Is it time for the Bruins to play their prospects? | Pucks With Haggs
On this episode of Pucks With Haggs, Joe Haggerty is joined by Mick Colageo to discuss the Bruins playing out the string, morale getting low and whether it’s time to see young guys like Fraser Minten, Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov. That, and much more!
00:00 – Intro
03:50 – Reaction to Sabres loss
10:00 – Pastrnak’s leadership
14:00 – Playing for a draft pick
23:00 – Prizepicks
24:10 – Mailbag questions
34:20 – Gametime
35:50 – Korpisalo’s impact
39:10 – Issues with officiating
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18 Comments
Let ‘er tank
In my opinion, the Bruins 2024/25 season is over, no more playoff fantasies. I think the remaining games should be looked at as a new training camp for the team as a whole. Injuries, and new acquisitions, let's use these remaining games to try the new lines, and the adaptability of the individual players. I won't mind the losses as long as they tried, and maybe learned what not to do. My thought process is "let's have some fun, and experiment now for next season". I am also of the opinion, that Swayman is not the starter they hoped for, so start rotating him with Korpisalo, I feel he's earned that chance. If he doesn't work out, then start looking for a new partner for Swayman to pair with in next seasons rotations !
Kastellic 7th player
Bruins had BETTER sign Joki
It’s weird that anyone who actually understands hockey can’t put together why the Boston Bruins feel as though their better prospects are much better off staying in Providence for the remainder of the year versus being up in Boston with the big club
Players like Fraser Minten and Matt Poitras specifically, who are 100% future NHLers, can either play in the AHL in Top 6 roles, in every situation, in all critical moments, be looked to not just as scorers but as leaders and play in all situations where the AHL team is fighting for playoff position and will be in a heated playoff round soon enough….
OR
Those same guys could play in Boston, play limited, bottom six minutes, rarely play special teams or play in critical situations, not be looked as scorers or leaders, play for a lame duck coaching staff that has checked out and won’t be back in Boston next year and play on an NHL team that will have a crap ton of roster overhaul next season, that has a terrible, losers vibe, that’s miserable right now and where the players have all checked out and are just playing out the string as well
How anyone would think that the Boston scenario would be better for the Bruins higher end prospects versus staying Providence in the AHL where there are far more positives for them to achieve and work with, I have no idea
Georgii Merkulov is not even a NHL player. He’s proven that as without NHL size and speed and being literally average or below average everywhere else but maybe playmaking, his chances of having an actual NHL career are limited at best
As for Fabian Lysell, he’s 6th in scoring behind stiffs like Tufte and Viel and he’s 7th in goals behind Hall of Famer Max Jones this season. Not exactly inspiring
What other prospects do Bruins fans want to see?
Outside of Minten & Poitras there’s not another guy on their team in PVD at forward that looks like they’ll be a full time player in the NHL next year and that includes Merkulov (who might not even be in the organization in few months) and Lysell, who has largely underwhelmed since being drafted
Minten might have scored a hat trick in PVD but he's never been projected as a sure fire Top 6 guy and high end goal scorer in the NHL. Instead, he's been largely called a "middle six" player that will play a good 200 foot game in the NHL and likely can provide some decent secondary scoring.
And homers, Middle Six means a low end 2nd line player or a higher end 3rd line player. Both Minten and Poitras right now project as middle six guys, which is fine, but neither is projected and has never been projected as 1st line, high goal scoring, Top 6, dynamic forwards in the NHL. No one has ever written that about Minten or Poitras and they never weill
The rest of the better PVD forwards are Duran, Kuntar, Farinacci and Harrison ( the only other possible NHL guys in their crap farm system playing in PVD at forward right now)….
And not one of those guys projects as a scorer in the NHL. Instead, all are Don Sweeney specials, low event, bottom 6, two way grinders.
We need to see more of those kind of guys in Boston this year? Really? And if your answer is "yes", my question in return would be, “what the hell for?”
In goal, Michael Dipietro is 25 and a pending UFA. Both Swayman and Korpisalo have long term deals and in Korp’s instance he has an NMC. Why on earth would Dipietro re-sign in Boston this summer?
He won’t and the Bruins need him for this year’s AHL playoff run. There is no reason to recall Michael Dipietro this season, which is why he likely won't be recalled.
Also, a note on DiPietro, he is small for a goalie and at the NHL level those holes will get exposed far more than they do in the AHL. it’d a big reason he’s been in the AHL his entire pro hockey career
As for Brandon Bussi, he’s almost aged out as a prospect at 26 and I’m sorry Bruins homers, he’s not a future NHLer. He’s an AHL tweener for life, so why bring him up again?
Worse yet the only other kind of real NHL prospect they have in goal is Philip Svedeback at Providence College, who is average at best in the NCAA and doesn’t even really project as a backup in the NHL
So this idea they’ll move Korpisalo, I just don’t see it. In fact if anything, the Bruins will be looking to bring in goaltenders into their system whether it’s via the draft, college UFAs or as UFAs
At defense in terms of prospects the only real defenders that may play in the NHL one day that play in Providence today are all 5th to 7th round long shots in Frederic Brunet, Jackson Edward and the recently acquired Max Wanner
Not one of those guys is ready for full time NHL duty and all would be better served staying in PVD right now
After those three forget it because Michael Callahan, Ryan, Mast, Chris Ortiz or Bill Sweezy aren't real NHL players and Mason Millman and Daniil Misyul also only project as AHL tweeners / #7-#8 guys at their NHL ceilings
So why bring any those guys up right now again to Boston?
Also, keep this in mind. Don Sweeney has made 37, 3rd-7th round draft picks at defense or forward in 10 years as GM
The NHL games played at defense from rounds 3-7 that Don Sweeney has drafted? NO ONE, not a single guy
The NHL games played leader at forward from rounds 3-7 that Don Sweeney has drafted in 10 years? Three guys, all 4th line throwaways in Jacob Lauko (124 NHL games), Oscar Steen (60) and Jonna Koppanen (5)
So any of these 3rd-7th round forwards or D-men in Providence…
I wouldn’t hold out too much hope for any of them not just based on historic draft metrics from those rounds which say few will make it but Don Sweeney's own miserable hit rate in those same rounds over the past decade say maybe NONE will become NHLers one day
Again, it’s just weird that there is any clamoring for Boston’s prospects right now when the fact is most of them aren’t real NHL guys and those who are, or maybe will be one day….
All of those players would be far better served staying in PVD the rest of this year versus playing for the sinking ship in Boston that is playing for nothing, for a lame duck coaching staff on a Bruins club where even the towel boy in the locker room has already checked out for the season
Also, the Bruins are actually trying to ice their worst possible lineup and lose as many games as possible and if anyone says that is not true…
-Their 1st D pair is a 3rd pair
-Their 3rd D pair belongs in the AHL or the ECHL
-They have 5 or 6 forwards that are AHL / Tweeners at best
-Unless Pasta leads the way, it’s next to impossible for them to win a game offensively
-The special teams are still absolute trash
– The goaltending is up and down, mostly down
-They went an entire period vs TB without a shot, were outshot by 20 and they made ZERO lineup changes the next game
Um, it's rather clear, the Bruins are trying to lose games in an attempt to get into the Top 10 of the NHL draft, NOT win any games or try to develop any Providence players at the NHL level right now
That’s why the big club roster hasn’t changed much and why it won’t change very much for the remainder of the season
The ONLY reason Fabian Lysell is even being called today up is they just went two straight games with 20 or fewer shots which hasn’t happened in something like 20 years to any Bruins team
Combine that with a couple of ugly losses and Sweeney is just trying to prevent taking even more shit from the fans and the press right now
That’s why Fabian Lysell is up in Boston now, not because he’s earned the shot or that they expect he’ll do anything in the NHL because he’s spent three years in the AHL not doing much of anything
So again, what real future NHL players the Bruins have in their largely terrible prospect pool and farm system would be far better served playing the rest of the year in PVD where there are far more positives and things to be learned
Versus playing on the sinking ship that is the Boston Bruins right now that is being coached by a lame duck coaching staff and has an NHL roster that will be greatly overturned next season that is just currently playing out the string praying for the end of the season every single shift these days
Yes, the bruins should absolutely call up their prospects. If the B’s don’t make the playoffs, these last 15 games or so will be as close to the playoffs as the prospects can get without actually being in the playoffs. Do or die time.
Hey Haggs… stop looking at your phone. Mick is talking..
Please give Lysell a shot Sweeney! Miten too!
Matt Poitras needs to improve his skating quickness. Or else he is a good AHL player.
It's time to play the equipment manager
Pasta for captain next year. Mac and General Zod as assistants.
If we can get desnoyers, McQueen, frondell, those would all be massive adds, desnoyers to me is the guy we need if we don’t get lucky in the lottery and end up picking 6-8th
Whats wrong with Lohrie for 7th player
Let them get the experience in the ahl playoffs. If thats done then yes bring them up
It's time to lose to maybe move up a spot or two in draft. It's doable . Play the kids, if only to prove they can't play in the NHL.
If you draft a player from Canadian Jrs. , do you try to get him to one of the Boston schools to have him closer to Boston and thus watching his development closer ? I think Poitras is a perfect example of a player that would have benefited from that type of move, if it had been possible back then. Instead it was Juniors or Bruins.
It's time for a massive change in the way this organization evaluates players…I want more skill and, so be it, less "character."
Yup if y are not going to make the playoffs start losing