Speculation: What are the Bruins' needs?

[Morris Wanchuk]

They still have yet to replace Ryder and without a solid replacement they will not go far enough in the P.O.'s if the top 6 get cold.

I hope Bourque can step it up, but IMO its still their biggest hole going on 2 seasons.

 

[Morris Wanchuk]

Why do you get so worked up when people want to improve upon what we have?

Feelings will be hurt.

These are human beings BJ.. not robots... human beings.

 

[Rookie Chargers]

Scott Gomez at his worst is still better than Ray's kid

I don't think so.

 

[KnightofBoston]

What do the bruins need? To stay healthy and hungry

This team, as constructed, can beat any other in a 7 game series.

Even our lord Orr said so

 

[ODAAT]

The issue is whether we have weaknesses or not and if improvements can be made. The simply answer is YES.

If Boston wanted to win another Stanley Cup they would need:
1. A top scorer
2. More Speed
3. Another top defended

We can't live in the past and say this team is great and already won the Cup. Remember that we squeaked out three game 7's and many in dramatic fashion.

Without the clutch plays of Timmy, Recchi & Ryder who are now gone, this team has some issues which Washington proved to us last year.

It will be a tough year with teams like New York, Philly, Pittsburgh, L.A. St. Louis being near the top.

Any team who wins the Cup gets breaks, has scares, and receives clutch plays at the right time, tis what is often the reason as to why they won the Cup.

Washington proved to us that sitting back, pushing the play not one bit, cashing in on their rare chances earned them a birth to the next round against a team who just seemed to play lifeless, had no Horton, a Bergeron who would never have been playing if it were the regular season etc....

The Washington series, heck, their playoff run in general proved to me that a coach who insists his team play 100% sit back and defend hockey even have a chance to make a deep run and that repeating or even going deep after a Cup win/run is tough.

Pretty sure nobody here is "living in the past", this team`s "core" is young, and anytime I listen to or read about our team from guys like a Bob Mackenzie, they always bring up how much of a positive it is that Chia and Co have been able to maintain that continuity of personel by consistently re-signing players.

Chia`s not re-signing scrubs

 

[Rookie Chargers]

Tom Kostopoulos if still not signed woud be a good addition. There's no such thing as too much toughness in the NHL the past few seasons and he can play without hurting the team.

I'm still also of the belief that the highly underrated Danny Paille can move up to 3rd line LW (when Chris Bourque gets mercifully returned to Prov) making a permanent home on 4th line LW for Lane Macdermid.

Adding an extra D (Colin White) would also be a good insurance policy should Hamilton not be quite ready.

Too soon to be thinking trade at this point, I think.

I love seeing that name in a post after witnessing all those from when he first signed.

 

[bernmeister]

More love between HF posters.

1. Agree that love is all you need, said some wise men.

2. Thanks to all BB brethren at the board for the cordial response to this inquiry. I'll give it a few more days and divulge what's on my mind.

3. Congrats on good win last night at first game of season..

 

[bernmeister]

The PP. I really think this team needs a skilled lefty. Maybe Marchand can develop some of that in his game (he's not a true PPQB but I think his offense is underrated)... Spooner has the potential to be a true PPQB, but isn't ready yet...

3LW. I know a lot of people look at that spot as completely insignificant but this team is built around depth and if that spot is a problem then the whole 3rd line loses it's effectiveness and our supposed depth advantage goes out the window. (And if someone in the top6 gets injured, you're basically icing 2/3rds of the Providence Bruins as your 3rd line.)

I hope Bourque delivers. He's in a good situation with a good coach who will get the most out of him, but I think that if that line could add more of a power guy (like a Ryan Clowe) that that style of player would give the B's the depth they rely on and make them much harder to play against in the playoffs. Maybe that's something they consider at the deadline.

Hamilton to deveop. It's unfair to expect anything from Hamilton beyond just learning from his mistakes, but this defense does need mobility and puck moving savvy on the back-end. and with a player like Hamilton already on the team, it doesn't make much sense to trade for it.

Rask to stand and deliver. He did it once before but the position was much more competitive then. Lack of competition is never a good thing, IMO. Maybe Dobby eventually puts pressure on Rask for the job but going into the season, the job is Rask's and it'll be interesting to see how he handles that. Will he be driven to not only take the reigns but carry the team, or will he lose a little of his competitive edge without a legend like Thomas around to push him?

With honorable mention to comparable posts, this appears to be the best summary of a consensus so far.

Let's give it a few more days, anything besides these points?

 

[bernmeister]

I don't think so.

Agree w/this post.

Gomez whole game is speed, and he may still have some, but apparently not enough to be effective.

Also some view him as a cancer.
Does not deserve roster spot.

Proceed at your own risk.

 

[bernmeister]

More speed on D.

Acknowledged, this was seconded also.

 

[Artemis]

What do the bruins need? To stay healthy and hungry

This team, as constructed, can beat any other in a 7 game series.

Even our lord Orr said so

Ah, what does he know? He's just a pompom waver.

 

[chizzler]

Maybe we can grab someone like Pouliot.

 

[ODAAT]

Maybe we can grab someone like Pouliot.

For those here that have been fans for years, we`ve all seen worse than Pouliot brought for a million bucks

 

[Krupp]

I admit I became a big fan of Pouliot's by the end of last season. He was playing fairly well, aside from a turnover here or there. I would've liked to see him stay with this team for another year. He might've made significant improvements under Julien's system.

With that said, I'm glad he's getting to play with Tampa Bay. He might fare better there

 

[chizzler]

For those here that have been fans for years, we`ve all seen worse than Pouliot brought for a million bucks

I wasn't being sarcastic. I think he did well in the system and was for the most part a hustler and a good teammate. They definitely could do worse than him. I guess the system got him a spot somewhere else.

 

[don]

Tom Kostopoulos if still not signed woud be a good addition. There's no such thing as too much toughness in the NHL the past few seasons and he can play without hurting the team.

I'm still also of the belief that the highly underrated Danny Paille can move up to 3rd line LW (when Chris Bourque gets mercifully returned to Prov) making a permanent home on 4th line LW for Lane Macdermid.

Adding an extra D (Colin White) would also be a good insurance policy should Hamilton not be quite ready.

Too soon to be thinking trade at this point, I think.

Kostopoulos is 33/34and Whit is 35/36. IMO both are OTH (like me). A few years ago I wanted Kostopoulos but not now. Sorry.

FWIW, my needs reflected both current and future needs. I never look to just one year when evaluating the team.

 

[SpitfireIX]

I like the way Borque plays. He goes hard and he makes the smart play. However, if we were to add another player I would like it to be another Rich Peverely type, that is a player on a lesser team who is good but often overlooked and as a result would not cost a ton. Mike Santorelli has been a good player when given the chance and I think he would be solid on our 3rd line. He had 41 points and 20 goals two years ago for the Panthers. He probably would not cost much and he works hard. Just a thought.

 

[bernmeister]

Anything further?
I suggest we keep this going after Thursday's game, which I hope for Rangers sake was an aberration.

We can then wrap up over weekend, and I'll see if we are close to what I originally had in mind......

 

[Quaider*]

Kostopoulos is 33/34and Whit is 35/36. IMO both are OTH (like me). A few years ago I wanted Kostopoulos but not now. Sorry.

FWIW, my needs reflected both current and future needs. I never look to just one year when evaluating the team.

Yes both players are certainly up there in age. I thought we were more or less thinking about free agents available for money and not trades. My feeling is that it's going to be a lot of games in a short amount of time. Thornton is up there in age which is where Kostopoulos comes in.

The last time I saw White play he still looked to be effective. You may well be right that they are both over the proverbial hill.

 

[Root]

The PP. I really think this team needs a skilled lefty. Maybe Marchand can develop some of that in his game (he's not a true PPQB but I think his offense is underrated)... Spooner has the potential to be a true PPQB, but isn't ready yet...

3LW. I know a lot of people look at that spot as completely insignificant but this team is built around depth and if that spot is a problem then the whole 3rd line loses it's effectiveness and our supposed depth advantage goes out the window. (And if someone in the top6 gets injured, you're basically icing 2/3rds of the Providence Bruins as your 3rd line.)

I hope Bourque delivers. He's in a good situation with a good coach who will get the most out of him, but I think that if that line could add more of a power guy (like a Ryan Clowe) that that style of player would give the B's the depth they rely on and make them much harder to play against in the playoffs. Maybe that's something they consider at the deadline.

Hamilton to deveop. It's unfair to expect anything from Hamilton beyond just learning from his mistakes, but this defense does need mobility and puck moving savvy on the back-end. and with a player like Hamilton already on the team, it doesn't make much sense to trade for it.

Rask to stand and deliver. He did it once before but the position was much more competitive then. Lack of competition is never a good thing, IMO. Maybe Dobby eventually puts pressure on Rask for the job but going into the season, the job is Rask's and it'll be interesting to see how he handles that. Will he be driven to not only take the reigns but carry the team, or will he lose a little of his competitive edge without a legend like Thomas around to push him?

agree with all this, especially about the part of our third line left wing and the type of player i would like to see added in that role. for the record i still think Caron eventually will get the spot, but ideally I'd like to see them trade for a vet like a Clowe. a couple other possibilities are Morrow and Glencross. both guys would add some grit to the speed of Kelly and Pevs. Glencross or Clowe would be ideal.

 

[BigBadBruin8]

I still hold onto the pipe dream of Iginla if the Flames have a bad enough start to this season. Talk about improvement for 3rd line LW. This truly is the "**** or get off the pot" season in Calgary. They keep playing like they have been and they'll be out of it in the blink of an eye, and we can get Iginla for futures. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[AintLifeGrand]

What would it take to bring Raptor Jezus Home ?? (The South/Nashville)

 

[BMC]

For me it is the power play. This has been a chronic sore spot since Claude took over.

Whether Claude should get another PP coach or start using different players I do not know but something has to be done. The Bruins got away with a terrible PP when they won the Cup but that is most unlikely to happen again.

 

[Artemis]

For me it is the power play. This has been a chronic sore spot since Claude took over.

Whether Claude should get another PP coach or start using different players I do not know but something has to be done. The Bruins got away with a terrible PP when they won the Cup but that is most unlikely to happen again.

The Kings had a terrible PP when they won the Cup too. 12.8% in the postseason. Boston's was 11.4% in their run.


However, regarding the Bruins' PP, though they haven't scored it already looks much better. More movement and creativity, less tentativeness.

 

[BMC]

The Kings had a terrible PP when they won the Cup too. 12.8% in the postseason. Boston's was 11.4% in their run.


However, regarding the Bruins' PP, though they haven't scored it already looks much better. More movement and creativity, less tentativeness.

Yes but it is only two games into the season