2021-2022 Bruins Season Thread

cshea

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Rookies report this morning and hit the lice later today for practice. They're off to Buffalo tomorrow for the prospect tourney, playing the Sabres on Saturday and the Devils on Sunday.

F: Samuel Asselin, Marc Boudreau*, Matt Filipe, Jesper Froden, Curtis Hall, Brett Harrison, Jacob Hudson*, Jakub Lauko, Fabian Lysell, Ian McKinnon, Oskar Steen, Eduards Tralmaks, Alex-Olivier Voyer

D: Jack Ahcan, Victor Berglund, Noah Dorey*, JD Greenway, Brady Lyle, Ryan Mast, Andrew Peski, Nick Wolff

G: Kyle Keyser, Jeremy Brodeur

Lauko and Steen are probably the closest to the NHL among the forward group. Jesper Froden is a 26-year old RW that's coming over from the Swedish Elite League. Don't know much about him but he had 22 goals in 52 games last season. Probably AHL fodder or another Lindholm/Kempainen but I guess file him away under "intriguing." The highlight of the group is Lysell. He missed development camp due to Covid hurdles, so this will be his first appearance with the Bruins. Rookie camp and main training camp probably determines where he plays this season. He signed his ELC and is eligible for Providence, but they could also choose to send him to the WHL (Vancouver owns his rights) if they feel he's not ready for the AHL. The biggest concern is probably his size, he's only listed at 172 lbs.

Defensively, we saw Ahcan in an emergency capacity last year. He's an NHL possibility. Mast is a 2021 draftee. They picked up Greenway for free from Toronto. He's a former 3rd round pick from 2016 but has sorta been a journeyman. 2 years at Wisconsin, a year in the USHL, then 2 years at Maine. He's got some tools but hasn't put it all together. He signed a 2-year contract with Providence, so he's not technically a Bruins prospect but someone to keep an eye on like Cooper Zech was/

Anyways, looking forward to having hockey back.
 

TheRealness

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Interesting that Studnicka appears to have graduated from the program. A lot of the beat writers are saying he looks much bigger and stronger, or "the best shape of his life".

Agreed on everything else. Lysell is the most intriguing, and Lauko is the closest. I am not a believer in Steen, but Lauko is legit if he can stay healthy.
 

cshea

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Interesting that Studnicka appears to have graduated from the program. A lot of the beat writers are saying he looks much bigger and stronger, or "the best shape of his life".

Agreed on everything else. Lysell is the most intriguing, and Lauko is the closest. I am not a believer in Steen, but Lauko is legit if he can stay healthy.
Jack's entering his 3rd full pro-season. That's usually when they graduate kids. It's time for him to make his mark in regular camp with the NHL roster. It's a discussion for next week when they report, but I think it's going to be interesting to see where they slot him in to begin camp. The consensus is that Coyle gets first dibs between Hall and Smith, which then would leave the 3rd line some combination of DeBrusk, Haula and Foligno. Do they try to squeeze Jack in there somewhere and get a look? I think the outlook for the Bruins year hinges a lot on Jack's progress and if he can/can't help fill the Krejci void.

Lauko will probably push but he's got a tough path to actually make the opening night roster. They've got a shit ton of wingers ahead of him, so he'll likely be an in season injury/kick in the ass call up.
 

cshea

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Camp opens tomorrow. Here's a quick little what to watch/state of the Bruins heading in.

Forward

Marchand - Bergeron - Pastrnak
Hall - Coyle - Smith
DeBrusk - Haula - Foligno
Frederic - Lazar - Nosek
Wagner, Kuhlman, Blidh, Studnicka

I don't think there's a ton of free spots or competitions here. It's mostly figuring out where the pieces fit. First line will be the first line. 2nd line appears set in stone, but I'd imagine they'll get other players a look. Coyle is also going to be limited for the first week of camp so that might open the door for Studnicka/Haula/Foligno to get a look. The bottom six is where it gets a bit more hazy. DeBrusk/Haula/Foligno would seem to be the logical 3rd line, just a matter of who plays where. I think after the disaster last year, you just leave DeBrusk alone on LW and sort out Haula and Folgino between C and RW. The same can be said for the 4th line. I think the leaders are Frederic, Lazar and Nosek but they call can play multiple positions so who fits where is anyone's guess. Wagner, Kuhlman and Blidh are on the outside looking in and likely battling for the spare forward role. 2 of the 3 will get waivers. There doesn't appear to be a spot for Studnicka at first glance, so it may be an uphill climb. He's also got his waiver exemption working against him. There's been a lot of buzz about him bulking up and looking great in Foxboro/captain's practice. I think if there's any surprise, it's him taking a spot. It's just hard to figure out what happens if he does make it and who gets displaced.

Defense

Grzelyck - McAvoy
Reilly - Carlo
Forbort - Clifton
Zboril - Moore
Vaakanainen

I don't think there's a ton for them to do on D in camp. Unless something crazy happens, my guess is the top 3 pairs are likely the opening night pairings. There might be some depth chart shuffling from 7-9, but I think Moore and Zboril break camp as the extras and Vaak goes down (waivers exempt). Vaak pushing for a job would be a nice development but it also doesn't make sense to keep him around as an extra, I think he would need to firmly grab a top 6 spot to actually make it and that'll be a tough climb.

Goalie

Ullmark
Swayman
Grosenick
Booth
Keyser

Nothing to see here. Barring injury, it's Ullmark and Swayman and see how it goes until Rask is healthy.
 

LogansDad

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Camp opens tomorrow. Here's a quick little what to watch/state of the Bruins heading in.

Forward

Marchand - Bergeron - Pastrnak
Hall - Coyle - Smith
DeBrusk - Haula - Foligno
Frederic - Lazar - Nosek
Wagner, Kuhlman, Blidh, Studnicka

I don't think there's a ton of free spots or competitions here. It's mostly figuring out where the pieces fit. First line will be the first line. 2nd line appears set in stone, but I'd imagine they'll get other players a look. Coyle is also going to be limited for the first week of camp so that might open the door for Studnicka/Haula/Foligno to get a look. The bottom six is where it gets a bit more hazy. DeBrusk/Haula/Foligno would seem to be the logical 3rd line, just a matter of who plays where. I think after the disaster last year, you just leave DeBrusk alone on LW and sort out Haula and Folgino between C and RW. The same can be said for the 4th line. I think the leaders are Frederic, Lazar and Nosek but they call can play multiple positions so who fits where is anyone's guess. Wagner, Kuhlman and Blidh are on the outside looking in and likely battling for the spare forward role. 2 of the 3 will get waivers. There doesn't appear to be a spot for Studnicka at first glance, so it may be an uphill climb. He's also got his waiver exemption working against him. There's been a lot of buzz about him bulking up and looking great in Foxboro/captain's practice. I think if there's any surprise, it's him taking a spot. It's just hard to figure out what happens if he does make it and who gets displaced.

Defense

Grzelyck - McAvoy
Reilly - Carlo
Forbort - Clifton
Zboril - Moore
Vaakanainen

I don't think there's a ton for them to do on D in camp. Unless something crazy happens, my guess is the top 3 pairs are likely the opening night pairings. There might be some depth chart shuffling from 7-9, but I think Moore and Zboril break camp as the extras and Vaak goes down (waivers exempt). Vaak pushing for a job would be a nice development but it also doesn't make sense to keep him around as an extra, I think he would need to firmly grab a top 6 spot to actually make it and that'll be a tough climb.

Goalie

Ullmark
Swayman
Grosenick
Booth
Keyser

Nothing to see here. Barring injury, it's Ullmark and Swayman and see how it goes until Rask is healthy.
Excellent post, as always @cshea

I can get behind this team, and will be excited for the season to start.
 

Dummy Hoy

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Fluto had a piece where he though Achan would very much be in play for the first LHD on deck if anything happens to the top 3
 

BigMike

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Fluto had a piece where he though Achan would very much be in play for the first LHD on deck if anything happens to the top 3
Interesting, but as I suspect Zboril, and Moore will both be on the roster as the #7/#8 D-men, I would be pretty stunned if Achan was first up over those 2 if there was an injury.
 

cshea

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They also have Forbort with McAvoy which is vomit inducing. Hope that's just a fucking around on day 1 thing. Grz was with Clifton. Reilly with Carlo.
 

Dummy Hoy

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They also have Forbort with McAvoy which is vomit inducing. Hope that's just a fucking around on day 1 thing. Grz was with Clifton. Reilly with Carlo.
Vomit Inducing feels too strong...I'm not super familiar with Forbort, but if he can be a physical shutdown guy to pair with Chucky (and can keep up), that allows Butch to really stretch his D depth. Worth giving a shot in any case.
Biggest issue I saw was that he played in a man to man defense in Winnipeg, players sometimes seem to struggle a bit when they come to Boston and aren't used to the layers approach they use.
 

burstnbloom

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Vomit Inducing feels too strong...I'm not super familiar with Forbort, but if he can be a physical shutdown guy to pair with Chucky (and can keep up), that allows Butch to really stretch his D depth. Worth giving a shot in any case.
Biggest issue I saw was that he played in a man to man defense in Winnipeg, players sometimes seem to struggle a bit when they come to Boston and aren't used to the layers approach they use.
It feels kinda right to me. I don't love the idea of your best playing dragging someone to effectiveness as a group. I think they should be maximizing McAvoy which means playing him with Gryz, who were among the top 3-5 pairs in the NHL last year. I dont blame Cassidy for tryign them together now because we already know how he plays with Gryz. The challenge for me is they already knew how effective they were last year and chose to staple Lauzon to him.
 

veritas

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I don’t love Forbert with McAvoy, but he can’t play with Carlo at EV. So that’s the only option really when you want to split up Grz and Mac. And it’s good to have options depending on if you’re playing a deep or too heavy team.
 

burstnbloom

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I don’t love Forbert with McAvoy, but he can’t play with Carlo at EV. So that’s the only option really when you want to split up Grz and Mac. And it’s good to have options depending on if you’re playing a deep or too heavy team.
I'd play him with Clifton on the bottom pair and call it a day.
 

cshea

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Lines today:

Marchand - Bergeron - Pastrnak
Hall - Studnicka - Smith
Foligno - Coyle - Hughes
Frederic - Nosek - Lazar

Forbort - McAvoy
Reilly - Carlo
Grzelyck - Dougherty

PP1: Marchand, Bergeron, Pastrnak, Foligno, McAvoy
PP2: Hall, Studnicka, Smith, Reilly, Grzelyck

Haula, DeBrusk and Clifton played last night so they didn't participate.

There's going to be an interesting trickle down if Studnicka sticks. That'd bump one of Haula, DeBrusk or Foligno down to the 4th line, which then displaces one of Frederic, Nosek or Lazar. Injuries might take care of the problem, but it's a good one to have.
 

RedOctober3829

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Lines today:

Marchand - Bergeron - Pastrnak
Hall - Studnicka - Smith
Foligno - Coyle - Hughes
Frederic - Nosek - Lazar

Forbort - McAvoy
Reilly - Carlo
Grzelyck - Dougherty

PP1: Marchand, Bergeron, Pastrnak, Foligno, McAvoy
PP2: Hall, Studnicka, Smith, Reilly, Grzelyck

Haula, DeBrusk and Clifton played last night so they didn't participate.

There's going to be an interesting trickle down if Studnicka sticks. That'd bump one of Haula, DeBrusk or Foligno down to the 4th line, which then displaces one of Frederic, Nosek or Lazar. Injuries might take care of the problem, but it's a good one to have.
I'd be fine with Frederic down in Providence or on the 9th floor with DeBrusk on the 4th line. Would be nice to actually have some good depth this year.
 

lexrageorge

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My guess is that Lysell's size was the determining factor here. Giving his body another year to grow is not at all the worst outcome. I assume the Bruins staff gave him some clear direction on what to work on in what will hopefully be his final season in juniors.
 

cshea

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Booth was waived today.

Got a nice paycheck out of it but he was essentially just brought in to be exposed to Seattle. Think he'll be down in the ECHL this year in all likely hood with Grosenick and Keyser holding down the net in Providence.
 

burstnbloom

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Lysell was pretty impressive in camp. Hope he builds on this during his juniors season.
With what we saw out of him, I bet he has a Brayden Schenn draft + 1 year in the Dub. He has NHL level skill right now and he's only 18. The way he attacks the offensive zone had NHL defenders on their heels. Those kids in Western Canada don't know whats coming. He is just too skinny to stand up to the rigors of the NHL right now and the goons in the A would run at him constantly. This feels like the right choice. Go to Vancouver, play lots of top line minutes and power play, dominate and work out a lot.

I was excited about the pick but he's a lot closer than it seemed on draft knight. He's easily the most exciting prospect the Bruins have had since McAvoy.
 

cshea

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Small, preseason sample so grain of salt and all but DeBrusk's 2 appearances

22-10 attempts
12-7 shots
17-5 scoring chances
8-2 high danger chances
1.37-0.37 xGF-XGA
3-0 in goals

2 individual goals and also 2-2 in shootouts.

2 goals on 3 shots is obviously unsustainable, but if I could pick anyone on the team to have a preseason shooting percentage heater, it's Jake. He's starting the year off on a good note and perhaps building back some confidence. A 20-goal Jake really deepens this lineup, I'm pulling for him.
 

burstnbloom

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Small, preseason sample so grain of salt and all but DeBrusk's 2 appearances

22-10 attempts
12-7 shots
17-5 scoring chances
8-2 high danger chances
1.37-0.37 xGF-XGA
3-0 in goals

2 individual goals and also 2-2 in shootouts.

2 goals on 3 shots is obviously unsustainable, but if I could pick anyone on the team to have a preseason shooting percentage heater, it's Jake. He's starting the year off on a good note and perhaps building back some confidence. A 20-goal Jake really deepens this lineup, I'm pulling for him.
Third line looked great last night against poor competition. It's really nice start for them. Foligno is skating way better than he was last year. I have not been optimistic about that signing but they played very well off each other as a group. I'll be there Saturday, hope to get a closer look.
 

The Napkin

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did we ever get an explanation why they have a month and a half between the last preseason game and the season opener?
 

IdiotKicker

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He may be, but I don’t think worried is the term I would use. He’s fine, but I don’t think he’s a necessary cog for this team in any way. I don’t get excited about having him nor losing him.
 

veritas

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John Moore is a really bad NHL player, they have at least 3 AHL guys who could be as bad if they need them.

Seems like a nice guy though, good for him having a long career and making 16 mil