From your mouth to Don Sweeney's ear.
He's just too integral to the team's success. Marchand/Bergeron, Eriksson/Krejci, Spooner. Those are the key forwards. Pastrnak and Vatrano need time. Beleske and Hayes are complimentary pieces. Everyone else are bottom six/three players: Ferraro, Talbot, Connolly, Rinaldo, Kemp.
I understand the challenges. I just don't believe losing a key top-six forward should be the price paid to shore up the defense. I think we have enough solid rooks with excellent potential to help with the rebuild of the blue line.
If the goal is a deep run in the playoffs, losing Eriksson probably makes that a road too far.
Well, let's agree to disagree.
The Bruins don't have great offensive talent, but they can score by committee. It's not as though LE is an elite sniper. He's a garbage goal guy, and I'm not putting that down.
But, again, given that the crying need on this team is defense, Loui's value & contract status, I'm willing to let him go for help on the back end.
This may be unfair but given his age, contract and ultimate value to the team -- beyond perhaps a round or two in the playoffs this year at best -- I would see what's out there.
I got flack for a declarative statement elsewhere that Z will likely not be here next year, as I can't see him filling the number one role at absurd minutes this year, never mind next.
But, I'll double down and say this is not a team going very far in the playoffs, should they make them. I like them but they aren't talented enough, or deep enough, to go very far.
That being the case, I would trade Loui, prospects & draft picks to bring in D depth and initiate restructuring of the blueline, which would help this year and going forward.
You have to begin somewhere, and it's my belief that you begin with goaltending, strong D, and strong center. The B's are relatively set in goal and at center. It's the D they need to address.
