Tag Archives: Boston Bruins

A DIFFERENT FEEL FROM THE 2011 STANLEY CUP CHAMPS

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The start of the Bruins season has been an emotional drain on Boston hockey fans. Failing to scrounge up back-to-back wins at any point during the season, the Bruins have not looked how we hoped. They give us hope, only to let us down a few nights later. What’s the problem with this years team? Why don’t we see the same championship potential from a Bruins team, consisting of many whom actually played on the 2011 Stanley Cup championship team? Let’s break it down…

A LACK OF CHEMISTRY

One thing common among all championship teams, really for any sport, is a strong chemistry on the ice, field, etc.  When I was growing up near Chicago, I was blessed to be smothered with countless hockey championships, at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks.  The trust between defensive pairing, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, was immense. It created a contagious chemistry across all red sweaters.  Although superstars themselves alone, combining offensive forces like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Sharp, created a similar atmosphere on the other side of the puck.  With a prolific group of athletes constantly on the same page, winning championships was inevitable. This transitioned into an era of greatness for the city of Chicago, something unseen since the Michael Jordan Era.

Similarly, the Bruins Stanley Cup championship run of 2011, was crafted largely in part due to their chemistry on the ice. The Bruins were led that postseason by David Krjeci and Patrice Bergeron, both whom flirted with two dozen total postseason points, but more important was the supporting cast these two leaders were surrounded by on the ice. Guys like Nathan Horton and Michael Ryder complimented the bigger names, creating a swift and efficient play-style. This season, the Bruins have lacked the chemistry needed to compete at championship caliber. Guys like Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk need to contribute heavily in order to get point hoarders, like Marchand and David Pastrnak, more opportunities as the season continues.

FLUCTUATION BETWEEN THE PIPES

No one is expecting Tuukka Rask to put up the absurd numbers we saw from Tim Thomas during his Conn Smythe Trophy year.  The immaculate display from Thomas throughout both the regular and post-season, is something Bruins fans will never forget. Thomas led the league during the regular season, in both Goals Against Average (2.00) and Save Percentage (.938) (ESPN.com) He then went on to somehow improve those figures in the postseason (1.98) & (.940) respectively (ESPN.com.) Thomas was a vacuum cleaner for Boston, and played probably the biggest role in the B’s brining home their first Stanley Cup in nearly four decades.

This season Rask is not expected to, and will not, eclipse the level of play that Thomas did in the 2010-11 season. In order for the Bruins to contend in the Atlantic Division this season, he will need to improve.  Rask is currently 18th in Goals Against Average this season, with a mediocre 2.73 GAA (ESPN.com.) Rask has shown his ability this season on more than one occasion. He clearly has the power to prevail in net, he just needs to on a consistent basis. I appreciate that the defense has failed him time-to-time, and fortifying defensively is a priority moving forward. Hopefully, Rask can stay healthy, as the concussion earlier in the year was obviously a setback.

SPEAKING OF INJURIES…

They need to cease!  Injuries are part of the game and that’s just the way it is. In order to establish chemistry, and build any momentum, guys need to stay healthy. It seems everyday I wake up to an alert of a new player being out for a couple games or longer. Injuries play a huge role in the sport. With Marchand and Krejci both out for a bit, it’s going to be hard to collect points in the division. How the younger skaters deal with the injuries of the big name players determines a lot moving forward. Will they take the challenge, and prove their potential? Or drop the ball on an opportunity to show Boston fans what they’ve got? Only time will tell.

Stanley Cup champions are not built in the playoffs, they are built in the offseason. They grow from October, through the final puck drop in June. If the Bruins expect to be playing into the late spring, a lot of building blocks need to be put in place.

 

Boston Bruins Face Chicago Blackhawks In 2019 Winter Classic

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Get ready Boston. For the third time in the past nine years, the Bruins are taking hockey fans back to their roots. It was announced earlier on Twitter, by Barstool Sports, the Boston Bruins are set to face the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 Winter Classic. This will mark the first time the Bruins have participated in the Winter Classic as the visiting team. The matchup is set to take place at Notre Dame Stadium. Multiple reports have stated that an official announcement will be made later this month.

Previous Winter Classic Appearances

Boston Bruins

The Bruins will be participating in their third Winter Classic. Their first appearance was a 2-1 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Flyers, at Fenway park. Marco Sturm tipped in a pass from Patrice Bergeron to seal the victory, making the Bruins the first home team to ever win a Winter Classic game.

The Bruins other appearance was their more recent matchup against the Montreal Canadians, at Gillette Stadium. A matchup between two original six teams, and one of the most historic rivalry’s in sports led to a lot of hype. Unfortunately, the Bruins failed to show up, and embarrassed themselves in a 5-1 loss. It was worse than the score indicates.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks have appeared in three previous Winter Classic games, and have an 0-3 record in those contests. They dropped their only home game out of the three, at Wrigley Field, to the Detroit Red Wings in 2009, by a score of 6-4. The other two games were on the road. The first was a 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals. Then a 4-1 loss to the Blues, after taking an early 1-0 lead.

Head to Head History

The Bruins currently hold a 265-238-4 all time record against the Blackhawks. However, the Blackhawks beat the Bruins, in six games, in the 2013 Stanley Cup finals at TD Garden. The past three seasons, the teams have had an even split, each going 3-3-0.

Key Matchups

Most of the rosters have turned over since the two teams collided in the Stanley Cup finals. A few key members have kept the rivalry alive–namely, Patrice Bergeron vs. Jonathan Toews. This is one of the best matchups to watch in hockey. While neither player will make you jump out of your seat with a dazzling deke or a giant hit, they are the most balanced, valuable centers in the NHL. Another matchup to watch is Rask handling the Blackhawks on the big stage, after the devastating ending last time.

Of course it’s to early to be breaking down the matchup, but for hockey fans, nothing is better than the Winter Classic. It takes everyone back to their pond hockey roots, and is one of the greatest events in hockey.

Grading the Boston Bruins Aftter The First Month of The NHL Season

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A 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals at TD Garden wrapped up the first month of the NHL season for the Boston Bruins. The Bruins made a strong push against the Caps, but the lack of experience and the talent of Braydon Holtby foiled the comeback bid. Currently the Bruins are sitting at a mediocre 5-4-3, which if you consider all the adversity this team has faced is acceptable.

Survival

Survive: that’s what the Bruins have had to do the past month. With all the injuries on this team that have been well documented the offense is not capable of going toe-to-toe with the top tier teams in the league. So the Bruins have had to play a more grind-it-out style of hockey. The last six games the Bruins have played have been decided by one goal; they are 2-1-3 in those games. While it has not been pretty, this team needs to start winning these tight games. The Bruins have to be happy with getting a point any way possible.

Grade B

Youth

Another result of the injury bug that has continued to plague the Bruins is the youth movement. Currently the Bruins are missing three of their top nine forwards. So the young players have been thrown into the fire a little earlier than Bruce Cassidy would have hoped. Charlie McAvoy in his rookie season is currently averaging 22:47 TOI per game. He has the second most on the team only behind Chara at 23:27. To put it into perspective, over a full 82 game schedule McAvoy is on pace to play 1842 minutes of hockey. For a 19 year old who’s never gone through the grind that is the NHL season that’s a lot to ask.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, McAvoy is the only kid who has been consistently successful so far. Bjork has had flashes of brilliance but sometimes make head-scratching decisions with the puck. Debrusk has shown some offensive talent and a little bit of snarl to his game. On defense, however, he has had some critical mistakes in coverage. Debrusk has had a bad tendency to be to light on the puck along the walls. Sean Kuraly has shown a willingness to do the dirty work in the corners and has provided a nice physical spark. Overall the youth on the Bruins has held up and gotten some much needed experience.

On the flip-side, the lack of veteran leadership has been an issue. While the young kids need to play, the Bruins need to win. The lineup the Bruins had against Washington looked too much like the Providence Bruins. With the injuries to Backes and Krejci the young forwards have had little time to get comfortable playing at the NHL level.

Grade: C-

Goaltending

Despite fans viewing the Bruins’ goaltending situation as a problem, it has been a positive of the first month. Rask opened the season flatfooted and off on his angles. After suffering a concussion in practice, Khudobin stepped in and played exceptional (besides against the Sabres). In turn the Bruins seemed to get a huge mental lift. Now Tuukka is back and is playing much closer to his capabilities, while room for improvement still remains.

Currently, the Bruins sit 15th in the NHL in goals against per game with an even 3.00. But that does not tell the whole story. The Bruins have been forced to play younger defensemen throughout the majority of the season. The lack of experience on the back end has lead to numerous odd-man rushes in games. Rask and Khudobin have been in high stress situations because of the lack of coverage. Still Rask needs to play better, but Tuukka is a smart goalie who plays the angles and avoids critical mistakes. So just give it time and Tuukka should be back to top form.

Grade: B

The overall grade the Bruins get for the first month is a solid C+.

Bruins Inconsistencies Continue vs Capitals

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The Bruins have really struggled to string together a win streak so far this season. They haven’t won consecutive games yet, yet before the game against the Capitals, they actually went six consecutive games without a regulation loss.

Bad Starts are Hurting The Bruins

The Bruins were back in action on saturday evening in Boston, taking on the Washington Capitals. The Capitals haven’t had the greatest start this season, they are 7-5-1. Both teams have been inconsistent to start the season, both winning a game then losing a game. The B’s have been falling behind early in many of their games, and it happened again saturday against the Caps. They gave up the first goal about 7 minutes into the contest, coming off the stick of Tom Wilson. This goal was pretty weak, and Rask should have stopped it. The Capitals struck again in the period, with a one-timer goal, from none other than Alex Ovechkin.

However, Boston stepped up their play in the second period. They dominated most of the second period and it paid off. David Pastrnak scored the first goal of the game off a sick saucer pass from Patrice Bergeron. The Capitals held off the Bruins for the rest of the second period, and added another goal late in the period. This time from Tom Wilson, with a nifty tip on Brooks Orpik’s shot from the point.

Powerplays

Boston started off the third period strong. Brooks Orpik got a 4 minute double minor for high sticking Bruins forward David Pastrnak. This should have been enough for the Bruins to get back into the game, but it wasn’t. They were unable to capitalize on the powerplay. Boston was given another powerplay not long after, and again failed to score on that one also. The B’s started pouring on the pressure late in the third period. They received another powerplay with just over 3 minutes to play. Pastrnak potted his second of the game on the pp, and got the Bruins to within one with 2:30 remaining in the game.

Pastrnak, and the team, pushed hard in the final 2 minutes, but weren’t able to tie the game. The Caps reigning Vezina goaltender played outstanding, and came up huge for the Capitals in the final minute. The Bruins losing streak against the Capitals extended to 10 games after this loss. The last time the Bruins defeated the Capitals was in March, 2014.

Comments

“We had a bad start and you can’t have that especially against a team like Washington. They made us pay. Tough to play catch-up hockey.”  -Bruins Assistant Captain Patrice Bergeron, regarding their touch start. Bergeron played a good game and had a beautiful assist, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to score any points.

Positives

Some good things to take away from the game: Tuukka Rask stopped all 3 breakaways he faced in the game. This included one on Ovechkin, then Tom Wilson, taking away his opportunity for the hat trick, and Lars Eller on his shorthanded breakaway. The Bruins continue to not give up when they are behind. They came all the way back from 3-0 last Monday against the Blue Jackets. They nearly completed another comeback against the Capitals in this game.

The Bruins are back in action on Monday at the TD Garden in Boston. They host the Minnesota Wild. Hopefully, Boston can get Krejci back soon to give a boost to their lineup.

 

 

 

Time For Bruins To Move On From Matt Beleskey?

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The Bruins have a record of 5-3-3, just 11 games into the season. The team, decimated with injuries, is in need of some secondary scoring. One forward who has struggled ever since arriving in Beantown, is Matt Beleskey.

Beleskey Stats

Matt Beleskey was a good player for the Anaheim Ducks, but hasn’t carried that with him to Boston. Beleskey played for the Ducks for seven seasons. In one of those seasons, he only played two games. During his time with the Ducks, he posted 57 goals and 55 assists, for a total of 112 points in 329 games. Not too bad if you ask me. In Beleskey’s first season with the Bruins, he had a good year. He posted 15 goals, and 22 assists for 37 points in 80 games.

Since that season, it has been downhill for Beleskey. Last season, Beleskey only scored 3 goals, and 5 assists, for a total of 8 points in 49 games. This year, Beleskey has only played in 7 of the Bruins 11 games, and has failed to register a point.

Time to let him go?

Is it time for the Bruins to give up on Matt Beleskey? My answer is YES. I think the Bruins have plenty of young guys that deserve a shot with the big club. Beleskey has been given multiple opportunities to prove himself, and he can’t seem to do anything offensively. The Bruins have many wingers down in Providence that deserve a chance at Beleskey’s roster spot. Some of the young left wingers, who I think could take over his spot, are Jesse Gabrielle, Kenny Agostino, and Peter Cehlarik. These players are all left wingers like Beleskey, and I believe they have the potential to be better.

Bad Trades

Some bad trades have happened over the years, and are hard to wrap your head around. One trade was Reilly Smith for Jimmy Hayes. A few years ago, the Bruins traded right winger Smith to the Florida Panthers, in return for Jimmy Hayes. At first the trade looked pretty impressive. That year in Florida, Hayes had 19 goals and 16 assist for 35 points. In Boston that year, Smith had 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points. The Bruins also got rid of Marc Savard’s big contract in the trade.

It looked good at first. Like Beleskey, Hayes had a decent first year with the Bruins, scoring 13 goals and 16 helpers, for a total of 29 points through 75 games. But, like Beleskey, the year after went horribly for Hayes. He only suited up in 58 games, and scored only 2 goals and 3 assists, for a grand total of 5 points. Hayes has 4 points in 10 games, 3 goals and 1 assist, this year for the New Jersey Devils. He should easily top last years totals being that the NHL season is just beginning. I’d rather have Smith over Hayes today in a heartbeat.

More bad Trades

Another trade that has Bruins fans shaking their heads, is Johnny Boychuk to the New York Islanders, for two second round picks and a conditional third rounder. Even though Boychuk is out of his prime now, the Bruins could have used him these past few years. Their defensive play has been shaky. Another horrible trade was  Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley, and Ryan Button to the Dallas Stars, for Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith, Matt Fraser, and Joe Morrow. The Bruins have absolutely nothing to show for this trade today, all the players are gone.

 

The Bruins need to stick by their prospects

Boston needs to stick with their core players, and stop making bad signings and bad trades. They have youngsters Charlie MvAvoy, Anders Bjork, Jake DeBrusk, Brandon Carlo, and David Pastrnak, who are going to be the Bruins future. With some of their core guys like Bergeron, Backes, Krejci, and Chara getting up in age, the Bruins need to keep their young players, rather than trading them off for players that are good now. The young players will develop, and win when they are ready. The management has to be patient. This team is going to be very good very soon, and will win again soon. Get ready Bruins fans! Some playoff runs are on the way!

 

Bruins Fall 4-3 in Shootout After 3 Goal Comeback

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The Bruins fell to one of the Eastern Conferences top teams Monday night, The Columbus Blue Jackets.

Bruins Down Early

The Bruins fell behind early in the game, giving up the first goal only two minutes into the game. They gave up another goal in the final few minutes of the first period, and another in the second period. Bruins Captain, Zdeno Chara, gave the team a much needed boost by stepping up and dropping the mitts with Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson. As soon as Chara dropped the gloves, the Bruins completely changed their play. They played excellent in the second half of the second period, and excellent in the third. With this play, they stormed back with goals from Patrice Bergeron, Torey Krug, and Brad Marchand.  David Pastrnak added helpers on each of the goals.

TUUKKA?

Bruins Veteran goaltender Tuukka Rask has struggled so far this season–posting a .896 SV% and a 2.93 GAA through six games. Rask has only one win thus far, and it was nearly a month ago against the Nashville Predators. Rask had a rough start to the game in Columbus by giving up a goal on the first shot of the game, that he should’ve stopped. He gave up another that was tucked in beside him on the post, which he should have been covering. After the third goal Rask allowed, which was a breakaway, Tuukka played excellent in the second, third, and in overtime. In my opinion, Rask has never been the greatest in shootouts, so I’m not surprised with his performance.

Comments

“I don’t think we’re a team that’s going to win too many games if we don’t have all 20 guys going, and I don’t think that was the case pretty early on.”  -Head Coach Bruce Cassidy

”We didn’t show up, they were taking it to us, they were hitting us. We weren’t responding, Every second of that first period bothered me.”  -Assistant Captain Patrice Bergeron

”Z did an awesome job stepping up out there and our game started turning around there. Mills sticking up for Krug was awesome. We need that we need to show that we’re a team and a family in here. And we are, and that carries onto the ice and the guys did a great job standing up for one another.”  -Brad Marchand

“You never wanna see another guy get hit like that. Guys taking liberty out there so I kinda just reacted to be honest.”  -Kevin Miller

Next

The Bruins will be in action again on Thursday night, back in Beantown, taking on the Vegas Golden Knights. Forward Kenny Agostino, and Goaltender Zane McIntyre, were sent back down to Providence on Thursday. It looks like some guys may be getting healthy, and looking to make a return soon.

 

Heartbreaking Ending Overshadows Successful Boston Homestand

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SUCCESSFUL BOSTON HOMESTAND

As hard as it is to believe, the Boston Bruins homestand was actually a success. The Bruins earned 6 out of a possible 8 points during the 4 game stint at the Garden and showed signs of life. Boston kicked off the homestand with an impressive 6-3 win over the Canucks. This was followed by a 5-4 overtime loss to the Sabres, 2-1 victory over San Jose and finally a 2-1 overtime loss to the red hot Kings.

Just looking at the boxscores will not show the entire story, this was a rollercoaster ride. When the Bruins won, they did so in impressive fashion. The 2-1 win against San Jose was the best 60 minutes of hockey the team has played this season. Boston showed up undermanned and out-skilled, but still ground out a tough physical game against a better team. The best development from this game won’t show up on a stat sheet, it was the team defense in their own zone.

Boston Defensive Improvements

During the early part of the season, and most notably in that collapse against Buffalo, defense has been a major problem. The Bruins have had major issues communicating in the defensive zone, especially when a team uses a five man rotation in the offensive zone. This has forced the youth of the Bruins to switch along the walls and cover the seams between the face-off dots. Against San Jose and the Kings, it was astronomically better. In the Sharks game, there was only a handful of open looks from the slot. Against the Kings, the Bruins play behind their own goal, and in the corners was notably more physical.

Those developments alone should spark a glimmer of hope in the hearts of Bruins fans. However, when it comes to the Bruins there is always something to be negative about. While the Bruins looked sharp against the Kings, they somehow managed to give up the game winning goal in overtime off a set face-off play, with only 0.4 tenths of a second left. While it may seem like a fluke play (and it is to an extent), the Bruins are the only ones to blame for being in that position. The icing forced Pastranak to stay on the ice, take the face off against Anze Kopitar, and off the face-off win, the Bruins left Tyler Toffolie with to much space for a quick one timer.

Solid Goaltending

The best development from the Kings game, was the play of Tuukka Rask. Rask was excellent in goal, making 5-6 eye opening saves to keep the Bruins in the game, and get them a point. While Rask can be frustrating to watch, the Bruins need him to be at his best for them to have a chance at a playoff spot this year. A performance like that, while it may not show up in the win column, can do wonders for both Rask and the teams confidence.

While the Bruins had a couple gut punching losses, and should have won all four games, it’s hard to complain too much about the teams overall effort. This was the best weekend of the season for the Bruins, and they’ll look to build off of it going forward.

The Bruins Should Have a Goaltender Controversy

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Anton Khudobin

Anton Khudobin put on a stellar performance last night at TD Garden versus the San Jose Sharks. Khudobin turned in a 36-save performance on 37 shots, with 15 of those in the third period. He is now 3-0-1 on the season, with a 2.52 GAA and a .926 save percentage. For a “back-up” goaltende, those are very good numbers in only five starts. He’s more than held down the fort during Tuukka’s absence, putting the team over .500 again. He even pulled a veteran goalie (more about this later) move last night by “inadvertently” bumping the goal off the pegs.  A move long used by many goalies to stop play so their team can regroup.

Tuukka 2017
On the flip side Tuukka Rask is 1-3 with a 3.30 GAA and a .882 save percentage. Those numbers would get a back-up goaltender a bus ticket to Medicine Hat. Tuukka has become a polarizing figure in Boston sports. You either love him or hate him, there is no in between. I’m not declaring where I fall in the polls, but I do know this: he needs competition, he needs to feel discomfort, and he needs to know his job holds no guarantees. Tuukka is your typical goaltender — competitive,  fiery,  but more importantly, he’s human.  Not immune to getting comfortable, he occasionally loses concentration and lets in a soft goal and sometimes doesn’t bring his best when it matters most.

Tim Thomas?
Anton Khudobin is 31 years old, he’s been around the block and obviously has not won a starting job in this league. Maybe he’s a late bloomer, like Tim Thomas. Thomas didn’t grab hold of a starting job until 2008 when he was 34 years old, and we all know what happened after that.

I’m not saying that Anton Khudobin is Tim Thomas, or even deserves the starting job with the Bruins. I AM saying that he deserves a chance to play more, if he and the team behind him are playing well.

In the end it should make Tuukka Rask uncomfortable.  And I think that’s a good thing.

McHale’s Musings Vol. 2

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Hello again, everyone! Welcome to another edition of “McHale’s Musings.”

There’s been a lot happening in the world of Boston sports, so let’s get right to it!

Patriots

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  • Big-time win over the Falcons last weekend at Gillette. The effort from Matt Patricia’s defense was a stellar reminder of this group’s talent. If they can string together a few solid games, their confidence will grow.
  • Tom Brady is 40. 40!
  • Josh McDaniels needs to continue letting Dion Lewis be more of a factor on offense. He’s a dynamic running back who can stretch out a defense. He’s the ultimate weapon for Brady and Co. if used consistently. #fantasyfootballpickup
  • It sounded like Gillette was rocking on Sunday night. It’s about time! For myriad of reasons, Gillette Stadium is no longer a place opponents fear to visit. However, fans can help make a change. This team needs support from the 65,878 members of Patriots Nation in attendance each and every home game. Perhaps those early losses at the start of the season were a wake up call to fans. Things aren’t going to come easy on this “Blitz for Six.” Fans, you’ll have to do your part to make it happen. Get lubed up!

Celtics

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  • Hello, Kyrie. I’ll like to see your, “Suck my d**k,” and raise you a “Shut up and play.” You are a 25 year old professional athlete. You will be taunted by opposing teams’ fans. You’re the one with all the leverage here. By walking away, you’re making sure you don’t make headline news for all the wrong reasons. Sure, that Philly bro may hop on Instagram Live to boast, “Damn, you won’t believe what I said to Kyrie. He just took it like a chump.” However, I don’t think his 27 followers are going to band together and ruin your reputation. It’s like the world of teaching. Sure, I could rattle off some solid insults mixed with biting sarcasm at the student who refused to work, but what good would that do? At the end of the day, we can only control our own reaction.  Kyrie, I urge you to ignore the taunts and move on with your day.
  • I see you, Jaylen Brown.
  • It’s too early to say that the Celtics made the better move in drafting Tatum over Fultz. With it becoming increasingly clear that Fultz has been hurt to start the season. Let’s give it some time before we declare that Danny Ainge bamboozled the 76ers.
  • Through four games, the C’s are 9th in the league with an average of 46.3 rebounds per game. I’m hopeful that this team will be able to rebound with more efficiency than last year’s squad that finished 27th in the NBA.

Bruins

  • Last weekend’s loss to Buffalo was a colossal failure. Thus far in his tenure as head coach, it appears as though Bruce Cassidy has been unable to strengthen the mental toughness of this hockey club. The 3rd period and subsequent overtime was simply a train wreck. It will be inexcusable defeats such as Saturday’s debacle that prevents this team from making a deep postseason run.
  • What is up with the NHL schedule to start the season? I’m not liking this staggering of games, and I’m willing to bet the players aren’t fans of it either.
  • How good was it to see Bergeron back on the ice? The guy is a warrior through and through. He is Bruins hockey personified. With that said, he’s getting older and deserves to be surrounded by talent that has the potential of winning another Cup. Is he surrounded by that kind of talent now? Time will tell. One thing’s for sure…that kind of crippling loss to Buffalo can’t happen again.

Red Sox

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  • Dustin Pedroia is out seven months after undergoing knee surgery. I get the sneaking suspicion that we’ll soon be reading headlines along the lines of, “Pedroia Hopeful of Returning after All-Star Break.”
  • I love the Alex Cora hiring.
  • While I agree that we shouldn’t give up the farm for Giancarlo Stanton, it would be foolish not to put together a reasonable package for the All-Star slugger. This Red Sox lineup needs power in the worst way. He also has a personality that is sorely missing from the clubhouse after David Ortiz’s retirement. Go for it, Sox!

Revolution

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  • The Revs won a road game! I repeat…The New England Revolution won a road game!
  • In a match that proved to be well worth the watch, the Revolution closed out their disappointing season by finally winning a road match. The win over Montreal helps the team avoid going winless away from Gillette for the first time in franchise history.
  • I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…Diego Fagundez deserves to be the face of the Revolution. This young man is going to be a difference maker for the Revs for years to come.

That’s it for me! Until next time…

Ryan

SHOULD BRUINS TRADE DAVID KRECJI?

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The Youth and Low Expectations
First, let’s state the obvious – The Bruins are in full youth movement mode. As evidenced by the number of rookies in the lineup but even more importantly, their erratic and inconsistent play. Because of the move to the young guns, expectations for this Bruins team are low. At the top of expectation scale is the 7th or 8th playoff spot, and at the bottom, missing the playoffs altogether. Any lower and this would be an article on the top 2018 NHL prospects.

Injured Again
Now that the case has been stated, should the Bruins trade David Krejci. The oft injured center is on the shelf again, and looks like he’ll miss Thursday’s game, and who knows after that. When healthy and effective he’s a talent. Especially come playoff time. He can elevate his game to Tom Brady like heights. But during the regular season, he is just an above average center in this league.

Closing Argument
Normally I’d want to keep a guy that raises his level of play in the SCP, but what good is that to a team with low expectations like the Bruins. On top of that, a David Krecji deal could get you another good young player, maybe a draft pick or two or even a young defenseman that could play right now. It also allows you to play David Backes back at his natural center position. Something I’ve been pining for since his signing. Lastly, the organization could bring up Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson (JFK) and really dive in head first to the deep end of the youth movement pool.

 

Something to think about as the Bruins continue the 2017-18 NHL season filled with youth, erratic play and low expectations.