Andrej Meszaros
- Thread starter Bruinswillwin77
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Sea Bass Neely
Registered User
I was under the impression that Mez brings a $4M cap hit, which i thought was too high. If Philly is paying half of his salary, does that mean it's only a $2M cap hit for Chia's bottom line??
$4M is a lot for a guy who is a serviceable veteran D-man but not that much more. I mean, time will tell and Mr. Make Believe makes a good point about him not being used to having the kind puck support (it shows) in his own zone that he does with Boston... but if his cap-hit is still $4M, regardless of how that salary is getting paid 50/50 that is still a big hit.
Especially if they plan on playing him with Z. That pairing will get burned by quick lines. I like the Bart-Boychuk pairing... so where should Mez end up i wonder??
Perhaps with Z when all is said and done. I sure hope not... there's just not enough mobility for a top pairing there. If Mez could defend like Seids could, then fine... but he can't.
We shall see how Clode manages this.
LSCII
Cup driven
Tough call. I'm not a big fan of Bart's to be honest. He actually looked pretty good last night though. Basically it comes down to what you like more. A weak defensive, solid offensive dman with size, or a weak defensive, solid offensive dman with no size. What you have to consider is that Bart has had more time in CJ's system, therefore is further along than Meszaros. If it were equal, I'd probably say Mez.
Sea Bass Neely
Registered User
I'm not quite as bearish on Bart as you seem to be in the grand scheme of things. There is a noted size advantage for Mez 6'2" ~220-225 lbs, but i wouldn't call Bart undersized at 6'1" 195-200 lbs... but for me that advantage is tempered by the fact that Bart is quicker and far more mobile of a D-man than Mez.
But then Mez has the veteran intangibles, so it is close. But Bart is the fastest skating D-man on the team, and is the best at skating it out of the D-zone... something he does regularly.
Bart not only held his own after being thrown into the fire as a young pup in last years playoffs, but Clode has been almost force-feeding him top-4 minutes for much of this post-Seidenberg era... and i don't think Bart has played his way out of that pairing with Boychuk. Claude would probably agree, that's why they are still together. I think Bart has done enough to hold his own with those big-boy minutes, and his speed helps compensate for whatever defensive liabilities he has. I don't think he's really that bad of a defender anyhow, and as i mentioned he is not undersized just normal-sized.
Krug is the real defensive liability, and while Krug is also quick enough to cover his own mistakes sometimes... he does not have the size so he gets pushed around in the D-zone. But Krug is so dynamic on the PP, we cannot afford to lose him there.
I see Krug's role being reduced significantly come playoff time. He'll play enough to stay loose but I think he'll end up being more of a PP specialist.
Getting back to Mez, i guess it all depends on how quickly he can get acclimated to Claude's system and look comfortable playing within it. But IMO he is too slow to have on the same pairing as Chara, and not a good enough defender to make up for that lack of speed.
As of right now, I also go with Bart over Mez. But that could change. I might add i've been a Bart apologist all year, tho. If you told me last year that a then-Providence D-man would be doing what Bart has done most of the season (and this on one of the best defensive teams in the league), i would have not believed it.
But Bart has quietly had himself a solid season. Hopefully Mez picks everything up fits into the picture somehow come playoff time. We'll see how things go moving toward the stretch.
Trap Jesus
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- Feb 13, 2012
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I think they just want to see different combinations and work out those kinks before the playoffs start. It was the same for Krug sitting the game before. If McQuaid comes back, you would have 8 capable NHL d-men. Two are going to be the odd-men out.
Sea Bass Neely
Registered User
Let the bottom six of our D (as in, everyone aside from Z and Boychuk) battle it out for a spot in the playoff roster, the competition factor will make any playoff-worthy D-man shine.
When McQuaid gets back, he needs to be brought back up to speed but he will help make it easier for Z and Boychuk to rest up coming down the stretch here.
Having a team firing on all cylinders and dominating the rest of the season means nothing if your top D-men have either have nothing left in the tank (Z) or are playing through chronic injuries that could heal with some rest (JB55) when the postseason comes around and things matter most???
I want Z and JB to get as much rest as possible. If Bart/Miller/Dougie can't handle big-time minutes to help make that (rest for the top dogs) happen then at least we know where they stand as of now.
But Bart has already proven he can handle over 20 min/game... and i am pretty sure Miller would be fine with an extra 5 minutes a game as he continues his growth as a nice steal for Chia. Mez is a veteran who can handle the minutes, at least once he's physically back to speed.
Dougie will either sink or swim with the bigger minutes, but i say give him that chance... since he could very well be one of the "odd-men out" you mentioned (not necessarily because he should be, but because of Clode). I have a bad feeling Dougie will not be in the regular rotation for playoffs, we might see him in a series or two depending on match-ups... just a hunch.
We already know what we have in McQuaid. He can handle a few extra minutes while Z/JB rest up down the stretch, at least once he's back up to speed. I might be wrong on that one, depending on when he gets back.
I am confident that Miller could play the kind of minutes Bart is playing right now (and has been for a while). It's hard to see either of those two being left off the playoff roster. People might say Bart, but i don't see it happening... Clode clearly is satisfied with Bart's play, as he's been getting fed more minutes than any of the other youngsters on the blue line.
And it can't be Krug, we need him on the PP way too much. Well whatever... time will tell. Krug would be the logical choice to sit if he wasn't such an offensive-minded wizard on the PP. Hell, the kid could very well break Ray B's record by [regular] season's end.
Time will tell.
Without Seid, I think we gave 2-3 breakaway per game. Need to address that issue especially on the top 4.
That said, Bruins need to stabilize that top 4 before playoff.
That said, Bruins need to stabilize that top 4 before playoff.
Sea Bass Neely
Registered User
No doubt the loss of Seidenberg has been felt. But the impact of his season-ending injury was at first more pronounced, before the rest of the D-corps (and the emergence of Kevan Miller as a more-than-serviceable pro) collectively started picking up the slack to help make the loss of our #2 D-man not quite as glaring.
Still, especially once the playoffs come around, not having Seids back there on the blue line for the Cup run is a significant issue... i think just about everyone is in agreement on this. It's just that the Bruins have no choice but to make do with what they have; we as fans can either decide to adopt an optimistic stance or a pessimistic stance.
I believe that with the team playing its best all-around hockey of the season, really clicking and going off on an 8-game [and counting] winning streak, there is reason to be optimistic despite the Moose's absence.
The Bruins have remained one of the most consistent (a look at the B's performance in 10-game intervals on the schedule speaks to this consistency) winning teams in the league, and still among the best teams in the NHL defensively, absolutely dominating 3rd periods to the tune of "best plus/minus goal differential of any team in any period"... that all bodes well for the ability of this team to compensate for the loss of Seidenmoose.
The PK is even getting back to speed after slipping noticeably in the post-Seids era. All is not lost, LET'S GO BRUINS!!!
Trap Jesus
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- Feb 13, 2012
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Mr. Make-Believe
The happy genius of my household
Just came in here to post the same.
Frustrated NJ's attack. Made quick, decisive decisions with the puck in his own zone (and the right ones). Pinched only a couple of times and got back to his post quickly.
That's the kind of game I was looking for from Mesz.
RedeyeRocketeer
Registered User
Chris Phillips with the old -3 tonight, not a single Sens fan not counting down till that contract is done.
Bullet dodged, I like me some Mez!
Bullet dodged, I like me some Mez!
Bread and Circuses
Smile and wave.
Like I said in the GDT, I didn't get to watch the game, but he was one of the players that stood out to me in the boxscore. Now obviously that doesn't tell the whole story, but he had a dime and finished with a +3 so I think it's safe to assume he played well.
I liked the move since it happened. Let's hope he continues to look comfortable out there.
I liked the move since it happened. Let's hope he continues to look comfortable out there.
Beef Invictus
Revolutionary Positivity
Unfortunately this has been going on for a long time. In the offensive zone he looks like a wizard. In the D zone he'll look terrible. Keep him sheltered and all should be well for you guys. Otherwise, just hope he produces enough to cancel his errors.
Colt.45Orr
Registered User
Two brutal, BRUTAL giveaways for Phillips on goals tonight. Let the record show that I never wanted Phillips and wanted Meszaros a long time ago. To think that Phillips's asking price was a 1st is absurd --that Chia seemed willing to pay it, or even a 2nd, (if he was available) is a little unsettling.
Colt.45Orr
Registered User
Even the best Dmen make errors in the defensive zone (well, other than Orr) I'm not going to sit around waiting for Meszaros to mess up so I can shake my head at him.
Beef Invictus
Revolutionary Positivity
Yes, even the best Dmen make errors. But left to his own devices, you'll find he makes far more errors than the best dmen, hence why he isn't considered to be their level. Like I said, as long as he has plenty of support and doesn't have to be relied on too heavily (like in his 1st year in Philly) he'll do great.
DominicT
Registered User
Not to mention the fact he fired 2 or 3 passes through the middle of the ice that were picked off and ended in the back of the net, not hard to do with the goaltending last night, but Phillips was painfully slow and awful to watch!
He would have been a mistake.
These two posts, one following the other made my day
I think Phillips made at least one of those giveaways at the offensive blueline. Not in the D zone.
Mistakes happen, but they can't happen as a defensive defenseman as the last man back. He should be making the safe plays.
Danton Heineken
Howard Potts
I haven't been able to find information about any conditions attached to the pick given up for Meszaros.
I like that Chara-esque poke check he had on one of the NJ players.
Like Jack said he lured the guy by giving him room of which he knew the forward would take, then took it away.
Like Jack said he lured the guy by giving him room of which he knew the forward would take, then took it away.
Uli Kunkel
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- Feb 8, 2014
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