interim coach Joe Sacco.
What the Bruins need to see most, fresh off curtailing their 0-5-1 winless streak with Saturday’s 4-3 overtime trimming of the Panthers, is a blend of fire and focus absent since the puck dropped on the new season Oct. 8 in Sunrise.
It wasn’t there in October, November, or December, and now, midway through January, the Bruins remain a play without passion, having slipped in the standings to 11th in the East in points percentage (.522) as of Monday morning.
It has been very difficult to watch, at times excruciating, a Bruins team gone listless and bland, exhibiting little of the franchise’s trademark snarl, even less in the way of scoring touch.
In Saturday’s win, what they did most was watch, as the Panthers pounded 111 shots in Jeremy Swayman’s direction while the Bruins mustered but 39 at Sergei Bobrovsky. How they walked out of that shooting gallery with a W can be described by only one word: hockey. It was a classic case in how sometimes the numbers just don’t add up.
With 37 games to go in the regular season, the Bruins desperately need a course correction, a substantive roster move, something more impactful than digging Wahlstrom out of the waiver dumpster (Dec. 14) and swapping bottom-six parts, such as Marc McLaughlin (out) for Lettieri (enter and sign in, please).
A month gone by since the Wahlstrom claim, things only have grown worse. A Mason Lohrei goal in Tampa on Thursday snapped a mind-numbing 16-game goal drought by the defensemen. Other than David Pastrnak (a pair of goals in three of the last five games), and Morgan Geekie (6-5–11 over the last 14 games), the offensive engine comprised of the top six forwards has sputtered along worse than the model-T variety Henry Ford was still pushing when the Bruins opened for business in 1925.
Can anyone currently in Black and Gold crank over that engine? Not by the looks of the first 98 days of the 2024-25 season.
To date, Cam Neely (team president) and Don Sweeney (general manager) have remained decidedly backstage, other than when they canned coach Jim Montgomery when things stood at 8-9-3 after seven weeks. Sacco has delivered slightly better (13-10-2), while still unable to improve on the failing-and-risible numbers of the power play and the penalty kill.
“We’re not having success,” said Marchand, without a goal (0-3–3) over the last nine games, “because we don’t always outwork the penalty kill — that’s where it needs to start. If you work harder than the penalty kill, then you’ll find opportunities to make plays and capitalize. We have to be better in that area.”
In that moment, had the Bruins’ bench paid attention, the club’s 36-year-old captain, in game No. 1,074 on a Saturday afternoon in mid-January, proved he was in it to win it. Classic Marchand compete.
Anyone younger (note: that’s everybody) could have looked at Marchand and figured, “Hmm, OK, maybe I’ll channel a little bit of that good hate, too.” But, no, the best battle of the day played out virtually unnoticed, or unappreciated, and the 111-39 drubbing remained in progress.
Marchand provided the pulse, but the transplant failed. What more do we need to know?
It’s clear, the team that Neely and Sweeney built just doesn’t have it. Forty-five games and nearly 100 days gone by, the sample size is sufficient and damning.
What we have here is a Black and Gold iteration hauntingly reminiscent of the late-1990s squads that led to the No. 1 pick (Joe Thornton) in ‘97 and, eventually, to franchise icon Ray Bourque asking to have his ticket mercifully punched out of town less than 36 months later (March 2000).
It’s now time for Neely and Sweeney to fix it with a substantial, impactful, course-correcting trade. If they can’t, a DNQ is a virtual certainty, the crowds and TV ratings will dwindle, and the rolling thunder of disappointment will resonate all the way to Buffalo, where club owner Jeremy Jacobs is about to turn 85.
No one can like what has played out with the team he bought 50 years ago.
Can the Bruins realistically pull off a roster-reshuffling trade for J.T. Miller or Elias Pettersson?
With the Bruins in desperate need of a shake-up, could Boston make a push for a rumored trade target like J.T. Miller or Elias Pettersson?
www.boston.com
BruinDust
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Why TF would they bump Frederic back to the wing and put Letteri at center? As suggested in the article.
Frederic has gotten progressively better the longer he's been in the middle. Forces him to keep his feet moving and it really elevates his game. If that is in fact what Sacco does, he's more clueless than I thought he was.
Frederic has gotten progressively better the longer he's been in the middle. Forces him to keep his feet moving and it really elevates his game. If that is in fact what Sacco does, he's more clueless than I thought he was.
Trade for Miller or Pettersson, call up Poitras and/or Lysell, whoever remains post trade.
Zacha-Miller/Pettersson- Pasta
Marchy-Lindholm-Poitras/Lysell
You now have an actual top 6 vs running Geekie/Coyle/Brazeau in your top 6
Zacha-Miller/Pettersson- Pasta
Marchy-Lindholm-Poitras/Lysell
You now have an actual top 6 vs running Geekie/Coyle/Brazeau in your top 6
If he does that, he should be fired the moment VL goes out and actually assumes the center position defensively. I think DuPont is making the incorrect assumption.
Can't imagine Frederic moving to W after having the two best games at C in his career considering the opposition.
From now to 4 Nations, its put up or shut up time for Boston. If they end up 6 points out of a PO spot and reside in 12 spot they should sell.
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BruinDust
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Hopefully. I'm getting really tired of the constant shifting of guys from wing to C, from LW to RW, etc. etc. And then they wonder why defensively they've had issues this year. D-men can't get used to the centers because by the time they do, that center is moved back to the wing. Goes back to the flawed roster this management team has constructed, in particular up front.
I saw that Mikko Rantanen has played some center through out his career. I have no idea how much and how good he is at it.
If this guy hits UFA I wonder if he could be our superstar add to play 1C that won’t cost us assets.
He is going to cost a ton of cash but with the cap going up we can find a way to make it fit.
If this guy hits UFA I wonder if he could be our superstar add to play 1C that won’t cost us assets.
He is going to cost a ton of cash but with the cap going up we can find a way to make it fit.
Elliotte Friedman may have just revealed the Boston Bruins next head coach
Is David Carle next in line for the Bruins Head Coaching gig?
www.bruinsinsider.com
Good points, and why do the Bruins draft centers and the move them to wing, I get the Belechick, thinking with having versatile players, but there are times you just need a legit center, and time s they could use a legit winger, like now I might add. I always kind of get a kick out of how it is always said that it is easier to play wing then center, that is understandable but if you have played center most of your hockey life, you tend to be more comfortable there and play more natural, sometimes a player gets moved and they play robotic.
PlayMakers
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BruinDust
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Really depends on the player IMO. In today's game I like my bigger guys up the middle. Forces them to keep their feet moving and with their responsibility down low in the defensive zone, they are basically 3rd D-men. Prefer putting my speed and play driving on the wing, let the wingers carry the puck up ice and gain zone entry. For example, if I was coaching Ottawa, I'd have Brady Tkachuk in the middle and Tim Stuetzle on the wing. I think you'd get more out of both guys skill-sets. Put Connor McDavid on the wing he might get 200 pts. a season, but you'd lose some of the 2-way aspect of his game which is criminally underrated so he stays in the middle. But all that being said you can't force it. Some guys are only comfortable at one forward position.
On the Bruins, Lindholm, Zacha, Coyle, Frederic are all guys I like better in the middle. Geekie and Kastelic I could go either way but I don't like Geekie at RW and wouldn't want Kastelic on LW. Beecher I still haven't decided yet.
If you’re Jacobs and you’re actually considering firing Neely and Sweeney after the season, you can’t let them make meaningful trades this year right?
LouJersey
Registered User
Zero chance they are getting fired IMO
sign me upElliotte Friedman may have just revealed the Boston Bruins next head coach
Is David Carle next in line for the Bruins Head Coaching gig?
He's my guy too, just not sure how to make it work
- Mar 8, 2011
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Amen!
I am all for trading quarters to get the dollar. Especially with Sweeneys prospect pool.
I know we all like Poitras/Lohrei etc but Id rather have the sure thing especially where Pettersson is still young and locked up.
How about bringing in Carle now to be the PP coach and then after the season shift to Carle as the Head Coach? It's obvious I know and may be considered insulting to Sacco but knowing Bruins management they would most likely keep Sacco on as an Assistant Coach again.
MarchysNoseKnows
Big Hat No Cattle
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Why would Carle leave one of the top NCAA programs in the country mid season to come and be a PP coach?
No idea, but I guess the two teams rumored to possibly want him are Boston and Detroit. It would have to be promised to him for next season.
Just an idea at a pre-emptive hiring, I didn't think too much about his end of the
situation or his motivation.
Great question.......I try not to propose trades because no matter good or bad, you get eaten alive on here and I just prefer not to feed the sharks!
Obviously not going to come cheap but let's also face it, the Nucks are not dealing from a point of strength here.
In my opinion, you're going to lose Carlo or Lohrei in this deal. I think you lose your 2025 1st rounder. I think you lose Lysell or Merkulov. Hope thats all it takes but like I said, no idea.
BruinDust
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I wonder why Carle would want to come to Boston period. It's not like the franchise is on some upward trajectory.
So I’m clear on the Pettersson hopefuls…Sweeney knew he needed a top line center this summer so he broke the bank for a guy we all agree sucks.
So now the plan is to let him try to fix the hole again with a bunch of assets, despite the fact his organization overall is thin on assets due to his previous trades and draft misses.
Is that about right?
So now the plan is to let him try to fix the hole again with a bunch of assets, despite the fact his organization overall is thin on assets due to his previous trades and draft misses.
Is that about right?
You are right, why would he do that, and I am not sure a college coach would be my top pick at this time, and I mean no disrespect to Carle. I am risking be tarred and feathered; I am going to put a name out there that I was never a fan of, but always thought he was a pretty good hockey player, but might be someone who help this PP, and I would say not going to cost a lot..........Tony De Angelo, .......OH! am I going to get killed.
MarchysNoseKnows
Big Hat No Cattle
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That certainly could be true. He may not even leave Denver any time soon. But I think the fanbase, especially here, underrates the quality of the job that a successful Bruins HC would be.
bruinsfan1968
MARW Goodbye Blu Sky only darkness remains
E. Lindholm doesn't suck! And he's a 1C whether anyone likes it or not! Get over it!
