How much closer are the Bruins to top of their conference?

How much closer are the Bruins to top of their conference?

and now Ty Anderson in studio with us as well Ty big day yesterday for your bees I know is weird uh they actually had money for the first time in like 3 years it’s like they were like and I thought what was great about it honestly was like they identified two guys right away and they’re like we’re getting them and I I love that strategy so much more than like all right well we didn’t get our guys but we want to be on the fun let’s just go sign four guys that we don’t actually need or want like I I you know go back to 2021 they had 30 something million in cap space and the only guy they brought in that was like oh wow legit Game Changer was uh Lena Sark they signed Eric Holla they signed Tomas noek they signed Nick Felino they signed uh Derek forbert and you’re just kind of like all right I guess and there and then you look up you’re like 14 million off the board like so this was good in the sense that they targeted two areas of need for them uh and they got the guys they wanted and so it’s a good free agenty in that regard I would give it a b uh not an a cuz free agency is always tough you’re buying in on guys at 29 years old and when you give them term you’re basically saying yeah the second half or you know the final third of this contract is going to look kind of rough but if we wi in four years nobody cares so when you look at both of these signings I I think the one with Lind Holm we’ve talked already about right I mean when you’ve been in here we talked about the possibility of lindol Landing GE for months now and now it’s happened I think the term kind of sucks if you don’t win and it’s a huge commitment and the only thing I will say about the day is to spend $84 million commit 84 million in free agency to two guys is one of these guys going to change the franchise in a major way so the Brew when it comes to Lin Holm the Bruins feel that if they put high-end Talent around him he can go back to being a point per game player like he was in Calgary when he had Johnny gdo and Matthew gachu on his wings they have David Pono pook had an input on this that hey I think this would be a good fit this would work and the Bruins want to reward poock I think that when you look at Lind Holm right like it’s not just the two-way game and winning faceoffs being a right-handed centerman it’s what he can do in the power play you put him on the power play you put him in that bumper that berson spot he is now your second best weapon on that power play the power play was was way too predictable a year ago because teams could simply key in on David pook kind of like how teams would key in on Alexander oetkin during oetkin Prime where they was say just Shadow him just put two guys on him I don’t care no one else is on this power play is going to beat us yeah and so I think that’s sort of where they’re looking they’re looking at the trickle about effect where you have um you have Lind Holm on this roster you have him at Center and what that does is that slots Pao zaka back to the wing where he’s a better scorer better player play more confidence that slots Charlie Coyle down so he’s not a Topline Center he can go back to feasting on second and third pairings uh and it just allows you to sort of not worry about that position as much as you were a year ago where you’re like well we hope this works like you have more certainty now with your forward grouping and your power play than you did on June 30th and that was the most important thing for the Bruins the question I would have for you is this on Tai Anderson’s Power Rankings mhm where would you slot the Bruins at now first part and the second part is if these guys were here last year against Florida what would it look like so I I think that it wouldn’t be a total domination at Center like it was the final three games where you had nobody who could match up against barov I’m not say I don’t think that lindol Bridges the gap between you and the Panthers I but at the same time serone I don’t think you were Bridging the Gap between yourself yourselves and the Panthers no matter what you did like when you build a team through free agency in any sport like it’s hard to be like okay we were you know let’s say the fifth best team now we’re the first like especially in in the NFL and baseball and and hockey like it’s just the rosters are too deep players who draft and develop their Superstars like the Panthers have for the most part like when those guys are locked in it’s like you got to hope that you can just chip away at it year after year after year and so I think the power rankings like I think they’re the second best team in their division um I would say overall they’re probably around where they were a year ago the fourth best team in the Eastern Conference um so much that comes back to their goal tending their dzone like when you have makoy Carlo lindol who they think can be better next year uh Mason lowai like you got a big defense that is kind of in the model with the NHL and where it’s trending um and then you look at sort of the playoffs right guys like they gave Florida the best fight I would say up until the final four games of Florida’s playoff run you were looking at the Bruins going that team gave them the best run for their money out of everybody they faced so you got like so I think they’re there they’re not quite at the same level but I still think they are their biggest threat uh to beat them in a playoff series I think when you look at Tampa like I I don’t I like the moves that Tampa made but you’re losing Steven Stamkos you’re bringing in Jake gensel you’re losing Mel sergachev like it’s a lot of established power going out the door there at key positions right like top six center and your team captain and your top pairing D Florida lost a couple of defenseman didn’t replace them uh Brandon montour’s gone there um emman larsson’s gone like Toronto is still Toronto goal tending is the biggest question so I think the Bruins are still the second best team in their division but it’s closer it’s closer than it was this past year I would say

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