News Article: WEEI - Charlie Jacobs says David Backes is Bruins’ third-line center

[Fonzerelli]

Hmmmmmm ... so I guess

Marchand - Bergeron - Spooner
Beleskey - Krejki - Pastrnak
Vatrano - Backes - Hayes
Scaller - Moore - Nash
(Rinaldo, Randell)

and in Providence ...

Heinen - Czarnik - Griffith
DeBrusk - Acciari - Ferlin
Hargrove - Kuraly - Chelarik
Blidh - Cave - Hickman
(White, Naclario)

 

[KrejciMVP]

Hmmmmmm ... so I guess

Marchand - Bergeron - Spooner
Beleskey - Krejki - Pastrnak
Vatrano - Backes - Hayes
Scaller - Moore - Nash
(Rinaldo, Randell)

and in Providence ...

Heinen - Czarnik - Griffith
DeBrusk - Acciari - Ferlin
Hargrove - Kuraly - Chelarik
Blidh - Cave - Hickman
(White, Naclario)

I see Marchand as the only guy with over 25 goals next year

 

[Gordoff]

Two additional thoughts come to mind:

1. This guy is Fredo fumbling the gun.

2. Better to be thought of a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt.

lolLOL Superb!

 

[moonshot summit]

Not up to Jacobs to decide. I'm surprised he was able to get that whole sentence out of his mouth to be honest

 

[Over the volcano]

He's just talking. I'm sure in March the team will be drastically different.

Hopefully come March 15 they'll be sitting first in division and second in Conference like last year and instead of Seidenberg, Chara, Liles playing like well done turkeys we will have young legs back there like OGara, Carlo, Chiller, Morrow whoever.

As long as we don't go to the 60-70 point Leafs and Oilers and develop a losing culture they should be fine

Jacobs was in a very energetic and emotional setting and I'm guessing Backes will be what Fluto reported a jack of all trades going where he is most helpful that game

Yup- Not all that sure Charlie's setting up the lines.

Bergeron krejci and Backes is one hell of a three headed monster down the middle if that's how they want to shake it out. But Backes makes so much possible with their options on the top 9

 

[rickizbruin]

So Backes signed with the Bruins to play on a line with Hayes?
wonder if he knew that in advance would he still have signed ?

 

[Era of Sanity]

once Claude installs Moore as the third line center he will be more of a third line winger.

 

[KrejciMVP]

So Backes signed with the Bruins to play on a line with Hayes?
wonder if he knew that in advance would he still have signed ?

Lol brutal. Poor Backes. I'm ok letting him go 1A with Krejci on the wing. Less responsibilty for Krejci to rehab his hip

 

[DKH]

Fluto article - not sure about third line center

Sounds like he will be used wherever he's needed

I can see Krejci RW but center last 2 minutes of period depending on score
http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/b...ng-problems/TQOYj6qHpvo09QANcI3B9H/story.html

 

[DKH]

Lol brutal. Poor Backes. I'm ok letting him go 1A with Krejci on the wing. Less responsibilty for Krejci to rehab his hip

Ha ha I'm not sure of that

Assuming 37 & 46 healthy I'd say 80 % RW but center in one goal leads last 2-3 minutes and as a PK

 

[KrejciMVP]

Ha ha I'm not sure of that

Assuming 37 & 46 healthy I'd say 80 % RW but center in one goal leads last 2-3 minutes and as a PK

Would Backes be taking Louis spot on the PP?

 

[DKH]

Would Backes be taking Louis spot on the PP?

Not sure - depends on:
Three forwards 22 and under are key for a lot of how roles go - Vatrano (22) and Heinen & Pasta (20)

That's what I want to see- also is Ryan a bit more stronger and confident

I think Spooner is going to be good - I don't want to trade him

 

[KrejciWinger]

Not up to Jacobs to decide. I'm surprised he was able to get that whole sentence out of his mouth to be honest

lol. yeah, I doubt either spooner or backes position are set in stone.
Sounds like Charlie put a positive spin on the upcoming season, being strength up the middle.

 

[riverhawkey91]

Devil's Advocate...

Last season, the Bergeron/Marchand line was great... even without an established RW. Those two made Brett Connolly look decent at times. It's just not a position that you need to spend a lot of money to fill.

Krejci's line more or less held their own.

Spooner's line at even strength was a goddamn Greek Tragedy.

I can't even discuss the 4th line rationally yet.

You could easily make the case that as far as the forward lines go, they made changes where they needed to make changes.

If they were adding Backes to last year's team, I would agree with you. Spooner's performance last year as 3C wasn't great (and I'm a big fan of his), and probably could be considered the biggest hole in the offense outside of maybe 3RW.

But now that Eriksson is gone, that changes the whole construct. They took out a top 6 guy, and essentially just replaced him with a 3rd-line center (as far as Jacob's is saying by putting Backes there). I'm assuming the point there is to more evenly balance the lines so they can continue to roll all 3, but by doing that, have they now diminished each line to the point where none of them are able to out-play their competition? Their biggest strength was always their depth creating line-mismatches and capitalizing on them...I'm not so sure those lines have the ability to do that anymore.

I agree with you that Bergeron/Marchand's wing doesn't necessarily have to be the best guy, but I still think it's better to load up on the top 6, play them a bit more than normal, and let a kids line of something like Vatrano - Spooner - Heinen play 14ish minutes a night and learn on the fly. To me, that's the best way to utilize their assets without killing their depth.

 

[BigGoalBrad]

So Backes signed with the Bruins to play on a line with Hayes?
wonder if he knew that in advance would he still have signed ?

We have solid forward prospects. Belesky and a kid is his line IMO.

I like all 3 centers a lot so I really don't mind this move. I think its definitely done with a long term agenda in mind wanting all to remain effective into their mid 30s. Will keep Claude from overplaying the 4th. Would like Backes with Bergeron but don't think that happens think he goes to DK's line if he is moved to wing.

 

[PB37]

If they were adding Backes to last year's team, I would agree with you. Spooner's performance last year as 3C wasn't great (and I'm a big fan of his), and probably could be considered the biggest hole in the offense outside of maybe 3RW.

But now that Eriksson is gone, that changes the whole construct. They took out a top 6 guy, and essentially just replaced him with a 3rd-line center (as far as Jacob's is saying by putting Backes there). I'm assuming the point there is to more evenly balance the lines so they can continue to roll all 3, but by doing that, have they now diminished each line to the point where none of them are able to out-play their competition? Their biggest strength was always their depth creating line-mismatches and capitalizing on them...I'm not so sure those lines have the ability to do that anymore.

I agree with you that Bergeron/Marchand's wing doesn't necessarily have to be the best guy, but I still think it's better to load up on the top 6, play them a bit more than normal, and let a kids line of something like Vatrano - Spooner - Heinen play 14ish minutes a night and learn on the fly. To me, that's the best way to utilize their assets without killing their depth.

When you look at the possession numbers and the traditional numbers of the third/fourth line at ES last year, it's a wonder we were as close to making a playoff spot as we were. I don't think crossing your fingers at the hope that the kids will learn on the fly on one line togetrher is the way to go; they all have skill, but it's most likely the recipe of being a disaster.

Agree with the approach or not, the reality here is the Bruins don't want to do the complete rebuild model but instead want to do a soft roll out approach with slowly integrating youth, but staying competitive at the same time. Asking Spooner to basically carry a rookie and a kid with less than 40 games played would be too much to put on his shoulders IMO.

 

[riverhawkey91]

Not sure - depends on:
Three forwards 22 and under are key for a lot of how roles go - Vatrano (22) and Heinen & Pasta (20)

That's what I want to see- also is Ryan a bit more stronger and confident

I think Spooner is going to be good - I don't want to trade him

I'm with you there Dan. They just need to bulk him up a bit and teach him some better small guy one-on-one skills a la Savard/Gaudreau to get him to the next level...people forget that it took Savvy a while to get to the point where he could be counted on defensively too, and he had some great seasons here under Claude.

Just curious, could anyone else see an opening lineup of something like:

Beleskey - Krejci - Backes
Marchand - Bergeron - Heinen
Vatrano - Spooner - Pastrnak

I feel like Pastrnak being 1RW has been half because of his skill, but half because it made the most sense logistically in the past to put him there. Now that he's a few years in, can he be counted on enough to anchor Spooner's line? I think he fits better with Spooner than Krejci skill-wise, and I think Backes would be better with Krejci than Pastrnak too.

 

[DKH]

I'm with you there Dan. They just need to bulk him up a bit and teach him some better small guy one-on-one skills a la Savard/Gaudreau to get him to the next level...people forget that it took Savvy a while to get to the point where he could be counted on defensively too, and he had some great seasons here under Claude.

Just curious, could anyone else see an opening lineup of something like:

Beleskey - Krejci - Backes
Marchand - Bergeron - Heinen
Vatrano - Spooner - Pastrnak

I feel like Pastrnak being 1RW has been half because of his skill, but half because it made the most sense logistically in the past to put him there. Now that he's a few years in, can he be counted on enough to anchor Spooner's line? I think he fits better with Spooner than Krejci skill-wise, and I think Backes would be better with Krejci than Pastrnak too.

I can see that but not sure how comfortable Claude would be with that third line - you just know Nash would find his way on it and Pasta on 4th or Spooner on 4th and Moore up

If the 4th line is something like Schaller -Moore-Nash you can bet one or more will be moving up each game - I can't see this a standard Merlot Line

Claude trusted Ryder-Kelly-Pevs so minimal Merlot movement but with three kids who are offensive players I can't see Claude not screwing around with this

Something tells me Claude is going to be really scrutinized this season

You going to be at Lowell games ? I love watching hockey east games there was checking schedule today - and even going to Spinners tomorrow

 

[riverhawkey91]

When you look at the possession numbers and the traditional numbers of the third/fourth line at ES last year, it's a wonder we were as close to making a playoff spot as we were. I don't think crossing your fingers at the hope that the kids will learn on the fly on one line togetrher is the way to go; they all have skill, but it's most likely the recipe of being a disaster.

Agree with the approach or not, the reality here is the Bruins don't want to do the complete rebuild model but instead want to do a soft roll out approach with slowly integrating youth, but staying competitive at the same time. Asking Spooner to basically carry a rookie and a kid with less than 40 games played would be too much to put on his shoulders IMO.

I guess this part is where I disagree, and what I was kind of saying in the middle paragraph. I understand the thought process behind spreading out your talent and mixing in some younger guys to stay competitive without rebuilding, but that only works if the lines you then create are good enough to be competitive, and that's where I'm skeptical. Mixing them up too much just waters them down to the point where they're no longer better or even on par with the lines they're facing, and then all three lines will fail. If the goal is to rebuild on the fly without subtracting, wouldn't it make more sense to go top-heavy and play them a bit more, and then try to line-match the bottom two lines for advantages?

As far as Spooner carrying a line, it's obviously a bit of a gamble, but one that would probably be good for his development, especially since it would only be for limited minutes a night. I think where they messed up last year was trying to anchor him down a bit with guys like Hayes and Kelly...stick him with some guys who can actually skate and its a whole different game. Don't sleep on Heinen's two way skills either, he's probably already better defensively than Spooner and Vatrano (though I don't know if that's saying much).

 

[Bridges31]

I think the writing has been on the wall regarding Spooner all off-season. If there's a deal to be made for a top 4 d-man they have to do it.

I don't want to see Spoons moved, but IMO he is their best tradeable asset right now.

 

[riverhawkey91]

I can see that but not sure how comfortable Claude would be with that third line - you just know Nash would find his way on it and Pasta on 4th or Spooner on 4th and Moore up

If the 4th line is something like Schaller -Moore-Nash you can bet one or more will be moving up each game - I can't see this a standard Merlot Line

Claude trusted Ryder-Kelly-Pevs so minimal Merlot movement but with three kids who are offensive players I can't see Claude not screwing around with this

Something tells me Claude is going to be really scrutinized this season

You going to be at Lowell games ? I love watching hockey east games there was checking schedule today - and even going to Spinners tomorrow

Yep, I go to basically all home games (student ID never expires and we get free tickets with it)...Hockey East is going to be fun this year, though I have a feeling BU will roll through everyone. Not sure anyone can contend with them this year; it's a down year for most other teams.

And you're probably right about Nash, which kind of makes all the lineup choices pointless if they're just gonna stick an anchor there anyways. I almost wish they'd just make the 4th line a decent line and play them more often, rather than rotate a member through the 3rd line consistently.

 

[riverhawkey91]

I think the writing has been on the wall regarding Spooner all off-season. If there's a deal to be made for a top 4 d-man they have to do it.

I don't want to see Spoons moved, but IMO he is their best tradeable asset right now.

How tradeable is he though? Claude, as well as most of the fanbase, isn't comfortable with letting him be the Bruins 3C without a defensive anchor, so why would any team give up a valuable defenseman in a trade with him as a centerpiece? Are we really comfortable with selling him with a plus for a 3rd/4th defenseman?

IMO they're walking into the same situation they had with Seguin. I'm not saying he's going to be anywhere as good as him, but they've got to start letting these kids mature and see what they can be before selling them off at anything less than peak value. The past two years have shown what Spooner's base is (~50 pts with bad wings and weak defensive play), so is that really the value we want to move him at?

 

[Duguay]

 

[bp13]

Are we really going to act like what this guy says matters? Honestly. This is meaningless. Charlie couldn't explain offsides. Let's not get worked up over how he sees the lines.

I'm sorry but I am so tired of these clowns making fools of themselves. This guy babbles in the company of two writers and a camera. He's in his position because his dad is filthy rich. His opinion on who plays third line center is worth less than a hot dog vendors. The last thing we need to do is build a 20 page thread on the assumption that what he says matters.

 

[Gator Mike]

But now that Eriksson is gone, that changes the whole construct. They took out a top 6 guy, and essentially just replaced him with a 3rd-line center (as far as Jacob's is saying by putting Backes there). I'm assuming the point there is to more evenly balance the lines so they can continue to roll all 3, but by doing that, have they now diminished each line to the point where none of them are able to out-play their competition?

I don't think so.

As I said... I think Bergeron and Marchand can play with just about anyone.

And I also think there's at least some evidence to suggest that Beleskey-Krejci-Pastrnak could also be a fairly effective line.

I agree with you that Bergeron/Marchand's wing doesn't necessarily have to be the best guy, but I still think it's better to load up on the top 6, play them a bit more than normal, and let a kids line of something like Vatrano - Spooner - Heinen play 14ish minutes a night and learn on the fly. To me, that's the best way to utilize their assets without killing their depth.

Disagree.

I think if there are times when CJ wants to play Backes in the Top 6 in certain situations, then that's fine. But a full-time line of Vatrano-Spooner-Heinen would put immense pressure on that Top 6 to produce. They'd fall into the same trap they did last year - a 3rd line that couldn't start in their own defensive zone, and who couldn't be trusted to step on the ice late in close games.

Furthermore, I don't want three kids playing together, picking up each other's bad habits.