Tag Archives: Hockey

An Unlikely Superstar for the Black and Gold

A look at the rapid rise of Danton Heinen: one of the hottest young studs of the Boston Bruins

A Rough Start

Early on in the Boston Bruins training camp, there was talk about the upcoming first-year guys. Players like Jake DeBrusk, Anders Bjork, and Charlie Mcavoy were creating a buzz. But for Danton Heinen, his star was starting to slowly (and quietly) shine brightly.

The 22-year-old British Columbia native has no doubt made an impressive impact so far this season. He started out his career playing eight games before being sent down to Providence. After honing his skills in the AHL, Heinen has now become an integral part of the surge of young players. The best part of watching this team is how a player like Heinen has flown under the radar to only emerge as a top player for the black and gold.

A Call to Arms

While the Boston Bruins were plagued early on with injuries, Coach Bruce Cassidy had no other choice than to look to the “young guns” to stay competitive in the Atlantic Division. After starting the year in Providence, Heinen has quietly become a player that can complement any line. As of late, the Backes, Nash, and Heinen line have not only produced points with goals and assists. They have shown what this team is about; playing smart and winning battles- all without brute strength. Gone from the Bruins’ playing style is the Claude Julien method of dump and chase. What they have now is a team full of players that continue to grind out smart plays with a solid defense. Guys like Heinen have stepped up in every capacity and produce on whatever line Bruce Cassidy places him on. Cassidy commented on his player’s success, saying:

“Danton has really grown his game, to be able to play with different flavors, or attributes, of different forwards”

In the last 34 games Danton Heinen has scored 10 goals, with 18 assists and 28 points. The 6’1″ forward is now third on the roster for points, right behind Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. Not bad for a first-year player.

A Look Ahead

The Boston Bruins are in a good spot right now: a healthy team that is a productive mixture of first-year guys and veterans. The thing that stands out about this team is how well the players compliment each other. David Backes credits players Danton Heinen and Riley Nash in helping to improve his game on the ice since returning from surgery. Not only has Heinen been there for those important rebounds, his playing style is that of good, solid puck control, keeping the play alive and winning those crucial battles on the ice. And since coming back up from Providence after that rough start, Heinen has not wasted any time in getting those winning shot on goal. The Boston Bruins are now bouncing between being 2nd and 3rd in the Atlantic Division with a good amount of points ahead of the fourth-place team (currently Florida).

While the Bruins continue to outsmart and outplay other teams, there’s no question that for someone like Danton Heinen, having a good player attitude will only lead this team down the road of quickly becoming serious contenders for the Stanley Cup.

What Should the Boston Bruins Do with Adam McQuaid?

Leave a reply

A mere six games into the season Adam McQuaid blocked a shot that ended up breaking his leg. The timeline for his return was 6-8 weeks, and sure enough here we sit with McQuaid just about ready to get back on the ice. But even though McQuaid is ready to return to the lineup Cassidy has chosen to leave him out of the lineup. So with the decision coming to a head what should the Bruins do with Adam McQuaid?

Embed from Getty Images

Grzelyck

The foundation of the Bruins this season is the promise of the young prospects up and down the roster. This season has been a huge step forward towards the future so far. However bringing Adam McQuaid back and playing him over a younger, more mistake prone, but also more talented defenseman, contradicts the entire theme of the season. Especially considering McQuaid would either take the place of Brandon Carlo or Matt Grzelyck, both of whom look like they are the future. Grzelyck has been a genuine difference maker on this team during his time with the big club. Since Cassidy inserted Grzelyck into the lineup the Bruins have been otherworldly, going 13-3-2.

While Cassidy has made the transition into the NHL easier for Grzelyck by not playing him in high pressure minutes. He has still shown exceptional skill and awareness in the minutes he has gotten. Grzelyck’s performance alone should be enough to keep McQuaid on the shelf for the rest of the season. Mainly because the next time the Bruins win a Stanley Cup Adam McQuaid will not be a factor in it.

Embed from Getty Images

Kevin Miller

The biggest asset of McQuaid’s game is his toughness and grit. But even that has lost its value to the Bruins with Kevin Miller on the roster. Miller has been playing exceptional hockey since be moved to the right side paired with Matt Grzelyck. Being his natural side, Miller is able to do much more offensively from the right side of the ice. Miller is able to use his pure strength to fight defenders off the puck and barrel through the neutral zone to add another element to the Bruins’ offense. On top of that Miller has shown time and time again he can drop the gloves with anyone in hockey.

At this point Miller is practically a more offensive and reliable Adam McQuaid. That leaves the veteran enforcer on the outside looking in for a top six defenseman spot on this team. The move is to obviously send Paul Postma to the AHL and keep McQuaid as a solid seventh defenseman heading into the new year. The only question is if McQuaid will be willing to sit on the bench in a backup role.

Washington Troubles Continue for the Bruins

Leave a reply

Well this news certainly will not shock anybody: the Boston Bruins lost to the Washington Capitals on Thursday. The Bruins have now dropped 12 straight games against the Capitals, and do not have any more regular season games scheduled with them this year. A blessing in disguise if you ask me, because it seems like no matter how well they play the Bruins just cannot overcome the Caps. Coming into D.C the Bruins had won five games in a row and eight out of the last 10. All of the sudden the Bruins had some adversity to overcome. Lets take a look back at last nights 4-3 loss and highlight the areas where the Bruins fell short.

Embed from Getty Images

Bruce Cassidy

There has not been much to complain about this season regarding Bruce Cassidy. Overall he as done a fabulous job. But last night in Washington Cassidy really had egg on his face. Starting in the overtime period where Cassidy thought it was a better idea to put Carlo on the ice in a 3-3 situation than Krug. Cassidy explained that he was sending a message to the veteran defenseman. But overtime against the team that owns you is not the time to bench your most talented offensive defenseman.

Another major blunder by Cassidy was not challenging Lars Eller’s goal that made it 2-1 Boston. When on replay it was very clearly offside. But later on in the game Cassidy did decide to challenge Brett Connolly’s game tying goal that had no chance of being overturned. At that point it’s hard not to wonder if Cassidy was more focused on saving face than actually objectively viewing the play. Especially considering that one of Cassidy’s reasons for not challenging the first goal was because he did not want to risk the two-minute minor in that situation. Which only makes him challenging the game tying goal that much worse, thankfully the Bruins killed the penalty and were able to get one point.

Embed from Getty Images

Anders Bjork

This decision may be even more frustrating than the whole challenge situation. Cassidy has been rather harsh on Bjork all season, and that trend continued against Washington. Bjork had only 6:53 TOI against Washington and seemed to be in the doghouse once again. Cassidy explained that Bjork was not sharp without the puck and was off his defensive angles. This is true, as Bjork has a tendency to be rather ineffective physically in the defensive zone. However the Bruins need to make a choice on Bjork. Either let him work through his deficiencies at the NHL level or send him down to Providence. Bjork is not going to improve by playing not even seven minutes a night at the NHL level. A Providence stint would allow him to play 20 minutes a night and focus on his positioning without the puck.

The Bruins have some big roster decisions coming up, and right now Bjork is the odd man out. Krejci is set to return to the lineup soon as well as Chelarik. While the Bruins have made it public that Bjork has earned his roster spot their hand may be forced. Sweeney and Cassidy have some big decisions to make for the surprisingly good Bruins team now lets see if they can make the right one.

Bruins Youth Will Soon Deliver Championship to Boston

Leave a reply

Youth Movement Key to Championship

Like all of the Boston sports teams the Bruins have many young exciting players. After years of talk of what these players were doing in Providence they are finally getting a shot. The Bruins’ youth includes Charlie McAvoy, who has drawn comparisons to Bobby Orr, Jake Debrusk, who could be a thirty-goal scorer, and Danton Heinen, who is putting up the quietest breakout rookie season in the league. The Bruins have also received contributions from rookies Matt Gryelzk and Anders Bjork. After a slow start the Bruins have won thirteen of their last seventeen games. This has shown the potential this team has as these young players mature.

Photo Credit: Boston Bruins

Veterans Mixing with the Kids

The Bruins not only have many talented rookies but a core of talented veterans as well. They have two of the most talented goal scorers in the league in Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak under control for the next five years. Patrice Bergeron continues to be one of the best two-way forwards in the league and he is under control for the next five years. The mix of these veterans and rookies has made this team harder to play. They are grinding out games like they did 2011 when they won a championship. The reason why the Bruins will be good for the foreseeable future is because of this mix of players under club control for a long time.

Photo Credit: Matt West

The General Manager

The Bruins named Don Sweeney General Manager in 2015. Since then he’s shown two skills critical to sustained success for the franchise. He’s been able to sign key players to team friendly long-term deals and he’s done very well developing players. He has not made many successful trades, but he hasn’t sacrificed the future of the franchise just to make a deal. Every year Sweeney has been the General Manger he’s improved which is critical going forward.

Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara

Prediction

The Bruins may not win a championship this year but they will make a deep postseason run. That experience will be critical for the young players and will make them better going forward. It will also make these players hungrier next year and Lord Stanley will return to Boston in the next three years giving the Bruins two championships this decade.

Keys to Bruins’ Recent Surge

Leave a reply

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:

Embed from Getty Images

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.

Embed from Getty Images

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.

Is Erik Karlsson The Player The Bruins Have Been Waiting For?

Leave a reply

While The Ottawa Senators have been rebuilding their team, Erik Karlsson has been very public about his contract status with the team. Karlsson, widely perceived as the best defenseman in the NHL, wants to be paid like it. However, the Senators have been hesitant to pay the 2 time Norris winner, and 4 time all star. Rumors have been flying about Karlsson’s future with the Senators. He is set to hit the market in the summer of 2019. Should the emerging Bruins make an effort to land the superstar defenseman in a trade?

Embed from Getty Images

Price

The price to land a player of Erik Karlsson’s caliber is bound to be high. With a year and a half left on his contract, the Bruins may have leverage in trade talks. Ottawa would obviously want a young defenseman in return, to secure the backend for years to come. For most, Carlo is the name that would come to mind. However, the young defenseman is dealing with issues handling the puck in his own zone. Thus, his trade value is not at a high at the moment. It will take more than that to persuade the Senators to move on from the face of their franchise. Adding a Schaller or reluctantly, Heinen, to sweating the deal for the Senators, could potentially get it done.

Consequences

The real question becomes, are the Bruins willing to depart from two highly touted prospects for one plus year of Erik Karlsson? Karlsson has made it very clear he is going to the market, and getting paid. Even if the Bruins move on from Carlo, and another player, they are going to have to bid on Erik Karlsson, just like the every other team. Are the Bruins ready to move on from Carlo already? Only a year ago he was the most promising defenseman in the Bruins organization.

If Karlsson decides to move on after his contract is up, the Bruins will have set themselves back in the rebuilding stage, and will remain in the same position they are in now. On the face, trading for a player with Karlsson’s capabilities seems like a no brainer, but this could be one of the biggest choices Sweeney has to make.

Embed from Getty Images

Benefits

Adding Karlsson to this team instantly makes them a cup contender. This is how scary good Erik Karlsson is already. Bruins fans got to see this last year, when the Senators knocked the Bruins out of the playoffs. The elite puck movement ability this stud defenseman possesses, adds another element to a team’s offense. He has excellent long range passing, and stretches opposing teams out. This opens up more ice through the neutral zone, and limits the fore-check. Karlsson is one of the fastest skaters in the NHL. He is able to consistently carry the puck up ice, creating odd man rushes.

One of the knocks on the superstar has been his lackluster performance in his own zone, he currently has a -16 rating on the season. However, playing over 26:00 minutes a night, for 7 straight seasons, can have an effect on a player’s rating. Especially when Karlsson is tasked with being the Senators best offensive player, as well as their best defensive player. The offensive ability that Karlsson has, makes up for any deficiencies on the defensive end.

Verdict

If the price was Carlo, and a lower level player like a Beleskey or Acciari, Sweeney should have made that deal yesterday. However, if the price is Carlo, and a Debrusk or Bjork, the deal becomes harder to swallow. Adding Karlsson to this team could affect the franchise for a decade, good or bad. If Sweeney could get a wink and a nod from Karlsson’s side that he will resign or negotiate, the Bruins could get Karlsson long term. No price is too high.

Matt Beleskey May Be One of the Biggest Bust in Recent Years

Leave a reply

When the Bruins signed forward Matt Beleskey in the summer of 2015 many viewed him as a potential replacement for Milan Lucic on the left side of David Krejci. Worst case scenario was that he became a physical third-line winger with the ability to get some dirty goals, right? Wrong, not even the most bitter Bruins fan could have predicted this. The Matt Beleskey era in Boston has been quite forgettable. Not something you want to hear about someone who pulls in $3.8M a year.

Lack of Production

Playoff production landed Belesky at the top of the 2015 free agency list. For Anaheim, the left wing put up eight goals, and nine points playing alongside Ryan Getzlaf. In an overall down year in the forward department, Beleskey seemed like a great offensive addition for a forward-hungry Bruins team. But to put it lightly, things have not gone according to plan. In 143 games for the Boston Bruins, Beleskey has scored18 goals, 27 assist, for 45 points, and has a horrible -12 rating. In his last 63 games, the left winger has only eight points, and is a -18. That includes zero points in 14 games played this season. Zero.

On top of that, he seems to make an atrocious turnover whenever Cassidy unglues him from the bench. At this point, Beleskey brings more value from the press box because at least the Bruins won’t carry dead weight on the bench.

Lack of Physicality

Recently, a lot of people speculate that the Bruins need to add some toughness. This is very valid, especially with the way teams have been taking luxuries with late hits on Bruins forwards recently. Don Sweeney has to start shopping for a veteran forward to add some snarl to the lineup. Beleskey, supposed to be the tough guy on the team, has proved, useless. His defensive performance as noted has and continues to be, horrible with his -18 rating over the past two seasons. But even his physicality has taken a step back. Last season’s Beleskey compiled 98 hits, the lowest amount since 2010-2011. He will drop the gloves, leading the team with three fighting majors. But his fights are meaningless if he cannot continue the physical play during the game.

Now Sweeney has some major roster moves to make and Matt Beleskey could be the one to go.

Does Sweeney Deserve More Credit Than He Gets?

Leave a reply

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.

Brandon Carlo: The Unnoticed Budding Defenseman

Leave a reply

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

Leave a reply

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.