Tag Archives: Charlie McAvoy

Injury Bug Could Define Bruins’ Season

Injury Bug Hits Bruins

So far this season the Bruins have delivered more than many expected. They were not supposed to be one of the best teams in the NHL. The youth has arrived and exceeded all expectations. The Stretch that will truly define them is now. The injury bug has hit the Bruins, as they will be without Charlie McAvoy and Patrice Bergeron for the next few weeks. Tuukka Rask should be back soon, but he’s missed the last two games. So far, without their two top players the Bruins have done well, and even though it hasn’t always pretty they have found a way to win. The Bruins won their first game without McAvoy last night and are 4-0 without Bergeron. Both players are key to the Bruins as they impact the game in so many ways.

Photo Credit: Michael Dwyer/ AP Photo

Deadline Deals Become More Important

At the trade deadline the Bruins were one of the busiest teams. Other than the Rick Nash deal the Bruins made minor moves to improve their depth. They did not know that depth would be tested so quickly. So far, these additions have been very productive. Nick Holden was having a down year in New York, but he’s recorded a point in each of his first two games in Boston. Tommy Wingels was not seen as a significant addition by Boston but had a big goal in his Bruins debut. The play of these two and Nash down the stretch will be essential. As the Bruins learned last year when they lost Krug and Carlo before the playoffs, depth is key.

Photo Credit: Rudi Schuller

The Young Kids

The Bruins have a lot of veterans on this team. They have arguably one of the best lines in hockey with Bergeron, Marchand, and Pastrnak. What makes this team so special is how the young players such as DeBrusk and Heinen have exceeded expectations. They have been solid offensively, and as the season has gone on they’ve only improved. They will not have to do it alone, as Marchand is on a tear of his own. Marchand has scored the overtime winners in both of Boston’s last two games. The young guys will have to step up, but the Bruins still have some very talented veterans.

Photo Credit: Adam Belue

What Will Be Key

With McAvoy out the Bruins will be missing their best defenseman. Bergeron is very good defensively, as he is the best two-way player in the game. Without these two defense will be key, and that was evident last night as they gave up five goals to Detroit. What defines a championship team is the struggles they go through as a season goes on. If the Bruins can continue to win without Bergeron and McAvoy, this team should be taken even more seriously. This is the point of the season that every athlete relishes with the playoffs on the line. The injury bug hits every team over the course of a season and people are about to see how much heart this team really has.

Grzelcyk Quietly Having Great Rookie Season

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Grzelcyk as a Prospect

So far, this season the Bruins youth movement has been on full display. One rookie who’s been very good but hasn’t been talked about is Matt Grzelcyk. The BU product has quietly played very well for the Bruins this season. He was not highly regarded like fellow rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy, but he has impressed scouts. Grzelyck has shown quick feet and good offensive ability. If he keeps playing like this, then by seasons end he will not be flying under the radar.

Photo Credit: Charles Krupa

Grzelcyk’s Performance So Far

Grzelyck has had two stints in Boston this season. In the second, he replaced Adam McQuaid and he has given the Bruins more than expected. McQuaid returned from his injury just before Christmas, but Grezelyck has not been sent down. This is a testament to how well the rookie has played. In 29 games this season he’s notched one goal and five assists. He is undersized but that has not affected his game and he has not seemed over-matched. The Bruins have received at least a point in seventeen straight games with Grzelyck a big contributor. Cassidy has also shown his trust in the rookie by placing him on the second power-play unit.

Photo Credit: Boston Bruins.com

Second Half Expectations for Grzelyck

Tonight, the Bruins play the Anaheim Ducks in their first game since the All-Star break. Going forward as the playoff push begins, these games will become harder and more tiring. This will be a big test for Grzelyck and his fellow rookies as fatigue sets in and points will be at a premium. Grzelyck has been exceptional so far but as rookie at some point he will struggle. When or if that happens, he will need to to minimize his struggles. He’s shown that he can play at the NHL level but now he must show that he can step up in a playoff push.

Photo Credit: Maddie Meyer/ Getty Images

What a Solid Ending Could Mean

The Bruins have high expectations for the BU product. Lile McAvoy is expected to help anchor the Bruins blue line for the foreseeable future. For the Charlestown native that would be a dream come true. So far, this season he’s lived up to the hype and much more. He may not have the same ceiling as McAvoy but the Bruins could do a lot worse.

Charlie McAvoy Expected to Miss Two Weeks with Heart Issue

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It came as a surprise to many when the Bruins released a statement that Charlie McAvoy underwent surgery to fix an irregular heartbeat. The Bruins were first notified about the issue after the Bruins game on November 26th. McAvoy informed team doctors that he experienced heart palpitations during the game. The Bruins’ official statement reads:

“Subsequently he underwent an evaluation, which diagnosed him with a supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). The type of SVT Charlie has is not considered to be dangerous to his health but can recur at any time and causes significant symptoms”.

McAvoy decided to have the surgery to correct the issue due to the likeliness of it reoccurring in the future. The twenty year old Calder candidate will stay overnight at Mass General and by all accounts should be back to good health quickly.

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Ramifications

Luckily for McAvoy and the Bruins the problem was taken care of early enough. With the recent tear the Bruins are on it is a punch to the gut. But with the All-Star break just around the corner McAvoy should not be out of the lineup for to many games. The surgery is taking place in late January signals that it cannot be too serious of an issue since it was originally reported in November. However it’s never a good sign when a professional athlete has a heart issue.

Losing McAvoy for a short amount of time will not derail the red-hot Bruins. However it is certainly something to keep an eye on going forward. The key to the next decade for the Bruins is the twenty year old defenseman. So lets hope this was a one time problem. Best wishes for a speedy recovery for McAvoy.

Cover photo courtesy of www.sportingnews.com.

What’s Different About the Bruins?

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The Bruins have finished the last three seasons with nearly identical numbers, finishing with 96, 93, and 95 points. We were treated to a brief playoff appearance last season, but they certainly weren’t ready to make the jump into the upper tier of the league. Luckily for B’s fans, this year is different. Currently sitting comfortably with the second spot in the Atlantic and on pace for 113 points, this poses one question: what’s making a difference?

Goaltending

For starters, the Bruins have two goalies who have put up solid numbers. Rask got off to a slow start, posting an October save percentage of just .896. This lead to some early season controversy regarding the starting position, seeing as Khudobin came out of the gate hot. But around early December, Rask’s play transformed into what we’re used to seeing out of him. With Khudobin also continuing his stellar season, the Bruins have consequently climbed the standings going 15-2-4 since December 1st. As of today, Rask has started thirty games to Khudobin’s seventeen, emphasizing the faith that the coaching staff has behind both of them. And seeing as both goalies currently boast a season save percentage north of 92% and a GAA below 2.4, it comes as no surprise to see both of them getting their minutes.

The Young Guys

In addition to the dynamic duo between the pipes, the Bruins have also enjoyed plenty of production from players who can’t even drink yet. Rookie standout Charlie McAvoy is leading the way, even drawing some Calder Trophy attention. It’s unlikely that he’ll bring home the honor being a defenseman, but his 25 points through forty-five games to go with his +18 rating is exactly what the Bruins needed. Playing mostly on the top pair, McAvoy has also been given the credit of rejuvenating the play of Zdeno Chara. The two have worked well together all season, and Chara is proving that he still has something left in the tank. Rookies Danton Heinen (10-21-31), Jake DeBrusk (10-14-24), and Matt Grzelyck (1-5-6, +13) have also risen to the occasion this season. Each are proving that they are both hungry and capable of establishing themselves as NHL players.

Goalscoring

The B’s have also managed to combine their trademark “hard-nosed” style of play with a sufficient amount of skill. Between the years of 2010-2016, they failed to have a single seventy-point player. The team simply lacked that “big name scorer” that every team needs for both the fans and the results. But we can now see that Brad Marchand is ready to wear that label.

His increase in production really began in the inaugural World Cup of Hockey. Even while putting up eight points in just six games during Canada’s gold medal run, Marchand is best remembered for his tournament winning goal with just 43.1 seconds remaining to beat Team Europe. From there he took off and established himself as one of the premier forwards in the NHL. He went on to finish the season with 85 points, good for sixth in the league in scoring. This surpassed his previous season high by 24 points and is the most by any Bruin since Marc Savard in 2009 (88). Carrying his play into this season Marchand has been helped out by line mates David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. With 44 points through 45 games for Pastrnak and 39 in 40 for Bergeron, all three players on the Bruins top line are on pace for career high point totals.

Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak (88) celebrates with teammates Patrice Bergeron (37), Brad Marchand (63) and Torey Krug after scoring against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018 in Montreal. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Man Behind the Curtain

And lastly- Bruce Cassidy. The Bruins were lucky to have Claude Julien but after ten years it was time for a new voice. Luckily for the B’s, that voice was already in the organization. Having coached in Providence since 2008, Cassidy was already familiar with several players and the Bruins systems. One of these players is Torey Krug, who recalls that “everything was quick, on the go. He doesn’t like to spend time explaining drills or being at the board at practice. It’s go, go, go”. Krug went on to mention that this becomes a habit and translates into games. With nearly half the season remaining, it will be interesting to see if Cassidy and the Bruins can keep up this unexpected pace. But with the way things are looking right now, there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic.

Featured image courtesy of www.stanleycupofchowder.com

Keys to Bruins’ Recent Surge

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Charlie McAvoy may only be 20 years old but he is still winning games for the Boston Bruins. In the fourth round of the shootout last night at TD Garden, McAvoy picked the puck up and skated right down the ice ripping a shot low blocker side to beat Connor Hellebuyck. The rookie’s birthday heroics secured the Bruins two points and improved their record to 12-3-1 in their last 16 games. A record that should catch the eyes of opposing teams. As the Bruins seem to have found a perfect mixture of players that gel perfectly together. But three things have been the keys to the Bruins’ recent surge:

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Tuukka Rask

The first of the three keys is none other than Tuukka Rask. When Rask was struggling early on everyone pointed it out and killed him for it. Now we have to give him his due because Tuukka has been brilliant as of late. In Rask’s last eight starts the net minder has led the team to an impressive 7-0-1 record, and has made timely stops that saved the Bruins’ two points. Last night when the Bruins got engaged in a defensive grind-it-out hockey game and needed their number one goalie to step up, Tuukka did that and more. Rask survived the onslaught of chances the Winnipeg Jets had in overtime to get the Bruins to the shootout, where McAvoy won for the team.

Tuukka’s play has noticeably inspired confidence in the players around him. The defensemen of the Bruins have been more willing to make offensive plays and close out on the shooters. Rask has proven he can make the big stop when called upon. If Tuukka continues this level of play then the Eastern Conference better watch out.

Adaptability

Bruce Cassidy deserves credit for the Bruins’ ability to not only adapt from game to game but from period to period. After an offensive explosion against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Cassidy was able to refocus his team and win against the Buffalo Sabers 3-0 on the second night of a back-to-back. Then to finish it off the Bruins were able to play a high paced game against the Jets last night where they needed to be clutch down the stretch. Three different wins in three different games that is not a common occurrence in the NHL. But the Bruins seem to have bought into the system. As a result they can play whatever style of game the opponent throws at them.

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Young Talent

it seems like writing a Bruins article without mentioning the young players at this point is unheard of. But they deserve to be mentioned here and for good reason. In back to back wins one of the Bruins’ rookies had the game winning goal. In Buffalo Jake Debrusk scored the first goal of the game on a filthy snipe in a game the Bruins won 3-0. Also last night McAvoy scored the game winner in the shootout. A pattern has started to develop with this team they win games when their rookies are making plays.

Teams playing the Bruins now cannot key in on Marchand, Bergeron, and Pastranak. Because the Bruins have layers to their forward group that present a daunting task to opponents. Heinen has NHL caliber offensive ability and has displayed it on multiple occasions. While Debrusk and Bjork still have room for improvement both have demonstrated an ability to put the puck in the net.

Up to now the Bruins have been able to ride these things to success. But time will tell how far these keys can take them this season.

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.

Bruins Fall To Preds Despite a Big Third Period

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The Bruins fell to the red-hot Nashville Predators on Monday night despite a big third-period push.

Tough Start

The Bruins were back in action on Monday night in Nashville where they fell to the Predators 5-3. The Predators scored the first goal of the game just 1:26 seconds into the contest, then again late in the first to lead 2-0. The Predators scored two more in the second period to go up 4-0. The Bruins struck back in the second with a power-play goal coming off a perfect shot from Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins trailed 4-1 after two periods. In the third the Bruins came out strong, and it paid off. Captain Zdeno Chara scored for the Bruins to get his team within two.

Then, just over a minute later, David Pastrnak Scored to make it 4-3 and a brand new game. Bruins fans had hope. Then less than a minute after Pasta’s marker, Predators forward Filip Forsberg scored on a breakaway to make it 5-3. The Bruins showed up to little to late in this one.

Goaltending Situation

Bruins goalie Anton Khudobin started the game but was lit up early. Dobby gave up four goals on 14 shots. It appears the red-hot Khudobin could riding the pine after this one. Tuukka Rask came into the cage after the Predators fourth goal. Rask only faced 11 shots and made 10 saves. The Bruins should run with Rask at this point. He’s beaten the best team in the league in Tampa Bay, and recorded a shutout against the Flyers in recent days. Rask looks like the Rask of old, the one all Bruins fans love. Winning games, making big saves, and playing with confidence. Exactly why the Bruins need to roll with Rask from now on.

Comments

”Digging yourself a 4-0 deficit is certainly not a good recipe for winning games. The second half of the game was much better, but it was too little, too late. We need to start on time” said Bruins forward David Backes. Marchand also had some comments on the game. “The Predators are pretty deep, they play hard, but they didn’t really deserve a lot. We just kind of gave it to them. It’s tough to lose like that. We did a good job of pushing back and making it a game, but we need wins.”

Bruins Need Secondary Scoring

The Bruins top line, McAvoy, Chara and Pastranak, scored all three goals. If the Bruins want to win hockey games, it will take more than one line to score all the goals. The Bruins need players like Krejci, Backes, Spooner, and Anders Bjork to contribute on the score sheet on a regular basis. Bruins rookie Danton Heinen has quietly put up points, proving that he can contribute on offense. Heinen picked up an assist on McAvoy’s power play goal in the second, giving him nine assists on the year for a total of 14 points.

Home Stand

The Bruins will play five of their next six games at home, starting Thursday against the Coyotes, then Saturday against the Islanders. After that, they travel to Detroit for a Wednesday face off, then again at home Thursday against the Capitals. Then the Bruins will close out their home stand with games against the Rangers and Blue Jackets.

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 Exit Weekend With Two of Four Points

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The Bruins looked solid on Saturday night in the desert with a 6-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes. The same can’t be said for the Bruins on Sunday as the Boston fell to the Golden Knights 3-1. The Bruins are off until Thursday when they take the ice in Boston to host the Vancouver Canucks.

Saturday in Arizona

The Bruins really impressed on Saturday night skating to a 6-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. Rookie Anders Bjork recorded his first career NHL goal. Jake DeBrusk scored his second of the season and added an assist in the game. Some more noticeable Bruins on Saturday included Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Tim Schaller, and Danton Heinen. The most outstanding Bruin on the night was captain Zdeno Chara. Registering his first goal of the season in the second period, Chara added two helpers. Marchand scored a nifty backhand goal off a slick pass from David Pastrnak., who also added an assist in the game. Tim Schaller scored for the second straight game for the Bruins. Recent call up Danton Heinen got credit for two assists.

Dobby impresses

Bruins goaltender Anton Khudobin got the start on Saturday night and played well enough to earn his first win of the season. Khudobin stopped 29 of 31 shots he faced against the struggling Coyotes. The Bruins needed Khudobin to step up for them with starter Tuukka Rask struggling, and he certainly did. With the Bruins wanting to rest Rask longer more this season, Khudobin will have to win some games. He has proven he is the man for the job after watching him this preseason, and in this game.

”The ‘W’ is always great. No matter what the score, whether it’s 8-6 or 9-7. If you win then you win. Nobody talks about losers. Everybody talks about winners, right?” said Khudobin. “If you win, then you’re on the horse, and if you don’t then you’re under it. It’s great to get one at the start of the season, and so now hopefully it’s not going to roll like it did last year.”

Sunday in Vegas

The Bruins had a disappointing game on Sunday as they fell to the leagues newest team, the Las Vegas Golden Knights. The Bruins managed to get only 23 shots on their old teammate Malcolm Subban. If the Bruins want to win games they will need to generate more shots on net. They must stop being so fancy all the time and just keep it simple to get those greasy goals. If the Bruins focus more on this, they will score more goals and win more hockey games. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask played fairly well in the game by stopping 23 of 25 shots that he faced.

The Bruins lone goal scorer on Sunday was David Pastrnak, who banked the puck off the Vegas defender in the final minute of the game. Brad Marchand who continues to put up points assisted Pastrnak’s goal. Rookie Charlie McAvoy also got an assist on the goal as well which now gives him assists in the last two games.

Injuries

The Bruins lost Ryan Spooner and Adam Mcquaid on Sunday due to injuries. I am unsure what happened to Spooner, but he is out with a lower body injury. Mcquaid, took a slap shot from ex-eammate Colin Miller off the side of his leg which didn’t look pretty.

Whats next?

The Bruins get four days off before their next match up at home against the Vancouver Canucks. If the Bruins want to make it to the postseason again this year, they have to improve — fast. They won’t make the playoffs as a 500 team. They need to put up points and do it now. Boston may get a boost to their lineup on Thursday with Patrice Bergeron close to returning. I really hope Bergy gets back on the ice soon as a very important player on this team.

Bruins Need to Balance Roster

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The Bruins opened the season with an impressive 4-3 victory against the reigning Western Conference champions. What was most impressive was how the young kids played. Both McCavoy and Debrusk scored their first NHL goals and looked more than comfortable playing at the highest level.

But a home-road matchup with Colarado ending with the Bruins getting outscored 10-3 was quite sobering. The Bruins looked outmatched against the Avalanche, both offensively and defensively. Much of the early season struggles on the defensive side are due to the absence of Selke winner Bergeron, and Backes. Right now, the Bruins look lost out there.

Age vs. Experience

McCavoy has been solid defensively, but mistake prone with his outlet passes and caught flatfooted on a couple of occasions against the Avs. That’s expected from a young defenseman. But it shows a lot about McCavoy’s confidence level that he will even try those outlet passes.

A beautiful example of the talent and touch McCavoy can have on his outlet passes was a subtle but effective breakout pass to Marchand against Arizona. While the play didn’t result in a goal, it did show something Bruins fans have waited for — a talented young puck moving defenseman.

Carlo hasn’t been as flashy this year, but continues to be solid overall defensively. So why would the Bruins struggle defensively if their young defensemen have been solid? Simple, the lack of experience up and down the Bruins roster.

For years the Bruins have preached layers. But now with Cassidy running the show, and the sudden overhaul of young talent on the roster, it’s much harder to close teams out. While the young players are promising, the Bruins have reached a saturation point.

Experience Wins

Everyone wants to see the kids. Just watching McCavoy, and Debrusk set up Anders Bjork for his first NHL was worth a parade. But with youth comes, well stupidity. That’s of course expected from a bunch of 20-year-olds playing on the biggest stage. Correct that stupidity by surrounding them with proven leaders. But right now the Bruins lack that calming force.

They desperately need a veteran on this team. Not necessarily a big name, just a proven player. Purcell was the perfect candidate, a player with past success and a proven professional. While they might not put up the big numbers, their effect on the character of young players is invaluable .

Bergeron has been sorely missed, but just adding Bergeron won’t fix enough. Sweeny should bring in a veteran and soon. Because while youth is great, too much of it can dig a deep hole early in the season.