pedro1918 said:What is the Russian equivalent of yodeling?
cshea said:Kevin Hayes may be someone the B's could land. Hayes was the 24th overall pick in the 2010 draft by Chicago. Right winger who played 4 years at BC. He elected not to sign with them and his rights expired last Friday so he's a UFA. Basically, another Wheeler situation. Twitter (Mark Divver, Dom Tiano) says he was listening to pitches all weekend and will speak to finalists today. The Bruins may or may not be a finalist, but Hayes is a local kid and B's can offer the opportunity to compete for a spot to play right away on a contender. Hayes' brother Jimmy plays for Florida, so they may be in the mix. Johnny Gaudreau and Bill Arnold were his linemates at BC so I suppose he could follow them to Calgary where he'd play at the NHL level immediately.
It's worth a shot by the Bruins though. All it costs is an ELC. Best case is he is Wheeler 2.0.
Edit: FWIW, Danny Picard of CSNNE says the Hayes finalists are Boston, Colorado, Nashville, Pittsburgh and NYR.
cshea said:There is also Thornton's vacated 4th line wing spot as well. It seems like the plan is to go young and fill it with a Florek/Fraser (if he signs)/Lindblad/Ferlin type. No reason Hayes wouldn't be under consideration as well, if he were to sign.
His " defensively sound" 4th line has been largely a myth for the past couple of years, though.TheRealness said:
Claude loves his defensively sound 4th line, so I'd be pretty surprised to see a NHL rookie with no pro experience like Hayes win that battle. Is he any good defensively? The reports I'm reading talk about how he's a "finesse" big guy.
Past year is what did them in. I thought they were really solid during the cup run until Campbell broke his leg.Eddie Jurak said:His " defensively sound" 4th line has been largely a myth for the past couple of years, though.
cshea said:2/3 of that line is still in tact though. We're just looking at replacing Shawn Thornton who wasn't exactly know for his defensive prowess anyway. They're just trading in fighting skills for more offensive skills. I know there were salary cap considerations in play, but letting Thornton go signals to me that they're looking to go with more skill on that line.
cshea said:On the flip side, Blake Wheeler stepped right in, forced the Bruins to bury Peter Schaefer in Providence and had a 45 point season. He transitioned from NCAA to the NHL without playing a game in the AHL. There is some precedent with the Bruins. It took Kreider a bit longer to adjust, but he also left BC early and was 2 years younger than Hayes when he joined the Rangers.
As I see it, assuming full health, the Bruins have 2 open wing spots. If Hayes were to sign, I don't see how he wouldn't be in competition with Spooner, Florek, Lindblad, Fraser, Gagne, Pastrnak and Khokhlachev for the 2 vacancies. They can't guarantee him a spot, but one is there for the taking.
I agree with your take; Fraser and Gagne make the most sense given Claude and Chia's past moves. They also allow the Bruins more time to assess Spooner and Koko in Providence. If the team or 3/4 lines struggle, they can move Spooner or Koko up as the season goes on.TheRealness said:
He would compete with them, but I don't see him beating them out. They love what Florek provides them on the defensive side, and Spooner is knocking on the door and they need to find out what they have in him. Koko isn't as defensively sound, but as his AHL playoff showing demonstrated, he has an abundance of skill. Still, that's a good point on Wheeler, but does Hayes have that type of two-way game?
I'm not a big fan of Fraser, but I think he's going to unfortunately be the preliminary favorite in the clubhouse. Not sure what you can expect out of Gagne, but his "veteran status" certainly makes him a viable challenger for the spot as well. Nice to have competition though, so you'd have to think whoever makes it will earn it. I could definitely see Gagne rounding out the 4th line, and Fraser on the 3rd. My gut tells me they are going to send Spooner and Koko back to Providence for more seasoning. Hopefully one of them will demonstrate enough to make them change their minds. Both have really strong skills.
TheRealness said:Is anybody else listening to Felger and Mazz? They are reporting Krejci was extended for 7 years for $43m. It's from some Czech newspaper.
cshea said:Matt Fraser is at captains practice today. Either he's incredibly dumb or he has signed a contract. Guessing the latter.