Boston Bruins Off Season Roster/ Cap Discussion II

[Bruinswillwin77]

To get anything impactful in return for Middlestadt, it would (in my opinion) require attaching a prospect or asset. At least his contract is only thru 2026-2027 and not 2030.

 

[Colt.45Orr]

Coyle was garbage in Colorado at the end and playing 9mins a night

 

[Coach Parker]

Ehlers really impressing for me in Winnipeg. Granlund as well for Dallas.

 

[Coach Parker]

If Boston was adding Marchand, Ehlers and Granlund as well as Donskov I'd like them starting the season off right with a healthy and rested McAvoy, Swayman and Lindholm.

That's adding an entire 2nd line and pushing Zacha, Mittelstadt down to 3rd line duties with Minten.

You could argue that maybe this Providence run makes Poitras ready for that 2nd line or that Marchand should be down in the 3rd line with Mittelstadt and Minten (MMM Delicious Tears line, haha) but depth and skill needs to be the focus here for Boston.

Geekie - Lindholm - Pastrnak
Zacha - Granlund - Ehlers
Marchand - Mittelstadt - Minten

It's definitely an improved top 9 from this year.

 

[Coach Parker]

Duchene has also looked good at that 3.0 million cap hit in Dallas. Perhaps him over Granlund. He's still only 30.

 

[LJReborn]

If Boston was adding Marchand, Ehlers and Granlund as well as Donskov I'd like them starting the season off right with a healthy and rested McAvoy, Swayman and Lindholm.

That's adding an entire 2nd line and pushing Zacha, Mittelstadt down to 3rd line duties with Minten.

You could argue that maybe this Providence run makes Poitras ready for that 2nd line or that Marchand should be down in the 3rd line with Mittelstadt and Minten (MMM Delicious Tears line, haha) but depth and skill needs to be the focus here for Boston.

Geekie - Lindholm - Pastrnak
Zacha - Granlund - Ehlers
Marchand - Mittelstadt - Minten

It's definitely an improved top 9 from this year.

You can't move on from Poitras, Lysell and Marat IMO. Need to see them play. I don't have any interest in spending alot of money for maybe one round won. Build this the right way.

It's just a different opinion as your team would be built for quick success

 

[pucksindeep92]

To get anything impactful in return for Middlestadt, it would (in my opinion) require attaching a prospect or asset. At least his contract is only thru 2026-2027 and not 2030.

Feel like Chicago wouldn’t mind Mittelstadt for a 3rd/4th…maybe you can add Peeke to solidify it. Impactful only through the space you gain.

 

[Coach Parker]

You can't move on from Poitras, Lysell and Marat IMO. Need to see them play. I don't have any interest in spending alot of money for maybe one round won. Build this the right way.

It's just a different opinion as your team would be built for quick success

It seems it has to be a sort of mix of the two; Boston is now going to emerge as a cap-ceiling team as many teams will choose NOT to spend to these new cap heights. Boston will be able to do so and use it to their advantage.

Now they can spend on 1-2 free agents again (a winger like Ehlers and Marchand) while putting them with a center prospect like Poitras. That may be the sweet middle ground the Bruins can play.

Then draft the 7th overall and hope he is ready to replace Zacha/Mittelstadt in the 2026-2027 season going into the playoffs.

 

[Fenian24]

You can't move on from Poitras, Lysell and Marat IMO. Need to see them play. I don't have any interest in spending alot of money for maybe one round won. Build this the right way.

It's just a different opinion as your team would be built for quick success

I agree with Poitras and Marat, Lysell does not give a shit, it is past time to move on and package him and try to get some kind of decent return.

They are going to the cap this off season and I am fine with that, the goal will be playoff beer and hotdog sales

 

[KnightofBoston]

Still don’t understand people saying he’s not going to be good in the NHL…maybe they only watched him play wing this year for a lame duck coach post injury and forget how young he is?

It’s a nonsense take

He’s a second round pick performing like he was picked around 15-20. If you’re gonna criticize Sweeney you need to give him credit when it’s due

Poitras will be fine, but if he continues to work on his edge work, that’ll make the difference between him being floated around the lineup and being a solid 2C

 

[Coach Parker]

It’s a nonsense take

He’s a second round pick performing like he was picked around 15-20. If you’re gonna criticize Sweeney you need to give him credit when it’s due

Poitras will be fine, but if he continues to work on his edge work, that’ll make the difference between him being floated around the lineup and being a solid 2C

Nice insight and thanks for it. Really hoping Marchand's edgework is passed on to him.

 

[bruins19]

It’s a nonsense take

He’s a second round pick performing like he was picked around 15-20. If you’re gonna criticize Sweeney you need to give him credit when it’s due

Poitras will be fine, but if he continues to work on his edge work, that’ll make the difference between him being floated around the lineup and being a solid 2C

I know it is just one instance, but in that clip he does the same thing he did in Boston. Pressured on the left wing, he turns and faces the boards. Lucky for him, the opposing player did not light him up. He got drilled hard on a number of those in Boston. I would like to see him do well, but am surprised he still does that move.

 

[DominicT]

It’s a nonsense take

He’s a second round pick performing like he was picked around 15-20. If you’re gonna criticize Sweeney you need to give him credit when it’s due

Poitras will be fine, but if he continues to work on his edge work, that’ll make the difference between him being floated around the lineup and being a solid 2C

His edgework is one of the strongest aspects of his skating. Especially the outside edges.

 

[Dr Quincy]

Feel like Chicago wouldn’t mind Mittelstadt for a 3rd/4th…maybe you can add Peeke to solidify it. Impactful only through the space you gain.

IDK maybe. But they have Bedard, Nazar, Moore, Dickinson and Veleno at C. Sure, Nazar or Moore could move to the wing and maybe they want to add a 3C, but I just wonder if Mittlestadt is the kind of 3C they'd want.

That's the problem with Casey- He hasn't been good enough to be any team' 2C and most coaches don't want to utilize him as a 3C who might have to take a lot of defensive zone starts. You don't want Bedard having to do that, and you don't want Nazar doing it. You have Dickinson who can but they might want a more D leaning 3C.

They also have Murphy, Rinzel and Levshunov as RD and I don't think they'd have a whole lot of interest in Peeke, but who knows. Worse players get dealt.

 

[KnightofBoston]

His edgework is one of the strongest aspects of his skating. Especially the outside edges.

That’s true, but doesn’t pain the whole picture because his skating in general leaves something to be desired, he’ll need to be even quicker if he doesn’t get stronger, because it’s a combination of weakness in all those areas that keeps leaving him exposed to becoming a flap jack every other game.

His best asset is his hockey IQ and passing, the edge work and drive to be shifty is there, but he’s in that *not quite there yet* phase where he’s just a hair too slow or a hair too weak or hair not shifty enough where he ends up getting smushed

Best part tho? He’s 21. If he was 24 and spent a few years in NCAA before going to Providence already we’d be having a different conversation

 

[Bocephus86]

That’s true, but doesn’t pain the whole picture because his skating in general leaves something to be desired, he’ll need to be even quicker if he doesn’t get stronger, because it’s a combination of weakness in all those areas that keeps leaving him exposed to becoming a flap jack every other game.

His best asset is his hockey IQ and passing, the edge work and drive to be shifty is there, but he’s in that *not quite there yet* phase where he’s just a hair too slow or a hair too weak or hair not shifty enough where he ends up getting smushed

Best part tho? He’s 21. If he was 24 and spent a few years in NCAA before going to Providence already we’d be having a different conversation

He's not that small, I bet he puts on 10-15 good lbs over the next 2 years and will work at the NHL level. My favorite thing about him is probably his biggest concern - he doesn't seem scared of contact. Guys that are afraid of being hit make me so nervous. It will happen, and it'll happen a lot. Unless you're generational, that'll stop you from being a reliable NHLer.

I got faith in Poitras.

 

[ON3M4N]

I mean, in another “IF” situation, what if they decide to trade MacKinnon to make cap room? Or if the Oilers feel they need to move Draisaitl to get Bouchard under contract?

They'd both be bold strategies. Not very often you see a team trading a top 5 player that's under contract.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

They'd both be bold strategies. Not very often you see a team trading a top 5 player that's under contract.

Oh that’s true.

That’s kind of a stupid thing to bring up, isn’t it? Not very realistic.

 

[sarge88]

Sweeney give you good regular seasons, playoffs not so much.

It’s more accurate to say that Sweeney gave us teams that were successful in the RS, but who underachieved in the playoffs.

What more could he have done in 19 and 23, especially?

If those two teams don’t so obviously choke, we’re talking about a potential HOF GM.

I’m not even a big fan of his, and I wouldn’t give it a second thought if they canned him tomorrow…..but he did everything a GM could do to set them up for success in those two years especially…..(which is more than 90% of GM’s have done /will do)…..the playoff losses aren’t on him.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

It’s more accurate to say that Sweeney gave us teams that were successful in the RS, but who underachieved in the playoffs.

What more could he have done in 19 and 23, especially?

If those two teams don’t so obviously choke, we’re talking about a potential HOF GM.

I’m not even a big fan of his, and I wouldn’t give it a second thought if they canned him tomorrow…..but he did everything a GM could do to set them up for success in those two years especially…..(which is more than. 90% of GM’s have done /will do)…..the playoff losses aren’t on him.

I strongly disagree about 2019. 2019 they made it as far as they did despite Sweeney failing to put together a complete roster.

I think it’s why he sacrificed so much in 2023 to ensure he didn’t leave any holes again.

 

[sarge88]

I strongly disagree about 2019. 2019 they made it as far as they did despite Sweeney failing to put together a complete roster.

I think it’s why he sacrificed so much in 2023 to ensure he didn’t leave any holes again.

I guess I just find it hard to criticize any GM who develops a team that makes it to the finals, because we pretty much all criticize them when they don’t.

In the end, regardless of what other moves he might have made, they got to game 7 at home, vs. a very beatable Blues team, and the players blew it.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

I guess I just find it hard to criticize any GM who develops a team that makes it to the finals, because we pretty much all criticize them when they don’t.

In the end, regardless of what other moves he might have made, they got to game 7 at home, vs. a very beatable Blues team, and the players blew it.

If it’s okay to say the players blew it in spite of Sweeney’s efforts, then it’s also fair to say they overachieved despite Sweeney’s failures. 2023 is an example of the former. 2019 of the latter.

 

[sarge88]

If it’s okay to say the players blew it in spite of Sweeney’s efforts, then it’s also fair to say they overachieved despite Sweeney’s failures. 2023 is an example of the former. 2019 of the latter.

Maybe, but to me that’s a bit more difficult to quantify because maybe even one different move in 2019 causes them to not get as far as they did.

I think once you’re in the playoffs, the GM from that point on has a minuscule amount of influence over what happens.

95% of his work is done from July to early April, IMO.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

Maybe, but to me that’s a bit more difficult to quantify because maybe even one different move in 2019 causes them to not get as far as they did.

I think once you’re in the playoffs, the GM from that point on has a minuscule amount of influence over what happens.

95% of his work is done from July to early April, IMO.

It’s not difficult for me to quantify.

What was the better roster? 2019 or 2023? In which year did Sweeney do more to give his roster the best chance to win? What were the circumstances that help lead to the Bruins making the Finals in 2019? And what led to their downfall in 2023?

You’re right when you say that once you’re in the playoffs, the GM has little influence from that point in on how far they go. So it’s GM’s job to put them in the best position they can before that point. From there, it’s on the coaches and players.

 

[RoccoF14]

It’s not difficult for me to quantify.

What was the better roster? 2019 or 2023? In which year did Sweeney do more to give his roster the best chance to win? What were the circumstances that help lead to the Bruins making the Finals in 2019? And what led to their downfall in 2023?

You’re right when you say that once you’re in the playoffs, the GM has little influence from that point in on how far they go. So it’s GM’s job to put them in the best position they can before that point. From there, it’s on the coaches and players.

Are we really shitting on Sweeney for 2019?

Of all the things to criticize him for, we're going with "he didn't do enough in 2019". Really?

That team had the 2nd best record in the NHL and went to the Final.