Player Discussion Max Jones

[Hockey Duckie]

Yet another former Duck has made his way onto the Bruins. Two years ago it was Hampus. Last year it was Shatty. Now, Max. Although, I'm surprised you didn't try to recapture Vaak, who finally had a healthy season and looked promising as a stay-at-home D.

Max is a fan favorite on and off the ice. On the ice, he's a speedy bull-in-a-China-shop type of player and willing to crash the net. His motor is always on, hence "plays with his hair on fire" quote. He has some sneaky playmaking (passing), but still possesses hands of brick. Max' big down fall is he cannot stay healthy; he has yet to notch 70 NHL games in a season. Jones has been injury prone since he was drafted in 2016. If he wasn't made out of glass, then I think his development as a goal scoring PF might have been more achievable at a much lower ceiling.

Hopefully, playing on a team that has a playoff roster may help him to develop his game scoring-wise. Also, I hope your medical staff is better than Anaheim's so that y'all can keep Jones on the ice more often.

 

[Concessionaire]

Yet another former Duck has made his way onto the Bruins. Two years ago it was Hampus. Last year it was Shatty. Now, Max. Although, I'm surprised you didn't try to recapture Vaak, who finally had a healthy season and looked promising as a stay-at-home D.

I have no doubt Vaak will be a good player for you, but we already have similar skill sets on our blue line that would have made reacquiring him redundant. At this point we needed to get beefier and meaner, hence Zadorov. Otherwise we're pretty much all set on D.

 

[NDiesel]

It’s 100% about an attitude change. While they may have hit, I don’t think many were disruptive hits, or hits that made the other defense want to cough up the puck. FL defense didn’t see much resistance when it came to dump and chase hockey. They would just clog the neutral zone and the Bs weren’t fighting enough through it. Maybe one would get through but not enough support. It’s one of the reasons they had many periods with hardly any shots on net. They needed more “hunt” and board muckers. The only difference is, their stars bought into that same style. Will ours?

Zadorov will bring an attitude change on defense. I think you’ll see a rougher group out there with protecting the net. Interested to see how it affects Carlo. Does he see Z and say ok I can be rougher too. That will be interesting. It truly is the one lack on his game. He adds that look out.

Carlo is going to be interesting to watch this year. At times in the past he's shown stretches where he all of a sudden becomes a bit mean and nasty but never sustains it for more than a couple games. Really hope Zadorov rubs off on him a bit and he starts to sustain it over a longer period now. I'd pair them together to start

 

[Montecristo]

I think this was a very interesting pick up. Former first round pick played his whole career with a horrible team, big physical. He could be another surprise 15-20 goal bottom 6er that sweeney picked off the scrap heap. Kind of his specialty

 

[Gee Wally]

You can expect Max Jones to be a hit — a big hit — with Bruins fans - The Boston Globe

A 6-foot-3-inch, 216-pound thumper, Jones uses his size and snarl to be a physical presence. He’s most comfortable making other players uncomfortable.

www.bostonglobe.com

Bruins fans are going to warm up to Max Jones quickly.
“I kind of like to play the game with my hair on fire a little bit, just kind of go, go, go. I think the more I get invested in a game, the more my heart rate gets up, the more effective I can be,” the new forward said Wednesday, when asked for a self-scouting report. “And I think that just makes it easier for me to cement my playing style into a game each and every night.”

A 6-foot-3-inch, 216-pound thumper, Jones uses his size and snarl to be a physical presence. He’s most comfortable making other players uncomfortable.

Jones, who missed 30 games last season with multiple upper-body ailments, scored five goals and 15 points in 52 games with the Ducks.

“Possessing pucks, forechecking, getting pucks back, going to the net, creating a little bit of havoc around the net and on the other team,” said Jones, Anaheim’s first-round pick in 2016. “And I think playing up and down the lineup is something that I can do. I can play each and every role. I think that’s kind of what I did in Anaheim over the years. So, I kind of learned how to play in every single situation and every role and just learned my way in each setting. But I try to stick to my core values of being a big, strong, fast, heavy player.”

“Max has been an intriguing player, not just because of where he was drafted, but the size of the player, the ability to forecheck, the ability to possess pucks,” said Sweeney. “He’s shown a willingness to get to the net, can he finish a little bit more if he’s pushed up the lineup and play with guys, that’s what we’re going to find out in terms of Max. But he just plays both sides, the possession game that [coach Jim Montgomery] wants to have, creates a little more anxiety, to tell you the truth, with arriving on time on the forecheck is a big part of the identification of several of these players.”

 

[WestCoastBruinsFan]

Jone's whole regular season should be to play in a way where he will be at least semi-healthy for the playoffs. That is where his style will be most effective. Too much in the past few years, the Bruins have gone into the playoffs with personnel injured. Change that an we will see. Curious and excited to see how effective Jones can be away from Anaheim.

 

[Zillah]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1808548798769344883

I like that style !!

 

[TCB]

Carlo is going to be interesting to watch this year. At times in the past he's shown stretches where he all of a sudden becomes a bit mean and nasty but never sustains it for more than a couple games. Really hope Zadorov rubs off on him a bit and he starts to sustain it over a longer period now. I'd pair them together to start

Don't hold your breath on that one,Lol. Carlo is an excellent defensive defenseman but his nasty streak is pretty much non existent, its just not who he is on or off the ice. If it was the Bruins would have a Rod Langway 2.0

 

[The don godfather]

With a name like Max Jones he sounds like a 18 wheeler on skates. Let's go!

 

[Sheppy]

Bruins bottom 6 forwards are physical as hell.

 

[ODAAT]

honestly can`t say that I had ever heard of Jones prior to reading and watching clips recently. Might be fun watching him, Kastelic and Zadorov hammer a few bodies, be a nice change around here

 

[wintersej]

Carlo is going to be interesting to watch this year. At times in the past he's shown stretches where he all of a sudden becomes a bit mean and nasty but never sustains it for more than a couple games. Really hope Zadorov rubs off on him a bit and he starts to sustain it over a longer period now. I'd pair them together to start

I think the “rubbing off” factor is going to be interesting to watch for several guys. The Panthers had a lot of guys who didn’t historically play chippy, but fed off of Bennett and Tkachuk.

 

[Hookslide]

Carlo is going to be interesting to watch this year. At times in the past he's shown stretches where he all of a sudden becomes a bit mean and nasty but never sustains it for more than a couple games. Really hope Zadorov rubs off on him a bit and he starts to sustain it over a longer period now. I'd pair them together to start

I also would like that pairing and maybe for different reasons, Zadorov has a tendency to roam a little especially when looking for that big hit, and I don't want to take that away from him, and Carlo always being that responsible guy back there will be a plus.

 

[The don godfather]

honestly can`t say that I had ever heard of Jones prior to reading and watching clips recently. Might be fun watching him, Kastelic and Zadorov hammer a few bodies, be a nice change around here

Hope we have a good penalty kill.

 

[bobber]

Jones played for Dale Hunter in junior. He would have had to be defensively responsible to garner ice time in London. He was a pain in the ass to play against for most opposing teams in junior. Kind of player you love on your squad and hate on the other. Whether he carried that to pro I am not sure.

 

[CDJ]

But he just plays both sides, the possession game that [coach Jim Montgomery] wants to have, creates a little more anxiety, to tell you the truth, with arriving on time on the forecheck is a big part of the identification of several of these players.”

Love seeing that

 

[sarge88]

It took me a day to understand it. But as crazy as it may sound, the signing of Max Jones was the moment this offseason “clicked” for me. Where I understood what Sweeney and management were going for and where my opinion no longer split with the plan.

I have made my opinions known on the Elias Lindholm signing. I think it’s a mistake - most disagree. I hope to hell I’m wrong.

Zadorov signing made little sense at first to me from a logic and strategic standpoint. Another long-term contract at big money for a guy who you really kinda want to limit in the minute department. From an emotional view however, I LOVED it. I wanted thump on this blueline and god damn did I ever get it. My disappointment in Elias Lindholm was almost negated by my excitement over Zadorov.

But then Sweeney signed Max Jones, who I never even realized was available. And it all made sense. This wasn’t a shrug of the shoulders and old fan favourite. We already added Kastelic… why was Sweeney adding another?

Jones is good. Motherf***er good. He’s aggressive. He’s mean. And as much as we’re told to temper our expectations from an offensive standpoint? He has the capacity to better than your standard plug.

What it meant though, is that Sweeney was serious about the team’s identity. He didn’t bring back Boqvist. He let Heinen go. He wasn’t interested in the milquetoast JAG and he wasn’t gonna leave the heavy lifting to one rotational forward. Max Jones is every bit the asshole we crave. He’s an initiator. He’s an instigator. He’s a driver. And you know what? He’s not a bad hockey player either.

Sweeney followed up this news with Tufte (huge, former first round pick), Viel (me likey kinda mean) and Billy Sweezey (who I had to learn about a bit after, but apparently he’s an ass-kicking AHL defender). If a bludgeoning is required, there is no longer a shortage of options willing to go to work.

So maybe I wasn’t getting the big changes I wanted to the roster. No speed added to the top six. The albatross of a contract that I feared from the beginning.

What I got instead was something far better. A (effort if nothing else) return to a team identity that I’ve craved since they abandoned the concept not 12 months after winning the Cup with it.

Last season, the Bruins were second (to the Florida Panthers) in the league in hits. But it never really “felt” that way, did it? If you didn’t know that stat, does it surprise you to hear it now? It did me. This season: we’re gonna feel it.

Great post!

While I understand the concept of “pack mentality/team toughness” it doesn’t work if you don’t have enough guys who are actually tough.

You can have a pack of swans and they’ll
never be as tough as a pack of lions.

As for the hits…agree.

98% of the hits the Bruins threw last year were bunt singles…..I want doubles, triples and home runs.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

Great post!

While I understand the concept of “pack mentality/team toughness” it doesn’t work if you don’t have enough guys who are actually tough.

You can have a pack of swans and they’ll
never be as tough as a pack of lions.

As for the hits…agree.

98% of the hits the Bruins threw last year were bunt singles…..I want doubles, triples and home runs.

That’s what I thought last season too. But I do remember noting in the GDTs that the team looked and played so much bigger during the short time we had Lucic here.

I think having the big guy on the blueline is going to affect more than just what he brings. And having more than one on the fourth will as well. It’s going to make the entire lineup feel bigger and more aggressive.

 

[wintersej]

I also would like that pairing and maybe for different reasons, Zadorov has a tendency to roam a little especially when looking for that big hit, and I don't want to take that away from him, and Carlo always being that responsible guy back there will be a plus.

Yeah, but also not sure if you want to give Z the Carlo matchups. Gonna be interesting to see how it plays out. I suspect Monty will change from game to game and situation to situation and pairings won’t be too set compared to last year.

 

[Kegs]

A more violent dan Pallie ?

 

[Greek_physique]

What we had hope Zac Rinaldo to be when he joined us?

Can skate, hit and pop a few goals as an energy player but isn't a headcase

 

[Mione134]

What we had hope Zac Rinaldo to be when he joined us?

Can skate, hit and pop a few goals as an energy player but isn't a headcase

Nobody hoped that because we wasted our 3rd rounder on that guy. Useless he was.

I think Max will do very well here.

 

[Greek_physique]

Nobody hoped that because we wasted our 3rd rounder on that guy. Useless he was.

I think Max will do very well here.

Not talking about what we gave up...I'm saying what we expected of him lol

 

[WhatTheDuck]

Found the perfect clip to illustrate the type of down to earth teammate you're getting with Jonesy. I think most of us on the Anaheim side would be happy to see him succeed, just because he always seemed like a genuinely good dude.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1630460523086221312

 

[ODAAT]

Found the perfect clip to illustrate the type of down to earth teammate you're getting with Jonesy. I think most of us on the Anaheim side would be happy to see him succeed, just because he always seemed like a genuinely good dude.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1630460523086221312

that hat is beyond funny, awesome