Who Else Will Bruins Trade Before Deadline? | The Skate Pod, Ep. 411
Analyzing the Bruins’ return for Trent Frederic. Discussing which other Bruins could be next to head out of Boston and what they would fetch in a trade. Plus, key takeaways from Scotts conversation with Georgii Merkulov.
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Leave your questions in the comments and we will answer as many as we can!
Jump to:
00:00 – Frederic trade & what’s the next shoe to drop?
09:00 – Scott’s conversation with Merkulov
12:20 – Grading the return Bruins got for Frederic
25:00 Should Bruins move or keep Geekie? And his possible return
40:00 – Which teams could Bruins do business with
46:00 – What does Merkulov have to do to stay in Boston?
Photo: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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11 Comments
Trade Brad please–
Trade anyone that will get the team value. Right now they are just a bad team. The Swayman signing is painful, he's not played up to his contract…..and moving him will be just about impossible. Pasta is about the only safe player in my mind.
If Washington or Detroit comes calling they are paying the same prices we did 😂😂
Only 1 player worth keeping and everyone know's who that is
Merk's success in Providence comes from his chemistry with his linemates. He's not a player that takes over the game individually. He's obviously got no chemistry with his NHL linemates. I'm surprised he hasn't been paired with Poitras yet, but then again, I've been puzzled by a lot of Sacco's decision-making since the Christmas break, including putting Swayman in net last night against Nashville. I'm not saying Korpi would've got them a win, but there needs to be more of a rotation instead of putting Swayman (who I'm not really a fan of anyway) in a position for failure this season by overplaying him.
This team can say 'retool' til the cows come home.
There's only one player on the team who is top shelf, that's Pasta.
The reality is, this is a rebuild, plain and simple. They will be no different next season, or even be close to a contender, unless they do a complete roster turnover.
And that my friends is a rebuild.
Geekie's on pace for his best season. Pasta is on pace for 100 points. Both things are absurd given the Bruins' overall performance this year. Geekie is getting better year over year and is only in his 4th NHL season. Dude is 26 and has yet to reach his ceiling. Could easily be a 50 to 60 point player consistently. If they trade Geekie at this point, they might as well start rebuilding and not retooling. He's part of the future/solution and isn't part of the current problem. He's not a perfect player, but hell, no one on this team is.
With that said… would've been nice to have Necas, Zacha, Pasta as a line. Given how the Canes sent Necas packing, it would've been better to throw money at him instead of throwing money (away) at E. Lindholm in the offseason.
They should be trading and/or axing any/every contract that is $8M or more, particularly the 8-year ones or longer. Those are not the ones that will save the franchise so to speak. They all must go and the team should start a new policy where it might be willing to pay more but for ONLY short-term contracts…like the Red Sox did with Bregman. In fact, all of those contracts are the ones that sunk the Bruins season; all of them are non-performers for one reason or another and it does not appear as though they will be better for the future. 🤨
Marchand got twenty games in his first year.
It is very easy to figure out who his going to get traded by Don Sweeney and who isn't by Friday
Carlo Zacha Swayman and Marchand aren't getting moved
If those guys got moved not only does that mean they are in a full rebuild
It would also mean Don Sweeney would have to say this to ownership, "I failed and because of that we need a rebuild"
When in Sweeney's tenure as GM has he ever accepted accountability? Not only he has not done it, when any beat reporter has ever even put a little pressure on him in that regard, he goes full on defiant and has become an instant A-Hole as if his crap results don't require some accountability questions
Don Sweeney could easily be fired if he admits he failed, this is all his fault and that they need a rebuild
Sweeney is not going to admit fault or go for a full or partial rebuild, that is if he wants to keep his job.
However, it will be far more easy for Sweeney to make excuses and convince ownership to give him another chance around the idea of a quick re-tool
So again, Marchand, Zacha, Swayman and Carlo aren't likely getting moved because those are "rebuild" level type of moves, even Carlo, because they have NOTHING in PVD at defense that will be ready to be a Top 4 D in the NHL, next year NOTHING!!!. Carlo is also cheap, has term and he's a decent penalty killer.
That means the only other guys likely to be moved are the near worthless ones that won't return much in any trades like Wotherspoon, Koekpe, Brown, Tufte, Callahan, Osterle, Brazeau & Mitchell. These are the guys most likely to be traded at the deadline
Not Zacha Carlo Marchand or Swayman
I suppose there's a chance they may move Coyle and or Korpisalo but those feel like off season moves, not trade deadline moves.
And if they get a monster offer for Geekie, maybe, but I doubt it. The Bruins have no depth at wing, Geekie has some chemistry with Pasta and Zacha, he's an RFA that will under team control still and he won't cost very much.
And again, I fully believe Sweeney will pitch a re-tool not a rebuild to management and that leans more towards Geekie staying than being moved at the deadline.
Again, I still believe Sweeney is going retool not rebuild as the rebuild will cost him his job. Which is why I think guys like Geekie, Marchand, Zacha, Swayman and even Carlo aren't likely going to get moved
As for Trent Frederic, he's one of the most overrated guys on Boston's roster and has been for a while. Thank goodness we don't have to watch this near useless stiff anymore
Frederic is not good offensively, he's not an asset on special teams, he's more of a fake tough guy than a real one, he only fights 40 year olds and weaklings he shouldn't fight these days, he still takes too many dumb penalties and he's complete ZERO in the post season where he often gets benched.
Frederic also shot twice his career shooting% the two previous seasons and he was put in more positions with better talent around that allowed him to achieve a bit more and credit to him, he did
However, this year he regressed exactly back to what he has always been, a lower talent grinder that doesn't give you much unless he scores or plays overly physical, two things he really does much of anymore.
I'm beyond elated they moved Frederic before Sweeney gave him the Nick Foligno to be the same exact, useless turd Nick Folingo was while here
$4.5M, term and a full NTC
Any Bruins homers still pining for Trent Frederic, wake up.
He stunk, he did nothing in the post season EVER!!!! and some dumb GM is going to pay him $3.5M-$4.5M to probably be even a worse turd next season for them than he was this year in Boston
But again, I still believe Sweeney is going retool not rebuild as the rebuild will likely cost him his job.
Which is why I think guys like Geekie, Marchand, Zacha, Swayman and even Carlo aren't likely going to get moved and I honestly don't believe that the Jacobs will fire Sweeney and Neely until maybe next year if the Bruins fall flat again
Awesome, said no one with a brain
This is easy to figure out
Carlo Zacha Swayman and Marchand aren't getting moved
If those guys got moved not only does that mean they are in a full rebuild
It would also mean Don Sweeney saying this to ownership, "I failed and because of that we need a rebuild"
When in Sweeney's tenure as GM has he ever accepted accountability? Not only he has not done it, when any beat reporter has ever even put a little pressure on him in that regard, he goes full on defiant and has become an instant A-Hole as if his crap results don't require some accountability questions
Don Sweeney could easily be fired if he admits he failed, this is all his fault and that they need a rebuild
Sweeney is not going to admit fault or go for a full or partial rebuild, that is if he wants to keep his job.
However, it will be far more easy for Sweeney to make excuses and convince ownership to give him another chance around the idea of a quick re-tool
So again, Marchand, Zacha, Swayman and Carlo aren't likely getting moved because those are "rebuild" level type of moves, even Carlo, because they have NOTHING in PVD at defense that will be ready to be a Top 4 D in the NHL, next year NOTHING!!!. Carlo is also cheap, has term and he's a decent penalty killer.
That means the only other guys likely to be moved are the near worthless ones that won't return much in any trades like Wotherspoon, Koekpe, Brown, Tufte, Callahan, Osterle, Brazeau & Mitchell. These are the guys most likely to be traded at the deadline
Not Zacha Carlo Marchand or Swayman
I suppose there's a chance they may move Coyle and or Korpisalo but those feel like off season moves, not trade deadline moves. And if they get a monster offer for Geekie, maybe, but I doubt it. The Bruins have no depth at wing, Geekie has some chemistry with Pasta and Zacha, he's an RFA that will under team control still and he won't cost very much. And again, I fully believe Sweeney will pitch a re-tool not a rebuild to management and that leans more towards Geekie staying than being moved at the deadline.
Again, I still believe Sweeney is going retool not rebuild as the rebuild will cost him his job. Which is why I think guys like Geekie, Marchand, Zacha, Swayman and even Carlo aren't likely going to get moved
As for Georgii Merkulov…. Bruins homers.
When you lack NHL size and speed you have to be special at something else to stick in the NHL. When you add to that being a bad skater, weak physically, not great defensively, not a penalty killer, not a dog on the forecheck or back check… all things Merkulov struggles with….
I'm sorry, those guys rarely have real NHL careers and it's highly doubtful Merkulov is ever going to be a real NHL guy. His skill set isn't bottom 6 and he's not good enough to play in the Top 6 consistently as he's very one dimensional, he either scores and has some value or he's a complete nothing burger in the NHL
Without the time and space he gets in the AHL, Merkulov can't operate well at the NHL level and that's why he looks like a completely invisible turd every time he plays in the NHL. Merk is an AHL tweener or a guy that could have some success in the KHL or over in Europe. Get over it Bruins homers, it is what it is
As for Trent Frederic, he's one of the most overrated guys on Boston's roster and has been for a while. Thank goodness we don't have to watch this near useless stiff anymore
Frederic is not good offensively, he's not an asset on special teams, he's more of a fake tough guy than a real one, he only fights 40 year olds and weaklings he shouldn't fight these days, he still takes too many dumb penalties and he's complete ZERO in the post season where he often gets benched.
Frederic also shot twice his career shooting% the two previous seasons and he was put in more positions with better talent around that allowed him to achieve a bit more and credit to him, he did
However, this year he regressed exactly back to what he has always been, a lower talent grinder that doesn't give you much unless he scores or plays overly physical, two things he really does much of anymore.
I'm beyond elated they moved Frederic before Sweeney gave him the Nick Foligno to be the same exact, useless turd NIck Folingo was while here
$4.5M, term and a full NTC
Any Bruins homers still pining for Trent Frederic, wake up.
He stunk, he did nothing in the post season EVER!!!! and some dumb GM is going to pay him $3.5M-$4.5M to probably be even a worse turd next season for them than he was this year in Boston