Defenseman Ekman-Larsson Connected to Bruins Again | The Skate Pod, Ep. 204

12 Comments

1. RICARDO FRANCO 1 year ago

   TRADE ULMARK …HALL ,,,, DUBRUSK,,,, AND GET SOME DRAFT PICKS THIS YEAR ITS A GREAT DRAFT

2. RICARDO FRANCO 1 year ago

   LOVE THE XPO S CAP

3. RICARDO FRANCO 1 year ago

   TIM THOMAS

4. RICARDO FRANCO 1 year ago

   WAS TUKKAS BACK UP

5. RICARDO FRANCO 1 year ago

   BUSSI WILL BE BETTER THAN JERREMY

6. RICARDO FRANCO 1 year ago

   WHat teams are in need of a goaltender ?

7. robert forte 1 year ago

   Only $5M in Cap Space which probably won't even be enough to even just re-sign Swayman & Frederic (let alone anyone else)
   Only 7 forwards signed for 2023-24
   No 1c or 2c signed
   Current LHDs: Lindholm Griz Forbort Reilly Zboril Lohrei. OEL is an LHD
   Current RHDs: Only McAvoy & Carlo

   OEL also isn't singing a league minimum contract anywhere as he is no where near garbage or over the hill yet. Sure, OEL didn't have the best year in Vancouver & he's not as good as he was a few years ago

   However, OEL is not a league minimum guy (not even close to one) and he's not going to sign some one year prove it deal because he doesn't have to. Some other NHL team will give OEL a multi year contract that will average at least $4MAAV and probably more. OEL is not taking some $1M or $1.5M dollar pay from the Bruins

   Wake up. OEL is not a $1M or a $1.5M player. He's way better than Derek Forbort & Gzelyck and Forbort makes $3M and Griz more than that. But OEL is going to take a $1M deal to play for Boston? Keep lying to yourself about that because it's never going to happen in the real world

   So it's already time to move on from this OEL to Boston nonsense, he's not coming here

   Also the Bruins didn't learn what they have in Zacha. Why? Because in NJ for 6 years he failed miserably in a 1c and 2c role where he was also asked to be a leader and a primary scorer for NJ. He got run out of time for failing in those roles and in 2019 the Hockey News had him #8 on their top 10 draft busts of the last decade list

   He comes to Boston and has success

   While not being asked to play center (only did when Bergeron was hurt for. a bit), not asked to be a leader, not asked to be a primary scorer and he was almost completely absolved of the defensive and offensive responsibilities as a center while also not once asked or expected to be. leader or primary scorer

   So they took all that away from Zacha and he had success, for the first time in his NHL career last year. At wing, not playing center, not being asked to be leader & not being asked to be a primary scorer.

   Throwing Zacha back into the role he failed miserably at in NJ for 6 years would be dumb and short sighted. And if the Bruins throw him back at 1c or 2c & while also trying to make him a leader and a primary scorer again, they'll get what NJ got him…

   A failing player who eventually gets run out of town

   But back to OEL, he's not coming to Boston. And Zacha isn't a real 1c or a 2c Bruins Homers, even if you say he is remember:

   1. He failed epically in NJ as 1c, 2c and when asked to be a primary scorer and leader. The long run of failures is why he got traded out of NJ

   2. He barely played center for Bosotn nor was he asked to be a leader or primary scorer at any point

   So what do we know about Zacha?

   Failed in NJ as a 1c/2c, leader & primary scorer and he was never asked to be any of that in Boston, which is EXACTLY why he succeeded in Boston last year and it's EXACTLY why he will fail in Boston next year if they try to turn him back into the 1c/2c, primary scorer and leader Zacha has already proven in spades that he's not

   As for young centers for the Bruins to target in trades

   I'm not sure if you got the memo but this is where the Bruins are at right now:

   NHL's Worst Salary Cap Situation:
   Only $6M in Cap with only 7 forwards signed and no 1c or 2c
   Inability to retain or take back salary in any deals

   NHL's Worst Draft Capital:
   No 1st until 2025
   No 2nd until 2026
   Only 3 picks, in the top 3 rounds of the next 3 NHL Drafts combined!!!
   Inability to add high draft picks in any potential deals

   One of the NHL's Worst Prospect Pools:
   Universally ranked 28th-32nd
   After Lysell and Lohrei the projectable NHL level talent in their prospect pool is weak at best and putrid at worst
   Inability to add good prospects to any potential deal

   So you can cross off every single 1c or 2c in the NHL that may be available for trade right now and cross them off the Bruins list

   The Bruins simply DO NOT have the assets required to trade for a Top 6 center. They just don't

   That would only change if the Bruins become open to trading Pastrnak, Marchand and or McAvoy and it there is less than a 1% chance of any of those three guys being moved

   The Bruins will not be trading for any 1c or 2c this off-season and they won't likely have the assets to trade for either for years to come

   The only way a 1c or 2c winds up in Boston soon is if the Cap goes up by $10M next year (which is the rumor right now), they they will have the kind of money to potentially sign a new 1c or a new 2c

   The 23-24 season…. The Bruins won't be trading for a 1c or a 2c because they lack the assets to do it and they won't be signing one in Free Agency until at least next year because in 23-24 they don't have the Cap Space

   As for the future centers in the system

   Harrison- Can't skate well enough to pay center in the NHL. Not great away from the puck. Not great defensively. Not great on draws. He's big and he can shoot and score. Harrison projects as a wing in the NHL, not a center

   Merkulov: Is not very good away from the puck. He's not very good defensively. More of a scorer than a play maker. Merkulov projects as a wing in the NHL too not a center

   Poitras: Just last year when he was drafted, the pick was universally panned. Yes, Poitras had a good year in Juniors but even if he develops more, Poitras is 3 or more years away. He's not even eligible to play in the AHL until the 2024-25 season

   Frederic: Give me a break. The Bruins haven't played him at center full time in over two years for very clear reasons. Frederic is putrid on draws & he's below average defensively. Not to mention he is incapable of creating offense for others. All Frederic is, is a big body that you can put at wing and in front of the net and hopefully other guys rebounds fall on his stick. Frederic is not the answer at any center position for the Boston Bruins and even they know that. Proof? They haven't played Frederic at center full time in over two years….. And well the other stuff, sucks at draws, not good defensively, can't create offense for others

   And finally this Saint Bergeron crap has to stop. Bergeron is a Hall of Famer and all-time great NHL player and Bruins

   And like all pro athletes, age has caught up to him

   Bergeron did little this year in the playoffs and when he played, the Bruins were worse on the ice (go look at the actual results)
   Stall handed Bergeron his lunch in the playoffs versus Carolina in 2022
   Bergeron got manhandled versus the NYI in the 21 post-season and the 20 post season versus Tampa Bay
   Bergeron got destroyed by Ryan O'Reilly in the 2019 SCF

   Bergeron is EXACTLY like the entire Bruins team in some ways. He used to be good. He's not as good anymore. And the expectations by fans are that he's still a number one center that can lead them to a Cup

   All lies Bruins homers keep telling themselves. The last team in the NHL to win with a number one center and number two center that average more than 37 years of age. The 1970-71 Montreal Canadians. 50+ friggin years ago Bruins homers. Wake up. Bergeron is not a 1C anymore no matter how much you want him to be and no matter how crappy the Bruins are organizationally at center right now

   Yes Bergeron can be a 1c and be effective in the regular season, 100 true
   And his post season play the last 5 years also SCREAMS he can't be a 1c in the playoffs and be effective

   And before you say that's not true. Go look at the last 5 Bruins playoff series loses and get back to me. Each and every last one of them, Bergeron was half the player he was in the regular season and he got owned in most of those playoff series from beginning to
   end

   Im fine with Bergeron coming back as a 3C (like Ryan O'Reilly did in Toronto this past year) but Bergeron as a 1C for the Bruins will never lead to another Cup. It was just lead to more playoff fails and chokes because after 82 games in the regular season, Bergeron can no longer handle a two month long post season run to the Cup

   In fact in 7 of the last 8 years the Bruins haven't even won more than one playoff round. Further proving Bergeron is not a 1C any more no matter how many of your Bruins homers say he is or want him to be

8. George McElroy 1 year ago

   Another grear podcast! Thank you! There should be plenty more to talk about in the next couple weeks.

9. V2 Viking 1 year ago

   I was hoping to hear what teams would be interested in Ulmark and Gryz?

10. V2 Viking 1 year ago

    Coyle unlike some players, has the ability to up his game in the playoffs. They were three and one with him as the number two this year in the playoffs.

11. Trent Minor 1 year ago

    Brian you could be right about the goalies
    ask Vegas they went through about 4-5 goalies and got to hoist the cup
    trade ullmark bring in David Ayres 🤣

12. CrazyCanuck 1 year ago

    Trade Ullmark and one of our defenseman for a 1C