Bruins’ Free Agency Game Plan | Pucks With Haggs

Bruins’ Free Agency Game Plan | Pucks With Haggs

welcome to another edition of the pucks with hags podcast powered by prize piics the exclusive daily fantasy partner of the clns media Network I believe this is the 103rd episode of the pucks with hags podcast uh as always I’m your host Joe Hagerty you can find my work at Joe hager. substack do.com subscribe to a premium membership uh at substack and get uh all of my NHL and Bruins writing sent straight directly to your inbox I also write s weekly three of them every week for the Boston Sports Journal so go to Boston Sports journal.com to check out all my writing there about the Boston Bruins uh with me today I have my longtime friend and colleague Mick kagio who is out in Las Vegas for the NHL draft uh getting up bright and early to do this podcast Mick please tell everybody where they can find your work uh when I’m done doing it it’ll be on my blog rank rmc.com um which I link to on X and uh and also um Bost hockey now.com where I do a Sunday column and soon I’ll have a deadline for the hockey news where we’ll be doing the future watch kind of like the reor the organizational reset in the wake of Ufa and the draft Etc um I’ll have to have that in shortly that’ll be fun can’t wait to see that and uh I’m sure the uh the prospect list for the Boston Bruins will be interesting in the future watch as well all right Mick um you were there for Don Sweeney yesterday yeah give me the rundown my friend what what what what were your takeaways from uh from Don Sweeney’s press availability um that Danton Heinen is the only UFA who is not being uh treated on a very back burner basis he has held conversation with Heinen’s agent and he is not guaranteeing though that Heinen won’t go to mark I guess it came up on social last night or this morning that the brusk is confirmed he’s going to Market and uh and the BR we all knew that for a long time so so um uh and so the the uh the rest of these ufas um many of whom you know from the group that was gathered last year to make up a an NHL team and hope for the best uh have been told that been advised that with the Brewing stances which is hey look if we talk to you we’re not talking to you until the dust settles so that’s how I would characterize the million words that were spoken yesterday with the many questions that were asked um I I was more keyed on um Corp pasalo and talking about because the narrative is out there I mean let’s face it the fans wanted him around here but as long as Martin Jones was around here and um uh if you look at his is you go back a year and he joins the Kings at the deadline now he loses in the playoffs if he’s their six game starter against the Edmonton Oilers they lose in six he gets two wins and some of the four win games that he lost were ugly so his stats are not good his stats were very much like his Ottawa stats from this past season when he won 21 games right uh and you know but but those are the kind of numbers to get you kicked out of the leite they might have been common place in 1976 but they they’re not NHL numbers now so so uh but if you look at the 11 games he played for the Kings before the at the 23 deadline he went 73 and one I think it was a um a 2.13 GAA and a 9.21 goals against I mean say percentage I’m sorry so so capable You could argue Mick that that’s like the best team that he’s played for in his NHL career that LA Kings team he play Bad Columbus teams uh he was on yeah I mean his the best hockey before that was the bubble the bubble the bubble tournament that the NHL calls Stanley Cup playoffs I won’t um you know in 2020 and he he played very well in that so there are situations in which he’s delivered some really good hockey and and um so my question to him was you know uh are you looking at this the way you looked at all Mark good goalie and a bad team and you’re going to bring him into a good environment or is there a pair to his game and and you know and he he kind of acknowledged but at the same time said that you know each guy’s their own guy and it um and but we do think that that if you look at the whole bodyw work of his career that that this guy we think there’s a good goalie there yeah so and and you you don’t you’re not a terrible goalie if you get to almost 300 games in the NHL like you just don’t you know what I mean like he’s been he’s he’s not he had a terrible year with the Ottawa Senators like you can everybody wants to glom on to like fancy underlying stats that say that he was the worst goalie in the NHL last year and and maybe he was he was playing also he might have been at the he might have been at the bottom of a toilet bowl you know I mean that you know that’s that’s really uh it’s hard to look good when you’re coded in crap I I agree but like it’s also just the nature of gold tending it’s running backs in football it’s relief pitchers in baseball it’s very erratic from year to year you can’t take one year that a goalie had in the NHL and say this guy’s trash uh just based on one year because it’s so erratic bouncing back and forth for goalies like those other positions I mentioned not if they don’t play in a positive environment I will agree that there’s still an element where where a goalie can spike a hockey team however uh there is there goalies are much more so in today’s game the byproduct of their team in front of them than they are the other way around yeah and and that’s a big part of it but there’s also individual performance I think there’s I think that’s why there’s less value for goalies uh in trades and other things than other positions is because I think there’s an erratic volatile nature to that position where it’s kind of go back and forth um where for whatever maybe it’s an injury maybe it’s a technique thing maybe it’s a confidence thing there’s a lot of different things at Play and it’s a chemistry thing yes but you see a lot more volatility with that position than you do with others and I I there’s reasons for that you know and I think that is is something that everybody that is hypercritical of this trade is totally overlooking like I think it’s fair to criticize it to a degree um that they’re taking on four years at $3 million and overpaying a backup goalie do I think it’s a huge overpay for a guy that’s an established NHL backup goalie no don’t because you’d probably have to pay him like a couple million anyway so maybe they’re paying like an extra million more um than they would have otherwise but if they were going to when they brought in a guy like hak they paid him pretty that’s a good now maybe that’s the comparable yes that might be the comparable and I think you more so than elar that might have been the one that sween’s probably thinking about when he brought him in is is the you know the hak one yeah Tu was a lot further along in his career than Swan is now but but but you have this similar Dynamic you want to a good number two who’s going to push your number one and be a meaningful backup and keep competition internal competition going and if things don’t go well then maybe you know then there’s an opening for Brandon busy but but right now their plan is let’s get this guy in the best situation we can and um and plan on him being a good goalie for us that’s that’s the way they’re thinking it yeah and and I I you know I suspect that that they like having I know the Bruins traditionally they like having an experienced backup goalie I think it scares them to some degree to have a young guy that doesn’t have any NHL experience I’m not a big fan of backups who are developing goalies right I don’t think the are either that’s my point is I just don’t think they like it especially behind a guy in San who has never played 60 games has never been a number one has never dealt with the pressure he’s going to deal with uh once he signs the big contract like there’s a lot of unknowns uh for the gold ending situation going into next year and I think having a guy like Corpus Salo around allows them to hedge their bets to a degree but I’ll continue to go back to the same thing Mick you do not log almost 300 NHL games you do not get seven eight nine years in the NHL as a goalie unless you are good you know everybody wants to slag Corp pasalo and crush him for last year you do not remain in the NHL for as long as he has and go from you know his fourth different team now unless you are good if you are a bad goalie you will be out of the league very quickly because there’s so many other goalies out there uh and so many other candidates and and so many other places you can go for goal tending so like I I it’s so shortsighted and it’s such a like fancy stat geek thing to do these people that are jumping on Corp pasalo and crushing the Bruins for what they did just based on one year last year because they found some little kernel of stat that’s going to be juicy that everybody’s gonna run with and want to throw it out there what are they doing over there but but he’s not nearly as bad as you make him out to be and as he is play which was you know one of the worst teams in the NHL last year of course goalies are going to look bad uh on one of the worst teams in the NHL and one of the worst defensive teams and were they were a chotic team too yeah and and that’s terrible for a goalie well other people were trying to make the comparison that the Bruins defense and the Ottawa defense was the same last year which is hot garbage to me too they’re not even give me a break like I I don’t that’s just trying to fortify your your stupid F initial stat with some other stupid stat um as far as I lost the stupid stat day oh dude the fancy the the pocket protector fancy stat Brigade drives me nuts there’s a place for it there should be a mixture of that and the eyeball test there should always be a mixture of the two things but like I can’t get over when somebody puts up a bar graph on social media to tell me how awesome a line is playing when you can freaking see it with your eyes like I don’t need a bar graph to get me excited about what I’m seeing on the ice when like a line is dominant out there tell me something I don’t know that is the the most stupid like uh waste of time thing ever is to show me pie graphs and bar graphs of things I’m watching on the ice that I can see with my Naked Eyes tell me something I can’t see I think I think the one that uh put me off the most was when um you know a keyboard Warrior took issue with me when I made an opinion on a player and decided that what I was doing falls under a category that was labeled um uh something about bias confirmation bi confirmation bias so so B okay so as though as though I am philosophically doomed to a solipsism that I cannot Escape because I’m wrapped up in my own brain and cannot function in the world or see the game through any kind of reliable prism that might work like a good exercise for college kids in a philosophy class but it doesn’t but it doesn’t meet the rubber on the road of living of life and the fact that we as human beings are even taking the statistical information and processing it when I was in graduate which I was in when I was in graduate Seminary it was quite a quite a an eye opener to how the many ways there are to read the Bible you know to that you can have this thing you know do you learn a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing and and you and you start thinking you know something because you found out that this this is got an inherent bias to it that’s based in people looking at through different prisms and you bring your baggage with you and you decide that this means this because it has to you know fit in with everything else you think and and uh and what you wind up with later is is that at the end of the day you almost make a full circle back to deciding U that yes I have a as a sensory being I am capable of seeing what’s happening in front of me and interacting with information to inform that and to interpret the information because I can you know and it’s not perfect it never will be and if if it was all the same none of us would ever be talking about this stuff so you know it’ be as absolute as as your uh you know as a price tag you know I agree the problem becomes Mick that a lot of the people that spout the fancy stats stuff think all of that is perfect and think there’s you know it’s this like they’re in that they’re in that college mentality where you think you know something but you haven’t been far enough the M up the mountain to get a view of the distance to the top exactly and and you know you need to take all information into account before you make it’s all good information it’s like Gano said I love yeah I like information give me all the information you got but I like watching hockey games absolutely yeah and that’s why like the end of the day like that’s why I that that’s my bottom line is when I come full circle on this stuff the end of the day is I got into hockey because I love the sport because I love watching the sport because I love everything about the sport I did not get into hockey to look at bar graphs and pig graphs and all this other stupid crap like I that is not why I got involved in hockey like there was so many people that like love math love all that stuff like that’s great but like at the end of the day you have to ask them do you actually love the game or do you just love that stuff is that like your bread and butter is that your thing and you’re just trying to force that and shoehorn that into hockey or do you actually love hockey too like that’s that’s my question most of the time most have you ever felt that felt that ice under your skates and known that it was good ice or bad ice hard ice or soft ice and and and felt the puck Nestle into your stick and release it back and see somebody else catch it and know that you’re through them a good pass and that you feel that joy of the flow of the game and you in and and it’s part of of of your life with hockey to to to to play it I’m not saying that okay cancel out everybody who has never laced up skates or can or is a capable skater that’s not my point my point is is that experiencing anything at the most raw human levels is a huge part of understanding it and these other uh spheres and prisms through which we look at it absolutely I agree let’s also thank game time uh your best place to get Red Sox tickets at Fenway this summer if you’re well and actually they’re winning some games so you probably do want to get Red Sox tickets at fway summer although uh for me I might use game time for I saw yesterday that uh joury and uh de leopard and Hart are going to be playing at Fenway Park in August so I game time to go see the that recent because I went and I saw poison uh motle crew de leopard and Joan Jet last year at Fenway or it was two years ago I can’t remember that was like one of the all-time great concerts de leopard was unbelievable I would definitely go i i m a lot of lawns in Middle School uh with a Walkman playing de leopard in my ears Evan back in the day a young Joe Hagerty was like 12 11 years old game time is a great place to get tickets for concerts baseball um all that stuff right now uh seat views you get a panoramic view from your seat in the app before you buy lowest price guarantee or game time will credit you 110% of the difference Zone deals you save even more when you choose a section and let gain time choose the seats this is just good stuff so take the guest work out of buying MLB tickets with Game Time download the game time app create an account use the code clns for $20 off your first purchase terms do apply but again create an account download the app and redeem the code clns for $220 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed um all right I thought this was interesting Mick uh don Sweeney uh yesterday and I’ll read this off uh this was him talking about free agency and like what they’re trying to do and their needs what have you he said we’d like to deep in the middle of the Ice uh with us so that’s where we’ve been focused and trying to have these talks with our group to say okay who should be the guy and make hopefully the pitch at the right time that we can add a player of that nature think we continue to look to strengthen our back end complement the group we have here and then from there it’s sort of like how much of the pie is left we just have to attack I can’t tell you that we’re going to satisfy every need that our group had identified or you might identify but we are going to be aggressive to try to improve our Hockey Club like all right the the center thing is is been consistent and obvious and I think we all recognize that they need to get a Frontline Center and that’ll allow them to sort of move some of the pieces around and maximize what they have and uh become more of a well-rounded club and address some of the weaknesses that they had last year they need a Frontline Center Elias lho makes the most sense I think everybody is linked the Bruins to him I think they have the money to sign that kind of player so I think that makes a lot of sense on every level that’s kind of The Logical sort of offseason Edition that you can see happening my question is why not a Winger like why not is that a priority why are you talking about defenseman instead of instead of Winger I think think you need more scoring especially if Jake debrusk is leaving how come you don’t even mention that if you’re Don Sweeney is it that far in the priority list where at the end of this you’re going to be like oh we didn’t have any of the pie left sorry we couldn’t get a Winger we’re just going to add secondary scoring because we have enough primary scoring which they don’t because they averaged 2.38 goals in the playoffs clearly offense was an issue clearly putting the puck in the net was an issue and it’s going to be even more of an issue when Jake debrusk signs with Toronto or wherever the hell he’s going to go uh for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that he’s not going to get with the Bruins so like what was your estimation analysis thoughts on that in uh when when Sweeney was talking about the targets for free agency and sort of omitting the Winger as an important part of that uh the one thing that he alluded to um uh and it was in rough response to my question about Pavo zaka that how do you see his development at this point given the fact that you always had an eye for him uh being a lefts side versatile player that you could bring in and have him be a successor to the berson CI era and he plays most of the Season at Center for you but by the end of the season he was getting moved around a bit Yeah and where you look at him right now and he you know and he talked about the organizational philosophy and trying to get versatile players and that this is going to help them that he took took a big step this season so I don’t think they’re done looking at him as a center but at the same time I think that they’re looking at any player that they think can play Wing who is a center so I think that they look at like you remember 20 2010 Team Canada for the Vancouver Olympics and how they had um eight centers eight centers in their top 11 forwards um you know and and you know most of them play Wing U because only three can play top nine minutes at Center and they wound up uh you know kicking the crap out of everybody and and um and that’s and that I think is the way Sweeney likes to Envision I think that’s why he’s ingratiated himself with Team Canada I think they’re philosophically aligned and I think that any player he looks at is somebody he wants to be able to be at least a three2 tool player as a forward um even Freddy was drafted with this in mind so you think Monte says he’s a Winger well drafted as a center so you think it’s purposeful them not going after somebody that would only play the wing they basically want to go after centers and then potentially move them to Wings when they get here is that as a priority philosophy yes as a as a um now now let’s say this at the same time let’s know there that that um that David ponak who now has almost a decade in the organization is uh he does have a decade new what am I talking about so drafted with the 25th overall pick 10 years ago which the the people out there that pooo the 25th pick as something that is not going to get the Bruins anything all you have to do is point to David ponack and say look what they got 10 years ago with this exact pick so you know they do last year yeah L value a first round pick because it will probably get you a very useful NHL player with some high ceiling so when the when the contract started coming up in pasta’s development was was coming along but wasn’t really in an all World status yet um you know Sweeny famously texted flut o shinzawa and said not trading panac and uh everybody knew at that point that they’re gonna get a deal done they’re going to do something here and so they finally did and he’s the highest paid breu in history but he’s a pure Winger now is he he’s a line driving Winger though as Brad Martian proved to be before him to become a line driver um you know as berson aged he needed Martian to sort of take over that part of the job of the line and sort of become the complimentary player on the line and the player plays off of what the Winger does and that’s become a popular position in hawy the elbow uh Winger the panarin the the teras senko the kucherov the uh Patrick Kane I mean you get these these guys who have become integral to the evolution of offense and modern day hockey a lot of that has come out of that that Patrick Kane kind of model and and uh Play Making off the like a center but they play on the wing they ESS that’s right so so maybe Rick Middleton helped Barry Peterson as much as Peterson helped Middleton you know when they had that wonderful partnership 40 years ago uh so uh there there’s definitely some Dynamics to that but I think the Bruins historically throughout their history so help me Harry sindon strength down the middle and and if you can have a 200 foot center who’s one of the best players on the ice no matter which team has the puck and no matter where it is in the rink then that’s that’s the best way to be a consistent winner and to build up toward cup contention from there with every other Bell and whistle you can try to get together yeah I I understand what you’re saying and I I I I get the philosophy and I I you know I acknowledge that and sort of like you can see building up toward being mad at the Bruins for not being going after Reinhardt um I mean I don’t look reading the tea leaves I think reinhardt’s gonna sign back with Florida I don’t get any indication that he’s gonna go anywhere else it sounds like he’s going to take less to stay there that he understands he’s got a good thing going there and he wants to stay and they’ll figure out a way to work it out so I at this point I don’t even know even if they vastly overpaid for him or offered him something crazy that he would go and I think they probably know that but like Jake gunel is probably gonna be out there he’s probably a guy that you could get um and I think he would certainly fit in really well with this Bruins team and he would be a great addition and he’s the kind of player that you could add to this and and really he would be effective and good right off the bat um I just think I think they’re overplaying what they have offensively and it feels like to me they’re going to be comfortable going into the season with less than six top six forwards again like they did last year and somebody’s going to be playing up there that does not belong and it’s going to be a problem offensively you know we saw Danton Heinen play a lot of top six last year we saw Morgan geeky at times play top six like top six it yeah I like I like both of those players but I think they’re both third line players at Best uh wouldn’t like rank them as first or second line players when you’re looking at you could picture them winning the Stanley Cup and putting on the ball caps you know that they would be third liners yes so and this seems to be a pattern now that we’re seeing with Don Sweeney running the Boston Bruins is where it seems like he’s always operating one top six Winger short of what they need or he has in the last couple years anyway and certainly he did this last year and I think it’s very it’s very like actually it is it’s it’s that not being a priority I feel like is a I have a problem with that you know I think you need to especially with debrusk leaving I think you need to replace him with an established guy that can put the puck in the net if you’re thinking that Fabian lysel or melov or one of these guys is GNA come in and give you the offensive punch that you need the the speed the playmaking the skill that debras is leaving without the door I think you’re just mistaken at this point I I don’t see it but brazo yeah yeah yeah or brazzo but brazzo is not like de Brusque you know he’s not a he’s not a speed guy like the Brusque the brus speed is something they’re gonna miss when he’s gone his speed and his very high Elite skill is something they’re gonna miss if they don’t find a way to uh recreate or reproduce that I don’t mind them moving on though because I feel like I feel like at the end of the day de Brusque wants to play a Bobby Ryan type game and he wants to be uh invisible for 58 minutes and then for one or two minutes he wants to damage the game he wants to he wants to fly down like a hawk grab his prey and Scoot off and where’s my dog and he’s gonna be able to do that Mick when somebody signs him to a six seven-year deal for massive money that he’s gonna get somebody’s gonna pay him a lot of money and I like Jake debrusk as a person I think he’s a good kid I like his family I don’t want Cindy to come after me on Twitter as Mom and because if I say anything bad about him like she did before uh I think she’s great like I like Louie too I like the whole family I think he’s a good kid uh I just think once he gets that comfort of a long-term contract with a lot of money I just think he’s gonna get really comfortable and he’s gonna settle into bad habits and it’s going to be a tough situation for the team that signs him and it’s going to be a tough situation for him uh feeling the pressure of trying to live up to that contract because I think he’s going to think about it a lot and I also think he’s just going to settle into bad habits once he’s got the security like and I think the Bruins know that I think that’s why they’re avoiding resigning him and and and moving away I think they they can see what’s coming yeah I mean he he’s also an injury-prone player when he plays the right way he gets banged up a bit like Matt grizzli you know you get these guys who have just ter terrific speed talent fluidness to their game beautiful hockey players and then they and then they get into the Minefield of the most meaningful hockey of the year and they and and the bodies don’t hold up for whatever reason they weren’t they weren’t physically uh the specimen wasn’t up to the durability task and it’s not a matter of character it’s a matter of luck now with major league baseball in full swing with the Boston Red Sox actually doing okay sort of fighting for a playoff spot certainly better than I think anybody would have expected going into this season now’s a great time to use prize picks uh if you’re a Red Sox fan and if you’re a baseball fan with basketball and hockey having wrapped up uh prize picks is the largest daily fantasy sports platform in North America and the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports instead of battling thousands of other players that could be Pros or sharks simply pick more or less than on two to six player stat projections and you watch the winnings roll right in uh it’s fun and pretty simple download the prize pick app today and use the code clns for a first deposit match of up to $100 uh that’s download the prize pick app today and use the code clns for a first deposit match of up to $100 I mean what where can you go wrong uh you can now win up to a 100 times your money on prize picks with as little as four correct picks you can turn $10 into a thousand if you’re looking for promotions prize picks has got you covered every single week from lowering select players stats projections on Tuesdays to you help your lineup hit getting your entry fees back if you have a losing lineup on Fridays all kinds of good stuff going on right there prize pick is also available in more than 30 States across the country including California Texas and Georgia so uh if you wna get on board the Jared Jared Duran train with the Boston Red Sox and start uh loading up on his stats uh Tristan casses when he comes back and uh and starts hitting uh all the Red Sox if you want to get on board with them uh just get it done with prize picks download the prize picks app today and use the code clns for a first deposit match of up to $100 that’s download the prize pick app today and use the code clns for a first deposit match of up to $100 pick more pick less it’s that easy anything else Mick as far as uh as far as Don Sweeney goes yesterday uh let’s see you know it’s funny we never talked we never talked about four nations and that’s how the day is going to start off today with all the four nations avails well the 25th pick um any have you looked into players at all that you think might be available uh that he said that he said that it won’t be about position right he said it’s going to be about the it’s going to be about what’s on the board and what they think of the players are there and the homework that they did on the players that they see there’s been a lot of speculation that the Bruins are looking to to do and he talked about you know he acknowledged that sure we desire to do these things to upgrade these these things but you know when you’re in the draft it’s extremely dangerous game to to look at positions and uh the other thing that that I had this is a little off topic from that but you asked about Sweeney um uh I asked him uh about about the general team Direction and that while while he is um uh in a position of of process and retooling the Bruins to get the most out of their younger core emerging core of players that they are not peeling back and re tearing down they’re thinking we build we like what we’ve done so far and it’s a Continuum for them and and I compared it over against what Bill zido did two years ago when the Panthers won the President’s Trophy and had a great 122 Point season and lopped off a third of his team after they get swept in the second round by the lightning right right he just yeah and that was how he redid it and we acknowledged that but said but you know we just did something big too we had a goalie tandem that was that was really important to our team and we we decided to break it up so I don’t want to say that we haven’t done something significant when we just did so he looks at the the breakup of the goalie tandem is a pretty big well it seems so uh we always knew it was going to happen because the leverages were in place contractually and career stage wise that it it made perfect sense in the needs you know that that this had to happen uh for him it sounded like a Monumental decision that really was stressful to make and to to go forward with um and I guess when you’re in those shoes things that I take for granted and just think of like uh playing a card game he’s for him it it was a big huge decision to trade Lena alark yeah no I he’s like that a lot with the trades especially with players that are their guys that they brought in I remember him being about like that about Ryan lingren when they traded him to uh the Rangers for uh for Rick Nash I remember him being very sort of for laoren about you know trading away one of their best defensemen uh best defenseman prospects uh at the time and a guy frankly that the Bruins could have used like they could use that kind of demand and could have over the last you know six seven eight years after trading him to the Rangers um but yeah I think he’s likeed that a lot with players with assets that they have to trade and have to move on from even more so with guys that they drafted and developed but like omark was a guy they took a chance on and they were absolutely right on and you know I think they like those players when they bet on the horse and he comes in um and he performs for them and he you know allar was a great breu when he was here no question about it so it’s it’s difficult to trade those guys now would I put that on par with the brw with the Panthers trading for Matthew kachuck no I would not I do not think it’s the same level of uh franchise changing move as trading away two of your biggest pieces and getting back a guy like that that’s just like a spark plug Catalyst like you know the center of everything that they’ve done uh the last couple of years if you you tell me Mark cellic is going to be that kind of guy for them uh I don’t think so you know like that this is a different kind of a trade uh but they’re definitely you know taking risks breaking up like you said what was the biggest strength of the team last year there’s no doubt about that yeah and maybe Castell is gonna be another guy who’s gonna strengthen their bottom six here and I think he will and obviously his Faceoff uh ability is going to help y um it’s a right shot um well that’s to me is the biggest part of it because as long as you can’t get the bigname tickets that you think are going to change your trajectory then the one thing you can do is Trend your team in a direction that it needs to go that you know yep he always considers it he always when every time I ask him about this he acknowledges that it’s a good way for your team to be and we’re always looking for those opportunities but there’s a disconnect in the question answer between my assessment of the Bruins is desperately needing to upgrade this area and his uh every step of the way we want that it’s good to have kind of an attitude that um you know that we don’t seem to ever reach the point at which we disagree about where the Bruins are um so but actions speak louder than words Mick and the last few years they’ve added when they get a chance to add more of those players which tells you that they’ve recognized that they need more of that and cam is more open about and and I think that they tend to um uh nibble around the edges of it with role players but I think until they infiltrates their top six and their four check from s To Nuts then it’s always going to be an issue come playoff time I agree uh tweet of the week Kip wingerter here are two cap from players that would help the Boston Bruins immensely Chandler Stevenson and Nikita Z zov please go out and get these two players go Bruins your thoughts Mick um well if you don’t get ly Holm then to me Chandler Stevenson is a you know he had a very good playoff for the for the uh U golden knights when they won the cup um and so it where is he at Washington too right and then he was a lower depth there was playing and thre they were very strong down the middle of that year because Keta finally became a playoff performer instead of a disappearing act vrom was always there um but but uh katsof joined the party and they got over the hump and um but but Chandler Stevenson was complimentary and then he was elevated um in the situation in Vegas and and performed well so to me he’s a viable he’s another viable candidate here to play play a role for them there I don’t know who’s the right guy here but um but either one of those guys are very intriguing to me those are the top two on my mind uh to fill that role I do have a technical um uh doubt about this um podcast from my end I’m getting little popups that tell me that I stopped recording you didn’t you’re still what you didn’t you you didn’t stop recording M just ignore it power through okay I officially ignore you okay uh Brady Shay is a is another name I think that a lot of people have linked to the Bruins that I I would expect July 1 you know when when John Sweeney mentions defense and wanting to add uh defense and puts that above Winger I think Brady Shay is the guy that makes the most sense um and the most everybody loves him but me I know but it sounds like that’s the guy you know what I mean it sounds like that is probably going to be the guy that everybody sort of knows this is going to happen or that expects that this is wor the worst kept secret in the league I mean right TI tied with lolm um yeah I don’t know maybe uh you know it’s it’s quite possible that they’re they’re looking at it that way in order to give lorai a bigger hurdle uh to to and a little take pressure off of his development by not plopping him into the top four um and just saying okay there’s your residency go go take it kid um I you know he played at stretches of the playoffs like he was never going to look back and he was going to be Charlie mcavoy’s new partner um but um uh a veteran acquisition would push him back uh so and then make it a more of a of a you know a swing El Mark situation yeah and uh and so you know and that’s that would be fill in that would fit the philosophy um the Bruins like Puck movers Brady Shay’s a a big body and he’s a puck mover and he’s really good when his team has the puck I don’t think he’s good enough and top four role when the other team has the puck that’s my problem with the amount of money they’re gonna have to pay to get a guy like him at this uh juncture so let’s see what the contract is and how long of a term it is and because if they’re looking at him the way they looked at C hampus lolm and that kind of acquisition then that would be antithetical to the development of lorai right now lorai almost as Mercurial as as Charlie McAvoy stepping into the playoffs bit ahead of schedule and being as impactful as he was so while he’s not going to not look back like Charlie McAvoy uh it would seem like that was his moment where he became an NHL player I agree and like Mick he came in like he is so clearly an obviously the most offensively skilled defenseman that they have as soon as he came on board you some of the things he was doing what he could do with the puck uh the way he saw the ice and the way he tried to make plays and the aggressive way he did things like and he had the ability to do it the hands the shot uh the vision you know the the the skating and the stick handling like yeah to to to improvise from High Point from the point to take the puck low Under Pressure yeah uh it really really good really impressive and you could see like I think it was in the first round against Toronto they started to try to rough him up towards the end of the series because I think they realized that he was being very effective and they were going to try to take him out because he was being a Difference Maker fla played them in 23 Paul Maurice was I asked Paul Maurice about the breakout the Bruins breakout and the short passes and the puck support and he said no he says the thing that scares me about them is their fourman attack yeah and so lorai is like a and at that time lyol was really kind of that guy now it’s lorai so so um he acknowledged lorai without saying his name that that is really uh what what makes the Bruins a threat to a team like his yeah so um so you got to figure that the Bruins are really going to go forward in high octane with him so I’m a little surprised if they you know don’t go into the season that way and actually go and get a guy like Brady Shay it wasn’t on my radar and people are talking about it more and more and more so I guess I better start believing it but um but I but I don’t love I don’t like the idea and I’m not not in love with a player yeah speaking of Maurice and and the the Florida Panthers for check let’s hope that the Bruins and Jim Montgomery were watching the playoffs in the Stanley Cup Final and now realize that the stretch pass and the Home Run pass are the way to defeat that uh Florida Panthers for check or at least counteract it and take some of its teeth away because that seemed to be the only thing that any team could do uh against them buard made it as well as Dennis Weidman used to he could thread the needle well that and and having forwards that like you know that are all World skill that can make you pay too when finish at the other end helps too so like yeah it’ll be interesting to see if that was just a particular even when 97 wasn’t on the ice they did it yep that’s true yeah Yan Mark did it a bunch of times yeah who knew I mean Yanmar he’s been in the league a long time here and nobody I don’t remember anybody ever identifying him as the next Yanni gourd type pain in the ass presence that’s going to really haunt an opponent and how many gmss are kicking themselves in a butt walking down the street with every step thinking man we had a chance at this guy we had this guy you know we didn’t we how did we miss this absolutely really good player Mick have a good time uh in Vegas at the sphere uh enjoy yourself don’t have too much fun you don’t mean this sphere right here that’s it the big orb right there Mick thank you very much for joining us pleasure all right and everybody else out there we’ll see at the ring Qui [Music]

Welcome to the latest episode of Pucks with Haggs, where Joe Hagerty and Mick Colageo dive deep into the Boston Bruins’ plans for free agency.

In this episode, the focus is on Don Sweeney’s press conference, where he outlined the team’s strategy to bolster the center position and defense. The potential pursuit of Elias Lindholm as a frontline center is a key highlight, showcasing the team’s targeted approach to enhancing depth.

Discussions also revolve around the importance of versatile players who can seamlessly transition between center and wing roles, aligning with the Bruins’ strategic player development philosophy. Stay tuned as the podcast explores the team’s priorities in player acquisitions, concerns about scoring depth, and potential impactful additions to ensure a competitive and well-rounded lineup.

0:00 – Intro
2:00 – Danton Heinen’s future
3:39 – Martin Jones’ potential
6:36 – Criticizing backup goalie contracts
9:35 – Misconceptions about goalie performance
11:41 – Critique of overreliance on statistics
14:17 – Love for the game
18:17 – Offensive struggles in playoffs
21:27 – David Pastrnak’s impact
24:43 – Offensive lineup concerns
26:22 – Jake DeBrusk’s future
30:58 – Draft position dangers
33:56 – Trading drafted players
37:58 – Brady Shay speculation
40:01 – Development of young players
41:36 – Strategic gameplay against opponents

Prize Picks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS

Gametime! Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply. Go to https://gametime.co !

———————————————————————————————————————————
Welcome to the #CLNS Media Network’s YouTube channel for Boston #Bruins hockey. CLNS Media is the leading online provider of audio/video coverage for the Boston sports. Get complete inside access to the Bruins at TD Garden, the game day skates at Warrior, and everywhere on the road. CLNS #NHLBruins’ credentialed insiders Mike “Trags” Petraglia, Evan Marinofski, Conor Ryan, and Joe “Haggs” Haggerty. Providing instantaneous news and analysis all in real time, as well as full access to complete videos from the players, coaches, ownership and everyone else on Causeway Street.

For the CLNS award winning Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, College hoops, NBA History, go here to featured channels- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiP7KyKodc3OHuN_XhEyPPw?sub_confirmation=1