2013-14 Boston Bruins Thread (the offseason)

[stevea20]

Wow, you want to trade Krejci! I never would have guessed

I don't know who I'd like to see the team go after. I did notice that Ryan Kessler wants out of Vancouver (who wouldn't). I don't know? Maybe?

Good-bye Thornty, I will miss you and your fire. If you don't go to another team and decide to retire, maybe you could join 98.5 and replace Wiggy.

 

[BDL]

Early reports are coming out that either the NHL or NBC actually listened to fans and are cutting way back on their outdoor games. So far the only committed 1 is the Winter Classic. But I have to imagine that the Heritage Classic will be added to the schedule. And I am fine with just those 2.

Wow, you want to trade Krejci! I never would have guessed

I don't know who I'd like to see the team go after. I did notice that Ryan Kessler wants out of Vancouver (who wouldn't). I don't know? Maybe?

Good-bye Thornty, I will miss you and your fire. If you don't go to another team and decide to retire, maybe you could join 98.5 and replace Wiggy.

I would love to see Thornton Thursdays. If for no other reason than to shut down Felger every time he talks out of his back-side. But I also wouldn't mind seeing him behind a desk at NESN. Even if it was just for a weekly show. PJ Stock parlayed his playing career into a successful broadcast career (damned ex-gf stole my Stock Crew t-shirt when we broke up).

As for Kessler... The B's and 'Nucks had a deal in principle for Edler. Maybe make a deal to get them both. I think Krejci, Bartkowski, a prospect and picks could get it done. Vancouver is going to continue to plummet due to their top heavy contracts and dealing BOTH their goalies.

 

[BDL]

Congrats to Bruin-for-life/current Oilers captain, Andrew Ference on his winning the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. This award is "presented annually by the NHL to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community." Those of us in the Hub have known about this side of him for years. Glad to see the NHL community catching up.

 

[BDL]

The 2014-15 preseason has been announced for the Bruins.

Bruins preseason schedule:
9/23: @ MON 9/24:
vs. WAS 9/26:
@ WAS 9/27:
@ DET 9/30:
vs. NYI 10/3:
vs. NYI (Bridgeport)
10/4: vs DET

And early reports are that the Blackhawks will face the Caps in DC for the Winter Classic

 

[BDL]

It's not even July 1st yet, and there has already been a lot of activity in the league. The Flyers seem to be looking for a change of identity, by trading Hartnell to Columbus for Umberger. And the Habs have inked Markov to a 3-yr extension. In a strange twist of irony, this may actually help the Bruins. If the B's need to move 1 of their D-men, they will be looked at like a bargain compared to the Markov contract. Boychuk and McQuaid combined are close to what Markov is getting paid.

And speaking of the Bruins, Z, Bergie and Tuuk are all up for awards tonight. The show will be on NBCSports. I can only HOPE that they don't allow any Real Housewives to butcher anyone's name this year. I don't care who her husband is. But a couple of confirmed presenters are Eric Stonestreet and David Boreanaz.

Free agency opens up 1 week from today. I'll try to update as I can. But if you want to play amateur GM (like me), go to capgeek.com. See who the free agents are. Look at the lengths of the contracts. And see who has comparable cap hits. It is frustrating and fun at the same time.

 

[stevea20]

Good night for Bergeron tonight. Two awards and the cover of NHL '15.

The Vezina for Rask but no Norris for Z. Still, a fun night.

I think Subban is preparing for his next vocation, behind the mic. Actually didn't do too bad.

I see there are a lot of Tuesday games on the schedule. That's good for me since I'll get to watch a little more.

 

[BDL]

Good night for Bergeron tonight. Two awards and the cover of NHL '15.

The Vezina for Rask but no Norris for Z. Still, a fun night.

I think Subban is preparing for his next vocation, behind the mic. Actually didn't do too bad.

I see there are a lot of Tuesday games on the schedule. That's good for me since I'll get to watch a little more.

Congrats to Bergy on his multiple wins, the other night (including the cover of the EA game next year). And congrats to Tuuk for bringing home the Vezina and having his most humbling moment in years. Z came up just shy for the Norris. It was also great seeing former Bruins that night too. Ference winning his humanitarian award and seeing Pevs receive a standing ovation, when he took the stage, was something else.

The show itself was... "Ehhh..." Kind of a let down. I'll tell you what though. Cuba Gooding Jr. submitted his resume' to host next year's show though.

Tonight is the NHL draft and the B's have the 25th pick. So far it has been quiet and PC has been in "Nothing to see here" mode. His former protege out in Vancouver though, pulled the trigger on big deal. Swapping Kesler for Bonino and a 1st rd pick. Some of you out there may consider this a completely lopsided deal. But if you look at the stats, Bonino had more pts last year than Kesler. And with the differences in pay, the 'Nucks now have an additional $3m in cap space. Add that to the fact that Benning got to see Bonino get seasoned at BC, this could be very beneficial to the 'Nucks. There are some that are saying that Benning will use the additional cap space to make a wink-wink/nudge-nudge deal with the B's, but I don't buy it.

 

[BDL]

PC has 8 hrs to try to ink Iginla, or else he becomes a free agent. But lost in the shuffle is that there could be teams that will submit offer sheets to Reilly Smith. He is an RFA and definitely made some GM's radar. The sharks (the animal, not the SJ team), will be in the water.

 

[BDL]

The 1st Bruin UFA has signed with another team. Chad Tres-Cero is now a member of the Islanders. Former Bruin Pouliot has signed a 5 yr deal with the Oilers.

 

[BDL]

Sad day boys and girls. The Shawn-father is no longer a Bruin. Shawn Thornton has officially signed with the Florida Panthers. He signed a 2-yr $1.2m per, deal. Be interesting the 1st day in the dressing room with Bobby Luongo.

In related news, the Bruins have just announced that the Florida Panther games ticket prices have gone from tier 1 to tier 3. Just kidding, but I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[stevea20]

Sad day boys and girls. The Shawn-father is no longer a Bruin. Shawn Thornton has officially signed with the Florida Panthers. He signed a 2-yr $1.2m per, deal. Be interesting the 1st day in the dressing room with Bobby Luongo.

In related news, the Bruins have just announced that the Florida Panther games ticket prices have gone from tier 1 to tier 3. Just kidding, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Here's an interesting thought. Who's the first Bruin that Thornton ends up fighting? And who will B's fans cheer for?

 

[BDL]

Here's an interesting thought. Who's the first Bruin that Thornton ends up fighting? And who will B's fans cheer for?

Miller. And I don't think anyone will cheer. It will be the same applause you hear when at the start of the 12th round and the 2 boxers touch gloves at the bell.

But in happy news, Vanek is now in the Western Conf.

 

[stevea20]

Well, Iginla is gone to Colorado and I can't say I'm surprised. It really didn't sound like the B's had a real chance due to cap issues. Now comes the question we faced when Kessel left, how do you replace the 30 goals he gave you?

If PC isn't going to make any moves. as he has said, we'll never see 3 solid lines.

I didn't know that P.K. Subban was a RFA. Too bad the unwritten rule is you don't steal them. Can you imagine a power play with him and Chara.

 

[BDL]

This post is more of an around the league, than just the Bruins, but a lot of stuff has gone down.

1st, Toews and Kane are going NO WHERE. They both sighed 8yr deals with the 'Hawks for a gajillion dollars each. Chicago must have HUGE faith in their farm system.

Also, former Bruin rental Zanon will be skating with the Shawn-father for the Panthers. Florida, must be looking for cheap "mess with our rookie at your own peril" insurance polices.

Spezza is now a Dallas Star. I think it is a safe bet that he will be at least wearing an 'A' on the front of his sweater. It will be interesting to see how he and Seguin interact, and which of them will get Benn on their wing?

As for the bruins themselves, today was the 1st day of development camp. Subban was a 1/2 hr late due to dehydration. It's not a critical issue. But it brings up, the Bruins are thin in net on the farm, now that Svedberg is the default #2 goalie.

And for today's edition of salary cap math:

If the Bruins can trade either Boychuk OR (Campbell & McQuaid), for a top goalie prospect, the Bruins free up money to fill in the RW gap with Setgucci.

 

[BDL]

Hello. It's been a while. But what can I say? It has been an incredibly uneventful summer on the Bruins front. The 1 bright spot was the developmental camp. A camp where Joe Hags found a new player to salivate over. David Pastrnak. He got everyone excited in camp. Now I don't believe that he will come right in and leap frog players like Spooner and Fraser, but he definitely a talent to watch.

Since we are on the front porch of Bruins training camp, I thought I'd share a video that Stanley Cup of Chowder posted. It's from the under 20 World Juniors Championships. And the kid has tools. Vision, puck handling, passing, quick trigger and, what really surprised me, he's not afraid to throw his body around or break up plays on defense.

HERE is the video.

 

[stevea20]

It took awhile but I've finally gotten to see all episodes of "Behind the B" on NHL Network. I wish they would do it again this season but it doesn't appear so.

We have the potential of 4 new teams in the next couple of years. I think this is too much. Two teams to even out the conferences would be right. As for the locations, Toronto doesn't need a second team. The Maple Leafs would bury anyone new. Quebec would be a better choice, then one team in the East (Detroit) can be shifted to the West. Between Seattle and Las Vegas I'd probably give Seattle the nod. That would give Vancouver a natural rival. I don't think the issue of gambling would disqualify Vegas, it just doesn't seem right.

Hey BDL, the B's are talking extension with your favorite player. GO KRECJI.

 

[BDL]

It took awhile but I've finally gotten to see all episodes of "Behind the B" on NHL Network. I wish they would do it again this season but it doesn't appear so.

We have the potential of 4 new teams in the next couple of years. I think this is too much. Two teams to even out the conferences would be right. As for the locations, Toronto doesn't need a second team. The Maple Leafs would bury anyone new. Quebec would be a better choice, then one team in the East (Detroit) can be shifted to the West. Between Seattle and Las Vegas I'd probably give Seattle the nod. That would give Vancouver a natural rival. I don't think the issue of gambling would disqualify Vegas, it just doesn't seem right.
:

Behind the B was a good show. I liked the internal ripping on each other, and the fear that appeared in every Bruin's eyes, whenever the strength and conditioning coach walked in the room. I hope it comes back for a 2nd season.

I am so opposed to expansion, it's not even funny. What is wrong with contraction? It has happened before (the Golden State Seals are no more). I have no problem if a team wants to re-locate to a more profitable area and to have a broader fan base. The Jets seem to have re-vitalized since returning to Winnipeg. So, instead of expansion, move the Panthers and Coyotes, and let them become the Quebec Nordiques and the Ontario Lakers.

Hey BDL, the B's are talking extension with your favorite player. GO KRECJI.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

Please tell me you are kidding. He is making $5+million now. I can only imagine what he'd want.

 

[stevea20]

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

Please tell me you are kidding. He is making $5+million now. I can only imagine what he'd want.

No , I'm not kidding. I've heard it on the various CSN shows and along the news crawl. It does seem to be preliminary talks, just to see if anything could get done.

 

[kimblebee]

Behind the B was a good show. I liked the internal ripping on each other, and the fear that appeared in every Bruin's eyes, whenever the strength and conditioning coach walked in the room. I hope it comes back for a 2nd season. I am so opposed to expansion, it's not even funny. What is wrong with contraction? It has happened before (the Golden State Seals are no more). I have no problem if a team wants to re-locate to a more profitable area and to have a broader fan base. The Jets seem to have re-vitalized since returning to Winnipeg. So, instead of expansion, move the Panthers and Coyotes, and let them become the Quebec Nordiques and the Ontario Lakers. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Please tell me you are kidding. He is making $5+million now. I can only imagine what he'd want.

I totally agree with you although I can see Toronto able to handle a second team. It's not a done deal but it would be great to see a few more Canadian teams.

I hope someday soon Mr. Bettman realizes that hockey will not work just because you put it in a city. Las Vegas? Seriously? I'm scared that there will be dancing showgirls on skates and it will be a laughing stock before the first season is done. We don't need four more teams. Maybe two, Seattle and Quebec City. And not even new teams. There's lots of teams that could be moved. Then, if that goes well, think about expanding or relocating again in a few years. It's not rocket science.

 

[BDL]

No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!!!!

Not only did the B's re-sign Krejci when they are already $800k over the cap. Not only did the Bruins give him a bigger contract than Bergy (a sin in my book). BUT... the locked Krejci up for 6 additional years.

Excuse me...

6yrs for $43m+? No way! Way too much, way too long.

Why Peter? Whyyyyyyyyyyyy? You had Krejci in a contract yr, in a year that you are short on offense. He would have to light it up to get his dollars up. Then you could have let him ride off into the sunset.

Ughhh. I hope he steps up this year.