Bruins Benders: Draft Lottery

Bruins Benders: Draft Lottery

[Music] Welcome to the Bruins Benders podcast season 4 episode 31 with Mattie and Smitty in the Draft lottery brought to you on the inside the rink podcast network at insidethe rink.com. In this episode we will discuss Don Sweeney asked by Ty Anderson what he values in a player Jim Montgomery with another team collapse but just in St. Louis instead of Boston. And now are the Bruins about to reach in this draft with the seventh overall pick? It’s Maddie and Smitty and it’s brought to you on YouTube. Uh, and feel free to sign up through ITR Plus for Benders offair content. There’s some episodes on there already of the Offair Show and also some other goodies on there. So, tons of nice content coming down the road. Five bucks a month. Go ahead and do it. Follow us each on X at Bender Smitty at Mr. Manny Barry and the Bruins select number seven. Number seven, the worst possible selection uh after a season of uh getting kicked in the balls, knocked uh knocked down, pushed down, uh blown up. Uh yeah, it’s just fitting for the way the season went for the Bruins. uh they picked seventh, the worst possible selection they could have. Uh so here we are and um you know, we’ll talk a little bit uh during the show about what we think maybe they’ll do at number seven. Um but yeah, not great. Um you know, so they’re going to have to hope now maybe that the guy they like is there rather than being in a position to just flat out pick, you know, have their pick of of uh who they like best. And in a draft like this where it’s kind of the first couple of guys and everybody else is kind of the same the next 10 guys um makes it a little scarier because now you really have to evaluate talent. You have to evaluate what you want, who you can develop, what you need, what type of player you want. We’ll talk about what Sweeney said about that in a bit. But, you know, this is a little even scarier because if there was a solid top 10 and you know, you you know you’ll get a guy that’s that’s really good, then that’ll be one thing. But this seems to be one of those there might be some decent players in there. We’re not quite sure which ones. Yeah, there’s questions about most of the guys, you know, outside of the top couple. So, yeah, it it’s, you know, something the Bruins have failed at previously where they haven’t really drafted particularly well and and haven’t done a really great job evaluating talent. So, you know, the fact that a bunch of guys might have some red flags and a bunch of them kind of raid out the same way makes you a little bit nervous about who the Bruins are going to pick there. You know, do they pick the right guy? Do they do, you know, does the right guy go two picks after the Bruins or two picks before the Bruins because the Bruins go on a little winning streak towards the end of the season for no reason whatsoever. Yeah, that helps. Um, yeah. I I it’s just, you know, every possible thing that they could do wrong, they’ve done wrong as far as this has gone. The season was a [ __ ] show from the very beginning. Sorry, John. Um, this draft lottery is just another, you know, step in the misery that the Bruins have, you know, experienced all year long. Yeah. I mean, that’s just my concern is that when they come to make this pick, can you overthink it? Can you, you know, do you have a guy or two and then they go and you and you’re left with your pants down and you’re not, you’re kind of scrambling. Um, are you looking to to move out of there? Do you like a guy further down? You know, will you take the risk, you know, the PR risk to to reach a little? Like that’s the other thing, like if you want a guy and he’s kind of 10, 12, uh, do you reach and get that guy knowing that your drafting has taken some scrutiny? I mean, do you do that? Do you have the balls to do that? I’m not sure they do. Um they I mean, they’ve done it previously, so maybe. Um but it is um it has been scrutinized u more recently. Um Kevin Paul Dubant point blank asked Neie about it and you know, Neie was pretty defensive about their uh about their draft history. Uh, so it’ll be interesting to see what they do with the thing. I’m not sure. Um, I have a lot of faith in them to to make the to select the right guy, to pick the right guy. I hope they do. I I really do cuz I want the Bruins to succeed. As you know, as much as we’ve been down on them. Um, you know, it’s been a bad year. So, that’s why we’ve been down on them. You know, when they were riding high and winning 65 games, we were riding high with them. But, you know, then they lost in the first round and because the coach made some mistakes um and you know, they underachieved and choked. So, um you know, we want them to do well, we’re fans first and foremost, but you know, when when things don’t go well, uh it’s okay to call call the team out on it. Somebody has to cuz everybody else is kissing their ass all over the place. So, um, you know, if there has to be somebody out here that’s going to say, you know, things aren’t going the way they should be going and they need to make some changes or turn some things around. Uh, and yeah, I I think that because Neilie mentioned the draft, you know, scrutiny and the and all the talk about the draft and how defensive he got, then they’re hearing it. So, I just I just don’t think that they would trade down nor reach for a guy. I think this time and we we you’ve been glamouring clam clamoring for it. I think this time they’re actually going to take the next best guy. I hope I hope they do. I hope they I really hope they do. I really do cuz that’s um you know if they had done that previously we would have a different looking team right now. No question about it. I mean, if you go right down by the list, and we’ve talked about it ad nauseium, but you know, Kyle Connor looks like a pretty good player, you know, for the Winnipeg Jets. You know, he’s probably pretty much their best player right now. And um you know, Wyatt Johnston, who we’ll talk about in Seven Sharps, uh is also a guy that they could have had. Seven Sharps is sponsored by Lops Brewing, Lobster Brewing Tastation Room in downtown Woods at Rhode Island, specializing in small batches and loggers. Open seven days a week. Use the coupon code sports to get 10% off your online order. Go to lopsing.com. Follow them at Lops Brewing for new bears and events. Chirp one. Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston has scored in all three game sevens in his career. He was picked two spots after Fabian Lysel in 2021. The question is, would John have developed into this type of player in Boston knowing their player development expertise? I’m going to go with no. I’m going to go with no. Flat out no. Um, I think Johnson played with some good young players in Dallas. Uh, which I think helps. I think they let their young players play clearly. You know, he’s played, Stan Kovven’s played. Some other guys have come up, uh, early and played. Um, they let their young guys play through mistakes. They don’t force them to all be Patrice Berseron. So I don’t think yes I don’t think they would have he would have developed in the same fashion if he was chosen in Boston and people want to say oh Fabian Lysel was you know um ninth or 10th or something among skaters at the at the midterms. Guys rise and fall all the time. There was a reason he fell. He didn’t have a good second half of this season. So you know people coming out with oh he was ranked ninth like this is revisionist history. No, it isn’t because because because the rankings change. Look at some of these the guys on there now. There’s a Russian guy who went from 10th to [ __ ] 47th or some [ __ ] Like it happens. Guys have bad half seasons and they fall in the rankings. Fabian Lysel didn’t have a good second half of the year and fell in the rankings. It’s not [ __ ] magic. It’s not reel. It’s none of that. No, he was picked. Yeah, he fell. He was picked where he around where he should have been picked. Um, and could the Bruins have gone with Wyatt Johnson? Sure they could have. Um, but they didn’t. Um, just like they didn’t go with Kyle Connor or Matt Barzel, Alex Brinket or Yeah. any of those. Yeah. You know, there’s, you know, you can go up and down the list. So, you know, the fact that people are calling it revision is history now, questioning whether or not, you know, u because why Johnson’s having success. Um I just I just I don’t I don’t buy that. I don’t buy it. No, I don’t buy it. I don’t buy it either. And I think Johnston, you know, the other thing is the development. Like you said, Stan Kov now is a he played with Carolina and scored a goal in game one against Washington. Like John Butcher said that he’s he thought that he would score more goals the next three years than Martin Nes. So, you know, Stan Coven and Johnston, uh, two young players of Dallas that they played and they coached up and here they are good NHL players. Isn’t that quite, uh, a novelty? Yeah. Uh, anyho, chap chirp two. Don Sweeney was asked by Ty Anderson what he values in a player and his response was pretty interesting. He mentioned skating one uh as a you know good skating which the Verins the last few years here have been one of the worst skating teams in the in the league. They aren’t one of the better skating teams at all. So valuing valuing skating valuing compete level when there’s literally players on this team who don’t start on time and time and time again. You even see it in the AHL level time and time again not starting on time not coming ready to play. So competitiveness was another thing and it was very generic his answer. Um and like we’ve talked about I’m not sure he he has a true detailed identity of what the player should be. No. And I think hockey IQ is another thing you mentioned and this last year’s team might have been the dumbest hockey team I’ve ever seen in my entire life with the discipline and the penalties, not being able to complete a pass, not being in the right spots. um you know, goes on down the line, bad line changes, like so many things. Um just knowing how to play offense, um oddman rushes, being in the right spot, knowing when to shoot, when to pass, all that stuff. Dumbest, one of the dumbest teams I’ve ever seen. Uh and he mentions hockey IQ as as another characteristic of players that he likes. Um I’m not sure he follows his own um criteria of what he likes in players. Like I I I I feel like he just gives a generic answer and then when they scout guys, either the scouts get it completely wrong, right, and the scouts don’t know what he’s really looking for. Well, they have differences in opinion. like maybe they like different guys opinion or he just doesn’t follow what the scouting staff is telling him as far as who competes and who doesn’t compete and who has a good hockey IQ and doesn’t and who skates well and who doesn’t and who has an elite shot or you know I I it’s just mindboggling to me that he put this team together and the team looks like it does and those are the criteria of players. It’s so far from what he’s described that you have to wonder where the disconnect is uh between him and the rest of the front office and the scouting staff. I’ll tell you what is who he values. Captains like every [ __ ] every [ __ ] guy captain of their might team. Like you know for God’s sakes like that’s what he because captains will do these couple of things. One they’ll be uh coachable. Yeah. Yeah. Two, they’ll be mature for the most part. So, captains, you already know those two things are probably pretty much a guarantee. Yeah. So, I think that that’s what he that’s what he values most. That’s the that’s the one tangible thing he can look at and say, “Okay, this guy has at least this.” Yeah. So, um maturity isn’t going to score you goals. No. Um being good in the room isn’t going to score you goals. Being coachable isn’t going to score your goals. It might block you a shot. Just ask Patrick Brown. He blocked a shot with his face and then got a [ __ ] contract extension. Yeah, he’s a captain and he’s a good veteran [ __ ] 33y old who can be the captain of Providence for five more years. Yeah. Didn’t Didn’t Mass get his contract after he beat the bag? Probably. Probably. You know, it’s it’s just it’s you need talent. You don’t need good guy. I’m done with the good guy stuff. Like, would you rather have Sam Bennett being a douchebag to everybody around him or would you rather have Mark Castillic? I’ll take Sam Bennett’s douchebaggery and be in the playoffs and have him score some goals for me rather than Mark Castelick. Sorry. Like I know they’re not the same level of player and I’m doing that for effect, but like that’s what the difference is. Like, would you rather have talented guys that are a little bit of an [ __ ] or would you rather have really good guys who, you know, are going to stand in front of a shot with their dick and block a shot with their dick? Like, I mean, Christ, what are we doing? What I mean, what are we doing? A right. Is that a right shot dick or a left shot dick of that guy? I mean, I don’t know. It’s like it’s like we value the wrong things. It’s like yes, sacrificing for the team is good, but you know, citizens. Yeah. I mean, your team had 12 shot like average like 12 shots a game down the stretch. You’re giving up 40 and and and shooting 12. No wonder you got to block shots with your dick because you’re because you can’t get the puck out of your own zone because you have a bunch of guys who are really great guys but can’t play hockey a lick. Yeah. I mean, you’re going to run out of athletic supporters if you keep uh putting those guys out there. Yeah. I mean, look at you can be coachable and you’ll be a good guy and you could be all that stuff, but if you don’t if you don’t if you suck at hockey, then that’s a big problem. Like, if you’re not that good, then that’s a problem. They need to get talent like you said, elite talent is or as close to elite as you can, very goods, bunch of very goods or something. Yeah. But you don’t even have good right now in a lot of Yeah. I mean, yeah. So, you you need to upgrade by by any means necessary. Um like I don’t want them though to rush into the off season and spend on mediocre guys. I don’t want it. No, I don’t want that. No, I don’t want that. I don’t want that. So, um I mean I know you need to I know they need to upgrade and I know Sweeney wants to upgrade them because his job’s online and they need to make the playoffs and um Charlie Jacobs pretty much came out and said he expects them to be in the playoffs or competing for a playoff spot next year. So, there’s pressure there. Uh so, Sweeny’s going to go out and spend in the offseason probably on the wrong guys. Um probably going to spend early on your third and fourth liners. that stuff all situated, all locked up tight. Um, so that when Mitch Marner decides where he wants to play, you’ll have like 20 bucks left. Um, you won’t be able to you won’t be able to get them. So, no, because you locked up all that other money. Yeah. So, Beecher will be locked up and and you know, all the all the really good players uh that you’ve had here that are RFAS, they’ll lock them up. I saw a lowrise contract for six years, five.4 or some [ __ ] like that. No way in hell. They’ll probably sign him to that deal so that you don’t have any I mean it’s going to be they’re going to be left with it’s going to be just a it’s going to be a repeat of last last off season where you look at the signings and you’re like we spent all our money on that. Yeah. I that’s what I’m saying. Like that’s what they’re gonna do. He’s going to miss on Miner. So, he’s going to sign like Mia Pani and Lazella or something for like three or four million a piece and that’s going to chew up 8 million bucks and that’s what you’re going to have on the wings. Like that’s what you’re going to have. So, um yeah, I I look here’s what I would do. I would not sign really anybody other than Mitch Mner. Like I would go balls to the wall for Mitch Mner. I would sign your geeky and your low things, but not for that amount. Like low about three or so. and geeky about five or so. Uh, and that’ll leave you with about 16 and then minor gives you 13 14. So now you’re down to two or three. But if you trade Casey Middlestat is 5.75 for a pick or two. Yeah. Then then you you earn that five or now you have seven or eight million bucks after even after Mner. So that’s what I would try to do. Uh, if it can’t get Mner, I wouldn’t sign anybody else. I’d have Parker be the second line center. I’d have, you know, maybe sign a guy for one year deal like Matt Duchain or something. Sure, whatever. For a one year deal. He’s not going to come here anyway. So, but I would just play kids and whatever and and then save all that money for the following year. Yeah, I would 100% do that. I’m in on that. I like your plan. I think we should implement it right now. I’m telling you, I the they need to give Matt Patra like at least a half a season of you’re the second line center. That’s it. You’re going to play with Zaka and somebody on the wing. What’s it Lysel or somebody else? I don’t give a [ __ ] Hopefully, it’s Minor. And you’re going to play second line center for the bulk of the year. We got to figure that out if you can do that. And if you can’t, then we have to go to plan B. So that’s what I would do. He makes $800 and something thousands. Like I would do everything possible. You’re not going to win a cup next year. I would do everything possible to make to see if he can do that thing second line center. Yeah, I’m I’m with you. I I I don’t have any problem trying to tank next year um and get another high draft pick and roll into the next off season and then maybe you can get Michael and and do that thing. Um I don’t have any problem with that. Um I think it’s minor or bust too. I I don’t I don’t think I would sign anybody else. You have a [ __ ] ton of centers under contract now. You can afford to trade one of them. Middle stat’s the guy I would trade as well. Um and then you know Frasier Mittton can spot in as your third line center. Yes. And then you know and and and then Castelick and you can maybe play Lysel on the third line there. Play some of the kids. See what you have there. Finaci came up scored a goal in his one game. Like you got some guys around that you can plug in there and see what you have. And if you happen to lose a bunch of games and and get up in high up into the lottery, you know, that’s not a bad thing in that particular year. So, um, you know, Sweeney probably will be gone, but I think that might be a blessing. So, um, you know, I I think the way to handle it is to go all in for MNER. And if look, if you get Mner, then maybe you can make do some other stuff, but he’s got to be your number one priority. And you can’t be using money on fringe guys when you need to go all in for for Mitchie. 100%. Chirp chirp three. Here’s a proposal. Jeremy Swayman for Connor Hllabuck. Would you do it? Yes. I think I would too. Now Heluck had a hard time until the last third period in overtime of game seven. Yeah. uh when Winnipeg uh just took it out of a miracle win for them. But Hleabuk has had some problems in the postseason. Yes. Swayman has actually been better overall in the postseason than Hellbeck ever has been. Yeah. Uh but you know with the Swayman issues you’ve had and with Connor Halabuk still being widely regarded as maybe even a heart trophy winner or you know the best goalie in the league this year. Yeah. Overall, um I would do it. I would. And that’s a it’s also a guy who has proven that he can play 65 games. Yes. You know, he’s proven that he can play, you know, that workload. Um, now maybe you go to 2/3, 1/3, you take a little of the load off him during the regular season and maybe he’s a little bit better in the playoffs. They just won a round so maybe he’s got that monkey off his back. I mean, in the regular season, he has been um you know, if not the best goalie, one of the top three in the last, you know, handful of years. So, yeah. Um I think he’s got plenty of uh game left. So, I would do that in a second because I think Swayman, there’s some underlying [ __ ] there. Uh I don’t know if it’s all ironed out with the hold out and you know I the arbitr arbitration like there still might be some bad blood there whether you know even though they’ve signed him to the contract now and you know still call him bulldog and all this [ __ ] and like I don’t know he needs loco there is to be his buddy like there’s some there’s still some stuff there that I don’t love so I feel like getting rid of him and and some of that baggage maybe would would help overall. I mean, it’ll never happen, but I would do it, right? And I and I would, too. And I I think Winnipeg probably would not at this point, but no. Uh I would I would absolutely do that. Uh chirp for Jim Montgomery with another team that collapses with St. Louis this year in 60 games. His team has given up 12 goals with the opponents and empty net. That’s incredible. Uh they he just his teams collapse and it’s becoming a trend rather than just a fluke. Yeah. He and he doesn’t want to talk about anymore and I wonder why because it keeps happening to his teams and he has no answer. No, he doesn’t he doesn’t seem to make adjustments. Um I I that was one of the problems I had with him when he was here. I didn’t think he was great at making adjustments. All he would do was shuffle the lines. Yes. And you know, there’s only so many times you can shuffle the lines before you shuffle through all the combinations. Oh my god. Then it was a blender at the end there. Yeah. And then you and then you know, everybody’s head spinning. There’s no cohesiveness. No. Um you know, so there’s no chemistry. Uh so he he does he doesn’t know how to make adjustments, I don’t think. Uh and that causes a problem for his teams late in games. They don’t know how to get the puck out of the zone. They maybe get a little tight. You know, he maybe gets a little tight. Um Yeah, it’s an issue. It’s an issue for him. It’s going to follow him around until, you know, his team gets over the hump. No, his team is his team is is front runners. They’re front runners every time when they’re front runners and everything’s going great, it’s great. But once adversity hits, you know, he really has a hard time stopping the bleeding. And he’s done this with Boston and with St. Louis. So, you know, again, I I think, you know, people love Jim Montgomery and a lot of them will take like he give him no responsibility what happened at the end. We see it a little differently. Uh but I think in the in the long run, Montgomery isn’t is an okay coach. I don’t think he’s a great coach. I don’t think he’s one of the top coaches in the league. Uh, and the more this goes on and if he gets bagged, let’s say next year, at the end of next year, he gets canned because they tank a little, um, he’s going to get right down to the end here where he’s kind of running out of chances. He gets kind of run out of Boston and he gets run out of St. Louis and then, you know, he’s going to have a hard time getting another one. Yeah, I think he will. Um, and I agree with you. I think he’s kind of a middle of the road coach. Like, he’s a he’s okay. He’s good when it’s going his way. um when he has good players, you know, when the Bruins had really good players and he was back there, you know, he’s laughing and it’s a wagon and everything’s great. But, you know, like you said, when the adversity hits or if he has to make a tough call, like maybe for example, telling Patrice Burgers, look, love you Patrice, but you’re not ready to go and I’m not going to put in lineup. Yeah. Um, you know, I don’t know if he has the fortitude to do stuff like that. I don’t know if he does. um he didn’t before. Uh so, you know, we’ll see. I don’t think he does. We’ll see if he learns some lessons from some of this stuff, but uh as of right now, it’s kind of following him around and he hasn’t seemed to learn anything from it. So, no, he hasn’t. I mean, he had an epic collapse on a 65 win team and an epic collapse in game seven, third period. Um you know, that’s not that’s not good stuff. That’s just not great. And I know they did well when he got there and they weren’t in the playoff spot by faceoff and all that stuff. I get that they wanted quite a run, but when push comes to shove and the and the games become all or nothing, his teams are they don’t come through. So yeah. Uh all right. Chirp five. Patrick Connor Brown is locked in for another year. One year $775,000 uh annually. the first line. Yeah, you you heard that right. The top line center of the Providence Bruins, who will be 33 next season, is back for another year because this guy is a leader of men. He is a leader of men. I will give him that. He is a leader of men. He leads by example. He blocked a shot with his face. He probably did block a shot with his dick at some point because he does that. He is a He is a guy who will lay his body put his body on the line for his team. Um, look, and I’m sure he’s a great guy because most captains are great guys and I’m sure Brown is a great guy and we shouldn’t really be [ __ ] on him because he’s earning a living in the AHL at 33 years old. Good for him. But did it need to be done now? I did Did it need to be done now? It’s it’s a top priority. It’s a top because Kpatrick Brown is is the the fabric of your Boston Bruins organizations. He’s a piece of the [ __ ] lint uh in this organization right now. I mean, he his leadership uh is is so much so that, you know, he’s teaching the young guys, you know, how to be a pro. Even though in game two of the second round, they absolutely laid a stinker where their own coach said that they had to play like men. So even still uh with with Patrick Connor Brown as your captain leading, it still leaves a little bit to be desired. This the team still doesn’t follow. So what does that tell you? I mean, how good of a leader can the guy be if the coach is calling out the whole team because they’re not showing up to play? Like I don’t look at fine, he makes 775,000. It doesn’t mean a damn in the salary cap. It’s two-way. It doesn’t mean a damn. In fact, it’s 450,000 minor league, I think. So, it doesn’t mean a damn in that sense. But what it does mean is you’re giving a guy who’s going to be 33 and not a future part of this organization. Topline minutes for the Providence Bruins, topline minutes with two other guys who have no future on the team. And that just doesn’t make sense to me. Like Matt Potra should be playing 22 minutes a game in the AHL. He should be playing topline minutes. Frasier Mitten should be the next guy down and then Patrick Brown should be playing 15 minutes a game. Like what? What? What? And I know he had 46 points and all that [ __ ] I don’t care. I don’t care that Providence is the second place team and the Atlantic [ __ ] I don’t give a [ __ ] I don’t. What I want is player development. So that’s my gripe. That’s my gripe with the Patrick Brown signing is that yeah, okay, great. But you’re playing him as a topline center. That’s not the point. That’s not the point. Like, he can’t play those minutes. Like, what are we doing? I’m with you. I’m with you 1,000%. 1,000%. I couldn’t I couldn’t agree with you anymore anymore. I couldn’t agree with you anymore. I I don’t know. We are in complete agreement. What we’re doing like I I don’t either. I I I don’t I see the line combinations every night and I shake my head and I say, “What are we doing?” Oh my god. It was Jeffrey Viel and and Patrick Brown up in the top line. Look, I know he had 46 points or whatever, but for God’s sakes, can you play the players? Matt Potra needs all the minutes, all the time, all the things. Like, you need him. It behooves you to have him be the second line center on the Boston Bruins next year. Can you give him [ __ ] ice time? Can you give him Patrick Brown’s [ __ ] ice time? Like, you should be playing in all situations. This is This is [ __ ] I I just Yeah. Again, if you want to bring Patrick Brown back, fine. But play him on the third or fourth line. I’m with you. You know, and have him be the leader of the team and all and play 12, 15 minutes. Like, have him do that thing. But for God’s sakes, he’s the focal point of the [ __ ] team. Like, what are we doing? I’m with you. They resigned the wrong captain. Eh, by the way, Providence Bruins win tonight. Yeah. Three to two. Force a game four. Force a game and they have two more in Charlotte. So, big uh goal by Pitlick. Tyler Pit. Yeah. To win it. You know who had two tonight? Riley Tuy, our buddy. Yeah. Yeah. Tell you big Tuy fans always. All those on X like Riley. Riley’s the [ __ ] Always been big. Yeah. Hey, sign Riley Tuy to a 77 775K. Sign him. You know what? Give him 776. Yeah. Give it to him. Let’s give him a little bit more than than Patrick Connor Brown. Give him the Bender bump. Yeah. Oh, I like that. Let’s give Let’s give Tuy the Bender bump. A little bit more for him. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, you know, when we talk him up, he scores goals. So, you know, Tufty is a man. Let’s uh let’s let’s, you know, let’s get him some more. Maybe some, you know, we’ll add him or something at the end of the season. Maybe we’ll get him on. Maybe he can sneak on. I Yeah, I mean, it would probably have to be a sneak because Yeah, it would because the Bruins hate us, but yeah, the Bru we’ve been black ballalled by the Bruins. I don’t know if we This is uh we’re going on a campaign of epic proportions. Yeah, we’re uh we we don’t have to mention it directly, but they’ll get the hint. Campaign the campaign we’re not going to mention directly. We don’t we don’t have any kind of campaign. We have been black legitimately black ballalled though. They It’s called honesty and the truth hurts [ __ ] That’s right. Truth. It is honest. We are honest. Uh we are honest. But we’re You know what? I I’m gonna I would say this to my dying day. Like I will die on this [ __ ] hill. That we are fair. Like we are not unfair. I I maybe five. Why don’t you throw Don Sweeney his flowers like you did in our group chat this week about not signing Tory Krug? Oh my god. That was back in the day. We talked about that. It was before we did this pod, but we talked about that. Do not sign that guy. Like do not sign that guy. Do not. And they didn’t. And that was one of the best things Don Sweeney has done is not sign that guy. Absolutely true. We were we were Yeah, we were we were very much behind him letting Tory Krug walk for uh because we knew the contract was going to be big because he had had a 50 or 60 point game as a uh not a game as season as being the power play quarterback. Uh, and we knew we was going to be looking for big money and someone was going to give it to him and we were hoping that it wasn’t the Bruins and and Sween stepped up and said no thanks. Passed and you know St. Louis bit and and uh you know to say that he’s lived up to the contract uh in St. Lewis would be uh falsehood cuz um he he hasn’t you know and by all accounts he’s a great guy uh you know undrafted free agent worked his way up got a huge contract we were happy for Tori we’re like yeah go get your money sure go get his money sure cuz you know he earned it he deserved it we just didn’t want it to be here right and and good for him you know that he got his money but good for Sweeney for uh for seeing through that thing and and not uh overvaluing Krug at the time. That was a one that was one of the times where Don Sweeney did not overrate his own player. Like that’s one of the times that he saw the handwriting on the wall and it was the right move 100%. So, you know, we’re sorry that Tori probably can’t play anymore, but we hope he can move around in normal life like like the rest of us can’t anyway. So yeah, I would say um going just going back to you saying that we are fair, I’d say you’re probably mostly fair and I’m probably a little worse. Okay, that might be it might be true. I was a little bit more of the voice of reason sometimes. Well, yeah, sometimes you are, but you also say guys suck and I say suck. We ti we try generally speaking to avoid that. Say that. Yeah. Um I don’t I mean Yeah. I mean, I’m sure we have a couple times, but I I I I mean, look at none of these guys suck at hockey. Like, obviously. No, they don’t. But saying someone sucks is just kind of a lazy John Beecher’s mom has to break out the [ __ ] bourbon when she listens to the Yeah. Yeah. Beach. Uh, but Beach does I mean, he’s the exception to the rule. Um, yeah. Sorry, Mrs. Beer, but your son’s never scored more than nine goals in a professional season. I think that they somebody there follows us too. Um not 100% who son uh brother mother somebody I don’t know somebody in that yeah I mean it it could be it could be. Look where when we talk about someone sucks it’s their hockey play. It’s never about the actual guy. Hockey players all beauties. They’re all fantastic guys. Oh of course nothing personal. Yeah it’s not. There’s no way to play for my hockey team. Yeah it’s not personal at all. John, I want you to go somewhere and really have a great career and succeed and do all the great things, but not for the Boston Bruins. I mean, that’s that’s fair. Tarp six. Are the Bruins about to reach in this draft with pick number seven, do you think? Um, they have a track record of it. They have a track record of it. So, um, I hope not. I hope not. I think I don’t think they will. I think they’re going to I think they’re going to pick um one of the guys that’s right in that range, you know, anywhere from five to nine. Uh I think it’s going to be either Caleb Denier or Roger McQueen. I think it could be uh Denier. I think it could be Jake O’Brien. Um or Roger McQueen, too. Yes. Okay. So, Den, you know what? I’m gonna throw in uh because I think Fondell’s going to be gone. I’m gonna throw in the uh the Swedish winger there. Oh, Ekan. Ekan. Yeah. Okay. Okay. I think it be him, too. I I’m gonna go outside chance Brady Martin. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there’s a chance of that. He’s kind of setting up and from what I hear about him, I like, but Roger McQueen is a scary one for me. He sounds like a little bit less raw of a version of Dean Lerno. like he’s a big tall center. Um I don’t know if you can have like after you just if you just [ __ ] drafted Laterno, you’re gonna draft McQueen and have two big [ __ ] it’s going to be Joseph Stumple and you know it’s going to be two big lumbering centers, you know? I I I don’t know. I’ I’d stay a I’d rather get a guy like Denway who’s who’s, you know, fast and quick and agile and or Brady Martin who seems like be just kind of a pisser like he just plays hard and tough and grinds into you and and that type of thing. Somebody like that. Let’s not get this big O again. Yeah, I don’t want the big O. I really don’t. No, I don’t. Get Can we get away from that? Like get a guy who could play hard. Yeah. Can we go to the Sweeny’s [ __ ] scouting report? Can we get a guy that’s fast, that’s competitive, that has some that have high hockey IQ? High hockey IQ. Thank you. You know, when his team has none of those things, right? Like that. To me, that’s even more of a knock on him that he would say those words and his team blatantly is not good at any of those this season. Like that’s that to me looks even worse when you say the words and it doesn’t match with your team. Yeah. So there’s that’s what I mean. There’s some kind of disconnect between Sweens and the scouting department or what he’s saying to Neie and Sweeney or Yeah. or Neely or the scouting department is just terrible at their jobs, which is another issue. Maybe could be is maybe he’s saying, “Look, I want guys that are fast and competitive.” And the scouting department comes back with these guys. And you’re like, “That’s not what I’m [ __ ] talking about. Get this out of here. This is not what I ordered. Get out of here.” Yeah. I mean, look, I I I just think they they don’t have a clear indication. Like, you know, a Florida Panthers player, he’s a dbag and he’s, you know, he’s he’s fast and he’s skilled and all that stuff. You know, a Montreal Canadians player like they like these quick shifty wingers and that whole thing and the breakouts and the dynamic offensive defenseman and all that. you you know the identity of some of these other teams players, but you just I just have a hard time putting my finger on what is a Bruin. It’s not the big bad Bruins anymore. It’s not the big physical guys anymore. It’s not like the little engine that could kind of thing or the underdog the blue collar team. It’s not that. It’s not a fleet of foot team skating wise. It’s not that. I’m not sure what you are and I’m not sure they know what they are or want to be. No, they don’t know what it is because they say hard to play against and that can be so many different things. Um they are too they’re too generic with it. It’s too it’s too all-encompassing. They need to narrow that focus down and say these are the type of guys we want. We want competitive guys who are going to be up your ass for 60, you know, 60 minutes. um we or we want, you know, elite foot speed or we want guys who are always going to finish checks or gonna compete along the whatever it is and narrow the focus and say these are the type of guys we’re going to go after. These are Boston Bruins type of players. And yeah, if you’re going to reach, that’s when you reach. You know, if it’s a guy that really fits your identity as a team, say this guy, we’re going to go out on a limb or we’re going to trade up to get a guy like this. This is a guy who really fits us. Um, but they don’t have that. No, Don Sweeney wants everybody to be Patrice Berseron. Yeah. Player who can put some offense together. That’s what it that’s what their that’s what their that’s what their um their focus is. That’s what they that’s what they want everybody to be. It’s Patrice Berseron. They want a team full of Patrice Bersrons, which is great. Uh if you can do it, but look, a guy’s going to go into the Hall of Fame uh and is maybe one of the best defensive forwards in the history of the game. You’re not gonna find that every day, especially now. Not a guy with skill who can score two and do all those things. Like not gonna happen. There’s there’s just he’s a one of one. Like there aren’t other guys like him. You can’t bend Fabian Lysel into being a Patrice Berseron. It’ll never happen. And so you’re going to be disappointed in Fabian Lysel because he’s not he doesn’t have as good of a defensive stick as Patrice Berseron does. Yeah. George, Georgia Murkov, they don’t like him because he’s doesn’t play like Berseron. Yeah. No one in the history of the league has as good of a defensive stick as Patrice Berseron did. So cut it out. Stop trying to force guys to be one of the best defensive forwards in the history of the [ __ ] franchise. Like just let them be who they are and be good at offense and maybe not as great on defense or you know a good defensive forward that’ll chip in like just let them be what they are. Define a role for the guy which is another thing they don’t do and and just let them play and they’re going to make mistakes. Yes. But hopefully they learn from them and you you know can develop them a little bit. Yeah. And I’m I am just 100% with you. Like I just I don’t know. I they I think he that’s what the identity is. Like look again, Sweeney has not put together his own roster of players. Uh so that’s the knock on him. He took an established roster that went through a cup final two years prior. Like there was a major core there that he added to and he did a pretty good job doing it, adding to it and all that. Yeah. But he hasn’t had to build the thing from the, you know, from David Parson and and a and Charlie Makavoy and maybe a pretty good goalie. Like that’s what he has now. He hasn’t done it from there. So I think that’s a struggle. Like he doesn’t quite know. Yeah. Well, when you when you draft like ass for many many years, it’s hard to build the thing when you can’t [ __ ] draft and develop talent cuz because other teams can. And when you’re last and like there’s other teams, there’s plenty of other teams that have been in the playoffs a bunch of years like you have and picked at the bottom of the first round like you have. Tampa being one of them, but they found Braden Point. They found, you know, uh, Cucherov in a not in the first round like they found they traded for guys that they that fit them. They gave up a [ __ ] ton for him, but they traded for guys that fit the Lightning. They traded for Hegel, you know, they got Celli in a later round. Like, they know what they’re doing and have figured it out. The Bruins haven’t done that. Uh, and Sweeney hasn’t done that. So, if you don’t draft well and you can’t develop, you know, you’re left with a poor farm system and, you know, a barren roster. And that’s where you’re at. That’s where you’re at. Trip seven. If the Panthers lose to the Leafs, this was from Connor Green earlier today, and we only and the Bruins only get a second round pick from Marian at 50% retained salary and he doesn’t sign here at a discount after, I’ll dislike him a bit, says Connor Green. Conor, would you care to expand? Expound. So in in my opinion, if you’re Marian and you’ve spent your entire career here and you’ve waited your turn to get the captainc on your chest and you are willing to essentially throw it all away by not bridging the gap, maybe a million dollars, right? And you are going to another team and then not going to resign here. I’ll give you that it sounds like it was Sweeny’s choice to allow him to go where he wants to go, but Marshan still probably pressed that and told them this is where I would rather go and got his way. So, he cost the Bruins he he cost the Bruins more in a return in my opinion. Sure. And he’s probably not gonna come back. So, one of your star players that you were extremely loyal to left you [ __ ] high and dry in a time of need. And that seems to be a reoccurring trend with the Charara, the Berseron, the Cree. They’ve all just quickly ghosted into the sunset. And this team’s been slowly left high and dry in their wake. Yeah. I mean, they they they went too long with some guys for sure. They went too long with that core for sure. Um they probably should have made a savvy move and traded David Crrier or whatever. Who knows? But um they didn’t uh but with the Marian thing, I’m I I think I agree with you in that first off I think that was the deal when they couldn’t come to a number and the Bruins didn’t budge. I think that was the deal. And Donnie said, “Okay, this isn’t going to work. So we’re going to send you somewhere. Let’s talk about where you want to go.” And that’s what they did. Is it the right thing? No, I don’t think it was the right thing at all. I think he didn’t want to sign the deal. You offered him a fairly fair deal. It wasn’t what people thought originally. It was a decent number, at least what he’s making now. Yeah. And to stay and he took, you know, 800 grand more or something or whatever it was a year from uh, you know, or wanted 800 grand a year more like. So, and he leaves for that. I think the Bruins should have said, “You know what? You know what? You’re we’re going to trade you to wherever the hell we get the best return. Sorry, dude.” Like, I think that’s what they should have done. And they, again, they have this family atmosphere, which is commendable. I mean, I know I’m not against family, but to a point where it hurts your franchise because you’re invested too much in these guys you don’t want to go with anymore, that seems kind of silly and irresponsible really. And I I think you kind of nail it on the head a little bit where you mention Sweens always mentions the family, you know, the wife and the kids by name, but when you hear Marian talk when he gets to Florida, he talks about, you know, this is still a business. Yeah. Blah blah blah blah blah. You never hear from Don Sweeney very often anyway. Although he probably does that this is a business, right? You hardly ever hear that. You don’t hear it. you and you should because if you ran it like a business, if you ran it like a hockey team instead of a daycare center and and and let the guys get away with what they get away with, there’s no accountability. As much as they like everyone to believe that, you know, they mentioned it at the press conference and then spent the the better part of, you know, 45 minutes or whatever u making excuses. So, there is no accountability in the organization. uh they let the guys get away with whatever they want. Um you know, and yeah, it’s a it’s a family. Everybody’s best friends until, you know, it’s time to uh to make a deal or the rubber hits the road and then Swayman’s holding out and Marshian and the team can’t agree over, you know, basically a million bucks. So, um, you know, sometimes tough decisions have to be made and, you know, we’re Bruins fans here, so we would like Don Sweeney to be able to have to make a hard decision sometime uh, and get the better return for his goddamn hockey club. Like, that’s what we want. We want the Bruins to be good. Like, yeah, I I’m I’m happy for Marian that he went where he wanted to go and that he’s still in the playoffs or whatever, but I want the Bruins to be good. So, I need Sweeney to do some things that are going to improve the Bruins. Like, that’s what my main focus is. That’s what his main focus should be, to improve the Bruins. What’s best for the Bruins, not for Brad Marshand and his wife and his daughters. Like, that’s great. You know that you’re nice to him. Like, send him a text in the offseason and play [ __ ] golf, but get the best [ __ ] return that you can get for the [ __ ] guy. Sorry, John. Yeah. I mean, that’s it. Where do you think Brad Marshian goes next year? Bang. Um, Florida or Tampa? I think um Colorado or Pittsburgh. Okay. I’m going to go Florida or Montreal. Wow. I think Montreal could be I I think Montreal, even if it’s not on the table, I think Montreal is I think he’s a really great fit there for what they have. He would he would be a good fit there. Like really great. He would be um talk about torching your [ __ ] legacy even more. I mean, but that’ll tell you how much he cares about it. Like that’ll tell me tell you how pissed he is or how much or how That’s why that’s why I’m pissed off to begin with. Like I feel like his exit is just pissing in the face of all the fans who’ve adored him for years. I mean, he left over literally over less than a million bucks a year. I think if if those reports are true. Yeah. Like whether or not they give him the third year or whatever, but he left for not not high like a not high money. Like he didn’t leave for a lot. So, um I I I think that he wanted to leave. Obviously, he wanted to leave. Mhm. Uh because he knew this was a sinking ship and he didn’t want to do that thing with a rebuild end of his career. He wanted to go want to go try to get a second cup because a second cup puts you in a different category. Sure. As a Hall of Fame player, a second cup’s a big deal, especially two or two teams. Like that becomes a Mark Reky type of thing. It’s a big deal, you know. Yeah. I I just I’m not sure if Florida has the cap space. Maybe they do. Um they may not. And Bennett Bennett probably leaving would have to be the case first and foremost, but and I don’t know if they’d want to be that old to getting old quick. Yeah. I don’t Yeah. Um Eblad might be up too. So, you know, maybe into that spot. Um but I could see him wanting to play with Sid or McKinnon in either one of those places. Now, there’s talk about Sid maybe going to Montreal, uh, because that’s his hometown or whatever or near his hometown. So, there’s a lot of chatter about Sid leaving Pittsburgh because of Freriedman. there is in his last podcast uh he put it out there that one of the reasons Mike Sullivan left Pittsburgh is that he and Kyle Dubis disagreed on the future of the franchise and Dubis wants to go a more prolonged rebuild where Mike Sullivan wanted to quickly turn things around and be pursuing the playoffs. So Sullivan went the opposite way. Now, Freriedman mentioned Crosby is going to be spending almost entire summer now with Nathan McKinnon. And does Crosby really want to go through a prolonged rebuild or will Nathan McKinnon get in his ear throughout the summer and potentially coax him into wanting to leave Pittsburgh? Wow. How about Crosby and Marian in Colorado with McKinnon and [ __ ] all those clowns? That’d be pretty good. That would be something else. That would be something else. Hey, you can bet probably on where Marian goes on DraftKings Sportsbook. DraftKings Sportsbook is Boston’s hometown sports book. It’s live right here in Massachusetts. Bet local and all your favorite sports from the comfort of your own home with DraftKings. To celebrate, all new customers will receive up to $150 in bonus bets when you sign up for DraftKings Sportsbook using code ITR. You can now bet local on money lines, spreads, props, and more with one of America’s top rated sports books. That’s DraftKings Sportsbook. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app. Sign up with the code ITR to get up to $100, $150 and bonus bets to use now that mobile sports betting is live in Massachusetts. That’s code ITR only at DraftKing Sportsbook. If your loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, call 800 32750 or visit helplinemma.org to speak with a trained specialist free and confidentially 247. must be 21 plus physically present in mass. Eligibility restrictions apply subject to regulatory licensing requirements. Eligibility and deposit restrictions apply. Optin required bonus issued as free bets terms at draftkings.com. This week’s beauty is uh Mo Ranton of the Dallas Stars jamming up Colorado’s ass. What the hell? That was Lenny Dystra. Lenny Dystra Anna Bender. I love you. They’re going to be loving you from dawn until D. Yeah. So anyway, uh Miko Ranton uh a hattick and an assist in the third period comeback that would make even Lenny Dystra drink a little heavier. Oh my god. The Lenny Dyes are big fans of the Bruins Benders. Oh my god. He was He was on an old pod once and it was a classic. It absolutely was a classic. He was drunker than drunken be. Goodness gracious. And I felt he got so more sober as it went on because he got more legible in his speech. But in the beginning, I texted you at the time. I was like, I don’t think we can use this. Like I didn’t understand what the [ __ ] he was saying at all. Nope. But he came around, gave some good stories. It was it was tons of fun. But anyh who, Miko Ranton jams it up Colorado’s ass. Yeah, just uh hat-tick um in game seven to win it against his former team. Uh just doesn’t get any more sweeter uh and better than that for uh for Rand. So good for him. Uh he’s the beauty this week. Uh as far as the bender, it is our good friend. Hands in pockets, Monty. [ __ ] That one I did on Oh my god. By uh is watching his teams implode as he did here in Boston. Um they lose when a game that they had salted up. They had the series salted up. I mean, they were headed to play, you know, Dallas or whatever and the thing and um it didn’t work out for them. And uh it’s a big knock again on Monty. Just has to be. Yeah. Can’t get over the hump. You know, has been right there a few times with um you know, a really good Bruins team and then this St. Louis team, you know, going to knock out, you know, the the what? They won the President’s Trophy, right? They did. Yeah, they did. They’re going to knock out the President’s Trophy winners and, you know, then collapse right at the end. and um just a couple of heartbreaking endings for for him. Um so it’ll be interesting to see if he learns anything from any of this. And I haven’t changed lines a lot this year. Maybe you should change some lines. Shuffle. Maybe you should change the lines. Maybe you should make some adjustments uh other than changing lines. Maybe. Um and and maybe that would help you win win a series. Um yeah, so you know, well, best of luck to Monty. Best of luck to him. And it’s uh it’ll remains to be seen whether he can he can win a series. Find us. No, it it it does it does remain to be seen. Yeah. If he’ll ever win another series. Uh hey, head over to the Bruins Benders merch shop. Use the code. Sorry, John. Get 20% off anything in the store. Uh grab some Bruins Benders merch, rocks, glasses, shirts, t-shirts, and all sorts of great great stuff on that store. Uh get yourself a mug, what have you. Uh, it’s dishwasher safe, by the way. Yeah, the mug is. Yeah. And hey, go on to ITR Plus premium subscription service and get off Bruins Benders off your content uh using this code right here on your screen or going to the shop page on insidethe ring.com as well. Uh, that’s another episode of the Bruins Benders Podcast. We’ll be back again next week. Until then, as always, go Bruins. Thanks a lot. M by Bye-bye.

Join the Bruins Benders Podcast as they cover the HOTTEST topics in the Boston Bruins market, along with…
– What does Don Sweeney’s ideal draft pick look like?
– Would Wyatt Johnston develop into this type of player if he were drafted by Boston?
– Hypothetical Trade Swayman for Hellebuyck? Would you do it?
– Jim Montgomery with another team collapse. Trend?
& Much More!

Bruins Benders Premium Hoodies $55
Get Bent Premium Hoodie
Bruins Benders Long Sleeve Tee $40
Bruins Benders Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Bruins Benders Tee $30
Bruins Benders T-Shirt
For more from us, visit: insidetherink.com/bruins-benders

Boston Bruins Trade Rumors, Boston Bruins News, Boston Bruins, Jeremy Swayman, Joonas Korpisalo, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Nikita Zadorov, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Andrew Peeke, Parker Wotherspoon, Johnny Beecher, Mark Kastelic, Justin Brazeau, Cole Koepke, Trent Frederic, Matthew Poitras, Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, Oliver Wahlstrom, Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Joe Sacco, Don Sweeney, Cam Neely, Brandon Carlo Trade

#nhl #nhlbruins #hockey #bostonbruins #nhlplayoffs #bruins #nhlhockey #nhlmemes #boston #nhlallstar #nhldiscussion #nhlnews #nhledits #nhldraft #bruinsnation #nhlawards #nhltrade #hockeylife #tdgarden #nhlhighlights #bostonsports #bruinshockey #bruinsfan #nhlblackhawks #nhlglobalseries #nhlfi #nhlleafs #nhltrades #nhltradedeadline #nhlcanadiens #nhl #nhlnews #hockey #nhlhockey #nhlplayoffs #nhledits #nhldiscussion #nhlmemes #nhldraft #nhlallstar #hockeylife #hockeynews #hockeymemes #nhlhighlights #icehockey #sports #hockeyislife #nhlbruins #hockeyplayers #hockeyfan #hockeyplayer #hockeyedits #stanleycup #nhlawards #hockeygame #hockeyboys #hockeygram #hockeyfights #nhltrade #nhltrades