12/23 Bruins @ Wild
- Thread starter Salem's Lot
- Start date
It looks like Minnesota is practicing against some college kids who have been told not to actually engage with them in any way.
This is a time that the coach, or a captain, or management needs to challenge these guys.
They gotta make some moves after the roster freeze is over. Problem is there’s not too many trades that they can make. Too many good guys in that room. They need a couple pricks.
Reality check? Remember even last year before the year started most did not have the Bs being as good as they ended up being -- and they flamed out in the playoffs. They are worse this year despite the amazing goaltending that has enabled them to stay in first place. So maybe a 3rd place team? And who knows about the playoffs.
What do you think about dangling Jake at the trade deadline? He may bring nothing much but then again some teams might bite
I know there’s no shortage of defenders here but barclay raises a very pertinent point that’s not getting enough play, this season: Jake DeBrusk has been a complete non-factor.
You’re not getting anything for DeBrusk now except an equally under performing player who makes the exact same cap hit.
I’ve been a big DeBrusk defender in the past, but he’s just not producing this year at all.
I'd be in favor of bringing up Merkulov and Lysell, even if for a brief while, to see if they have progressed. If so it opens up others for a trade. I am not sure about Jake -- he did score 27 goals last year so some team may see him as a "change of scenery" candidate. While I don't think he is (I think he's "temperamental") and I'm guessing you don't either, mistakes are made all the time.
They’re just walking right to the front of the net with McAvoy & Lindholm out there. What the fuck is wrong with those two?
Who knew the secret ingredient in the first two months’ special sauce was Derek Forbort? (I’m kidding, but the net front weakness is glaring, right now).
Call the trip on Marchand’s scoring chance, don’t call any two of Mitchell/Coyle/Frederic — all of which were soft as puppy shit, and maybe they have more wind in their sails.
But this looks like a team whose self belief is ebbing slowly away. Goalies can’t be superheroes when the net front is consistently owned by your opponent.
Call the trip on Marchand’s scoring chance, don’t call any two of Mitchell/Coyle/Frederic — all of which were soft as puppy shit, and maybe they have more wind in their sails.
But this looks like a team whose self belief is ebbing slowly away. Goalies can’t be superheroes when the net front is consistently owned by your opponent.
It’s tough as a player when you feel like every time your in a battle with a guy that you’re going to get called for a penalty. I think it’s wearing on them. Especially McAvoy, he hasn’t been the same since that suspension. Montgomery needs to find a way to get that shit out of their heads. Meanwhile, Sweeney and Neely need to be doing more at the league level to figure out why exactly the Bruins are on the shit list, and work to build that relationship.
He hasn’t been the same since he got hurt and came back. Nobody knows what goes on in the background so I have a hard time killing management for pure speculation.
They’ve been getting fucked by the refs since Marchand licked that guy in 2018. This year it’s been much worse in the year they name him captain. That can’t be a coincidence. That’s on management to try to iron that out with the league.
2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20, they had more PPO than PPOA. Now, they probably should have, given their possession stats. But it wasn’t really until 2020-21 that they really started to get fucked.
So, while I don’t disagree that they should be on the PP more, I don’t think there’s any even circumstantial evidence that it’s about Marchand licking a guy in 2018. Plus they commit a metric fuckton of stupid high sticking penalties this year.