2017 camps and preseason

cshea

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I don't think I would go so far as to say that a #1 has to be a shut down guy. I think an all-situations, 25+ minute guy who can move the puck and put points on the board qualifies. Is Erik Karlsson a shut down guy? I never thought so, but he's clearly a #1. For me, Krug doesn't play the minutes and doesn't play against the other team's best enough.

I'm curious as to what the pairs will be. Good arguments for either Carlo or McAvoy alongside Chara.
I think I would go:

Chara - Carlo
Krug - McAvoy
Miller - Postma
McQuaid

Not sure that'll happen. Maybe flip McAvoy and Carlo, but I would mostly like to get Krug freed of the McQuaid anchor.

We should get some idea of what they're thinking when the team hits the ice today. Cassidy didn't say much about the defense yesterday, but noted that Krejci and Pastrnak go together as well as Marchand and Bergeron. They also intend on Backes playing the wing again.
 

allstonite

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I caught about 10 minutes of a random Behind the B last night from I think rookie camp

-Jamie Langenbrunner is the player development coach and apparently has been since 2015. I had no idea.
-The new practice arena looks incredible on the show with the windows and natural light. I'm hoping to get over there for a practice or just to walk around. Literally right across the street from where I used to live
 

cshea

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Group A

Marchand - Bergeron - Bjork
Vatrano - JFK - Backes
Beleskey - Spooner - Purcell
Blidh - Cave - Szwarz
Gabrielle - Studnicka - Hargrove

Chara - Carlo
Miller - McAvoy
Zboril - Cross
O'Gara - Clifton

Rask
McIntyre

Interesting to me that JFK is centering the theoretical 3rd line right away.
 

veritas

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I've never understood the Krejci-Pastrnak combination. It doesn't make sense on paper and they've never shown any chemistry on the ice. I'd definitely prefer to see Vatrano-Krejci-not 88.

Excited to see Bjork on the top line. If he can play there, that really adds depth to the rest of the lines
 

cshea

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Group B

DeBrusk - Krejci - Heinen
Schaller - Nash - Acciari
Agostino - Czarnik - Senyshyn
Fitzgerald - Kuraly - Porter
Pare - Koppanen - Hickman

Grzelyck- McQuaid
Krug - Postma
Lauzon/Breen - Doherty

Khudobin
Subban

Pastrnak goes to Krejci's right, guessing Heinen and DeBrusk both get an opportunity for the LW on that line. Czarnik line could be the top line in Providence.
 

Dropkick Izzy

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Anybody go to practice over the last couple of days? I'm thinking about heading over tomorrow with the boy and was wondering if it's a mad house or not.
 
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TheRealness

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From the tweets from Joey Mac and Haggs, it appears Bjork has fit in quite well with Bergeron and Marchand in the limited time they have been together. I would kill a hobo for some video of them together.
 

Eddie Jurak

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Studnicka is a guy to watch. He impressed a lot of people while up, but he needs to put on some weight and add strength.
Yeah. I think him getting sent back is mostly do to all of the "closer to NHL ready" depth in front of him than anything else. This seems like a kid who would have hung around for a while a couple of wars ago. N
 

cshea

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Some observations through a week and 3 games...

Forwards:

Bjork- Talent and skill is apparent. Think he needs to adjust a bit to the speed of the NHL game. Seemed like he's had some plays where he was just a fraction late in shooting/passing. I suspect he'll adapt quickly, and there is no better place to learn than with 63 and 37.

DeBrusk- I think he's ready. Big, strong on the puck and along the wall. Goes to the net. Seemed to fit in well with 46 and 88.

Heinen- Doesn't really stand out, but makes a lot of small plays that could go unoticed. I think he could be more selfish at times, seemed he tried to force some passes last night when there was an opportunity to shoot. Made a great play to spring Agostino in OT last night. He has a goal and an assist in his 2 games. Nothing flashy, but gets the job done.

Senyshyn- Skating ability and skill on display. Definitely needs time in Providence. Tentative at times and needs to be stronger on the puck, as well as work on his play away from the puck.

JFK- Derailed by the injury. May sink his chances of breaking camp on the NHL roster.

Defense

Zboril- This is the first time I've really seen the first round talent from him. Good skater, can push the pace, good offensive instinctsc and can also throw a big hit. Consistency, effort, work ethic has always been the knock against him, so we'll see if he can keep it up.

O'Gara- He'd be my pick to replace Krug to start the year. Seems to be a lefty Carlo. More of a defensive defenseman, but is mobile enough to skate out of trouble. Thought he jumped up in the offensice rush more in his game than he had in the past.

Grzelyck- I'll be honest, haven't noticed him much.

Lauzon- See, Grzelyck. Seems to be a good skater and has jumped into the rush on occasion, but I haven't really noticed much else from him yet.
 

Jordu

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I like it. His save percentage in the past two years is about the same as Khudobin, but Winnipeg has been a lousy team so Hutchinson has let in more goals.

He’s 27. He’s got a higher potential upside than Khudobin, and a change of scenery could help him.
 

TheRealness

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Cuts have begun.

Hard to argue with any of those. Providence will have a lot of talent this year. Should be a fun team to watch.

@cshea DeBrusk hurt himself in last night's game, as Belesky finished the game on Krejci's left. I really haven't been impressed with him. He's solid, but I don't think he's nearly the player Bjork is, and for that matter have him behind Heinen. I would bet DeBrusk starts the year in Providence.

Czarnik has been impressive, but I only see him making the team if they move Spooner. I think they are intent at this point in starting the year with a Vatrano-Spooner-Backes third line.
 

cshea

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2 games left, but I think the Opening Night roster is shaping up like this. No surprises yet, I think there's probably 1-2 battles still going on.

Marchand - Bergeron - Bjork
DeBrusk - Krejci - Pastrnak
Vatrano - Spooner - Backes
Beleskey - Nash - Acciari
Schaller, Agostino

Chara - Carlo
Miller - McAvoy
O'Gara - McQuaid
Postma

Rask
Khudobin

Brick mentioned it on the broadcast last night, but Czarnik is a wild card. He has impressed in camp, but I can't find a place for him unless they're trading Spooner. He is also exempt from waivers so from an asset management standpoint, I think Czarnik ultimately starts the year in Providence. JFK's injury also has ticketed him to Providence.

Defensively, I think O'Gara has been the best of the guys competing for Krug's ice time. Lauzon has impressed, but O'Gara's experience probably nudges him ahead. I haven't been too impressed with Grzelyck to this point.

Cassidy all but declared Khudobin as the backup last week, but I wonder if Subban's performance last night opened the door ever so slightly. Both Subban and Khudobin require waivers to be sent down, so I wonder if it's possible they keep 3 goalies out of camp and then try and sort it out later.
 

BigMike

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Grzelcyk apparently has compromising pictures of someone in the organization. He is an absolute trainwreck defensively, and yet somehow he is still in camp.
 

McDrew

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Grzelcyk's dominance at BU stemmed from being very aware of the ice and putting himself in good positions to make smart plays. His size was a liability, but his awareness made up for that.

I think he's struggling with the transition to the faster, more physical pro game. I also think that as much time in the preseason as he can get will be very helpful.
 

cshea

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They're down to 1 group in practice. Top 4 lines/3 D pairs are:

Marchand - Bergeron - Bjork
DeBrusk - Krejci - Pastrnak
Kuraly - Spooner - Backes
Beleskey - Nash - Acciari

Chara - Carlo
Miller - McAvoy
Grzelyck - McQuaid

Thats probably close to what they envision for opening night, but I'm not sure what to make of Vatrano being outside the top 12. Maybe just a final look at Kuraly?

Grz would appear to have the upper hand in the Krug role.
 

TheRealness

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They're down to 1 group in practice. Top 4 lines/3 D pairs are:

Marchand - Bergeron - Bjork
DeBrusk - Krejci - Pastrnak
Kuraly - Spooner - Backes
Beleskey - Nash - Acciari

Chara - Carlo
Miller - McAvoy
Grzelyck - McQuaid

Thats probably close to what they envision for opening night, but I'm not sure what to make of Vatrano being outside the top 12. Maybe just a final look at Kuraly?

Grz would appear to have the upper hand in the Krug role.
I actually agree with Vatrano sitting. He has not impressed in the preseason, and often looked like he was Glen Murray in the offensive zone (i.e. coasting around, looking for "seams", and shooting as soon as he got the puck no matter where he was), and overall looked to be behind everyone that is currently ahead of him on the above. I don't think that's a mistake. Kuraly has been the better player, as has Belesky and Acciari.

If Vatrano is going to play, it would be with Krejci and Pasta. If he's not, that tells you a lot about how the team views him.
 

cshea

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I think there has to be a spot for Vatrano. His shot/shot rate is too good, even if he needs to get a sheltered 5x5 role. I would like some scoring from the bottom 6 and Vatrano probably gives them the best chance at it.
 

TheRealness

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I think there has to be a spot for Vatrano. His shot/shot rate is too good, even if he needs to get a sheltered 5x5 role. I would like some scoring from the bottom 6 and Vatrano probably gives them the best chance at it.
Maybe. But I also think having someone like Kuraly with Backes (and they have excelled together) is better overall for the team. I think Vatrano has talent, but there is more to hockey than scoring goals, and that seems to be the only thing he is good at right now.

I do, however, think it's difficult to say DeBrusk is ahead of him, so I would be really curious to see if that stays consistent. I frankly haven't been impressed with either DeBrusk or Vatrano so far this preseason.
 

Eddie Jurak

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Vatrano is in a very weird spot, in that he has very little high level hockey experience compared to other players his age.

Through age 22, Vatrano has a full year in the NCAA, a full year split between Boston and Providence, and a half year in Boston. That's not a lot.

If he's eligible to be sent down, that may be the best thing for him. If he's not, the Bruins need to bite the bullet and let him play - or bite the bullet and let him go. I don't think keeping him on the team as F#13 is going to work out, as what he needs first and foremost is experience.

I'd keep him, because... if he figures the rest of the game out, he'll be a valuable scorer.
 

TheRealness

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Agostino on waivers today. Mild surprise there.
Yeah, thought he might get a shot on Krejci's line, but it sounds like they seem convinced DeBrusk can play. Given their possession numbers from last night, I am not as convinced, but I'm not sure if that problem is one on DeBrusk.

Krejci is in a precarious position. If JFK advances quickly, he could end up on the way out next summer.
 

cshea

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I think DeBrusk is safe. They had him working with one of the PP units today, which is usually a good indicator. The top 2 lines seem locked in at this point.

As for Agostino- They're still trying to sort out the bottom 6. I really have no idea how it'll shake out. I thought he might stick as the 13/14th forward along with Schaller, but I guess they're comfortable with some of the kids. I'd say Spooner, Nash, Backes and Beleskey are locks. That leaves them 2-3 spots between these 7- JFK, Heinen, Vatrano, Acciari, Schaller, Kuraly, Agostino. Of that group, Schaller, Vatrano and Agostino are the 3 that need waivers to go down, so I thought those 3 would open with the NHL team to preserve depth/asset management. Guess not. Maybe they're trying to sneak Agostino through while other teams are going through the same process of cutting down?
 

catomatic

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I'm impressed with B's AAAA squad holding what is essentially the Hawks' varsity down until a late 3rd period PP (after having a goal of their own called back, no less).
 

cshea

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Final cuts coming today/tomorrow.

Purcell was released from his PTO. They’ll probably have a few guys on waivers today too.
 

cshea

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Practice lines today...would seem to be your opening night lineup...

Marchand - JFK* - Bjork
DeBrusk - Krejci - Pastrnak
Beleskey - Spooner - Backes
Schaller - Nash - Acciari

Chara - Carlo
Grzelyck - McQuaid
Miller - McAvoy

* Bergy is not practicing, assuming JFK is a placeholder and there’s no injury concerns with Bergy. Hopefully just a day off.

PP units

#1- 63-37-88-73-51
#2- 74-46-10-42-48

Think Grz has won the Krug spot.
 

TheRealness

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Practice lines today...would seem to be your opening night lineup...

Marchand - JFK* - Bjork
DeBrusk - Krejci - Pastrnak
Beleskey - Spooner - Backes
Schaller - Nash - Acciari

Chara - Carlo
Grzelyck - McQuaid
Miller - McAvoy

* Bergy is not practicing, assuming JFK is a placeholder and there’s no injury concerns with Bergy. Hopefully just a day off.

PP units

#1- 63-37-88-73-51
#2- 74-46-10-42-48

Think Grz has won the Krug spot.
I agree it appears Grz has won the Krug spot, but I'm not sure how long that lasts. I would imagine Postma will be the 7th D regardless when Krug is back.

As for JFK, I think my read of that is he's ahead of Czarnik for Spooner's spot when/if Spooner is traded. Rest of it seems expected, but Vatrano sitting on the 9th floor/in Providence is a bit of a surprise. I did like what DeBrusk did against Chicago in what little I could watch it of, so maybe that put them over the edge. It will be interested to see what happens now with Frankie V.
 

cshea

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I bet we haven’t seen the last of Subban. He’ll clear and go down.

Frank seems to be in no-man’s land right now. In the doghouse, but too valuable to risk losing on waivers. He starts the year on 9.
 

ngruz25

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It's not often that I declare someone a bust based on one period of play, but it's also not often that you see a debut as bad as Subban's.
 

veritas

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I think Subban will be a good NHL goalie but he's in a tough position this year. I hope he clears.

If JFK's small sample size of possession driving ability is real, I think he needs to play with Pastrnak. I know I'm beating a dead horse, but I really hate Krejci and Pasta together
 

cshea

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I think Subban will be a good NHL goalie but he's in a tough position this year. I hope he clears.

If JFK's small sample size of possession driving ability is real, I think he needs to play with Pastrnak. I know I'm beating a dead horse, but I really hate Krejci and Pasta together
The more I think about it, the more I think 88 should play with Spooner. That 3rd line is a burner (Spooner) and 2 anchors. Doesn’t seem like a great fit.
 

veritas

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The more I think about it, the more I think 88 should play with Spooner. That 3rd line is a burner (Spooner) and 2 anchors. Doesn’t seem like a great fit.
I'd still be concerned with the lack of possession with Spooner. Pasta is so good at creating his own scoring chances, he just needs linemates who can tilt the ice, and he'll do the rest. He doesn't need a playmaker to create his chances.

edit: welp, so much for that, sent down to Providence: https://www.nhl.com/bruins/news/bruins-announce-transactions/c-291519704
 
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cshea

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I think that gets them to 16F, 11D and
3G left. 6 more cuts to come, assuming Krug goes on IR to free up a roster spot. Subban will be 1. Agostino cleared, but I don’t believe they have assigned him yet. Czarnik is sick, guessing he goes or is placed on IR. O’Gara has to be guy to go on D since they didn’t put Postma on waivers today and Grz appears to have won a job. Emil Johansson is still up as well, so he should be a cut or IR. Assuming those 5 guys get sent down or IR’d, they would still need 1 more cut. Kuraly and Acciari are the only players left that are exempt from waivers, so it’d have to be one of them.
 

TheRealness

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I'd still be concerned with the lack of possession with Spooner. Pasta is so good at creating his own scoring chances, he just needs linemates who can tilt the ice, and he'll do the rest. He doesn't need a playmaker to create his chances.

edit: welp, so much for that, sent down to Providence: https://www.nhl.com/bruins/news/bruins-announce-transactions/c-291519704
Krejci should be looking over his shoulder at JFK all year. If he continues his upward trajectory, and possession stats, Krejci could find himself in another timezone shortly (assuming someone will take his contract).

Until then, he's the 2C, but as others note, I don't know how well he fits with Pasta other than they both speak the same language.
 

Lose Remerswaal

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Subban on waivers. Khudobin wins the backup job
Wow.

What a waste of a 1st round pick.
I bet we haven’t seen the last of Subban. He’ll clear and go down.

Frank seems to be in no-man’s land right now. In the doghouse, but too valuable to risk losing on waivers. He starts the year on 9.
Exactly. Anyone who picks him up has to keep him on the NHL roster for the full season. He may be worth that in the future but no one would do that now.
 

lexrageorge

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Subban's throat injury really set back his development. He may yet pull it together this year; he apparently beat out McIntyre for the "break glass" option.

If he clears, then nothing's really changed. If he doesn't clear, yeah, it sucks to lose the first round pick. But the skaters taken after him in that draft have been mostly garbage, and young goalies are difficult to project. So the opportunity cost hasn't been a killer.