Tag Archives: #BostonSports

Were the Bruins Right About Tyler Seguin?

Nobody in their right mind believes that trading Tyler Seguin was a smart decision. Taking a closer look at it, it’s one of the worst hockey trades in history. However, when the Boston Bruins as an organization decided to move on from Tyler Seguin it was because they believed he was to immature to win. Up to this point the Bruins have been right, as Seguin has not accomplished all that much is Dallas. But does this small sample size justify the decision?

Seguin’s Production

Since bursting onto the NHL scene in 2011-2012, Seguin has been a point producing machine. In each of the first four years in Dallas the 25-year-old center has eclipsed the 70 point mark. Along with three 30 goal campaigns, the promising prospect has developed into one of the most dangerous offensive players in the game. Playing alongside the likes of Jamie Benn has allowed Seguin’s offensive creativity to flourish. Something that was kept under wraps in Boston under coach Claude Jullian. Despite finishing with a +34 rating in the 2011-2012 season, Seguin could never seem to get out of the doghouse in Boston. But now that he has been provided more freedom on the ice Seguin has started taken on more responsibility as an alternate captain.

With the Bruins desperately looking for young offensive talent, they could really use the consistent point production that Tyler Seguin brings every single game.

Seguin’s Results in Dallas

The big reason that Boston moved on from Tyler Seguin was because they did not believe he was a winner. Similar to how they looked at Joe Thorton and Phil Kessel, who currently is a back-to-back champion. But up to this point the Bruins’ assessment of Seguin in the spotlight has been justified. The Stars have missed the playoffs in two of Seguin’s first four years. In the other two Dallas finished eighth in the conference and lost in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks in game six. While the Stars were the best team in the Western Conference only two years ago, they suffered yet another disappointing loss in game seven to the Blues. Granted at the young age of 25 Seguin should have a few more shots at a playoff run but up to this point the results have been underwhelming in Dallas.

Playoff Production

Another major question the Bruins had about Tyler Seguin was if he could thrive when the lights are brightest. So far Seguin has been quite lackluster in Dallas. In his first shot at a postseason run Seguin was only able to muster up three points and one goal against the Ducks. When Dallas needed their number one offensive weapon most Seguin could not produce granted against a much more talented team. In the last Stars playoff run, Seguin only was able to suit up for one game because of injury. But overall Seguin has not been able to handle the increased pressure that comes along with the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

So while the Bruins are not justified in trading away one of the most talented young players in the league. Up to this point the Bruins have technically been right about Seguin when it comes to his ability to win.

Why We All Secretly Want Lonzo Ball to Fail

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Despite his struggles and pedestrian stat line, Lonzo Ball isn’t an awful NBA player. But, his performance to date barely justifies a first-round draft pick, certainly not the #2 he was. Anyone can see that he would have benefited from another year playing college ball. That is, if UCLA would have even wanted him and his ridiculous father back.

Tyrannosaurus Dad

LaVar Ball represents everything that is wrong with not only sports parents, but everything else in this country. He is a talentless self-promoter who is more concerned with his own unjustified celebrity than in his children’s success.

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LaVar’s delusions of personal grandeur are well-known by now. He claimed he was a better player than Michael Jordan. He also said he was a better tight end in his brief NFL-Europe career than Gronk. And, he asserts at every turn he can coach better than Steve Alford at UCLA or Luke Walton with the Lakers.

He famously criticized UCLA for surrounding his son with “slow white players”, following their loss to Kentucky in last year’s Sweet 16. After the game, Ball lamented that “realistically you can’t win no championship with three white guys because the foot speed is too slow“. Besides the obvious racist nature of the comment, we should recall that in the game Lonzo was awful. He went 4-10 from the field for 10 points and the guy he was guarding, De’Aaron Fox, put up 39 of Kentucky’s 86 points.

And, of course, there was this timeless classic from his appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd in which he redefined misogyny.

LA Story

For all his many flaws, LaVar Ball did a great job marketing Lonzo to the NBA. He somehow managed to convince the Magic Johnson and the Lakers that Lonzo was something more than an average talent. That takes skill.

Prior to the draft, as he negotiated his way to getting Lonzo picked number two by the Lakers, he assured Magic that his behavior was all an act. It was marketing for his Big Baller Brand and promotion for his kids. Now that Lonzo was in LA, LaVar would tone it down and focus on LaMelo and LiAngelo.

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Considering that he continues to run his mouth criticizing Coach Walton and that the Lakers had to institute the “LaVar Rule” to keep microphones away from him in the aftermath of games, it’s pretty obvious that he has not toned down.

Ball can’t control himself. This is a man who thought he would win a Twitter war with Donald Trump. It’s obviously a psychosis, but it’s mostly our fault. LaVar is a Kardashian. He has neither talent nor substance. He is famous for being famous. Sports talk shows over analyzing his every outlandish comments and immature actions merely propagate his fake celebrity.

Lonzo in Perspective

Lonzo, in a vacuum sans his ridiculous father, seems like an almost likable kid. Almost. To date, he’s averaging 8.6 PPG, 7.1 APG, and 6.8 RPG. Not bad for a rookie. He is, however, an abysmal 47% from the free throw line which might play into why the Lakers don’t want him on the court down the stretch.

Celtics fans, ever willing to take joy in LA’s struggles, take added joy from the fact that Jayson Tatum, taken immediately after Lonzo, is already twice the player Ball will ever be. At 13.8 PPG, 1.3 APG, 5.7 RPG, and 82% from the field and 52% from beyond the 3-point line, Tatum is the clear candidate for Rookie of the Year and a key reason why the Hayward-less Celtics remain in contention.

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Tatum has always been a hardworking, quiet professional, and has risen to the challenge of the NBA. And, we haven’t heard a peep from his parents. Thank you.

Is Tuukka Rask Back to Vezina Form?

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This season has been a rocky one for starting goalie Tuukka Rask. After getting off to a horrendous start to the season, the former Vezina winner lost his starting job. Rightfully so considering how Khudobin was playing compared to Rask. But after taking a seat for a few weeks it seems like Bruce Cassidy may have gotten the Finnish netminder refocused. However can Rask maintain his Vezina caliber play or will he return to early season form?

Slow Start

In the month of October Rask went 1-5 with an .896 SV% and a 2.93 GAA. Along with the terrible numbers the team looked lifeless when Rask was in goal. Tuukka was constantly off his angles, allowing soft goals inside the post. Along with having a tendency to get in the butterfly to quickly allowing himself to get beat high farside practically every night. Even though Tuukka was costing the team games his play still was sub par in November. Rask followed up one of the worst months of his career with another terrible one. In November Rask went 3-5 with a .901 SV% and a 2.78 GAA and the team was playing so poorly putting Rask in net was almost a guaranteed loss.

Tuukka’s horrible play brought on even more concern when reports came out that the Bruins’ locker room may have been getting tired of all the finger-pointing Rask was doing. This report was backed up when Tuukka said that “I’m not going to comment on the team play anymore”. Rask went on to say that the focus was purely on goaltending for him. So not only was Tuukka struggling in goal, it seemed like he was isolating himself in the locker room.

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Emergence

If anyone deserves credit for Tuukkas reemergence in goal, it’s Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy sent a message to the team and Rask, saying that just because you have the contract does not mean you have job security. It seems like the early season statement may have been the best move of the season. Since Rask got his starting job back, both Tuukka and the team look dangerous. In December Rask has otherworldly numbers in 4 games, posting a 3-0 record with an excellent .967 SV% and an 0.85 GAA along with his only shutout of the season.

Now the question becomes can Rask keep up this level of play for the rest of the season? Yes and no, it’s a tough question to answer straight up. Mainly because while Rask has been excellent he has a tendency to be rather streaky as the minutes begin to rack up. But this year the Bruins have leverage over the Finnish goalie. Anton Khudobin’s performance early on has provided Rask some much-needed competition. Now that there is another goalie who has performed at a high level waiting in the wings Tuukka has no room for a long slip.

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Conclusion

While Rask can be frustrating to watch his talent cannot be disbuted. When Tuukka is focused and on his angles he can be a gamechanger for Boston. So while he may never be able to play at vezina level again for an entire season. Rask still has the abilty to lead the Bruins on a cup run.

Does Sweeney Deserve More Credit Than He Gets?

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The past few years Don Sweeney has been under fire by most Bruins fans. Justifiably so however. Most of his NHL moves have been downright wretched. But with the Bruins roster starting to get healthy and the mixture of veterans and young talent coming together, suddenly the Bruins’ roster looks better than expected. Sweeney, however, has not received much credit for his roster building. But should he?

Drafting

The key development for the Boston Bruins this season has been the growth of young talent. While Sweeney can’t get credit for drafting all of the impressive rookies, he has played a major role in it. After all, he drafted arguably the two most important young kids on the Bruins in Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. On top of that, he also brought in Jake Debrusk who has shown NHL level goal-scoring ability. Looking up and down the roster, Sweeney’s fingerprints are abundant.

Even the players he has not drafted, he deserves credit for developing. That includes Anders Bjork, Danton Heinen, and even David Pastranak to an extent. Sweeney has successfully replenished the once-depleted Bruins farm system and fans are starting to see the results.

Veteran Pieces

It has not been all perfect at the NHL level for Sweeney by any stretch of the imagination. But even with some horrible blunders, somehow the Bruins have a very good mixture of veteran talent. Sweeney does deserve credit for the moves that have gone his way. Signing 32-year-old David Backes to a five-year, $30M contract is a questionable move at best. But Backes has made an impact playing in a lesser role on the Bruins, and has provided a physical veteran presence for a rather finesee Bruins team.

The extensions that Sweeney has orchestrated with his star players have proven more important than his signings. Both Marchand and Pastranak, the most talented offensive players on the team, have signed under-market deals. Not giving in during the Pastranak negotiations may have been his best NHL move and deserves plenty of praise.

Fails

While Sweeney has made some solid moves, his bad ones tend to stand out more. Such as singing a third pairing defenseman in Torey Krug to a five-year, $21M contract with an AAV of $5.25M. Additionally, he signed Matt Beleskey to a five-year $19M dealt, with an AAV of $3.8M. And he kept Kevin Millar, who cannot stay healthy over a young, promising offensive defenseman in Colin Millar. Even more atrocious? Sweeney’s trade of a second-, third-, fourth-, and multiple fifth-round picks for Lee Stepniak and John-Michael Liles. Sweeney has racked up some major fails, however none have them have crippled the Bruins, unlike the previous regime had a tendency to do.

Overall, Sweeney has been below average to downright bad at the NHL level. But it is starting to look like he has a couple of major hits from the draft to his credit. When the Bruins win their next Stanley Cup, the young talent on this team will be front and center.

The Emergence of Danton Heinen

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Heinen’s Path

Photo Credit: Joe Yerdon

So far, this season some young Bruins have shown flashes of their potential that make the future of this team exciting. One player people have not talked a lot about is Danton Heinen. Through 19 games this year the rookie has four goals and eight assists. The Bruins drafted Heinen in the fourth round of the 2014 NHL draft 116th overall. Heinen has played 28 games in the NHL over the last two seasons. This year it appears he is finding a permanent spot in Boston as his coaches are rewarding his efforts. The Bruins have many young talented players garnering attention such as Jake Debrusk, Charlie McAvoy, and Anders Bjork. If Heinen can keep up his production, then his name will be mentioned more alongside Boston’s young talent.

Emergence Of Heinen

Photo Credit: Jim Davis/ Globe Staff

Through twenty games this year Heinen has proven quietly impressive. He shows great vision offensively while playing on Boston’s top lines. Heinen has an extended look because of the injuries the Bruins have suffered so far this year, with injuries to some of their top forwards including David Krejci, David Backes, and Jake Debrusk. The Bruins fourth-round pick has shown consistency when the Bruins have not.

Why It’s Surprising

Photo Credit: Christopher Dolan/ Staff Photographer

Heinen has never been considered an elite prospect. Unlike Debrusk and the other Bruins youth, he did not start the season on the Bruins roster. He remains on the roster because he has not been overwhelmed by the increased pressure. Unlike most young players, he does not makie mistakes that cost this team. He has formed chemistry with some of the Bruins top players such as David Pastrnak, no easy task for a rookie. This has given head coach Bruce Cassidy the confidence to put him in any situation.

Expectations for Remainder Of The Season

This year the Bruins are committed to the youth of this team. They made that clear in the offseason when they did not sign or trade for any impact veterans. This works well for Heinen and the other young Bruins players. If Heinen can continue to play like he has, it will be hard for the Bruins to send him back to Providence. Management would not mind that outcome.

Brandon Carlo: The Unnoticed Budding Defenseman

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It seems like forever ago that Brandon Carlo was the talk of Beantown. The second year defenseman came flying out of the gate last season, quickly establishing himself in the NHL. Carlo rapidly became one of the league’s most promising young blueliners. Under the guidance of Zdeno Chara, Carlo played a ton of minutes in a shut-down role for the Bruins. However, although Carlo started the youth movement for the Boston Bruins, he sits on the back burner for many Bruins fans this season. The rapid emergence of McAvoy, Bjork, Debrusk, and Heinen obscure the view.

Upside

While Carlo can have a tendency to disappear at times, his upside makes up for that and more. During a penalty-filled game, Carlo dominated all afternoon in Philly, leading the team to a clean six for six on the penalty kill. The young blueliner was a monster in his own end, blocking shots, and protecting the slot, something lacking for the B’s this season.

The second-year defenseman so far has had a sneaky good season. After his excellent showing in Philly, Carlo now has a +5 rating with 24 blocked shots. While most of the Bruins’ young talent have great offensive upside, most of them lack the physicality required of shut-down defenders. Carlo has that ability, crucial for a team contending for a cup. He could potentially play a Niklas Hjalmarsson role for the Bruins in a couple of years.

Dependability

This may be the most crucial part of Carlo’s game. While the 21-year-old defenseman won’t make the highlight real with flashy offensive plays, he has the ability and the hockey IQ to make the smart and responsible play on the back end. Chara’s influence on Carlo cannot be stressed enough. Chara played the shutdown number-one defenseman for the Bruins when they won the 2011 Stanley Cup. The veteran’s knowledge on how to handle speedy young forwards and experience in the postseason could have a substantial effect on Carlo’s career.

So far its shown up with how dependable he has been for Cassidy. Carlo currently ranks sixth on the team in time on ice, averaging 19:09 minutes per game and has rapidly become one of Cassidy’s go-to players. While mistakes occur from time to time, his consistency throughout the game and the season is invaluable.

Improvements

While both fans and coaches have been impressed with the his defense, the Bruins hope Carlo’s offensive game can continue to develop. He posted a solid offensive year last season with six goals and 10 assists. The offense has taken a step back this season with Carlo only posting four assists, and zero goals on 23 shots. The injuries and more defensive responsibilities placed on the 21-year-old have not helped. Cassidy has started playing Krug with Carlo a bit over the past few weeks, which should get him more involved in the offensive end. Playing with a more offensive heavy defenseman like Krug could serve Carlo well.

Carlo has rapidly developed into a very good defenseman for the Boston Bruins. Hockey fans beware. Suddenly the Bruins have a one-two punch combo on the back end with Carlo and McAvoy.

Charlie Mcavoy Has Gone Above and Beyond

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Entering the NHL season expectations for the 19-year-old defenseman were set pretty high. So high that at one point it started to seem unrealistic. But so far McAvoy has shocked everyone with his skill and makeup. Through 23 games this season, McAvoy has not only been excellent on the offensive end with 3 goals and 10 assists. He’s also been quite stout defensively during a time when Boston needed him most.

Offensively

The former 1st round pick has always had the skill set to be a productive two-way defenseman. But some scouts were optimistic about it translating to the NHL level. So far McAvoy has shown that his offense is no fluke. Bruins fans have been out of their seats with this kid’s skill set. He has excellent skating ability, great vision through all three zones, and as fabulous hands as Jonathan Quick. Cory Schneider got to witness that first hand.

But what has been most impressive about his offensive game is his intelligence. While McAvoy has the talent that many could only dream about, he has shown an excellent level of discipline for a 19-year-old rookie. He has shown great timing on when to pinch down the boards and make a play. He also has the awareness to give up on the risky play that could hurt them defensively. Something that he was doing earlier on, credit to the coaching staff for developing him thus far. At times its hard to remember McAvoy is a defenseman because of how gifted he is offensively.

Defensively

With the non-stop ravishing of injuries the Bruins have faced this season, it’s been hard to find a player who has played every night. But McAvoy has and Cassidy has leaned on him as a result. The rookie is currently averaging 23:42 TOI, and played 28:11 against the Lightning in the Bruins’ 3-2 win at the Garden. That ranks 26th in the NHL, at the age of 19 lets not forget. The rookie has made his mistakes, which is expected when your out there in high pressure situations. McAvoy has shown the ability to learn from them and rapidly improve on the defensive end.

Physicality

Whats been most impressive is his physicality up and down the ice. McAvoy lines up players coming through the neutral zone showing a willingness to defend the blue line. Also his toughness has been eye-opening for spectators. McAvoy has also been on the receiving end of quite a few collisions too. But every time he pops back up and even got into it with Lucic. This kid has the heart and the guts to play a physical game, and the talent to go end to end.

Bruins fans: get ready because this type of player doesn’t come around often. At the young age of 19 its hard not to get excited about the future with Charlie McAvoy leading the way.

Rask’s Rough Start Costing the Bruins

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Goaltender Change in Boston?

So far this season the Bruins have been inconsistent. That doesn’t come as a surprise to many due to the youth of this team. The Bruins had won four straight, their longest winning streak of the season until Sunday’s loss to Edmonton. The surprising thing is the main reason behind their longest winning streak of the season is due to their backup goalie, Anton Khudobin. The Bruins’ number one goaltender Tuukka Rask has gotten off to a rough start. If he does not improve his play, then there could be a new number one goaltender in Boston.

Photo Credit: Fluto Shinzawa

Rask’s Rough Start

On Sunday night Rask had an opportunity to make his case and he didn’t capitalize. With the play of Khudobin, some have started to say Rask may lose his job. Rask has often been criticized heavily in Boston and this year his numbers don’t help his case. After Sunday’s game Rask now has just three wins and nine losses in twelve starts this season. He is giving up almost three goals a game and has yet to record a shootout. Last year he recorded a career high of eight. So far this season he ranks near the bottom in most goaltender statistics while Khudobin ranks near the top. It is not impossible for Rask to get on a role and carry this team, but time may be running out.

Photo Credit: Harry How/ Reuters

Youth Movement

The Bruins have many young players on their roster. So far this season these players have at times made mistakes in front of Rask leading to goals. Rask has carried the Bruins in the past by stealing games. This year he hasn’t come up with those big saves nearly as much. That is where Khudobin has excelled and is why the Bruins have won with him in net. if Tuukka can start to make the difficult saves than his results may change and the Bruins could rise in the standings.

Photo Credit: Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP

Moving Forward

This season is Bruce Cassidy’s first full season as the Bruins head coach. Early he’s made it clear that paychecks don’t matter but performance will dictate who plays. If Rask wants to remain the starter then he will have to play better. Rask has been the Bruins number one goaltender for the past six years. He’s won a Vezina and almost carried the Bruins to a championship in 2011. Rask has been one of the best goaltenders in the league at times throughout his career. With his job on the line it’s time for Rask to remind people of the player he is.

Short Term Solution for the Bruins’ Season

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So far the Bruins’ season has been full of questions with few solutions. The Big Bad Bruins for better or worse have been the team’s identity. Well at least it was until recently. This year’s Bruins team lacks a definitive identity. They are not skilled enough to play up-tempo, eye-popping hockey. But the Bruins are also not tough and gritty enough to grind out close games on a consistent game to game bases. So far this hockey team has won games in different ways, but as we have seen they’re very inconsistent.

Weakness

Watching the games outside of Pastranak, Marchand, and maybe Krug or McCavoy, this team is not built to play fire wagon hockey. The recent success that the Bruins have come across has been a result of pure effort. Cassidy needs to keep the pedal to the medal in order to keep the arrow pointing up. Sunday night’s 4-2 loss to the Oilers showed exactly what happens when the Bruins try to play a more finesse style of hockey.

This loss to the Oilers is a painful one to swallow. The Bruins coughed up what should have been a guaranteed two points against a widely underwhelming Oilers team. Edmonton came into the TD Garden concluding a terrible five game road trip, and having lost four out of their last five games. While Boston was playing their best stretch of hockey this season, after winning an emotional matinee matchup against the Penguins. But the Bruins got away from their game and as a result ended up playing the Oilers game.

Grit

Now when the Bruins have been good this year it’s not because of the talent level. It’s because the Bruins have played with fire, and grit that has worn down less prepared teams. That type of wear-you-down hockey is what the Bruins need to continue to pursue if this season is the main priority. Too often the Bruins try to make the extra pass in the offensive zone, or on the breakout. As a result the bigger, faster, and more talented teams have been able to dictate the terms against Boston.

So how can the Bruins make this season interesting? By embracing the physical, gritty style of hockey that has been the key to the Bruins success as an organization. Rather than trying to wow the crowd through the neutral zone, start dumping the puck into the corners and make the other team work. Also, the Bruins have to suffocate the neutral zone much more than they are currently doing. Quicker teams have been able to gather great speed off the rush which has led to prime scoring chances.

While up tempo hockey is exciting, it has gotten the Bruins in trouble. Slow it down, finish checks, and make the other team outwork you. That’s the key to the Bruins having any substantial success this season.

Anton Khudobin Is Carrying the Boston Bruins

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Finally it seems like Bruce Cassidy had the guts to make the move Bruins fans have been begging for. Khudobin may have saved the Bruins season from completely going down the drain. Riding a four game losing streak on the second night of a back-to-back against a team with the second best record in the Western Conference. The Bruins were underdogs to say the least. But like he has done since March of last year Khudobin stepped up and delivered in a way Rask has not. Khudobin made 27 saves on 28 shots, with a brilliant .964 save percentage. He then followed that up with an even better performance against the San Jose Sharks stopping 36 out of 37 shots leading the Bruins to back to back wins, and 4 out of 6 points on their California road swing.

Goaltending Change

After the Bruins improbable win against the Kings, Bruce Cassidy came out after the game and stated the Khudobin would be the starter for the time being. Granted Cassidy made no long term commitments after the San Jose game, but it’s expected that Khudobin will continue to get the call in goal over Tuukka Rask. Tuukka also spoke about the decision giving credit to Khudobin and publicly agreeing with Cassidy’s decision. Cassidy really had no other choice at this point. Tuukka has been retched this season, and Khudobin just cannot seem to lose.

Khudobin’s Numbers

The stat that shows the impact that Khudobin has had on this team the best is the team’s record in games that he has gotten the start in net. In games Khudobin started this season the Bruins have not lost a game in regulation. Khudobin secured points in all of his starts on the way to a 5-0-2 record. Currently Khudobin has a .935 save percentage, and 2.17 goals allowed on average. On top of that he has won games the Bruins had no business winning. His .935 save percentage is third best in the NHL and he is also tied for sixth in the NHL in GAA.

Long Term

Is Khudobin going to continue this production? Most likely not, considering Anton has spent the majority of his career as a back up and never started more than 36 games in a season. But Cassidy and the Bruins need to ride the hot hand of Khudobin if they care about this season. However, the Bruins cannot get too comfortable with him in net. As quickly as he became a top ten goalie in the NHL he could fall off a cliff. That’s what backups do: they can get insanely hot for as much as an entire season. However in the end they usually average out. So for Cassidy the long term solution is still getting Rask back at the top of his game. Maybe benching him for a month will be the kick in the ass he needs.

One thing is for certain Anton Khudobin has been the MVP for the Bruins this season. With the non-stop injuries ravishing the NHL roster Khudobin has been a calming force for the young kids. Especially with players getting closer to a return to the lineup, namely Marchand and Spooner. The Bruins are going to continue to lean heavily on Khudobin to carry this team throughout. Now let’s see if the feel good story of an overachieving backup can last.