Did the Bruins disappoint this season? | Pucks with Haggs - video Dailymotion

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Joe Haggerty discusses his thoughts on the Bruins season and their brutal playoff ending, then answers some questions in a mailbag segment.    Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Football season may be over, but the action on the floor is heating up. Whether it’s Tournament Season or the fight for playoff homecourt, there’s no shortage of high stakes basketball moments this time of year. Quick withdrawals, easy gameplay and an enormous selection of players and stat types are what make PrizePicks the #1 daily fantasy sports app!  Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply.  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Transcript

00:00 Welcome to another edition of the Pucks with Hags podcast powered by prize picks, the exclusive

00:11 daily fantasy partner of the CLNS media network.

00:15 I believe this is the 91st episode of the Pucks with Hags podcast.

00:19 It's going to be a Pucks with Hags mailbag edition where I get your questions via Facebook,

00:25 via Twitter, via email, wherever you want to send them to me.

00:29 Best ones are going to make the air.

00:30 We're going to answer as many questions as we can and try to get to the bottom of what

00:34 happened with the Boston Bruins.

00:35 I think we should reset maybe just by setting the scene as to how the season ended in my

00:40 thoughts.

00:43 Obviously a tough loss in game six, losing in the final couple of minutes of the third

00:49 period when everybody thought it might be headed to overtime.

00:53 That's always a tough way to lose.

00:54 It was very reminiscent of game seven the year before where they fell apart, the Bruins,

01:00 in the last minute or two of the game.

01:04 So that's always a tough way to go out.

01:05 That being said, different situation this year.

01:09 I think getting to the second round of the playoffs, getting that game seven win against

01:12 the Maple Leafs, pushing Florida to six games when the series could have ended earlier than

01:19 that.

01:20 I think those were all actually good, encouraging things for this Boston Bruins team.

01:23 I am not going to be as down on this team as some might be after building up these expectations

01:30 that weren't ever really there.

01:32 I always thought this was a wildcard team, a flawed team, a team that those flaws were

01:37 going to come out in the playoffs.

01:40 And I think that's what happened.

01:41 They were 12th out of 16 teams in the playoffs in terms of goal scoring, 2.38 goals per game.

01:48 They basically couldn't score more than two goals a game.

01:51 Their power play died against the Florida Panthers.

01:54 The centers were having a tough time with puck possession, with winning face-offs, all

02:00 the things you thought might happen if there was no Therese Bergeron and no David Cragy

02:04 and you're trying to replace them with Pavel Zaka and Charlie Coyle.

02:10 I think all that stuff came to the fore, rose to the top.

02:17 And as it is in the playoffs, when you play really good teams that can expose your flaws

02:22 and exploit them, I think that's what we saw.

02:26 Definitely at points in the Toronto series and for sure against the Florida team that

02:30 just kept them hemmed in their own zone.

02:33 They were having a hard time breaking out against them.

02:35 They just kept pounding them with a physical four check that paid dividends and wore the

02:40 Bruins down as the series was going on, but also just kept them out of the offensive zone.

02:45 They just didn't have puck possession enough in the O-zone and consequently they didn't

02:49 have enough goals.

02:50 End of the day, I think this Bruins team maximized their potential.

02:56 I think they got valuable playoff experience for a lot of their young players and valuable

03:03 leadership experience and playing in different role experience for a lot of their veteran

03:08 guys as well that had to step up and play more minutes, play bigger roles, be a little

03:14 bit more of a leader, all of that stuff this year.

03:18 I think it was a trial for all of them and I think it was a challenge for all of them

03:21 from the captain Brad Marcian in his first year as captain to Charlie McAvoy and David

03:26 Poschnick taking on bigger leadership roles to Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zaka taking on

03:30 bigger responsibilities to Brandon Carlo being a very underrated leader and one of the consciences

03:40 and personalities of this team that I think he's an important part of.

03:45 Jeremy Swayman, obviously, a guy that really stepped up into a different level and all

03:49 you had to do was hear the TD Garden fans, the Bruins fans during the handshake line,

03:55 the ceremonial handshake line after the series was over.

03:59 The Panthers and Bruins are shaking hands with the playoff series done and the TD Garden

04:05 crowd just broke into a spontaneous Swayman, Swayman chant which told you everything you

04:12 needed to know about how his profile rose in these playoffs, where the level of importance

04:18 for him is on this team now, where the pecking order is now.

04:22 He's one of the most important players on that team.

04:25 He's going to get a mega contract extension in the summertime.

04:28 I have zero doubt about it after that playoff run.

04:30 I think he earned it with the way he seized and took control of that starting playoff

04:34 spot and the way he played 933 save percentage led the entire playoff field.

04:41 Was really the only reason they got to game six or the biggest reason they got to game

04:45 six of the second round was Swayman being just spectacular in the pipes.

04:51 It was too bad, obviously, that the season ended on a rebound of an Anton Lundell shot

04:58 that wasn't great and kicked out to Gus Forsling for the game winner, but whatever.

05:03 I don't think anybody really cares how that goal scored.

05:06 You're not going to blame Swayman for anything because he was the biggest reason he was there.

05:11 If anybody is deserving of a Mulligan, it's that guy after the way he played throughout

05:15 the playoffs and the way he's really risen or pushed up his profile around the NHL.

05:21 You know, I think people are going to view him as a number one.

05:23 He should get paid like a number one now, and it's all because like it's very rare and

05:27 it's hard to find guys that perform like that in the playoffs with the pressure on and he

05:31 absolutely did it.

05:34 But I mean, that's that's about it.

05:36 As far as the season goes, I just think they lost to a better team in the Florida Panthers.

05:41 I don't think you can be.

05:42 It's kind of how I felt in 2013 when the Bruins lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley

05:47 Cup final.

05:48 How could you be mad at that Bruins team for losing to a dynastic better team in the Blackhawks?

05:54 They just lost to a better team.

05:56 And I always felt that way.

05:57 You know, you can't be that upset about it happening when when something like that happens.

06:01 You tip your cap and you move on.

06:02 And I think the Bruins felt that and knew that by the time the series was over, that

06:06 the Florida Panthers might be built to win a cup this year and certainly are built to

06:10 get all the way to the end if they stay healthy.

06:13 And the Bruins just aren't there yet.

06:15 And I think they accomplished a lot this year.

06:17 They deserve a ton of credit.

06:18 The regular season was great.

06:20 Winning a playoff round, Pasternak being the game seven hero in overtime, having his playoff

06:24 moment, even if the playoffs in general were a little disappointing for him, I think was

06:28 huge and is something he can build on moving forward.

06:33 But just in general, I think, you know, I've said this a lot this year.

06:36 It's kind of a transition year for the Bruins, kind of a bridge year, if you want to use

06:40 that term.

06:41 There's a lot of different terms you could use.

06:43 But whatever you want to use, they're in the midst of going from one thing to another.

06:48 And this was that transition year.

06:50 So like, I think you've got to temper the expectations a little bit.

06:54 And I think they met them and exceeded them, frankly, doing what they did.

06:58 So as disappointing as last year wasn't rightfully so for a stacked team to go out in the first

07:04 round last year was the one fans should be really disappointed and down about and pissed

07:09 off or whatever, whatever emotion they want to have.

07:12 But this year, I think you'd say, good job, nice building year.

07:16 You did some good things.

07:17 And now you get, you know, 20 plus million dollars in salary cap space that you can go

07:22 play with, especially if you can trade Lena Solmark.

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09:04 All right, let's move on to the questions, shall we?

09:09 Mailbag questions, everybody.

09:12 This is from Kirk19721974 on Twitter.

09:18 Do you think the Bruins will be able to find a cap space to sign a number one center, a

09:21 top four D-man, another legitimate scoring winger while getting Swayman and Dabrusk re-signed

09:26 with new contracts?

09:27 If not, what do you believe should be the top priorities for the roster?

09:32 Well, let me first state by saying this, you're not going to get all that and re-sign Dabrusk

09:37 and Swayman.

09:38 That's just not going to happen.

09:39 Dabrusk had a good playoff.

09:40 He led you in postseason points.

09:43 You know, he's got past good offensive seasons under his belt.

09:47 He's a former first round pick.

09:49 I think he's going to get paid somewhere.

09:51 I just don't think, I still don't think it's going to be here.

09:53 I don't think he's coming back to Boston.

09:54 I think he's going to go for money somewhere else.

09:57 I don't think the Bruins are going to be able to pay him the money that he wants.

10:00 So I think that one, he's not coming back.

10:04 And look, I'm of the opinion that as good as he is, and he was good in the playoffs

10:10 and he played with, he said a broken hand towards the end of the regular season.

10:14 Impressive, tough that he would do that.

10:19 Shows up in the postseason, like it had a good playoff.

10:23 When he's hot, he can really like carry you offensively and he can do some things like

10:26 last year, he was dynamite, obviously, but he was playing with Bergeron and Martian.

10:30 And you got to kind of put that in perspective that he was in that spot, but he did really

10:37 well playing with them.

10:40 But do you, are you willing to go four or five years on a big money deal with Jake Dabrusk?

10:46 Obviously what he's going to get on the open market for a player that's inconsistent, like

10:51 he is a player that, you know, so maybe sometimes you want to keep the carrot sort of right

10:55 in front of them as for motivational speaking and motivational purposes.

11:01 You're not going to be able to do that as much if you have signed them to a four to

11:04 five year security deal with big money.

11:07 Do you, are you willing to take that risk that he's going to bring it and give you what

11:10 you need every single night when he's got that kind of security?

11:14 I think the Bruins have learned at this point that that might not be a good bet and that

11:19 better off having him sign somewhere else.

11:21 And look, he's, Jake Dabrusk is a good guy.

11:24 I know he's tight with Pasternak and that means something, you know, there's going to

11:27 be pull there to re-sign him because he's one of Pasternak's boys.

11:32 But I just think it would not be wise to spend that kind of term, that kind of money investment,

11:40 take that kind of money in a summer when you're going to have some money to spend to sink

11:44 a portion of it on a player that you know what he is and you know probably he's not

11:48 going to live up to whatever you're paying him from a consistency standpoint.

11:53 I think you're better off moving on.

11:55 And look, it's tough to put the puck in the net.

11:57 That's the hardest skill to have.

11:58 It's going to be hard to replace that.

12:01 Maybe what you're bringing in isn't even going to be as good as that.

12:04 You know, that's the other part of this is if you let him walk, what are you getting

12:08 instead?

12:09 Is it anything better?

12:10 Is it worse?

12:11 Is it an upgrade?

12:12 Like you're always looking to upgrade.

12:14 So that's a tough part of the equation as well.

12:16 But I think they'll think long and hard about the Dubresque one.

12:20 Swayman's a no-brainer.

12:21 I think seven years, seven million a year, something like that.

12:24 It's going to get done.

12:25 And you know, he's not going to get huge, huge money because he still has to, he has

12:29 some things to prove in the regular season as far as games played, as far as being a

12:32 number one that can really, you know, play a 55 to 60 game workload, that kind of thing

12:38 in addition to the playoffs.

12:39 But he'll get paid enough for sure as a number one goalie.

12:45 As far as what I think should be the top priority on the roster, I think number one center.

12:51 You know, I don't know if it's Elias Lindholm.

12:54 I don't know if you go out and you trade for somebody and you move, you have to move some

13:01 assets or prospects to make it happen.

13:06 A lot of the good number one centers, good frontline centers have been moved that were

13:11 kind of thought of as potential trade targets or guys that were going to get traded.

13:15 So I don't know what's actually going to be out there available to them.

13:21 I think that's going to have to play itself out prior to July 1st and after July 1st,

13:27 maybe.

13:28 But Lindholm's a guy I would think about just because he's so good two-way.

13:33 You know, he can handle being a frontline center.

13:34 He's the kind of guy that could maybe counteract some of the things that Barkov was doing in

13:38 that series to be so dominant.

13:40 Because I think it really showed in that second round series that Barkov's a stud.

13:44 He's so good as a two-way center and a frontline center.

13:47 And the Bruins didn't really have somebody that could counteract that guy.

13:51 And you need somebody that can kind of fight fire with fire with a player like that.

13:56 So I think that's the most important one.

13:58 Legit scoring winger, sure.

14:00 They definitely need another one of those.

14:03 You know, too many nights where you've got Morgan, Geeky, Danton, Heinen, other guys

14:06 playing wing on the top six that are Trent Frederick, JVR, like whoever, that either

14:14 can't do it now, could never do it, or just aren't top six wingers that are going to put

14:18 the puck in the net.

14:19 So they need to find another one.

14:21 And they may need to find two if Jake DeBrus moves on.

14:24 So that's part of it as well.

14:27 Top four D-man.

14:29 This one, I don't know.

14:32 If you believe Mason Lowry is top four quality eventually, like at some point this next coming

14:37 season, he's going to be a top four defenseman.

14:39 You have Brandon Carlo, you have Charlie McAvoy, you have Hampus Lindholm.

14:44 I don't know that you need to get another top four defenseman.

14:47 I think you maybe need to focus on developing some young defensemen and growing some players

14:54 that the next Mason Lowry that's going to be able to help you at the NHL level.

14:58 But Lowry, I saw enough out of him to think he's turning into something like next year.

15:03 Like he's ready to come out of the oven.

15:04 He's ready, he's done.

15:07 You know, he's a fully cooked meal.

15:10 And he's ready to be top four, move the puck, power play, you know, be a dynamic puck mover,

15:16 an offensive defenseman.

15:17 Yes, he's still got lessons to learn defensively, but I liked his competitiveness in the playoffs.

15:22 He was taking some penalties, but he was doing that because he wasn't giving up on plays

15:25 and he was fighting.

15:26 And he was trying to play his position and play hard hockey, hard playoff hockey.

15:30 So I think it was a good experience for him.

15:32 And I think he'll continue to do that and get better at it.

15:36 So the top four defensemen, I'm not sure.

15:38 I also liked that Hampus Lindholm had a big game seven in the first round against Toronto.

15:43 I think that got the playoff monkey off his back to a degree where he finally had a really

15:48 good performance where he was impactful for the Bruins in an important playoff game.

15:53 And I thought he played better after that.

15:55 I thought he still struggled against Florida at times, which is going to happen.

15:59 But I also thought Lindholm and McEvoy, when they were together, were very good.

16:03 And that's maybe something we'll start seeing more as we probably should.

16:07 All right.

16:09 From NH David, hagbag question.

16:11 If someone offers Swain eight and a half a year, doubtful but possible, does Sweeney

16:15 take the two firsts, one second and one third round pick?

16:19 This is an offer sheet, obviously, that they're talking about.

16:22 Same with the lower amount, 6.5 million more likely.

16:24 Does Sweeney take the one first, two second and third round picks?

16:28 Thanks.

16:29 No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

16:34 Do you think there is any way Don Sweeney, who drafted and developed Jeremy Swainman,

16:41 plucked him out of the University of Maine and set him on the path to being the NHL star

16:46 that he is now, who just was lights out in the playoffs, 933 save percentage, you know,

16:53 did everything you would want out of a number one goalie in the making that's in his mid-20s

16:58 and is going to be in the prime of his career for the next 10 years.

17:02 You could be getting stellar number one goaltending and a big game goalie in the playoffs for

17:06 the next decade.

17:08 You're going to let that go because somebody is making an offer sheet and is trying to

17:12 take him from you?

17:14 No freaking way.

17:15 If somebody makes an offer sheet to Jeremy Swainman, the Bruins are going to match it,

17:20 and then they should target that team and go after one of their restricted free agents

17:23 and try to bring them to Boston and fight fire with fire and screw with that team and

17:28 try to mess them up.

17:29 I don't think there's any way.

17:31 A, I don't think anybody is going to pay Swainman that much and put an offer sheet out there

17:35 for him.

17:36 I think that it's pretty well known that he wants to stay in Boston, so I think people

17:40 know that they'd be getting used if they went the offer sheet route, and he'd have to sign

17:44 it too.

17:45 I don't think Jeremy Swainman would even do that, to be honest with you.

17:49 But for theoretical purposes, if Jeremy Swainman were to sign an offer sheet, whether it was

17:56 the 6.5 or 8.5 per year with another team, the Bruins would match it and they would keep

18:02 him and that would be it.

18:03 But like I said, I don't think this is going to be a protracted negotiation.

18:07 Certainly I don't think it's going to go to arbitration this time around after the bitter

18:10 experience of last offseason, last summer with Swainman and the Bruins.

18:15 I think they're going to pay him seven years, like seven-ish million a year, somewhere in

18:20 there, and it's going to be a fair deal for him as a number one goalie for basically the

18:26 next decade.

18:28 And I think the next part of that is, the next domino to fall is Olmark in trying to

18:33 trade him and clear that $5 million in cap space and find one of the 15 NHL teams that

18:40 he will agree to a trade to, or 17 teams, excuse me, 16 actually, that he will agree

18:47 to a trade to because he's got a 15 team protected list.

18:51 Now, if Olmark is smart and his agent is smart, and I'm sure they are, the no trade teams,

18:58 I would suspect, are going to be teams that don't need goaltending, that have the best

19:02 goalies in the league.

19:05 And that will, in essence, make him more untradeable and more difficult to move.

19:10 Because I don't think Olmark wants to go anywhere.

19:12 Didn't want to go to LA, doesn't want to obviously go to Buffalo.

19:15 I don't think he wants to go to a place like Edmonton either.

19:19 So I think he's going to have on his no trade list, the teams he can't get traded to, it

19:28 will be teams that he doesn't want to go to.

19:29 And the teams that he can get traded to, it will be teams that don't need goaltending.

19:37 If you leave teams like the New York Rangers and the Islanders on your, you can trade me

19:43 there list, it's fine because you're never going to get traded there because they have

19:47 goalies, they don't need you.

19:49 That would be the smart way to do it.

19:51 That would be the way to maneuver it so you would never get traded anywhere.

19:56 We'll see if that happens.

19:57 All right.

19:58 Jim Cloutier on Facebook, "NHL, hiding behind rules.

20:03 Covering a year of terrible officiating.

20:05 The key to officiating, establishing a level threshold of calls for a game that stays consistent

20:09 from puck drop to potential overtime.

20:11 Never should calls vary dependent on time, team, playoffs, or regular season."

20:15 I agree with this, but let's face it, they call it different in the playoffs than they

20:18 do the regular season.

20:19 They call it different sometimes later in a game than they do earlier in a game, and

20:22 they just do.

20:23 "An interference in period one, i.e. still the same level of contact as overtime.

20:28 The fact that Lindholm was called for an interference off the puck with minimal contact and a questionable

20:32 embellishment established the level for the call in the game.

20:35 To hide behind rules and kick it back to refs who don't follow their own established level

20:38 for the same penalty not only negates the reason and validity of a review process, it

20:42 shows the weakness and lack of discipline on NHL rules committee and process put in

20:47 place.

20:48 If this was Premier League soccer, they would have removed refs from further playoff games,

20:52 game responsibilities, thus establishing referee discipline and at least a facade of accountability."

20:58 Jim Cloutier, I love it, buddy.

21:00 You sound like somebody that's been on a rules committee or two in your life.

21:03 It's true, you know, like, there are some weak calls that you see.

21:09 There's a lot of inconsistency you see in the playoffs.

21:13 There's certainly times where, you know, you see something getting established in the first

21:20 period and immediately it goes away from that and it's something different later on, depending

21:25 on where you are, who the home team is, if they're getting pressured by the fans, the

21:30 home fans, all that stuff.

21:32 So like, they're human, it happens.

21:36 But in general, like, the obvious one is the replay.

21:45 Ogole interference, right?

21:47 That's the one I think everybody's going to be talking about for a long time.

21:53 You know, Sam Bennett decking Charlie Coyle and then scoring and he basically threw Coyle

21:59 on top of Swayman and then scored the goal.

22:02 And you know, the thought from the NHL was that Swayman was not going to be able to recover

22:08 and make the save, so it doesn't matter if somebody landed on top of him.

22:13 But I don't know how you can make that determination.

22:15 I don't understand how you can figure that out or reason that out or say that that's

22:19 so in such a theoretical way.

22:23 Like, how do you know that?

22:24 You don't know that.

22:25 There's no way.

22:27 And you know, the series supervisor, Kay Whitmore, is a goalie guy.

22:31 So like, you know, if he was in any way part of the decision making there, it's interesting

22:36 that that's the way it went down.

22:39 You know, the other part of that is Don Sweeney mentioned after it happened that they want

22:43 the NHL officials, the Kay Whitmores of the world, to speak and to answer questions about

22:50 this and to, you know, if Gary Bettman is having meetings before the year and is telling

22:58 all the coaches and all the GMs that he doesn't want to hear bellyaching and bitching about

23:02 officials or he's going to fine everybody and he's going to come down on them hard,

23:06 well, you can't do that on one hand and on the other hand have zero accountability for

23:11 anybody in your league when it comes to calls, when it comes to rulings, when it comes to

23:16 reviews, when it comes to all this stuff.

23:18 Like you got to have more of an explanation if you're not going to allow the GMs and the

23:23 coaches to demand those explanations and critique them and have opinions on them.

23:29 Like, this is something we need.

23:31 This is something the league should have.

23:32 This is something that gets things talked about, you know, and I understand it makes

23:36 the NHL a little uncomfortable, but like a healthy debate about this is not the worst

23:40 thing in the world and I certainly think there needs to be at least be serious supervisors

23:45 or supervisors of officials willing to comment to a pool reporter, answer two or three questions,

23:51 nothing extensive, nothing huge.

23:54 Just what, just explain what the NHL's thinking was in saying this wasn't interference because

23:59 it looked to anybody, any kind of layman, anybody that, you know, is a casual even fan

24:05 of hockey, it looked like goalie interference where somebody was throwing somebody on top

24:09 of the goalie and then scoring a goal.

24:11 I mean, it looked as cut and dry as interference could be and I've seen plenty of plays where

24:15 that was called goalie interference and the goal was overturned.

24:18 So I agree with you, Jim Cloutier.

24:20 I think there needs to be some, certainly a few areas where the officials could do better

24:25 and where the NHL could do better.

24:28 I loved your message though.

24:30 Well taken.

24:31 All right.

24:32 This is from Matt France.

24:33 Love your work, Joe.

24:34 Would you mind settling a debate?

24:36 Did the NIS game winner in game five of the Toronto series go off Grizzlix skate to the

24:41 front of the net?

24:42 Who was primarily responsible for that goal being scored?

24:45 Well, I think it may have gone off a skate, maybe it went off the post.

24:49 I think that actually is not, doesn't matter that much to be honest with you.

24:53 Whether it went off the post or it went off his skate, whatever it went off of and it

24:56 popped to the front of the net.

24:59 There's two, there's three people to blame here.

25:02 There's three people culpable.

25:04 There is Charlie McEvoy and Charlie Coyle that were watching the front of the net and

25:08 not covering the front of the net and allowed NIS to get in there and score.

25:12 And there is John Tavares, um, bullying Matt Grizzlik to the net, just lowering his shoulder

25:19 and, and, you know, driving the net and, you know, taking advantage of his size and strength.

25:23 He recognized that Grizzlik was the defender and said, I can take this guy.

25:27 And he pulled him to the net and the puck got to the front of the net.

25:32 And the whole, the whole reason that play happened is because John Tavares saw that

25:38 it was Matt Grizzlik and knew that he could take him and take him to the rack, take him

25:42 to the cage.

25:43 I think that's the player that's most responsible because Grizzlik's job there is to push him

25:49 to the outside, make sure that puck doesn't get to the front, get him behind the net and

25:53 make sure that the net, the puck doesn't get to the goalie.

25:58 He didn't do that.

25:59 He got beat with a couple of quick steps.

26:02 He got beat in the size and strength department.

26:04 He just got beat.

26:05 And the puck managed to find its way to the front of the net where Matthew Nyes hustled

26:08 and popped in the goal.

26:11 So I think there's blame to go around to all three.

26:14 But I think the biggest one to blame is Matt Grizzlik.

26:17 There's been too many times where he's been the one that's been picked on.

26:21 He's the one that was a liability when they scored a goal just because he's, you know,

26:27 he's smaller and he, uh, players on the other team will take advantage of him when he's

26:31 out there in situations like that, especially, um, like in an overtime situation.

26:36 So you know, it's, I think it stinks.

26:41 I think it's unfortunate that that might end up being the last play of Grizzlik's career

26:46 in a Bruins uniform.

26:48 Um, you know, going out that way, I think that's the, if that's the way it goes and

26:54 that's, you know, how his last moments are remembered, that's unfortunate.

26:58 But I don't, he's one of those players I don't think is going to be back next year.

27:02 He's a free agent now entering free agency.

27:05 Probably best to go somewhere else, sign for a few years, be a good puck moving defenseman.

27:10 Maybe he'll like, you know, not being, not playing in his backyard anymore.

27:14 Maybe the grass will be greener somewhere else.

27:16 Maybe he'll get more of an opportunity somewhere else.

27:18 But I just think in the playoffs, you need bigger, stronger defensemen across the board.

27:25 You know, they need to be big, strong, not weak link types defensively, not somebody

27:30 that can be exploited defensively because I know Grizzlik was good with the stick and

27:34 he was good at killing plays before they got into the zone and he's a smart defender and

27:38 good technically and using his stick, all that stuff.

27:41 But the bottom line is when push comes to shove, they were, any team is able to, if

27:46 they want to exploit a matchup where they want to get somebody big and strong that can,

27:51 you know, throw Grizzlik around by the net, they're going to get it sometimes if that's

27:55 what they're looking for.

27:57 And I think you just can't have that on your defensive front in the postseason.

28:01 It becomes something that can get picked on and you need to have no weaknesses like that.

28:08 So bottom line, I would say that Grizzlik was primarily responsible.

28:13 People are going to say McAvoy, that he should have cleared the puck and he was puck watching

28:17 and certainly Coyle too because he's a center and that's his responsibility.

28:20 But I'm going to say Grizzlik.

28:22 All right, this is Julian Beckett, 75.

28:25 Grizz gone, Shaddy gone, Forbort gone, McAvoy, Lowry, Carlo, Lindholm, Peek.

28:30 Those guys aren't going anywhere.

28:31 We need Manson.

28:33 They need somebody like that, you know.

28:36 They need somebody that is not going to be tremendously expensive to get, that is not

28:43 going to need to be a top pair guy, but brings snarl, brings physicality, brings somebody

28:51 that's a little bit of a big brother sort of presence, that will not be afraid to protect

28:57 his teammates, to set the tone physically.

29:02 They need somebody like that on the back end.

29:04 They really do.

29:05 They need that element.

29:06 You know, Derek Forbort was a good penalty killer, good player, big, strong, all that

29:11 stuff, but he wasn't that type of guy.

29:15 That wasn't his role.

29:16 That's not what he did.

29:18 And I don't think he was comfortable doing it.

29:19 I don't think that was his forte.

29:21 They need to find somebody that's a mean son of a bitch, you know, and I don't think that

29:24 was Derek Forbort.

29:25 You know, McAvoy is a little bit of that, but you obviously don't want him doing too

29:29 much of that stuff because it wipes him out and tires him out from being effective at

29:33 some of the other things that he needs to do as well.

29:36 So I like Manson, some type like that they need to bring in.

29:39 And, you know, to the point earlier when you're talking about a top four D-man, if it's somebody

29:43 like that, I don't think you're going to be spending a ton to get them.

29:47 You know, I don't think the salary cap needs are going to be out of this world astronomical.

29:55 So I think that's a feasible solution.

29:57 Somebody like that, somebody like Jacob Middleton, some kind of player like that.

30:00 They definitely need it.

30:01 This is an interesting one.

30:04 I like this one.

30:05 Jay Baral, the 11.

30:06 How many first line level players do the Bruins have?

30:09 How many second line level players do the Bruins have?

30:12 Okay, let's do this exercise.

30:15 First line level players.

30:16 Brad Marchand, yes.

30:18 David Posternak, yes.

30:22 Second line level players.

30:24 Pavel Zaka?

30:25 Yeah, I would say so.

30:27 Like second line center, maybe a wing.

30:32 Yeah, I would put him there.

30:35 But like a lot of the other guys, Trent Frederick, no.

30:41 Morgan Geeky, I think he's best in the third line.

30:43 Charlie Coyle is probably best on the third line.

30:46 JBR, definitely not.

30:50 Denton Heinen, no.

30:51 I think he's a third, fourth line player.

30:53 Jake DeBrusque, I think on a great, on a really deep, great team, he would be a third line

31:00 winger that can put the puck in the net.

31:04 You know, do I automatically, maybe second line, certainly I don't think he's a first

31:07 line player.

31:08 Maybe you'd put him in second line with Zaka.

31:12 But I think, you know, when you break it down, there's probably like two first line players

31:17 and two second line players, if you count DeBrusque as a second line player among the

31:21 forwards that the Bruins have right now.

31:25 And I think Zaka and DeBrusque are kind of debatable.

31:28 I think, you know, one of them you could say definitely yes, the other one maybe not.

31:33 But beyond that, I think it's like a lot of third and fourth line kind of players.

31:39 Definitely third liners that they have.

31:42 And like that's where they fit best.

31:43 You know, Trent Frederick would be much more effective if he was in a third line role,

31:48 always in a third line role, sort of like, you know, was allowed to sort of take over

31:52 that line and be the guy that helps drive that.

31:55 Same with Morgan Gieke.

31:56 I think he's outstanding in that role.

31:58 Like you put Gieke and Frederick with somebody else and it's just this like crash, bang third

32:02 line that's physical, that hangs on to pucks, that pounds you in the offensive zone.

32:07 Like you're talking about something there once you have that.

32:10 So maybe Breazeaux with them.

32:12 I mean, that's a little slow, but like those guys could be formidable.

32:17 But yeah, I think it's a great question.

32:19 I think they're short.

32:20 One top line, one first line forward and one second line forward for sure among the forwards

32:26 that they have now.

32:27 So if I were them, I think that's the biggest.

32:30 I think I would go for at least two forwards.

32:32 I'd go for a number one center and a top six winger that can score goals as the top two

32:37 items on my shopping list in NHL free agency, whether it's trade, whether it's a free agent

32:43 signing, they have 20 plus million dollars to spend.

32:47 They have got 20 million plus in salary cap space.

32:49 They've got closer to 25 million if they trade Linus Allmark.

32:53 So right now I think you've got to spend at least 15 million of that on a top line center

33:01 and a top six winger that can score goals.

33:04 And you could probably get that for 15 million bucks of salary cap space per season.

33:09 So you go out and do that and maybe you find somebody that's a little more legit as a top

33:13 six winger than Jake Dubrask, more consistent, bigger, stronger.

33:18 Somebody maybe you believe is going to be able to stay consistent and stay like keep

33:23 the engine running high throughout the season.

33:26 But those would be in the Pucks with Hags podcast, those would be Hags two biggest shopping

33:32 list items for the Boston Bruins would be a number one center and a top six winger that

33:36 can a sniper that can put the puck in the net.

33:39 All right.

33:41 This is from Oregon 77.

33:42 Hey, Joe, ever since he stopped fighting and stopped doing the things he was brought in

33:46 here to do, Trent Frederick became a non factor.

33:49 Very expendable.

33:52 I don't I'm not going to call him expendable.

33:56 I still think he's a very effective player.

33:59 I would like it if he played, you know, if he dropped the gloves a little more, if he

34:02 hit more.

34:04 I don't know if that's his forte, really the body checking and the hitting, because I just

34:07 don't know if he's fast enough to really get in there as much as he needs to.

34:13 But I, I agree with you that, you know, he's one of those, you know, crusher usher Don

34:23 Cherry when a crusher thinks he's a rusher soon, he becomes an usher or whatever he said.

34:28 Don Cherry, I think, you know, Trent Frederick is one of those guys.

34:32 He's a crusher.

34:33 He's not a rusher.

34:34 And he's got a little bit of skill, but he's got like third line skill.

34:37 He doesn't have elite top six skill.

34:39 He doesn't have posture next skill doesn't have to brush skill.

34:41 So I think he needs to have that element of physicality, of nastiness, of being willing

34:47 to fight.

34:48 And he needs to do it a little more regularly and be that presence for the Bruins.

34:51 I don't think there's any doubt about it.

34:53 Do I think he's expendable?

34:54 No, I don't think he's a player that's going to move on.

34:56 You don't give up on big, strong, physical power forward types that have the skill level,

35:00 at least to be a first round pick, even if he's more of a third line type.

35:05 And he's a good like locker room guy.

35:07 I think he's very popular in there.

35:08 I don't, I don't see any benefit to moving him.

35:11 Because I think he's, he's one of those guys that's going to help you.

35:16 And it's more Boston Bruins player than not.

35:18 Like I think I picture it this way.

35:20 If you trade Trent Frederick somewhere else, I could picture him turning into the player

35:24 you always wanted him to be here if you move him.

35:28 And you'd always have that regret if it happened.

35:30 So I wouldn't move him.

35:31 I don't think he's expendable.

35:33 All right.

35:34 That is it for this week's Pucks with Hag's Mailbag.

35:38 Thanks for listening.

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37:22 All right, everybody.

37:25 Thanks for listening to another edition of the Pucks with Hags podcast.

37:27 This has been a mailbag edition.

37:29 Thank you for joining us.

37:31 We'll have a full breakdown in autopsy of the Boston Bruins next week with a couple

37:36 of the usual suspects.

37:37 But for now, thanks for listening.

37:39 We'll see you at the rink.

37:40 [MUSIC PLAYING]

Did the Bruins disappoint this season? | Pucks with Haggs

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