SI hockey writer with complete rip job on Sweeney/B's

[mikelvl]

http://www.si.com/nhl/2015/07/24/nhl-fan-misery-rankings-30-teams

BOSTON BRUINS

CUP DROUGHT: 4 SEASONS
2013 CUP FINALISTS
Hey, remember back in April when missing the playoffs for the first time since ’07 felt like hitting rock bottom? Those were good ol' days, eh? Since then, new GM Don Sweeney has sucked all hope from a franchise that won the Presidents' Trophy just 16 months ago. The inexplicable panic trade of 22-year-old Dougie Hamilton robbed an aging blueline of the heir apparent to Zdeno Chara, and fan favorite Milan Lucic was a cap casualty. Sweeney even managed to suck the fun out of owning three consecutive first-round picks, continuing a painful franchise trend of draft-day miscues. All together, the moves point to years of pointless, meandering mediocrity for the proud B's.

Seems to be a pretty premature analysis of Sweeney's moves and the B's future. Unless, of course, if he's right. But I think this is a pretty gratuitous hack job by Allan Muir.

Sorry if this was posted elsewhere.

Click to read more...

 

[Rhoshambeau]

SI the ESPN of print media

 

[jgatie]

Sports Illustrated has more expertise covering Ice Dancing and Rhythmic Gymnastics than it does hockey. During the regular season, their coverage of up and coming High School athletes is bigger than their hockey section.

 

[Mpasta]

It might be a bit of a hack job but it's what a lot of the people/fans around the league are saying.

At least he's not blaming Neely for the negatives but praising Sweeney for the positives like this board does.

 

[Patrice Krejci*]

I need this guys Chrystal Ball, wonder if he knows who we should pick next year besides the obvious top 3. Draft criticism is so weird and unprofessional when said players haven't even played an NHL game yet. All three could bust or end up as HHOF'ers. This guy must know something we don't

 

[LouJersey]

I stop reading when I see someone mention the President's Trophy as a huge accomplishment to a team that went to the finals twice in three years.

 

[LSCII]

I stop reading when I see someone mention the President's Trophy as a huge accomplishment to a team that went to the finals twice in three years.

Then you must have stopped reading a ton of posters here too...

 

[Fire Sweeney]

All together, the moves point to years of pointless, meandering mediocrity for the proud B's.

Yep, but let's overpay Franson and trade for Byfuglien just because.

 

[CDJ]

What the hell about the Hamilton trade was "inexplicable"? Guy wanted out, boom explained.

This article isn't even worth printing out and using as toilet paper.

 

[Fire Sweeney]

What the hell about the Hamilton trade was "inexplicable"? Guy wanted out, boom explained.

This article isn't even worth printing out and using as toilet paper.

And what is explicable about a 21 year-old franchise D with no negociating leverage wanting out ?

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Then you must have stopped reading a ton of posters here too...

Didn't CHB recently write an article on the Bruins and called it "The coveted Presidents Cup" ?

 

[LSCII]

Didn't CHB recently write an article on the Bruins and called it "The coveted Presidents Cup" ?

I couldn't tell you because I haven't read CHB's stuff in years, but that sounds like something he'd do...

 

[CDJ]

And what is explicable about a 21 year-old franchise D with no negociating leverage wanting out ?

I don't know, I'm not Dougie Hamilton. I don't know why he wanted out. But he did, that's just a fact.

 

[HuskyBruinPride]

What the hell about the Hamilton trade was "inexplicable"? Guy wanted out, boom explained.

This article isn't even worth printing out and using as toilet paper.

The return

 

[bp13]

It's natural to want to lash out against this article but truth is it will all likely come down to how Hayes, Beleskey and the picks work out. In the near term, if Hayes and Beleskey end up disappointments and Seids doesn't do a complete 180 from last season, this team could easily suck. Like bottom 10 teams in the NHL suck.

Personally I like what Sweeney did (save for the Hamilton deal), but it's largely because I badly wanted Lucic gone, and that trade was a steal. And I have faith in folks who claim this draft was a great one. But there's no arguing that we have a lot of eggs in the baskets of potentially mediocre players (Hayes, Beleskey, Connolly, Spooner). If those guys do end up mediocre, we will suck. And we could then be 3+ years from being decent.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

The return

You mean the return that was better than any OS below $7.3m per?

That return? A home run like the Lucic deal would have been nice, but the return for Hamiton was average, not horrible.

 

[CDJ]

You mean the return that was better than any OS below $7.3m per?

That return? A home run like the Lucic deal would have been nice, but the return for Hamiton was average, not horrible.

Pretty much. Sweeney was painted into a difficult corner and did what he had to do. I've come full circle on him since draft day and I really, really like what he has done.

 

[TheReal13Linseman]

It's natural to want to lash out against this article but truth is it will all likely come down to how Hayes, Beleskey and the picks work out. In the near term, if Hayes and Beleskey end up disappointments and Seids doesn't do a complete 180 from last season, this team could easily suck. Like bottom 10 teams in the NHL suck.

Personally I like what Sweeney did (save for the Hamilton deal), but it's largely because I badly wanted Lucic gone, and that trade was a steal. And I have faith in folks who claim this draft was a great one. But there's no arguing that we have a lot of eggs in the baskets of potentially mediocre players (Hayes, Beleskey, Connolly, Spooner). If those guys do end up mediocre, we will suck. And we could then be 3+ years from being decent.

I have liked Muir's columns in the past; not sure I can say now that he's totally off his rocker on this. Think you're totally right, bp, as usual. We swung for the fences on some of these pickups and draft picks. Possible, but hard to imagine, that they all end up being home runs. As for next season, regrettably, I'm expecting to be falling asleep in my easy chair by mid 2nd period on most nights, as I was many nights this past season. Many nights, I was much more entertained posting to the GDTs rather than watching what was happening, (or actually "not happening") on the ice...

 

[jgatie]

The return

How exactly were they going to get a better return, when the teams who want him could just offer sheet him? We got more than we would have in an offer sheet in a better draft. If we had asked for more, Calgary (and others) would have just offer sheeted him instead of paying more.

 

[talkinaway]

What the hell about the Hamilton trade was "inexplicable"? Guy wanted out, boom explained.

This article isn't even worth printing out and using as toilet paper.

I was going to say the exact same thing. It sounds like the lazy SI writer wrote his "hot take" on the Bruins about two days after the trade - and that hot take is now tepid at best.

The trade was inexplicable when it happened. It was quickly explicated when Dougie signed with the Flames for basically what the B's were offering, plus a pair of Jiri Hudler's shoes. I'll admit I was team #FireSweeney for a few days until I figured out what had happened.

If anything, Sweeney's move showed that the Bruins are not in the business of taking hostages. Yeah, the value he got for Dougie was fair-to-middling, but it was tons better than an OS, given the draft depth this year. And I'll stand by that statement even if all the Dougie picks wind up busting - you can't always be results-oriented.

 

[Boston BROin]

I liked our draft picks. I like how this team is set up in the future. We finally have cap flexibility again.

However

This team doesn't look to be very good this year. Who knows, maybe they can surprise a few people, but honestly, the way the Bruins are constructed now, they don't have the horses to compete with the rest of teh league.

 

[Mione134]

Blunders would be the Hamilton return and the wasted 3rd rounder on Rinaldo...

Jury is still out on the draft picks...

 

[bizman]

How exactly were they going to get a better return, when the teams who want him could just offer sheet him? We got more than we would have in an offer sheet in a better draft. If we had asked for more, Calgary (and others) would have just offer sheeted him instead of paying more.

Yes but they run the risk of the Bruins matching any offer sheet.

 

[DKH]

http://www.si.com/nhl/2015/07/24/nhl-fan-misery-rankings-30-teams



Seems to be a pretty premature analysis of Sweeney's moves and the B's future. Unless, of course, if he's right. But I think this is a pretty gratuitous hack job by Allan Muir.

Sorry if this was posted elsewhere.

I thought Allen Muir was going to give up writing if Joe Colborne ever made the NHL?

Glad it was Allen Muir who wrote this. I get SI and dont even both reading him so there yah go.

 

[jgatie]

Yes but they run the risk of the Bruins matching any offer sheet.

Hence why they gave a little more. I'm quite sure that the book was out on Hamilton not wanting to be here, and good for Sweeney for not wasting the money it would have taken to keep a player who didn't want to be here. It wasn't a great trade, but it was better than paying up to 7 million for a malcontent or lose him for less picks in a shallower draft.