Well, all of the NHL games are now in the books and Olympic hockey is upon us for the next two weeks.
It's going to be an interesting trade deadline, seeing how the Olympic trade freeze is only lifted on Feb. 28, with the deadline coming the following Tuesday, March 2. That's going to narrow the trade market, as so many teams are still on the cusp of playoff contention. Two weeks of hockey counting in the NHL's standings might have winnowed the competition a bit, but because the clubs are essentially in limbo, I believe that there will be a ripple effect that could translate into one of the least active and productive trade deadline days of all time.
Recent trade rumors linked the B's and Columbus Blue Jackets, with Peter Chiarelli reportedly expressing interest in winger Raffi Torres. The problem with acquiring the speedy 19-goal scorer (who's hit 27 markers and a high of 41 points in a single season just once) is that he's one more complementary piece who isn't going to make the Bruins any kind of real contender. Moreover, because it is a seller's market, Columbus GM Scott Howson's asking price is said to be prohibitive, and this for a soon-to-be unrestricted free agent who would most likely be a rental given Boston's relative lack of cap space.
Also rumored in trade talks is reigning Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas, who has sat on the bench while super rookie Tuukka Rask has picked up the ball and run with it over the last six games, going 4-0-2 for a total of 10 out of a 12 possible points and seventh place in the East. Thomas is not likely to waive his no-trade clause in mid-season, but if the Bruins are serious about giving the starting job to Rask going forward, then a trade could materialize over the summer. It's a tough spot for a club who rewarded Thomas's performance and loyalty, but who have seen their investment struggle behind an anemic offense, while his counterpart 13 years younger has flourished. Thomas will be 36 in April and has another three years left on a deal that will pay him $15 million, so finding takers without the B's bringing back a big contract will be difficult.
What does it all mean? I'm no soothsayer, but I do believe that Chiarelli is trying to make some kind of move that will establish some longer-term payoff. If the team were a Torres-type player away from contending, he might have pulled the trigger by now, but the B's have more holes to fill beyond a serviceable gritty winger, albeit one who has had a pretty mediocre NHL career after being the fifth overall selection ten years ago.
Don't expect anything major to happen for Boston in two weeks. There won't be many teams selling off assets with upside at this point, so it may be best for the GM to stand pat. I've said before that an addition from Edmonton like Andrew Cogliano or Sam Gagner, or maybe even underachieving power forward Peter Mueller from Phoenix is the kind of deal worth surrendering more of a sizeable price for, but Chiarelli is better off passing on aging, overpriced offerings like Torres and Carolina forward Ray Whitney.
Here are the 2010 B's draft picks if the season ended today:
1st Round
2nd overall- Toronto (49 points; 19-31-11)
17th overall- Boston (65 points; 27-22-11)
2nd Round
32nd overall- Toronto
39th overall- Tampa Bay (63 points; 26-24-11)
47th overall- Boston
3rd Round
No Pick (To Buffalo for Daniel Paille)
4th Round
93rd overall- Carolina (55 points; 24-30-7)
107th overall- Boston*
* Conditional to Buffalo if Paille scores 16 goals
5th Round
137th overall- Boston
6th Round
167th overall- Boston
7th Round
197th overall- Boston
Ooh- hey! 13 followers...we're getting there.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
What I really want for Valentine's Day...
...is more followers.
According to the listing at right, I have just nine intrepid folks hanging on my every word.
Really? REALLY?
C'mon folks, tell your friends and significant others about this great blog and source for draft info. and Bruins history. And don't forget, you can check out my work at my primary hockey writing gig at http://www.hockeyjournal.com/
Do I sound desperate? OK, you win.
I hope you all had a nice day with your sweethearts. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.
According to the listing at right, I have just nine intrepid folks hanging on my every word.
Really? REALLY?
C'mon folks, tell your friends and significant others about this great blog and source for draft info. and Bruins history. And don't forget, you can check out my work at my primary hockey writing gig at http://www.hockeyjournal.com/
Do I sound desperate? OK, you win.
I hope you all had a nice day with your sweethearts. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.
Evgeni Kuznetsov on the rise; 6 Nations recap
He may have been a pleasant surprise at the World Junior Championship (Under-20) last month, but the cat is officially out of the bag on Russian winger Evgeni Kuznetsov, who just tore it up at the 6 Nations (Under-18) Tournament in Belarus.
The last major international competition before April's Under-18 Championship, the 6 Nations (Belarus, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and USA) had a lot of 2010 draft eligibles, and Kuznetsov was named the top forward after scoring six goals and nine points in five games in taking the 6 Nations Cup with a 5-0 record. The Russians beat USA in a 2-1 nailbiter, leaving the Americans to finish the tourney with a 4-1 record.
Kuznetsov has average size (5-11, 170 pounds) but is an explosive skater with very soft hands who is able to score highlight reel goals at will. He's not the most intense of players, but there is no arguing with his skill set. I was impressed with him at the WJC, and wrote up a scouting report on him that you can read here.
The rumor I've heard about Kuznetsov this season is that he wants very badly to come over to North America next season and play major junior hockey, so if that's the case, expect him to be one of the top picks in the June CHL Import Draft.
Other players in the 6 Nations who made name for themselves were Finnish forward Teemu Pulkkinen, who started the season as one of the favorites to crack the top-10, but dropped far when he suffered a significant wrist injury that shelved him for more than three months. He's back now and scoring goals in the Finnish Jr. league, and he tallied five goals in as many games for Team Finland in this tourney, so this will help his draft status. An undersized player who is not a great skater, Pulkkinen is nonetheless one of those natural goal scorers who has a lethal release, uncanny accuracy and simply finds a way to get himself into position to generate quality scoring chances in every game.
Jason Zucker finished second to Matt Nieto (2011 eligible) in scoring on Team USA, and has continued his strong international play after a gold medal at the WJC in Saskatoon. Not to be outdone was goalie Jack Campbell, who continued his winning ways by posting a 3-0 record with a 1.67 GAA and .919 save percentage. More on Zucker and Campbell here. Another potential high pick in 2011 for Team USA, Brandon Saad, had a decent tournament based on reports. He's huge and very skilled, but pretty one-dimensional at this point.
Bill Arnold (Needham, Mass.), who left Nobles and prep hockey for the U.S. NTDP this year and is headed to Boston College next fall, finished with a solid 2 goals, 5 points in as many games. I'll be talking to him this week when he returns to Ann Arbor from Minsk, as he will be the featured player in the March issue of New England Hockey Journal's monthly Prospects Pulse column. After a slow start with the U.S. Under-18 Team, Arnold has improved significantly and is gaining confidence in the USHL and international play. He's a solid skater with good offensive skills and has some upside.
Swedish goalie Johan Gustafsson, one of the top European goalies in this draft class, had a disappointing tournament, posting a 1-2 record and .881 save percentage.
Another player to keep an eye on for the 2012 draft is 16-year-old forward Martin Frk, who led the Czech Republic in scoring with three goals and five points. He's garnering some attention in his native country, and if he continues to develop, he could be a household name by this time next year, even though he'll still be another year away from being drafted.
But it was Kuznetsov grabbed the spotlight, even getting into several fights in leading his team to the best record of the tourney. He impressed a lot of folks at the WJC, so this is one more feather in his cap. If not for the fact that there is a lot of risk with drafting Russian players given the lack of transfer agreement and other issues, I'd say Kuznetsov would be a slam-dunk for being picked in the top-30, but at the rate he's going, he may yet sneak into the first round. If not, some team would probably do well to invest a second-round selection on him, even with the questions.
The last major international competition before April's Under-18 Championship, the 6 Nations (Belarus, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden and USA) had a lot of 2010 draft eligibles, and Kuznetsov was named the top forward after scoring six goals and nine points in five games in taking the 6 Nations Cup with a 5-0 record. The Russians beat USA in a 2-1 nailbiter, leaving the Americans to finish the tourney with a 4-1 record.
Kuznetsov has average size (5-11, 170 pounds) but is an explosive skater with very soft hands who is able to score highlight reel goals at will. He's not the most intense of players, but there is no arguing with his skill set. I was impressed with him at the WJC, and wrote up a scouting report on him that you can read here.
The rumor I've heard about Kuznetsov this season is that he wants very badly to come over to North America next season and play major junior hockey, so if that's the case, expect him to be one of the top picks in the June CHL Import Draft.
Other players in the 6 Nations who made name for themselves were Finnish forward Teemu Pulkkinen, who started the season as one of the favorites to crack the top-10, but dropped far when he suffered a significant wrist injury that shelved him for more than three months. He's back now and scoring goals in the Finnish Jr. league, and he tallied five goals in as many games for Team Finland in this tourney, so this will help his draft status. An undersized player who is not a great skater, Pulkkinen is nonetheless one of those natural goal scorers who has a lethal release, uncanny accuracy and simply finds a way to get himself into position to generate quality scoring chances in every game.
Jason Zucker finished second to Matt Nieto (2011 eligible) in scoring on Team USA, and has continued his strong international play after a gold medal at the WJC in Saskatoon. Not to be outdone was goalie Jack Campbell, who continued his winning ways by posting a 3-0 record with a 1.67 GAA and .919 save percentage. More on Zucker and Campbell here. Another potential high pick in 2011 for Team USA, Brandon Saad, had a decent tournament based on reports. He's huge and very skilled, but pretty one-dimensional at this point.
Bill Arnold (Needham, Mass.), who left Nobles and prep hockey for the U.S. NTDP this year and is headed to Boston College next fall, finished with a solid 2 goals, 5 points in as many games. I'll be talking to him this week when he returns to Ann Arbor from Minsk, as he will be the featured player in the March issue of New England Hockey Journal's monthly Prospects Pulse column. After a slow start with the U.S. Under-18 Team, Arnold has improved significantly and is gaining confidence in the USHL and international play. He's a solid skater with good offensive skills and has some upside.
Swedish goalie Johan Gustafsson, one of the top European goalies in this draft class, had a disappointing tournament, posting a 1-2 record and .881 save percentage.
Another player to keep an eye on for the 2012 draft is 16-year-old forward Martin Frk, who led the Czech Republic in scoring with three goals and five points. He's garnering some attention in his native country, and if he continues to develop, he could be a household name by this time next year, even though he'll still be another year away from being drafted.
But it was Kuznetsov grabbed the spotlight, even getting into several fights in leading his team to the best record of the tourney. He impressed a lot of folks at the WJC, so this is one more feather in his cap. If not for the fact that there is a lot of risk with drafting Russian players given the lack of transfer agreement and other issues, I'd say Kuznetsov would be a slam-dunk for being picked in the top-30, but at the rate he's going, he may yet sneak into the first round. If not, some team would probably do well to invest a second-round selection on him, even with the questions.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
B's reach Olympic break on high note
The Bruins are winners of four consecutive road games tonight after old man Mark Recchi closed out the Florida Panthers in a 3-2 shootout win, his 1550th career NHL game, moving him past Detroit Red Wings great Alex Delvecchio for ninth on the all-time games played list.
Recchi, who deflected a Dennis Wideman shot/pass into the net late in the third period to tie the score at two goals apiece, said after the game that his shootout move was something he worked on with B's assistant coach Geoff Ward, who suggested he take a page from former Atlanta/Calgary Flames 1980's scoring star Kent Nilsson (he also played for Minnesota and Edmonton). It worked with Recchi getting only his second shootout goal in 14 career attempts.
Also key to this win was the play in net of Tuukka Rask, who continues to win the love and admiration of Bruins fans for his cool, effective performances in six straight starts. I said that Claude Julien shouldn't throw him to the wolves with the way the B's were playing in their 10-game losing streak, but it's a good thing CJ doesn't read this blog. Rask has been outstanding.
So, here we are: the 2010 Winter Olympic Games are upon us, and for NHL hockey fans, that means a two-week hiatus from league play while the circuit's best go head-to-head in a quest for gold.
The important thing is that the Bruins played themselves up five spots from 12th place in the conference a week ago, to seventh, and for two weeks at least, they're in the postseason.
As an added bonus, the point Florida got puts them nine points ahead of idle Toronto.
With the Bruins off, this blog's focus will shift to covering many of the names of players available in the June draft.
Recchi, who deflected a Dennis Wideman shot/pass into the net late in the third period to tie the score at two goals apiece, said after the game that his shootout move was something he worked on with B's assistant coach Geoff Ward, who suggested he take a page from former Atlanta/Calgary Flames 1980's scoring star Kent Nilsson (he also played for Minnesota and Edmonton). It worked with Recchi getting only his second shootout goal in 14 career attempts.
Also key to this win was the play in net of Tuukka Rask, who continues to win the love and admiration of Bruins fans for his cool, effective performances in six straight starts. I said that Claude Julien shouldn't throw him to the wolves with the way the B's were playing in their 10-game losing streak, but it's a good thing CJ doesn't read this blog. Rask has been outstanding.
So, here we are: the 2010 Winter Olympic Games are upon us, and for NHL hockey fans, that means a two-week hiatus from league play while the circuit's best go head-to-head in a quest for gold.
The important thing is that the Bruins played themselves up five spots from 12th place in the conference a week ago, to seventh, and for two weeks at least, they're in the postseason.
As an added bonus, the point Florida got puts them nine points ahead of idle Toronto.
With the Bruins off, this blog's focus will shift to covering many of the names of players available in the June draft.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Song sung blue
Toronto got pasted tonight by the St. Louis Blues, 4-0.
The Blues scored a pair of shorthanded goals in the second to take a 3-0 lead, one of them coming from former Leaf Alexander Steen.
I hate to say I told you so, but Toronto's lack of offense is going to make a bad season even more miserable. Their defense, though clearly improved with Dion Phaneuf and J.S. Giguere, can't compensate for their now-anemic offense with all the forwards who left to bring them in.
So, the Olympic break is here for the Leafs. They won't play again until March 2nd, and they'll have to stew over their 19-31-11 record. With only 21 games left, they're going to have their hands full climbing over many of the teams ahead of them in the standings. They're in the 29th spot for now, with Edmonton quietly creeping up on them, just five points behind with a game in-hand.
Leafs fans have to be sickened by what they've seen from their team this season, and knowing that they'll hand over their first- and second-round picks to Boston is a kick in the groin. The one thing you have to look forward to during a basement-dwelling season is the draft, so with even that small comfort robbed from them, Leafs Nation can only console themselves with the big names who recently joined their team, nevermind the fact that Phaneuf and Giguere alone can't cure what ails that club.
The Blues scored a pair of shorthanded goals in the second to take a 3-0 lead, one of them coming from former Leaf Alexander Steen.
I hate to say I told you so, but Toronto's lack of offense is going to make a bad season even more miserable. Their defense, though clearly improved with Dion Phaneuf and J.S. Giguere, can't compensate for their now-anemic offense with all the forwards who left to bring them in.
So, the Olympic break is here for the Leafs. They won't play again until March 2nd, and they'll have to stew over their 19-31-11 record. With only 21 games left, they're going to have their hands full climbing over many of the teams ahead of them in the standings. They're in the 29th spot for now, with Edmonton quietly creeping up on them, just five points behind with a game in-hand.
Leafs fans have to be sickened by what they've seen from their team this season, and knowing that they'll hand over their first- and second-round picks to Boston is a kick in the groin. The one thing you have to look forward to during a basement-dwelling season is the draft, so with even that small comfort robbed from them, Leafs Nation can only console themselves with the big names who recently joined their team, nevermind the fact that Phaneuf and Giguere alone can't cure what ails that club.
Bruins Sweaters of the Past #11: Peter McNab
PETER McNAB
CENTER
BOSTON BRUINS 1976-77-1983-84
6'3", 210
Born: May 8, 1952 in Vancouver, British Columbia
Games Played: 595 Goals: 263 Assists: 324 Points: 587 PIM: 111
Peter McNab, a Denver University standout, came to Boston via the Buffalo Sabres on June 11, 1976 when his rights transferred as compensation for the Sabres signing Andre Savard away from the B's.
The son of former NHL player and GM Max McNab, he made an immediate impact with the B's in his first season, scoring 38 goals and 86 points in 80 games, finishing second to Jean Ratelle for the team lead in 1976-77.
He inherited Ken R. Hodge's No. 8 after Hodge was sent to the NY Rangers for Rick Middleton, and wore it with honor, becoming one of Boston's most consistent and productive goal scorers in seven full seasons during the Big, Bad Bruins era. McNab would go on to post 41 and and 40 goal seasons in 1978 and 1980, while hitting the 30-goal plateau in every full season with the B's except for 1982-83, when he scored 22 times. In 1983-84, he was dealt to the team of his birthplace, the Vancouver Canucks, in exchange for Jim Nill.
McNab was an outstanding postseason scorer for the B's, tallying 38 goals in 74 career playoff contests.
Nill and then John Carter would briefly wear No. 8 after McNab departed, but in June, 1986, Cam Neely came to town and the digit now hangs from the rafters in Neely's honor.
This sweater is a Stall & Dean size 54 home model worn by McNab between 1978 and 1980. It has heavy wear and use, with multiple team repairs, red dasher paint transfer and holes. The nameplate was removed at some point and not restored, but given the sweater's era, there is no doubt that McNab wore it. The Stall & Dean era from 1977-80, produced some of the finest Bruins sweaters available in the game-worn hobby.
Although McNab did not rack up a lot of penalty minutes in his Boston career, the abuse this sweater shows is a testament to the fact that he played the game tough and honest, spending a lot of time fighting for pucks along the boards and in front of the net.
Things looking up for B's?
The Boston Bruins survived Tampa Bay's furious comeback after the visiting team put the 'Bolts in a 5-0 hole last night, eking out a 5-4 win to go 3-0 on the four-game road trip before going on the two-week hiatus for the Olympics.
Steve Downie's second goal of the game cut Boston's once seemingly insurmountable lead to one with about three minutes left, and the Bruins barely weathered a storm in which the ice was tilted in their end, but Tuukka Rask held the fort in the final minute to give his team its third consecutive victory in his fifth straight start, giving the B's a tenuous hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. If the season ended today, they'd be playing the Washington Capitals, who have lost two straight after putting together a franchise-record 14 consecutive victories.
But, Boston's win was big because it not only got them back into the playoff picture, but also impacted their 2010 draft by pushing Tampa Bay down in the standings. As has been documented in this space many times, the Bruins own Tampa's second-round pick by virtue of the Mark Recchi trade at the deadline last March, so the worse the 'Bolts do, the higher the selection will be. At one point, when Tampa had the fifth-worst record in the league, that pick would have been 35th overall, so if it is anywhere under 40 when the season is over, that will be good news for the B's.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are playing the St. Louis Blues on the road tonight, and folks can only hope that J.S. Giguere doesn't have another of his shutout moments. While the Leafs cannot catch anyone ahead of them in standings prior to the two-week Olympic break, any chance for them to lose points makes it that much more probable that Boston will end up with a top-three selection. There's a nice thread over at Hockey's Future Boards in which a poster named "orrovergretzky" has a mathematical magic numbers formula consisting of adding Toronto losses to wins from teams above them in the standings like Carolina, Columbus, the Islanders, etc. that will lock the pick in the top-2. For those who like dealing with those "magic numbers" type scenarios, it's worth tracking at: http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=720018
It's funny, but to read the comments of some Bruins fans on the internet last night and today, you'd have thought the team had lost. While the near-collapse was certainly troubling, to me it simply underscored that which most of us have come to realize already: this team is not a true contender this year. There are simply too many holes to fill and needs to address for Peter Chiarelli to expend critical assets in what would amount Quixotic quest for a Stanley Cup in 2010.
Now having said that, he should still try and make some kind of change if not to make the club significantly better this season, but give it a chance to improve over the long term. I'm no GM, but if he can start to re-tool and tweak the team before the off-season, then it's something worth doing, because as constituted, this year's version of the Boston Bruins, assuming they make it to the postseason, isn't likely to get very far.
Of course, this all falls in the easier said than done category, but the Bruins should look at being more of a seller than a buyer at the deadline, and the GM should resist the urge to part with his premium 2010 high draft selections to bring in overpriced (on the trade market) rental players. A 2nd round pick (in 2011) for Dominic Moore? That's what new Montreal GM Pierre Gauthier gave up for the journeyman forward and soon-to-be UFA, and if that's the going rate, Chiarelli is better off not bothering.
Now, I'm not a "hold onto draft picks at all costs" kind of guy, but if you're using them to go out and bring in past-his-prime graybeards for 20 or so games plus playoffs, that's probably not a great use of assets. If the GM is going to move any of those 1st- or 2nd-round picks in 2010, then he needs to do so in a sizeable package that will bring back a young, skill player with long-term potential to make the Bruins better, not an aging vet who will give the team a modest increase in talent, but isn't enough to cure a lot of what ails this club.
This draft is considered by many to be pretty deep, and the Bruins' prospects cupboard, beyond the center position, needs restocking. (Although I do think goaltender Mike Hutchinson is a pretty underrated prospect and is a lot better than he gets credit for)
For now, things are looking up, but for how long? The environment around the team when it went through it's 10-game losing streak was miserable, and the Bruins could just as easily go on another extended skid after the Olympics. As the old adage goes, sometimes the best trades are the ones you don't make, so if you're like me and don't see this club being able to get past a team like the Capitals or Devils in the first round without more than just one modest token veteran addition, Chiarelli's best bet may be to sell off one or two of his underperforming players or prospects who don't look like they'll have a chance at cracking the lineup anytime soon for more future assets rather than squander the ones he already has.
Steve Downie's second goal of the game cut Boston's once seemingly insurmountable lead to one with about three minutes left, and the Bruins barely weathered a storm in which the ice was tilted in their end, but Tuukka Rask held the fort in the final minute to give his team its third consecutive victory in his fifth straight start, giving the B's a tenuous hold on the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. If the season ended today, they'd be playing the Washington Capitals, who have lost two straight after putting together a franchise-record 14 consecutive victories.
But, Boston's win was big because it not only got them back into the playoff picture, but also impacted their 2010 draft by pushing Tampa Bay down in the standings. As has been documented in this space many times, the Bruins own Tampa's second-round pick by virtue of the Mark Recchi trade at the deadline last March, so the worse the 'Bolts do, the higher the selection will be. At one point, when Tampa had the fifth-worst record in the league, that pick would have been 35th overall, so if it is anywhere under 40 when the season is over, that will be good news for the B's.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are playing the St. Louis Blues on the road tonight, and folks can only hope that J.S. Giguere doesn't have another of his shutout moments. While the Leafs cannot catch anyone ahead of them in standings prior to the two-week Olympic break, any chance for them to lose points makes it that much more probable that Boston will end up with a top-three selection. There's a nice thread over at Hockey's Future Boards in which a poster named "orrovergretzky" has a mathematical magic numbers formula consisting of adding Toronto losses to wins from teams above them in the standings like Carolina, Columbus, the Islanders, etc. that will lock the pick in the top-2. For those who like dealing with those "magic numbers" type scenarios, it's worth tracking at: http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=720018
It's funny, but to read the comments of some Bruins fans on the internet last night and today, you'd have thought the team had lost. While the near-collapse was certainly troubling, to me it simply underscored that which most of us have come to realize already: this team is not a true contender this year. There are simply too many holes to fill and needs to address for Peter Chiarelli to expend critical assets in what would amount Quixotic quest for a Stanley Cup in 2010.
Now having said that, he should still try and make some kind of change if not to make the club significantly better this season, but give it a chance to improve over the long term. I'm no GM, but if he can start to re-tool and tweak the team before the off-season, then it's something worth doing, because as constituted, this year's version of the Boston Bruins, assuming they make it to the postseason, isn't likely to get very far.
Of course, this all falls in the easier said than done category, but the Bruins should look at being more of a seller than a buyer at the deadline, and the GM should resist the urge to part with his premium 2010 high draft selections to bring in overpriced (on the trade market) rental players. A 2nd round pick (in 2011) for Dominic Moore? That's what new Montreal GM Pierre Gauthier gave up for the journeyman forward and soon-to-be UFA, and if that's the going rate, Chiarelli is better off not bothering.
Now, I'm not a "hold onto draft picks at all costs" kind of guy, but if you're using them to go out and bring in past-his-prime graybeards for 20 or so games plus playoffs, that's probably not a great use of assets. If the GM is going to move any of those 1st- or 2nd-round picks in 2010, then he needs to do so in a sizeable package that will bring back a young, skill player with long-term potential to make the Bruins better, not an aging vet who will give the team a modest increase in talent, but isn't enough to cure a lot of what ails this club.
This draft is considered by many to be pretty deep, and the Bruins' prospects cupboard, beyond the center position, needs restocking. (Although I do think goaltender Mike Hutchinson is a pretty underrated prospect and is a lot better than he gets credit for)
For now, things are looking up, but for how long? The environment around the team when it went through it's 10-game losing streak was miserable, and the Bruins could just as easily go on another extended skid after the Olympics. As the old adage goes, sometimes the best trades are the ones you don't make, so if you're like me and don't see this club being able to get past a team like the Capitals or Devils in the first round without more than just one modest token veteran addition, Chiarelli's best bet may be to sell off one or two of his underperforming players or prospects who don't look like they'll have a chance at cracking the lineup anytime soon for more future assets rather than squander the ones he already has.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
