Boston Bruins 24-25 Roster/Cap thread XVIII ( if trades occur use specific trade thread)

[PlayMakers]

The saddest thing about this franchise to me is this;

It just seems to me that they are content to bring in guys who bring offense at C/C- level, and defense at a B+/A- level, than try to win with guys who provide offense at a B+/A- level and defense at a C+/B- level -- far more than most teams would be.

I think you're overanalyzing or at least focusing too much on this current team. When they brought in Zacha, it was with the hope he'd be a B offense / B defense player and he's fit that bill. Mason Lohrei is an A offense / F defense player. Geekie has a history of production and was brought in and hoped to be another B offense player. Even Charlie Coyle has scored like a top6 center at even strength last year and the year before. Their last 2 first round picks were Lysell and Letourneau, two pure offense guys.

I don't think they're trying to bring in poor offensive guys, it's just that some of the guys they rely on struggled this year or were out. Coyle is struggling, McAvoy was struggling, Lindholm is out, Lohrei is learning, Geekie and Zacha got off to slow starts, Marchand got off to a slow start... And of course, Elias has been a huge disappointment and a big whiff.

They do have 2nd line guys (Marchand, Zacha, Geekie), and they've got offensive minded defensemen (Lohrei, McAvoy, Lindholm).

 

[bp14]

You had me at Mercer. He’d be a get

 

[bp14]

I think you're overanalyzing or at least focusing too much on this current team. When they brought in Zacha, it was with the hope he'd be a B offense / B defense player and he's fit that bill. Mason Lohrei is an A offense / F defense player. Geekie has a history of production and was brought in and hoped to be another B offense player. Even Charlie Coyle has scored like a top6 center at even strength last year and the year before. Their last 2 first round picks were Lysell and Letourneau, two pure offense guys.

I don't think they're trying to bring in poor offensive guys, it's just that some of the guys they rely on struggled this year or were out. Coyle is struggling, McAvoy was struggling, Lindholm is out, Lohrei is learning, Geekie and Zacha got off to slow starts, Marchand got off to a slow start... And of course, Elias has been a huge disappointment and a big whiff.

They do have 2nd line guys (Marchand, Zacha, Geekie), and they've got offensive minded defensemen (Lohrei, McAvoy, Lindholm).

By “offense” do you mean “AHL ceiling”?

 

[Roll 4 Lines]

I know you - you’re a fun guy

Be positive

Last time they picked top 15 they got McAvoy

Recent second rounds Lohrei & Poitras in NHL

Silver linings Al


Harsh even from you

How about Ice melt (always choose over ice salt)

The pet-friendly kind!

 

[DKH]

The pet-friendly kind!

Boom exactly

 

[BruinDust]

I think you're overanalyzing or at least focusing too much on this current team. When they brought in Zacha, it was with the hope he'd be a B offense / B defense player and he's fit that bill. Mason Lohrei is an A offense / F defense player. Geekie has a history of production and was brought in and hoped to be another B offense player. Even Charlie Coyle has scored like a top6 center at even strength last year and the year before. Their last 2 first round picks were Lysell and Letourneau, two pure offense guys.

I don't think they're trying to bring in poor offensive guys, it's just that some of the guys they rely on struggled this year or were out. Coyle is struggling, McAvoy was struggling, Lindholm is out, Lohrei is learning, Geekie and Zacha got off to slow starts, Marchand got off to a slow start... And of course, Elias has been a huge disappointment and a big whiff.

They do have 2nd line guys (Marchand, Zacha, Geekie), and they've got offensive minded defensemen (Lohrei, McAvoy, Lindholm).

What about the other half of the roster?

I have a hard time defining Letourneau as a pure offensive player. The numbers speak for themselves. But that's not a discussion for today.

They just put way to much stock in the wrong things. You need a balanced mix of everything. You can't go too heavy in a few skill areas in a cap system. That's what they did last summer. Even last trade deadline. All the players they've brought in fit a certain mold. This mythical bullshit called "Bruins-type". Morgan Geekie looks like Brett Hull here because after Pasta, no one else can shoot the puck and finish with any consistency. We know full well Sweeney doesn't give a flying &**^ about shooting ability, ask Frank Vatrano. Does any team get stopped at off the rush as often as the Bruins do? A game against the Bruins is like a vacation for opposing D-men. It was embarrassing last night watching Nashville make entries and plays off the rush while the Bruns bungled the majority of theirs. Nashville, the 30th placed team overall.

Do you really need 3 big defensive D-men (Carlo, Zadorov, Peeke) if your not going to play a zone D system? Black holes on the offensive blue line in a league where you need sustained offensive pressure to succeed.

While they haven't gotten great years out of some of their top players, it's really the bottom six that has let this team down. Since week 3, the 4th line has been borderline useless. Not contributing offensively, not getting heavy on the forecheck and sustaining offensive zone pressure, not being reliable defensively.

The 3rd line has been as inconsistent as I've seen on this franchise in a long-time. Just a rotating cast of players getting virtually nothing accomplished either. No offense, no defense, just nothing.

So your bottom two lines contribute nothing, your defensive D-men aren't shutting anyone down.

Then factor in regression in Coyle and Marchand getting older (which should of been addressed and anticipated), McAvoy and Hampus injuries, you get the cluster-&&%^ that this year's team has been.

 

[Eddie Munson]

If I'm the GM.... my "I just lost to one of the worst teams in the NHL, have 2 star players out, are out of the playoffs, and the TDL is Friday" checklist

1.- They need to sell: Coyle, Carlo, Brazeau

1B.- Listen to offers on: Everyone not named Pastrnak. This includes Geekie but weigh every offer carefully.

2.- Play the kids. Play them with Pasta. Play them on PP1. Try and spark some confidence in them and see what you have.

3.- Hit the draft and take BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE. Stop overthinking it and do not reach for a position of need out of desperation.

4.- Be smart in FA. If you're going to hand out a big contract then it better be on players with a proven pedigree and not someone you're hoping rebounds.

5.- Don't feel like everything needs to be solved in 1 year. Smart moves get you into the playoffs next year and still allow for growth the following years. Reacting out of desperation and trying to return to contention quicker will only lead to a lengthier dip.

Just my two cents.

 

[chrisab123]

What is the most you would pay Marchand next year before closing the door?

Zero. Rip off the bandaid and blow it up and build around Pasta and McAvoy. Give them a couple of years and they’ll be back. But Sweeney/Neely needs to be gone for all of this to happen

 

[Hookslide]

What about the other half of the roster?

I have a hard time defining Letourneau as a pure offensive player. The numbers speak for themselves. But that's not a discussion for today.

They just put way to much stock in the wrong things. You need a balanced mix of everything. You can't go too heavy in a few skill areas in a cap system. That's what they did last summer. Even last trade deadline. All the players they've brought in fit a certain mold. This mythical bullshit called "Bruins-type". Morgan Geekie looks like Brett Hull here because after Pasta, no one else can shoot the puck and finish with any consistency. We know full well Sweeney doesn't give a flying &**^ about shooting ability, ask Frank Vatrano. Does any team get stopped at off the rush as often as the Bruins do? A game against the Bruins is like a vacation for opposing D-men. It was embarrassing last night watching Nashville make entries and plays off the rush while the Bruns bungled the majority of theirs. Nashville, the 30th placed team overall.

Do you really need 3 big defensive D-men (Carlo, Zadorov, Peeke) if your not going to play a zone D system? Black holes on the offensive blue line in a league where you need sustained offensive pressure to succeed.

While they haven't gotten great years out of some of their top players, it's really the bottom six that has let this team down. Since week 3, the 4th line has been borderline useless. Not contributing offensively, not getting heavy on the forecheck and sustaining offensive zone pressure, not being reliable defensively.

The 3rd line has been as inconsistent as I've seen on this franchise in a long-time. Just a rotating cast of players getting virtually nothing accomplished either. No offense, no defense, just nothing.

So your bottom two lines contribute nothing, your defensive D-men aren't shutting anyone down.

Then factor in regression in Coyle and Marchand getting older (which should of been addressed and anticipated), McAvoy and Hampus injuries, you get the cluster-&&%^ that this year's team has been.

Interesting part of your post that I have mentioned in the past " addressed and anticipated" I have stated in the past that they never should have brought David Krecji back not because he was not a good player, but that was the time to start finding a younger player that by now maybe a contributor, moving on from a player like a Krecji is a tough and can be a unpopular decision, but he helped you make when he left.

 

[The don godfather]

There is a top prospect with the last name bear in the first round . Perfect fit .

Zero. Rip off the bandaid and blow it up and build around Pasta and McAvoy. Give them a couple of years and they’ll be back. But Sweeney/Neely needs to be gone for all of this to happen

Don started well with the trent trade let's give him more leash before the walk to the plank with shark infested waters.

 

[wintersej]

The saddest thing about this franchise to me is this;

Every team has players that fit roles. Even though it would be easy to do, you can't have 12 forwards who play like Kastelic (play hard, but offensively challenged), you can't have 12 forwards who play like Coyle (defensively sound, but offensively mediocre) and you'd never be able to acquire or pay 12 forwards who play like Pasta (offensive super-star).

It just seems to me that they are content to bring in guys who bring offense at C/C- level, and defense at a B+/A- level, than try to win with guys who provide offense at a B+/A- level and defense at a C+/B- level -- far more than most teams would be.

They often seem to refuse to take risks on the offensive side, and TBH are pretty tone deaf as to what the fans want.

To wit -- none of us knows what Lysell will be at the NHL level, but to watch them lose night after night, while the one guy who is under 22 --- who we have any interest in seeing play up here, sits in Providence.

I mean, God knows, we've seen our share of busts ---- we can take it. Just let us see what he can do.

I think part of it is strategy in a cap world. Guys that score points and play crap defense get more money than the reverse. Even if their on ice impact is the same. I don't think it's a bad way of looking at it, to be honest. But, you do need enough guys that can score because you can't keep teams off the score board as much as you could 10 years ago with the speed, skill and equipment changes.

If the Bruins had enough guys that could score to run out a good power play, how much different would the outlook for this team be?

 

[Roll 4 Lines]

Did I read this right ? That your not sure of Lohrei Offensive skill??

I think you missed the comma.

 

[Hookslide]

I think you missed the comma.

Good bet

 

[GordonHowe]

To be honest, Loheri, you must decide if he is worth waiting on to get his complete game together, I am trying to be truthful, I am nots sure, his offensive skills are enticing, so maybe a slow move from me. Poitras, I am solid get away from this kid waste of time, shows less and less every time I watch him. I know that will not be popular.

We can agree to disagree, which is fine.

I believe in both players.

Giving up on either or both so early on would be a mistake. They are essentially rookies, for heavens sake.

Both possess intriguing abilities that can be valuable assets moving forward.

Give them a chance.

 

[BruinDust]

Interesting part of your post that I have mentioned in the past " addressed and anticipated" I have stated in the past that they never should have brought David Krecji back not because he was not a good player, but that was the time to start finding a younger player that by now maybe a contributor, moving on from a player like a Krecji is a tough and can be a unpopular decision, but he helped you make when he left.

At some point you need to move on from long-standing players. In their defense, Krejci came at such a low cap number it would of been hard to say no.

I'll just take last off-season. They should of been able to predict Coyle's production coming back down to earth. Maybe not to this degree, but he just turned 33 in a league getting younger every day. They went out and signed basically his younger (albeit not much younger) replacement in Elias Lindholm, making Coyle redundant.

Meanwhile, what they really needed to focus on was finding a #2 scoring forward to slot behind Pastrnak in the pecking order, pushing Marchand down to #3, because at 36 going on 37, safe bet he would start to regress and he has. If they wanted Lindholm, move out Coyle, create some cap space to address the more pressing issues. If you really wanted Zadorov, did you need Brandon Carlo AND Andrew Peeke?

Simply put, they got their priorities of what this team needed messed up. Then factor in an abject failure to find capable players for the bottom half of the roster. Jones, Koepke, Tufte, Beecher, etc. etc. just big and useless. I like Kastelic as the #12 forward, but that's about it.

Reality is their player acquisitions since the 2023 trade deadline have been awful. Orlov never came as advertised. Bertuzzi is useful on about 5% of the ice down next to the net, liability everywhere else. Hathaway was awful here. Last year it was Maroon, the leagues slowest player, and Peeke who might of worked in Julien's system but not this hybrid mess Sacco has them playing. The wheels fell off JVR and Shattenkirk in the 2nd half to where they weren't everyday players in the playoffs. Brazeau signed out of the AHL.

Even going back further. Beleskey, Backes, Nick Foligno. Is it pro scouting that's the problem? Who the heck is recommending these players?

 

[JoeIsAStud]

At some point you need to move on from long-standing players. In their defense, Krejci came at such a low cap number it would of been hard to say no.

I'll just take last off-season. They should of been able to predict Coyle's production coming back down to earth. Maybe not to this degree, but he just turned 33 in a league getting younger every day. They went out and signed basically his younger (albeit not much younger) replacement in Elias Lindholm, making Coyle redundant.

Meanwhile, what they really needed to focus on was finding a #2 scoring forward to slot behind Pastrnak in the pecking order, pushing Marchand down to #3, because at 36 going on 37, safe bet he would start to regress and he has. If they wanted Lindholm, move out Coyle, create some cap space to address the more pressing issues. If you really wanted Zadorov, did you need Brandon Carlo AND Andrew Peeke?

Simply put, they got their priorities of what this team needed messed up. Then factor in an abject failure to find capable players for the bottom half of the roster. Jones, Koepke, Tufte, Beecher, etc. etc. just big and useless. I like Kastelic as the #12 forward, but that's about it.

Reality is their player acquisitions since the 2023 trade deadline have been awful. Orlov never came as advertised. Bertuzzi is useful on about 5% of the ice down next to the net, liability everywhere else. Hathaway was awful here. Last year it was Maroon, the leagues slowest player, and Peeke who might of worked in Julien's system but not this hybrid mess Sacco has them playing. The wheels fell off JVR and Shattenkirk in the 2nd half to where they weren't everyday players in the playoffs. Brazeau signed out of the AHL.

Even going back further. Beleskey, Backes, Nick Foligno. Is it pro scouting that's the problem? Who the heck is recommending these players?

In terms of JVR and Shatty, they were great signings for what they were, they absolutely delivered and the team doesn't make the playoffs forget the second round without them.

 

[pucksindeep92]

Sweeney should know exactly what Marchand and Geekie want, and if he can’t afford them, move them now. For me, departing with Coyle gives you the money for Geekie and hopefully some change left. Marchand the same, but I know many would assume he gets 5.75-7 on the market which is too much at his age.

I just don’t see how you can have 5 of the following: Rantanen/Marner, Ehlers/Boeser, Marchand, Geekie, Coyle, Carlo. Probably just 3 of the above if you land Rantanen/Marner. Don’t forget we need to pay Lohrei too. Maybe you can get them in if Marchand takes a big discount.

Marchand + Coyle, or Marchand + Geekie money could be the majority cost it takes to get Rantanen/Marner, but definitely Ehlers/Boeser with change left. Marchand could also roadblock Geekie if he says it’s takes 5x2 to stay in Boston.

 

[BruinDust]

In terms of JVR and Shatty, they were great signings for what they were, they absolutely delivered and the team doesn't make the playoffs forget the second round without them.

They were value signings because they were so up against the cap their options were limited. I agree they don't make the playoffs without them, but that mostly based on a strong 1st half of the year. Reality is, the entire team didn't have a great 2nd half if we look at their record, they just got far enough ahead in the 1st half to qualify. I felt Shattenkirk's wheels fell off the further they season went. Played 10 mins in 3 of the 6 games he dressed vs. Toronto, didn't dress vs. Florida.

JVR was the better of the two but even he found himself a healthy scratch at times vs. Toronto, most nights around 10-11 minutes. Game 6 vs. Florida he played 8 minutes. Older guys they ran out of gas the further the season went.

 

[LouJersey]

Ugh completely forgot about the NTC's. Damn it!

Why wouldn't you? One is a 3C and the other a defensive second pair. Not the type you should think have them, but as Oprah said "You get a NTC, you get a NTC".. Amazing how kinder and gentler sports trading has become.

Why would a playoff team even want him? I assume they've seen his typical playoff "performance."

Surely a center with 1 goal in 25 career play-off games is a must have for any true cup contender

 

[goldenblack]

I think Marchy being weekt to week more or less seals him staying put. They can't take a lowball return on him.

 

[The don godfather]

Geekie value sky high a first round pick plus a decent top prospect is the value. You do it 10 out of 10.

 

[goldenblack]

Geekie value sky high a first round pick plus a decent top prospect is the value. You do it 10 out of 10.

But the teams who want him are sending us what, pick #25 or worse?

Or you can sign a guy with 25-30g potential for 5M maybe, and he's young?

I dunno man, don't see it. Specially if this draft is as shallow as they say. Obviously he's good as gone if his agent and Don are miles apart. That's another story.

 

[The don godfather]

But the teams who want him are sending us what, pick #25 or worse?

Or you can sign a guy with 25-30g potential for 5M maybe, and he's young?

I dunno man, don't see it. Specially if this draft is as shallow as they say. Obviously he's good as gone if his agent and Don are miles apart. That's another story.

Geekie aav is gonna explode your taking a big chance hes gonna pop over 25 next year . The saving on the aav puts in the hunt for some big fish with a history of putting up serious points in free agency. The first round pick is the gold standard for trades in terms of future prospects plus if you can add more goodies you gotta do it. I loved the trent return and were gonna get a boatload more for geekie. Keep going.

 

[yazmybaby]

Geekie value sky high a first round pick plus a decent top prospect is the value. You do it 10 out of 10.

If we trade Geekie for a pick plus a prospect, think of what this means to Pasta and Zacha, who the heck is going to play on their line?
We have to keep some players on this team for next season, have only eight forwards on the roster ( signed or RFA).
And those eight are comprised of mostly 3rd and 4th liners.
I would rather keep Geekie and trade Coyle. We have Zacha /EL and Potsy as Centers and can hopefully draft one of the top 5 centers this year.

 

[Absurdity]

But the teams who want him are sending us what, pick #25 or worse?

Or you can sign a guy with 25-30g potential for 5M maybe, and he's young?

I dunno man, don't see it. Specially if this draft is as shallow as they say. Obviously he's good as gone if his agent and Don are miles apart. That's another story.

I see Geekie as a bit better prime Craig Smith. His current shooting percentage is at 17.5% which isn't sustainable. He's doing a good job getting open for Pastrnak's passes, but his shot isn't that accurate. Teams are leaving him open 5on5 and on the PP because they would rather take the chance double teaming Pastrnak to shut him down and the offensive rush 5on5 as well as take the chance on Geekie's shot accuracy on the PP.

With that said, I like Geekie. I see him as a flex top 9 forward that can play all three positions, but it all depends what he's asking for on his next deal.

If we trade Geekie for a pick plus a prospect, think of what this means to Pasta and Zacha, who the heck is going to play on their line?
We have to keep some players on this team for next season, have only eight forwards on the roster ( signed or RFA).
And those eight are comprised of mostly 3rd and 4th liners.
I would rather keep Geekie and trade Coyle. We have Zacha /EL and Potsy as Centers and can hopefully draft one of the top 5 centers this year.

Marchand or a player the Bruins trade for.