Bruins Sign Lohrei To Contract Extension | The Skate Pod, Ep. 454

Bruins Sign Lohrei To Contract Extension | The Skate Pod, Ep. 454

welcome in to episode 454 of the Skate Podcast i am Ryan D feliz joined by Bridget Pru and Scott Mclofflin it’s been a long off season already for the Bruins they haven’t played hockey in a couple of months now we found the time to to fill and we’ve talked about different things but now Bridget and Scott this week a lot of questions are going to be answered because the end of this week we have the NHL draft and then early next week is the start of free agency so a lot of questions that we’ve had over the last few months we’re going to start to get answers for and I’m very much looking forward to it
yeah and and we’re we’re excited we’re going to be doing Wednesday we’re going to do our last mock draft um to decide you know we’ll see see what we like what’s left at seven and uh determine the other picks around that range as well so we’re we’re going to be in full swing and I don’t know about you guys but now that I’ve been doing the research completely differently for that episode now bec than we did the first time because I was more into the prospects at that point like getting up to speed on the prospects now I feel like I’ve and you guys probably do too that we’ve looked at the prospects so much and now I’m trying to figure out like organizational need and uh even like try to just track down some maybe plausible like rumors of what what teams are interested in what guys or even if they’re interested in trading out of their spot so uh it’ll be I think it’ll be pretty different actually from the first one that we did yeah and there’s still chances for some surprises there chances for trades there’s lots of noise i saw uh friend of the pod Chris Peters his he put out his final mock draft on flow hockey and actually had Anton Fondell going too instead of Misa um which apparently there is some some buzz about that that the Sharks might legitimately be considering Fondel at 2 so again like every time it looks like anything is settled there’s like whispers of it changing so uh yeah it’s going to be it’s going to be an exciting week an interesting week a noisy week and we’ll see how much of um you know how much of that smoke actually turns into any fire or if it is just the classic like everyone trying to misdirect and mislead uh in the days leading up to the draft
i mean even just before we started recording I saw the there’s you know now there’s Bosel does Ziggress get traded before draft night or maybe involved in a deal that includes like a draft pick for this draft so that smoke has started um we can maybe get to that but we don’t necessarily have to um Brian did you want to start with our opening shifts there was exciting news this morning and I will say
hey Bridget why don’t you start i think your yours is probably the biggest and
yes
I don’t know brian’s is pretty big um
even I would concede that you should probably start this one
um so once again I I told you guys the luck has turned around so we were supposed to start recording at 11 and at 11:01 comes down an email from the Bruins that they have extended Mason Laurai to a two-year uh which we expected kind of more of a bridge deal so a 2-year deal uh that has a annual cap hit of 3.2 million and we’ll get very much into you know where does that leave the cap you know was that a good deal we put out a poll on Twitter as well to see just test everyone’s initial reaction do they think it was an overpay do they think it’s a good deal is this kind of just what to expect now that the cap’s going up for this upcoming season just going to see you know some contracts being maybe $500,000 or a million dollars more than what we expected because this was slightly higher than what we had put him at in our bridge deal in our mock offseason episode but uh 3.2 bridge deal I feel like seems seems good to me um and so that that was the big news of the morning and one more piece that we know is in place and we’ve been talking about you know is Geeky next they got Lurai done both of these guys are RFAS i think they wanted to get both of them done before they go into free agency which obviously time is very much ticking down because like you said Brian it’s beginning of next week so maybe we see Geeky get done too this week yeah the very first the first two when I tweeted this out the first two responses first reply was overpay second reply was great deal
yep
and it goes back and forth too like I read through your comments my comments and it just like alternates yeah uh we’ll get more into it because I want to I do want to go into some of the instant reaction from fans that we’ve got on Twitter um and just see what you guys think too of whether or not that’s the right move yeah Brian you want to do your opening shift
i do yeah and I I also just want to Yeah I do have a comment on the on the Laurai stuff as well afterwards that just popped into my head but yeah so so my opening shift has to do with the the news of the summer i mean come on mason Laurai comes and goes but uniforms are forever i mean or not forever but a significant amount of time right and uh for like 20 to 25 year periods or so yeah Brian’s happy the Centennials weren’t forever
oh my god don’t get me started on those things but anyway um yeah so obviously the Bruins have been speculated to have new uniforms uh this season and going forward New Home and Aways and we’ve discussed that it’s the Kim Neie Ray Bourc era uniforms which honestly it’s funny that people call it the Ray Bourc era because it really does predate them and it goes back to the 70s as well like the mid mid late 70s terry O’Reilly wore these uniforms too but yeah Bridget’s show shown some pictures um on YouTube for those that are seeing but essentially uh the other night last night actually the Bruins tweeted out 9 uh not nine uh 6 62525 which is a release date for their uniform unveilings which we will see on on Wednesday um because the draft is coming up so the question was are these are these jerseys going to be debuted on the draft stage or beforehand or afterhand so uh that’s that those are going to be revealed on Wednesday and then this morning they revealed officially their new logo which is as I said it’s it’s the logo the Bruins had from the ‘7s mid70s through the mid90s essentially with a bit of a tweaking simply it just looks like it’s more bold uh the spokes are more bold the B is more bold and the circle’s more bold maybe there’s a slight mo um modernization with the B but it’s very subtle if there is and it looks like so the on the left if you’re watching on YouTube it’s it’s the yellow B the yellow circle the yellow B the black spokes which is going to be on the black jersey but the Brewers are now going to have two different primary logos now just like they did in the 70s ‘ 80s and early 90s the white jersey is going to have a a black circle with the black B and then the yellow spokes so anyway um from a fashion perspective the Bruins will look amazing on the ice next year from a talent perspective that’s the stuff we’ll have to uh wait and see on
man I’ve already run through like so many graphics uh in the first seven minutes of this because we’ve I mean Brian gets really excited about fashion uh jersey releases and uh and I know he was waiting for this one and we did see the that leak i somebody some Canadian broadcast leaked these images um of like a production line of the jerseys getting made and that had Brian excited from you know I don’t know that was a few months ago wasn’t it so he’s now that it’s coming true and he’s seeing that this week he’s going to get to see them in real life uh he’s excited well it’s also just like yes I’m I’ve always been a huge sports uniform nerd but in my opinion I I there’s a very strong case to be made for the Bobby Big Bad Bruins era uniforms those whites those and those black uniforms were outstanding amazing personally I’ve always thought that what they wore from the mid70s to the mid90s which are more commonly referred to as the Bourork Neely era has always been my personal favorite of the Boston Bruins uniforms they’ve ever worn so if so the fact that they’re going back to those Yeah uh
I thought your favorite
I’m a fan
i thought your favorite was the uh Don’t say it don’t say it
the white uh Centennials with the uh the gold the sparkle gold honestly the whites weren’t even that as bad as as the darks the darks were just so dull i thought I was watching a club club college hockey team it was just like In any event we’re talking good fashion news today scott what do you think on that
yeah I’m I’m excited um love the logo love what these jersey is going to look like obviously as Bridget showed the leak of them it’s you know it’s more or less the same jersey they wore for the Centennial game in December um against Montreal obviously with a little less special branding because those jerseys had a you know special logo on them like up on the chest um but yeah that they’re they’re great jerseys i think they are an upgrade over this most recent era although I I always liked this most recent era too so um
the most recent era was an upgrade over the previous era so I agree with you on that yeah the the 90 Yeah the 95 to 07 or whatever that was yeah those those weren’t great the ones that had the yellow like all the ways down the sleeve um but yeah we can we can get more into that my opening shift is about the draft which we already touched on a little um but along the lines of you know rumors continuing popping up everywhere I am just increasingly coming to believe that the Bruins trading the number seven pick unless it’s to trade up would be a mistake uh and that’s not to say that they can’t get a good player or that you know like we mentioned Noah Dobson look I like Noah Dobson uh I just think the Bruins single biggest need organizationally is a number one center and you are not guaranteed to get that with the seventh pick absolutely like not a guarantee at all but you have a chance because there’s going to be at least one maybe two or three centers available at seven who have the potential to become that and that is as good as the Bruins can hope for when it comes to finding that guy like right now I don’t think you have anyone who has the potential to be that and it’s hard to find guys who either are already that or have the potential to become it so you have a chance to draft someone who if they hit their ceiling could be your number one center of the future and even if they don’t is probably a good second line center uh I just think trading out of that unless you’re getting one of those guys you know unless it’s getting you that center um or moves you up in the draft to get it I just think it’d be a mistake like yeah you can fill other holes you can get better for next season but I don’t think that’s what’s best for the Bruins in the long run i think it would be pretty shortsighted because yeah listen look you add no adoption and maybe PJO’s part of it like I don’t know maybe that helps get you to the playoffs next year does it make you a Stanley Cup contender though i don’t think so because I still think you have that glaring hole down the middle of the ice um so that’s kind of I just keep I you keep seeing like that the Bruins are listening on seven and it might be available and it just it just worries me i hope it’s more smoke than fire and they’re not like actually trying to trade out of this spot i’m petrified i’m petrified i said it I said
I had nightmares this week about it i I I said I said it online the other day i said I’m petrified of what the Bruins might do uh in response to to to those rumors that you’re talking about Scott and you know I’ll reserve judgment on on a trade until it happens i would just say it’s more likely than not that if the Bruins trade number seven I pro that I that I don’t like the deal but yeah I’m with you i’m with you i mean and obviously the the counterargument is that whoever they pick at number seven overall this year that that they may not pan out or or they may not pan out for a couple of years or whatnot but you know I’m only I’m only trading that pick if it’s giving you a like bonafide NHL forward right now and ideally a center or somebody who could play center um if given the opportunity but I’ve just I said it last week to you guys I’m going to say it again noah Dobson for seven it’s like even even Matthew Barzel it’s like buy the next Barzel like Barcel’s you know he’s dealt with some injury issues and he’s he’s creeping up on his you know late he’s in his late 20s he’s creeping up on 30 like just why so So So you mean to tell me that that what you want to do is you want to trade number seven overall this year for somebody who you could have picked uh 10 years ago with your first round pick
was that not the 20 was that the 2015 draft or what what draft yeah it’s like they could have drafted Barcel 13 14 15 in in 2015 and and and there’s a possibility that they want to they want to trade for him now they want to you know attain him now um at the expense of number seven and I’m not even trying to [ __ ] on Barzel as a player or Dobson but man if they’re going to if they’re going to trade that pick it it just has to be for something that’s just undisputedly like you you know I don’t know i I I’m with you Scott and and that’s why I said I’m I’m petrified of what they might do and people respond to me and say “Why are you petrified what has What have trades has Sweeney made to make you feel petrified of his hockey trades his drafting is his issue not his trades.” I mean okay he’s been better at trades than drafting sure I I’m not even arguing that but it’s it’s it’s what’s at stake here it’s it’s number seven it’s their first top 10 pick in over in a decade so uh or more than a decade so I’ll bring
I’ll bring this up too because it’s definitely relevant you don’t have to trade the seventh overall pick this year you could make that pick and you have other first round assets in you know in the ne in next year’s draft that you could move that Toronto pick that you traded for in the Brendan Carlo deal you could trade your own uh but they have other first round picks available to use in a trade if they if that is what they wanted to do maybe say “Hey we’ll give you a firstrounder but we really need we really need seven um we’re planning on actually selecting there.” And you know they good news for them is when they did start to make some uh some tough decisions and sell at the deadline they did get some assets back that they might be able to use on a on a on a player like a center now that doesn’t mean that they have to get rid of number seven this year
the the problem is that we’re seeing headlines regarding number seven and and and a headline about a future first round doesn’t get as many clicks so you know I I I’m with you Bridget and I that’s that’s a possibility but what makes me nervous is seeing these articles about specifically number seven you know and that’s why I’m like oh my god so we’ll find out
yeah and it also comes back to like how how patient are the Bruins willing to be because I’ve been saying from the moment that they sold at the deadline like best case scenario this is a two to threeyear retool in my mind and so the number seven overall pick should line up with that so to me I’m like that’s not pushing it to me like that’s that lines up with how long I think this process is going to take anyways but are they do they think not only are they going to be like a playoff team next year but that they can contend in like in short order like in a year or two because I I think that’s kind of delusional and I don’t really see how they get there that quickly from where they finished last season but I do wonder like is there pressure coming from ownership you know does Don Sweeney feel like he needs to be back in the playoffs next year and have a team that can get to the conference finals you know two years from now like because I think that then lends itself to do you start to trade away from your future to make moves to get better now and I just think that we we’ve talked like yes you can’t waste Posak and Makavoy Prime but I think you have to accept like a couple year process here like to me that that first thing I mentioned where it’s like we’re just trying to get back as quickly as possible that risks you doing what the Penguins did for the last five six years where they’re always they’re going to trade for this veteran we’re going to sign this veteran they’re always trying to find you know the right guys to add around Crosby and Malin and next thing you know it’s been five years and they haven’t added the right thing and they don’t have their next core coming and you’re just looking at this roster going like boy that’s a lot of guys in their 30s that aren’t even close to competing for a cup whereas the other option is the Washington Capitals who again still have work to do to be a true cup contender we saw that this year they you know had a they were the top seed in the East but come playoff time was pretty clear they still have work to do to really compete for a cup but they actually in the end got there quicker because they were willing to take a real step back and use draft picks develop young players give them the time to develop and say “Yeah you know what we’re not going to be very good for two years but we’re gonna have our next core pushing us forward when the time comes for for them to be ready and I think that I think that’s what the Bruins have to do and I just I just wonder if they organizationally have the patience for it
yeah and and there’s and there was plenty of incentive to rush things along for Washington as well because Ovetchkin is not going to be there forever so like they had probably even more reason than the Bruins do to to be worried about that um you know trying to trying to maximize but um but but and I also think they’re a good comparison um for you know if you want to look at a hopeful story because they they’re when they took their first round draft pick was it two years ago or three years ago that they drafted Ryan Leonard um
two years ago yeah
two years ago which and they drafted him in eight so this we were talking about the range that the Bruins are drafting in if they can if the Bruins can get that caliber player uh at seven which is right you know right around where he went that’s that’s a good news ryan Leonard is a great player and obviously there’s talks about different uh draft class strengths and that that one was strong and but we we don’t really know until we watch their first steps in the NHL how strong this draft class really is going to be um if you think that you can get that kind of player um at seven I I mean there’s there’s plenty of people in this area who know who Ryan Leonard is because he played for Boston College and I know I heard right when he was going pro at the end of BC season like I wish we had Ryan Leonard um I wish we had a player like that you might be able to get someone that makes you feel that way in this draft at seven um to be excited for and the college hockey development process isn’t that long it’s not that long off that you’re going to see this guy in the NHL more than likely so yeah just putting that out there
so great points Scott when you mentioned the Penguins the the difference that I would say for the Bruins is they shouldn’t if they’re trying to turn things around quick right they shouldn’t be targeting veterans you know they should be targeting players that are in their mid20s that that are still young enough to go forward my my question is can they find a player of that ilk to Bridget’s point earlier without giving up seven right can you can you get the best of both worlds can you can you give up you know a future first you know first round pick that maybe isn’t even yours maybe it’s you know Toronto’s or or Florida’s or maybe maybe it is yours maybe the price of getting somebody that impactful is that it is a a Bruins pick because a team thinks that that might be a higher pick um that’s what I that to me is the best of both worlds if they could identif you able to get just for an example Marty a Marty nature’s type player if it’s not number seven overall do will will Colorado be willing to move on from nature if it’s not for number seven h the 26 first isn’t really you know we kind of we we know you have seven this year we want like can they can they use future first round picks as a bargaining bargaining chip to get a true player now that’s the question because if if they if you can draft seven this year and utilize other future picks to Bridget’s point to get an impactful player with who insert name there right you see them floating around in rumors as as well as I do um to me that that’s that’s that’s the question that I want to know if they can if they can do that but
it’s obviously not as good of an asset right yeah and I’m I’m totally open to that and like again to use the the Capitals example like part of what they did included that they they uh had gotten a first round pick from uh actually it was from the Bruins trade from the Orlov Haway trade and then flipped that to Toronto to get Raasmus Sandine like exactly the kind of player you’re talking about you know he was I think he was 23 or 24 when they traded for him so still not even at his prime and he comes in and ends up playing a top four role like yeah that makes total sense use it for someone in their you know in their mid20s at the latest um who can be part of your core but yeah but like that was also a later first round pick that was not their top 10 pick which as Bridget mentioned they used on Ryan Leonard so yeah I’m totally on board with that like if you want to trade a future first or couple second round picks or whatever like in the right trade sure i just think seven overall is is too valuable and I and I think the chance of the Bruins again obviously like if they do trade it we evaluate the trade if and when it happens but I think the chances of them getting someone that I would feel good about with that pick um is pretty slim so well we only have a few days to find out we had talked about how on draft day do we find does this a deal happen minutes before the pick because they know you know they do or don’t have a guy there that they like um in that range but I think part of your what you’re saying as well Scott is that there are enough good players available at going to be available at seven that even if one of their guys isn’t there there’s still another guy that they like it’s not like that that area is going to be devoid of good options for them um which is probably one of the reasons why Scott you feel like they really should not trade out of that
yeah i mean like at least one or two of go through the whole list of centers you know Jake O’Bryant James Hagens uh Caleb Denier Brady Martin Roger McQueen like basically a guarantee that like at least two of those guys are going to be on the board at seven maybe Portoone falls and it’s like Martone versus one of them or something but like yeah I mean I was just looking at like I mentioned just as one example Chris Peters’s mock and he has uh McQueen jumping up and going five Jake O’Brien going six but it’s like then that leaves the Bruins with the option of James Hagens Brady Martin or Porter Martone if they go wing and it’s like yeah any one of those guys I think would be exciting to add to the Bruins prospect pool know I I would go Hagens in that case uh Chris has him taking Brady Martin um to me Hagen’s offensive upside at that point would just be really tough to pass on but like yeah you’re going to have a choice of in my mind some really appealing prospects now I guess it’s possible that maybe the Bruins you know wouldn’t like who’s left at that point but um I I feel like I feel like they should like I feel like they should be pretty high in at least one or two of these guys and I and I know we’ve talked about and it’s been mentioned that oh the risk of of keeping a draft pick is that that you know you never know if they pan out and if they do it’s probably you know three it could be three four years down the line in all in all reality in my mind I think whoever the Bruins draft at seven overall this year I think there’s a damn good chance that they’re making a team out of training camp in the 2627 season which is just a year from now so or like if it’s Hagens even turning pro at the end of BC season
yeah fair exactly so I you know it really there’s this there’s this notion in in in my mind at least and others sometimes with with with draft picks that oh you know it’s down the line it’s down well down the line sometimes is is is 6 months to six to to to 24 months or 6 to 12 months sometimes it’s not it’s not it doesn’t have to be two three years from now right like wasting and pass prime it could be next year it could be this year
if it was Hagens it would probably be in March or April like depending on when BC gets bumped in the playoffs uh for college hockey and then we’re not talking about really I mean that doesn’t feel like anything to have to wait that like because he’s already gone through his freshman season at BC and he is going to you know a lot of those players that are that caliber leave after their sophomore season um some even leave after their freshman year i don’t think that’s going to happen but uh yeah it’s definitely within the realm of possibility i’d be surprised scott wouldn’t you be surprised if he went for a junior year at BC like I just don’t even see that happening
i would I’d be very surprised i mean I fully expect that James Haggins is going to dominate this year as a sophomore um and then be ready to turn pro at the end of the season but yeah it’s like this is the difference between picking top 10 versus picking in the 20s which is what we’re used to seeing from the Bruins yeah a pick in the 20s usually those are longerterm projects like three four maybe even five years top 10 picks are not or at least they shouldn’t be long-term projects like that guy should be ready in a year or two like three at the absolute most
mhm so here’s I guess here’s my burning question for you guys with all this said what would you give the probabilities right now of the Bruins trading seven overall are you increasingly worried Scott as I am that they are going to do it like are you thinking that it’s more like 50/50 now whereas before maybe it was 9010 in your mind that they were selecting it has that changed for you at all how are you feeling with the drafts later this week
it’s still not even close to 5050 for me i would say it’s like 8515 they keep the pick and make it I I I as of now I still think it’s a lot more smoke than fire like yeah fine like they can listen to all the offers they want and even shop it around or whatever at at this moment and like this could change in the next few days but I would ultimately I would still be surprised if they actually trade away the pick
yeah i mean the smoke comes because it’s not it’s not even untrue that they’re taking calls on it you would have to assume that they’re that’s just what managers do so uh as a GM Don Sweeny’s conversations about this have probably happened maybe there’s some insiders that found out about it and that’s where the smoke comes from but at the end of the day it could have just been a very basic hey you got you know is it available do you like anything you know like it and it maybe didn’t go that far um so I also am with Scott i my gut feeling is that they’re making this selection uh I haven’t heard anything credible or strong enough to believe like they’re really chomping at the bit to move this pick right now um but you know how crazy and fast things change on draft day though like we’ll all be monitoring our our phones and and hearing all sorts of different things on draft night because that’s when things really get frantic and when you really have a harder time figuring out if something’s legit or just you know uh I don’t even want to say rumor sometimes come things come really close to happening and don’t so uh that that all is is on the table for Friday yeah i I I I I said to somebody I think over the summer was asking me about the seventh overall pick and and their chances of moving in and and back then I I think I said something similar to what Scott said around 8515 I was like I think it’s like an 85% chance they use the pick and 50% chance maybe they they trade it if if something comes across their desk that is you know too hard to pass up but that was not like a Noah Dobson and JG Pou scenario that I was that I was envisioning so um and another name just to mention quickly and you guys were talking about it before we started recording but Elliot Freiedman said to keep an eye on on Trevor Ziggress and that the Ducks are getting a lot of inquiries about about you know him and potentially moving him not sure if you know that’s a player that Boston would be in on or interested in or if they should be or not but um he’s just another example of many names that we hear throughout the offseason which is just the territory it’s the nature of the business it’s an offseason people are scratching and clawing for for stories and and and and you know to Bridget’s point earlier it’s not even fictitious it’s somebody hears something from somebody and it’s worth writing about so why not right but it’s the escott build it silly season right so that’s just another name to add to silly season and
well yeah Zagris is the name this morning and it comes because Elliot Freriedman tweeted out keep an eye on Trevor Zaggress um who had who has been a guy that’s been linked to trade rumors before um there’s I guess last year there was a push by the Canadians to acquire him on draft night that fell through so he maybe is linked to them again uh he’s his contract is reasonable if you got the good Trevor Zris his contract is uh I believe at 5.75 a year yep 5.75 a year in his last year of his uh current contract but he’s an RFA so you’d have team control there when negotiating the next contract but there’s also questions around Trevor Ziggress um and his inconsistency how he is as a teammate um things like that have popped up so is he a cultural fit for different teams that’s also part of the question so uh he pops up i don’t know about you guys if this were a few years ago I would have I would have told you yeah for the Bruins go for it like or or but I just don’t feel the same way about him anymore i don’t know about you guys like to me this feels like a risk and not an experiment that I think the Bruins are willing to to participate in
no listen I I love my Beu guys but I would probably stay away from Trevor Egress um unless I’m getting him cheap like if you’re telling me I can get him to
right like if you’re telling me I can get him for a third round pick then yeah absolutely take the chance i don’t think you are i think the Ducks still value him i think they certainly would value him in a trade and hold out for a legit offer um as they should because he is still young and talented uh even though he’s battled injuries and his production you know wasn’t great when he did play last year um and he still has not really improved defensively there’s all those questions but there is also still the talent so the Ducks would be right to hold out for a better return and not just give them away um if I’m the Bruins I’m probably not I don’t think I would be the team to give them like a real return if if they want to give him away and you could get him cheap then sure but I don’t think that’s going to happen
he’s 24 years old
he was a ninth overall pick by the Ducks back in 2019 so you know he was once very highly thought of and I have a hard time seeing him going for a third rounder so I think that there you know his name is out there and the Ducks are putting it out there but there there’s a reason why he hasn’t gotten moved yet even though it seems like they’ve been considering it for at least a season i think longer uh and yeah they they’re waiting for the right deal
just just curious on your guys’ opinion what What if it was for what if it was for uh like the first round pick that the Bruins got from the Panthers where it’s a late first round pick and it’s in a couple of years would would that be too high of an ask as well in your mind or are you looking at that more like a glorified second round pick i I don’t think I’d give up any first round pick for Zagris right now okay honestly like a a second one of your seconds yeah probably you could talk me into that i’m just like I’m so down on the player i mean
you like the player yeah like it’s I mean look he had back-to-back 60 point seasons as a 20 and 21 year old and it’s like clearly there’s something there you don’t do that by accident but the two years since then he’s played a total of 88 games so he’s basically played 50% of the games he’s you know the Ducks have played and has 47 points in those 88 games like it’s it’s been it’s been a massive drop off and yeah it’s possible that you know if you buy the dip like maybe it you it rewards you and you get 60 plus points and maybe even a 70 75 point guy but I I would just struggle to to take that risk right now
yeah which by the way if it if you were like to use your term which you know maybe Scott’s been in the stock market this morning or something investing because uh buying the dip on Trevor Egress would definitely not uh be trading a first round pick for him right like that would be kind of a normal value for uh a guy that has more I’ll just use consistency um probably than what you would get for a first round pick for him so uh yeah maybe if you can get it lesser but there might be no interest at all even for you know a lower pick if they just don’t think that it’s a match because it really might not be a match at all in terms of fit for the organization
yeah no it’s they’re all fair points i just raise it because you know Ziggress possesses you know speed and skill um that the Bruins don’t necessarily have in spades at all really on their on their roster so I just don’t think the Bruins are in a situ situation where beggars you know can be choosers and and if the if the cost was right and I certain that does not mean seven overall this year and you know it’s not even Boston’s first round picks going forward but like I said if it was a team like like Toronto or Florida that you think are going to be at the higher end of the league for the next couple of years and their first round pick ends up being a lower first round pick that Boston has can you convince me of a low first round pick in a couple of years for for somebody with 70 plus point upside in the NHL that’s still young and you’re talking about a glorified second round pick it’s just something you know worth talking about on a podcast i find it interesting but I don’t I don’t see the fit though ultimately but it’s just fun to talk about
yeah it depends what conversations they’ve had with people about his character like the there’s all sorts of factf finding that happens and you talk to everyone that you know that has information about a certain player that you know if you’re interested in them especially when it’s somebody like Trevor Ziggress so if you like what you heard or you don’t like what you heard um that is huge in determining you know your what you’re planning on doing with that player now it popped into my mind like if he goes to the Canadians because like I mentioned that was what he was connected to last year
play with Cole Cfield his his best friend
yeah that’s that’s not a like that’s if you’re the Bruins and and you see him go to a divisional rival that’s tough too you know he if he turns it around and he’s he’s gets back to um what his projection ultimately was and he’s playing with some of those younger highskilled guys in in at in the Canadians organization i don’t know that sounds like that that could cause some problems mhm
remain that would remain a pretty a smaller slight Canadians team you know that kind of kind of like the classic Canadians mold of of our lifetime at least
um
they got Lane Hudson up there
i I think can be exciting i I don’t think you ultimately win or go on deep runs with that kind of team but
Well what about Slowski yeah he’s he’s the outlier and like it it’s funny because it’s like that seemed like such a reach well I won’t say such a reach but it was a less than ideal first overall pick just because that was a year where there wasn’t a consensus number one guy um but he does actually like really legitimately fit a need for that team as as a bigger
kind of physical for can get inside
they do have some and maybe maybe forward looking Scott like 5 10 years from now sure but as it stands right now I I think the Canadians have a little bit more sandpaper than maybe giving credit i mean Josh Anderson Arbor Jey Slowski as you said uh Gallagher um Ghoulie you know can can can play the body on defense like I just think I do think they have some is I think D’vorak is still there i mean they got some guys that can play the anonest game
they they have some I guess my concern is more if like five of your six best players are all on the smaller side like do you end up with can an identity be completely driven by like bottom six guys and um your second and third pairing like I I think you need more of that near the top of your roster ultimately
fair enough
this just became a very brief Montreal Canadians podcast
how about that how about that um okay let let’s shift gears to to Mason Laura’s contract okay so he signs for he signs a bridge deal make no mistake about it it’s a prove it deal okay two years 3.2 million this contract to me don’t you know mistake my opinion i I I believe that they signed him to this contract because they want him to be on the team for the next two years to prove himself and hopefully be a fixture in their long-term plans as well on a on a future contract is there any possibility in your minds that signing him to this deal could be an instrument in helping move him if he was potentially a trade possibility where now a team sees he’s under contract and at a certain AAV um could that help a team with an RF with a pending RFA to get him locked up and then have more of a sign and trade i I don’t think that’s happening at all i think like 99.9% chance that’s not happening but could that theoretically help that that cause because you know his name was kind of floated out there at least among Bruins fans like maybe he’s somebody that you could package uh this year wi with a a future draft pick or something for something i don’t know uh breaking news oh I I’ll answer about about Laura in a second but since we were literally just talking about Trevor Ziggress we don’t have to worry about the Bruins trading forum because according to
according to Frank Sarah Valley uh the Ducks and Flyers have agreed to a deal to send Trevor Zris to Philly so see that was a rumor that there was not yet known but
So that’s make that that’s making good on the uh cutter goier uh situation probably oh that’s risky for them don’t you I mean these are That was a personality that didn’t fit obviously and uh with Goate forcing a trade before he even step foot um on the ice
yeah I mean that was a totally different situation though that was that actually you know what like go was kind of pulling like a dese where he was like acting in my opinion like he was acting like he was being disrespected when I don’t really think he was like I think he was just upset that they didn’t want to sign him when he wanted to sign but um I I think that I think they’re totally totally different situations um I don’t know I think it makes sense for Philly like they clearly need more skill they’re not yet in win now mode so they can probably afford to bring Zegris in work with him and you know hope he gets back to where he was and even exceeds that um you know again like let’s wait to see what the return is if if you’re telling me Philly’s like given up one of their first round picks I’m probably going to be less excited about it for him but um what if it was uh they as we know the Flyers have six overall could you imagine no they they also have a they they have an they have two more first round picks this year too so I I would not be shocked if it’s one of the later ones i I would be stunned if it’s six overall that would be a terrible trade
what timing on that huh what timing on that talking about a minute later gets traded yeah you’re right
it’s It has been coming down while we’re recording
um
I I think Ziggress also told Anaheim that he only wants to be traded to another team that wears orange so there’s there’s that as well that was in his uh
when it’s your color you know when it’s your color you gotta make make it happen that’s so funny though i guess he’s not going to the Canadians see if we had just known it slightly earlier um Yeah so So Lori like yeah I don’t think they’re trading him i to me you’re more likely to trade an RFA if you can’t get a deal done or it’s turning into a tense negotiation and obviously in the end this ended up being a relatively easy negotiation it gets done before July 1 you don’t have to worry about him sitting out there you don’t have to go take care of all your UFA business first there’s no filing for arbitration like they this got this got done early you know this is early by NHL standards so um it’s it’s a little 3.2 2 million is a little higher than I would have wanted for Lorai but Brian you mentioned it like AFP Analytics had him just over three million on a two-year deal so like it’s hard to to me it’s hard to argue that it’s like really an overpay um maybe just the slight one but to to get a deal done with without any animosity for a young player that you hope is going to be part of your long-term future um I think it’s pretty good business you know like yeah now it gives now you have two more years to evaluate what he’s ultimately going to be laura has two more years to prove himself before he gets what he’s obviously going to hope that next contract is the big payday of his career um he’s going to go out and do the work to make sure that happens but it to me it makes a lot of sense for both sides and if you’re if you’re looking at the totality of of this deal his second year of this contract the the cap will be around 104 million right so that I think that’s where around it’s projected to be next year and then and then 113 the following year so I mean as it pertains to Mason Laurai he has the 2025 26 season at 3.2 average yeah annual average uh cap hit and the cap is I think 95 right and then next year it’s 104 so I mean 3.2 out of 104 cap isn’t you know whatever that’s actually you know probably more like in the twos when you actually look at the uh roster allocation so um all right what else do we want to talk about
well when’s when’s Geeky going to be signed yeah I I had some definitely a connecting thought to Geeky but um just one last you know thing to say about the contract for for Lauri uh I think pretty much a consensus it it feels like was to do the bridge deal and not go for a four or fiveyear contract that’s probably one of the reasons why this negotiation gets done quicker um is because two years seemed sensible um and for Laurier if he has a great two years maybe he gets a bigger a bigger deal anyway at the end of this uh on kind of a prove it contract um if he can clean up the defensive side of his game um and be an asset offensively and show those skills uh continue to show those skills uh he might be able to work himself up to an even bigger payday uh in two years from now 3.2 is really not that bad and I did put up a poll on the skate pod Twitter so I did want to go through the early results of that it’s been up for about 40 minute or guess an hour now um and so far there’s 330 votes and 76% say good deal 24% say overpay so that’s you a lot of times we get closer to 50/50 i actually thought it would be because in the comment section on different posts that Scott and I had made about it there was back and forth like overpay good deal overpay like just straight up back and forth comments but it would appear Bruins fans majority of them think that 3.2 for two years is a pretty good deal yeah so um vocal minority on that one um speaking against it on on Twitter uh yeah i mean look and now obviously as Brian was starting to allude to like Morgan Geeky is the next big order of business as it relates to restricted free agents um yeah I would say it’s fair to say the Bruins would prefer to get this done before July 1st but they don’t have to uh if these negotiations drag on he’s still under team control he’s still a restricted free agent in theory you might have to worry about an off sheet but um even with what Edmonton did last year like I I don’t expect like a huge wave of offer sheets this year i think you might see a few maybe Geek is one of them but sometimes that can even help just get a deal done like you know sometimes if the offer sheet comes in and it’s a number that you’re willing to match like then you just match it and now your negotiation’s over um if it’s higher then yeah then you have to debate whether to trade them for whatever the return is in in that compensation range um but you obviously that’s I think we’d all agree that’s probably a little tougher negotiation than Lurai you know Lorai seemed fairly obvious that like a bridge deal might be best for all sides geeky I think both sides want something longer term but how much longer term and what the number ends up being and what the trade protection is and like all that stuff makes it a little more complicated so I’m not surprised that Lauri got done first and I wouldn’t be surprised if Geeky does take you know past July 1st to get done
and also Geeky played himself into a different pay level than he was at last time whereas Laura didn’t have quite as an explosive season last year it wasn’t the kind of season where you go okay wow I don’t know what that you know this next contract’s going to have to be a decent jump um whereas Geeky is in that in that conversation i want to read one of the comments from our our underneath our poll um and it is from Lynn in Mthuan she said uh about the contract i’m glad let’s see how new coaches in more realistic minutes and matchups look uh the kid makes mistakes but he will improve you know new coach new you know there’s going to be some changes around him uh there might be some changes in philosophy on his usage with Marco Sturm now in control so I guess yeah he he is going to be somebody that could potentially benefit from uh the change that was made this off season in terms of the coaching staff yeah and when
and the minutes was a big part too yeah head
when Sturm was on Felgger and Maz after his introductory press conference he was asked specifically about Lurai and like made it clear like yeah he has to be better but like we’re going to work with him um and he also alluded to Lurai having pretty good results when he played with Charlie Makavoy last year which is something I’ve also alluded to a bunch so that made me think like as of now at least depending on you know who they add this off season makes me think Sturm has it in his mind that he wants to start the year with Laurai paired with Mackaoy and see how that goes because listen if that ends up working that is best case scenario for everyone right like then the Bruins I think the Bruins defense pairs like obviously you still need someone on the right side but they really start to fall in line nicely If Lurai works with Makavoy if he doesn’t then you’re into okay do you load up with Hambit Lindholm there which has never really worked quite as well as you would hope like you would hope Lindholm and Makavoy would have more chemistry the the times that they have played together do you go Zidorov there which had very mixed results last year and like all a sudden like things aren’t quite falling into line right um so I I think that that would be the right move is for Sturm to start them together and see how basically give Lori the the chance to either show that he can handle it or play himself off that pairing and then you kind of have to you know move him down regroup a little and and keep working with him and try to figure it out so what has Lauri shown to you Scott to this point defensively that he could handle those those top assignments with Makavoy and I know we’ve seen them in the past together but I mean like consistently um are you optimistic that defensively he could handle that well so I’m gonna reframe it a little bit because I I actually envision optimizing Lauri Makavoy as more of an offensive pairing and getting them out there in the offensive zone feasting on bottom six lines and you know Zidorov Peak and Hampus Lindholm whoever can get some of the tougher assignments or at least more of the the defensive zone starts um yeah look if he’s playing with Makavoy he’s going to get some tough matchups like that’s going to be unavoidable and have I seen enough from Laura to think he can handle that no like definitely not yet he’s He’s struggled defensively he’s gotten pushed around in his own zone at times um my idea there would be get them out of the defensive zone like how do I get those guys as much time in the offensive zone as possible um and try to optimize them that way put them out there with the past line and be on the attack and and hope that turns into like a fiveman unit that creates offense and spends a lot of time down that end of the ice that’s that’s not to say that Laura’s not going to have to play defense or doesn’t have to get better there he does but I’m gonna my idea would be to pick and choose spots quite a bit with that pairing yeah I think that that’s a way to optimize Laura’s offense like you’re mentioning i think it’s a way to optimize his development because playing alongside Charlie Makavoy um as somebody who can teach him in in different situations um and Charlie Makavoy is also someone who can cover up some of the defensive mistakes uh because of who he is so it’s almost one of the
or rather who he can be you know what I mean like there like there’s been times where I’ve seen I’ve seen Makavoy struggle himself defensively in recent you know campaigns at times
i I still I still view Charlie Makavoy as somebody that is is going to be there if there is trouble to kind of
read it and know what to do in those situations where uh maybe there’s a bad read by Lauri or there’s a turnover or something and he has to cover for you know his his D partner i think he’s um he’s one of the better players at that so especially considering if it was Lauri Peak I don’t think Peak does that as well do you know what I mean right um you know compared to some of the other partners I think that you can hide some of Lauri’s flaws on in that uh pairing
as he as he learns from Makavoy how to do things better so I’m I’m intentionally just poking holes a little bit here just to you know look at all sides and and and and answer some questions that I have as well but conceptually I’m with you guys like that that is also what I would do is I would put those two together and I would spot them i think the ch I think it’ll be more challenging on the road than at home because obviously when you’re when you’re the visiting team the home team has the the final change so yes you could still have them in an offensive draw but maybe in a non a non-icing situation the home team can maybe put their better defensive forwards out there but um but yes I I think that that is something that the Bruins should start with um and see how it goes ultimately because I think like Scott said that that’s that’s the best way that their pairs will fall into place i think you want to think you want to split up Makavoy and Lynholm you want to have that balance I think and Zidorov and Peak in a third pair role I think is is great and then of course we have that that big question mark on the right side between Makavoy and Peak that I think will either see it I think we’ll see it be addressed somehow i don’t know it’ll be trade or free agency but I have to imagine that like that’s not going to be Andrew Peak on that that in that slot that that spot to start the year you know or even somebody else internal i mean Henry Yokiharu was somebody people have mentioned but like he’s not even signed and I don’t know if they’re gonna sign him and even if they do I I see him more as probably a third line guy anyway third pair guy anyway but
yeah so
yeah it’s like him and Peak would both ideally be third pairing guys so that’s still
like you’re stretching to fill a top four role if if one of those guys is in it um since I just had it up uh the return on the Zegris trade by the way uh Flyers it’s just Zegris going to Philly and Philly is sending Ryan Paling the a second round pick number 45 overall this season and a 2026 fourthround pick to Anaheim so no first round pick involved paling is like fourthline center basically um you know so I I would say I’m okay with that return like it’s it’s three assets but really the the number 45 pick is the most valuable i think that’s about that’s about as high as I would go draft capital-wise but the Flyers have so many picks this year that they can afford to do that
yeah well so
good for them i mean it it wasn’t a wasn’t a firstrounder which is kind of what our conversation was about so and Paling was a good college player but um yeah in terms of trying to get assets back and restock a little bit um I think if you had told uh if you had told Ducks fans after Zerris’s first or I guess three seasons because his second and third season were his full seasons um where he put up some really good numbers I think Ducks fans would be really disappointed to hear that’s the return for who at the time was their their leading scorer they’re a lot of people’s favorite player um and a ninth overall draft pick for a second round guy and a fourth round pick that is a disappointing return for a player that had the kind of promise he did those first few seasons and on the flip side right now if you’re a Flyers fan you’re you’re waking up and well not waking up but you’re going about your Monday and you’re and you’re seeing so we just got Trevor Zris who is capable of putting up 60 plus points in the NHL and is still young enough in his mid20s and we didn’t have to give up one of our first round picks this year or any future first round picks so we still have the ability to draft those first round picks we still got six overall we still got the other two we got future first round picks and we get to you know put in somebody who’s arguably still entering their prime with with a good ceiling in the NHL
that’s great i I I immediately hear this deal and I say “Okay so what’s the equivalent for the Bruins right?” So the Bruins would have given I mean they have a their their second pick this year I think is in the 50s right so it would be So maybe a second round pick this year fourth future fourth and then I mean I don’t know Johnny Beecher or something like that like I don’t really I mean like you know whether it’s Ziggress or somebody else I guess this is these are the types of deals where you’re saying all right Don let’s you know I’m not saying right now but if the summer comes and goes and you’re not really seeing you know many much creativity or or or bold moves from from Sweeney I would be disappointed um to me giving up a second a fourth and a fourth liner isn’t isn’t that bad for a player like like Ziggress and what he can be so but there we have it
what What if that bottom six forward was Susinov though i mean there’s not I’m I’m not even picking up the phone right come on now
there’s no way to know what they’re asking for Brian if you don’t pick up
H then I would hang up right away i’ I’d start rubbing the uh the what are those the mint wrapper oh I got some static i’m sorry guys i can’t hear you yeah anyway no good good deal for the Flyers bridget you’re right i think Anaheim’s looking at that return as uh not optimal big picture but they’re probably looking at it right now as he wasn’t really worth much right now but to your point yeah that’s fortunately for the Ducks they have a lot of talent um coming up but
I have a I have a friend who works uh with the Ducks and I know that that fan base really liked Trevor Zerus like that was their face like he was their their personality there that that that was a fan favorite um at least a few years ago when he was having those 60 point seasons he was very much I mean even of the league at the time I it was all Zegris highlights him trying the Michigan and and you know that was what it seemed like he was going to be
yeah his performance at the All-Star game and the skills competition i mean I don’t I don’t know I don’t know why the Ducks made this move to be honest like I don’t really I don’t know if this is worth it for them i mean unless like he might have been a fan favorite but unless he just really wasn’t liked in the room or something or or I don’t know i mean I’m skeptical that a a second round pick and a fourth round pick even make the NHL so I mean Paling’s an okay fourth lineer but I mean if you’re to me this deal from Anaheim’s perspective seems like they just wanted him gone you know and I don’t know what that reason is or reasons but that’s what it seems like to me like I I think they have some similar kind of players and we’re starting to sort of build a forward lineup with you know some skilled guys but like not a lot of grit not a lot of size and I think they just it seems like their goal has been to like start remodeling what that team actually looks like uh in terms of identity and and what the lineup looks like and they probably figured Ziggers just wasn’t going to be in their long-term plan so a year out from restricted free agency they they trade him and I guess it Yeah I mean it seems like a little bit of an underwhelming return but like I don’t know you got you got three pieces i I don’t I don’t think it’s like I don’t think it’s a bad trade at all it’s probably I would just say maybe slightly under
i mean if it’s if it’s if it’s the best offer they had out there at this point in time then yeah you make it right if if you really want that but that’s why I’m saying they they wanted him gone they they wanted him out it’s very apparent probably wanted it scott was it It’s this year’s fourth what are is it
uh it was a 2026 fourth
okay so it’s not even All right
this year’s the the second round pick was this year
i mean that that that pick’s not going to be an NHL player most likely right and even as even their 45th overall like there’s a you know much better chance that he does at some point but you know there’s a chance that they their return ultimately NHL-wise could just be Ryan Paling that’s a good possibility uh of the return that I’m looking at so if it’s the best return that they had and they were that adamant on getting rid of them then fine but to me it just seems like
you know
they’re now now uh now Philly has two guys that love to go love to try the Michigan because Mishkov is also he’s also one of those guys and
gone and the Flyers like bring them all in bringing guys in somebody will get a Michigan this season uh buy season tickets to the Flyers you’ll see one they’re gonna they’re gonna start using Michigan to set each other up like uh who who was it that Zerus did do that with in Anaheim
i forget but I can picture it in my head
i think it was Stro
no it was um it was someone who briefly played at BC why am I blanking on the name i don’t know i’m blanking on it too i know the play but yep
great
anyway uh
that we we spent a lot of time on uh on Trevor Eagers today the Canadians and the Flyers but but number one the number one Bruins podcast about the Montreal Canadians and Anaheim Ducks
well it just so happened that the news broke as we were talking about it anyway yeah I mean we are still kind of in that weird week in between the playoffs and the draft you know so we’ve just witnessed Maron’s rampage but it’s kind of simmering it’s kind of calming down um after what was a bender uh for the history books
i mean is he even going to be sober enough on July 1st to sort through free agency options you know I think he needs to like go on a full cleanse like just get all the toxins out of his system i think I’ve never seen anyone do what he did for like five straight days and just keep going um I mean
he’s just going to be like wh which offer includes the most Dairy Queen and that’s who he
Yeah can can someone get me in my own franchise uh like that’s a little unconventional not sure we can legally uh put that in the contract Brad but
yeah um there was two things I wanted to say quickly and they don’t they’re not going to take up much time at all so um I did see this morning that uh this is a PWHL note but the Boston Fleet lost their head coach Courtney Castle she is going to be the head coach of the uh of Princeton um the women’s hockey team so she is out they have not uh said anything about a replacement yet in fact I don’t even think the PWL Boston I keep calling them that the fleet i don’t think they ever even announced that she was parting ways before Princeton announced that they they signed Courtney um Kessle as their coach
i’ve I’ve already started the petition to make Bridget the new Boston Fleet head coach
okay great idea
i mean they lost Hillary Knight i mean it’s been an interesting off season for them and obviously we’re not really a PWL broadcast but a podcast but you know we have some crossover for for the fan base um and Courtney Kessle was in my time talking to her I thought she was awesome so um unfortunate that she is on her way back to Princeton where she was previously an assistant head coach um and then the other thing I wanted to bring up quick was something I saw from Mark Diver this this morning um who is one of the the guys that we talked to in terms of following Providence Bruins and prospects because he he spends a lot of time covering the P Bruins and um just other prospects in this area but he tweeted out that it was just it was a link to a list somebody else had made about five targets for the Oilers um in the in the offseason to try to trade for and one of the people on the list was Georgie Merkel who’s a restricted free agent for for the Bruins um Providence Bruins and Mark posted uh hoping Merkel gets an opportunity elsewhere after three strong seasons in Providence and Mark Diver is somebody who’s pretty connected i don’t know if there’s he’s putting it out there that way as in like a hint that his time in the Bruins organization may be up or that there’s Merkel is looking to take that next step and he’s just not going to do that here so I just there’s a little bit to read into with that um and I know we get a lot of questions about Merkel and Lysel so I wanted to bring it up because I know we have some listeners that are always interested to hear the latest on those guys yeah it’s it’s definitely worth bringing up and I’m still kind of baffled that Merkel didn’t get more games in Boston last year there was obviously plenty of opportunity and a lot of other AHL guys played a lot of games and I kind of at the end of the year whether they’re going to be proven right or wrong it sort of seems to me like the Bruins just don’t really think Merkel’s an NHLer if they did I don’t know why he wouldn’t have been up for a longer stretch last season um you know he’s done he’s done pretty much everything they could want in Providence like as Mark said he’s he’s had three really good seasons down there where he’s been their leading scorer or close to it um you know he’s improved defensively he’s never going to be a great defensive center uh I just don’t think that’s really in his projection but like they they’ve known that i I think he has taken some strides there um yeah i mean look there’s questions about foot speed there’s questions about whether his AHL production would ever translate to the MHL um if they move on then it tells you like they they reached the conclusion that he was you know the baseball analogy analogy be a quadruple a player or you know a tweener whatever you want to call it um and ultimately yeah those guys tend to not really stick in one organization because they’re going to want to go somewhere that might give them a chance to to prove they can be more whether they ultimately are or not scott did you mention earlier uh Bob McKenzie’s final rankings top 10 rankings
i did not but I did see those yeah I I’ll just mention it real quick so Bob McKenzie has Matthew Schaefer Michael Misa Porter Martone at three Anton Fondell at four Caleb Denier at five Jacob Bryan at six James Hagens seven uh Brady Martin eight Roger McQueen nine and Victor Ecklan 10 so there’s yet again another ranking that doesn’t align with some other ones so here we go thank god we have one only less than a week away from this being sorted out and Peters Peters also had Hagens falling to after five you know into the Bruins range
he had them falling past the Bruins he had them going nine in his mock draft
which is you know
and when when the Bruins found out that they were getting seven overall on on lottery night if I thought that Hagens would still be part of the conversation I would have said “You’re crazy.” But who knows and worth noting on Bob McKenzie’s rankings that is based on like a bunch of scouts that he talks to bob McKenzie has made it clear many times over the years he is not evaluating all these kids himself so that is he talks to a whole bunch of scouts um and then compiles the ranking based on on their feedback and and on their own rankings um so that is I I tend to think Bob McKenzie’s is like about as close to maybe like the consensus among NHL people that you get whereas you know like you can look at like elite prospects consolidated ranking and that is compiling a bunch of analyst rankings bob McKenzie is compiling like from the scouts like from the people actually giving their feedback to these NHL front offices going into the draft so yeah look I I also would not have thought it but I think Hagens’s being there at seven is very much on the table like it seems to be a very realistic possibility and I’ve said all along and I maintain like if that happens the Bruins should run to the podium with a smile on their face i I think it’s crazy that a player as talented James as James Hagens is gonna maybe drop to to seven
yeah and they they’ll run to the stage and they’ll hand him one of these yeah well also something else about Bob McKenzie’s ranking is that it comes out post combine you know so so if he’s talking to coach uh scouts since then it’s very very much up to-date and informed now I’m sure he was working on his rankings before and during but it’s worth noting that that’s that’s a post combine listing and what what would what would your reaction be both of you if if he’s available at seven and the Bruins don’t take him it’s literally my nightmare coming true from last night
this is your nightmare this was your nightmare that they draft someone that you’ve never heard of at seven
i don’t think that’ll be the case but
I don’t think that will happen but
but passing on passing on Hagens if he’s available at seven they could they could do especially if you fall that far you might as well fall again
well and
I think it would be it would be a very easy first guess not not second guess like I I mean look there’s still guys they could take there you know like say Brady Martin’s still available and they do what what Chris Peters has like they take Martin over Haggins it’s like I don’t think you’re you’re necessarily going to be disappointed in in Brady Martin just just the way he plays is gonna make him an NHLer and a pretty effective one somewhere in your lineup but I mean Hagens has legit like number one center upset i I just we when they when the Bruins slipped to seven we thought h man they might not be able to draft a center that has that upside they might get a good center he might not have legit number one upside james Hagen still has that to me like I I don’t really fully understand why he’s dropping i as I said I think it’s kind of crazy and I think it’d be pretty crazy to pass on him at seven
but on the flip side is if if he does go higher then maybe someone like O’Brien or D you know Denier who’s now ranked higher to go now all of a sudden oh now Jake now Jake O’Brien’s falling to you from four to seven so this is why this whole draft has just been a crapshoot from the start we’ve been talking about it for months now it’s like nobody has any idea and so that way that for that reason I’m not I’m not too high or too low on anybody that they pick i think they’re all going to be good prospects and good NHL players and obviously some will rise above the rest uh time will tell but yeah if Higgins goes to seven I mean you just take him and run you Well that’s probably so Bob McKenzie’s probably talked to Bruins scouts and has him at seven because he know he probably knows that how the Bruins feel about at least have an idea of what Bruins scouts and well to to be clear it’s not a mock draft it’s just it’s just a ranking
oh okay well that still to me sounds like because if you’re if you’re making rankings off of scouts to me it it should don’t you think it should be
well maybe you talked to people but like at this point he already knows where where people are drafting so I don’t know like I feel like I would be if I had the access to talk to all these scouts I would be connecting guys with like with the
Yeah i mean like they’re just two different exercises like you you talk to scouts to get a sense of
how they view these players and and would rank them like a mock dra an informed mock draft you would be talking to front office people right because like ultimately it’s not the scouts making the picks or at least it shouldn’t be in butctional front office
it would still be useful information on high how high or how low those those organizations are because they’re part of those conversations those scouts are part of the conversations of decision making for for that kind of thing
so anyway all right
by the way now but the Ducks player that I was thinking
final knock draft well my my Wi-Fi is terrible you guys go you guys go
you guys talk i was just going to say the Anaheim Ducks player I was thinking of was Sunny Milano who connected with uh Zoo
he he was at BC so briefly that he dropped out in mid August before before practice has even started so that’s right that’s right you you guys you guys have me clear right now
yeah you can you can wrap up good okay so Bridget when was the uh we’re going to do the mock draft on Wednesday or Friday wednesday
wednesday wednesday okay wednesday we’ll be dropping that uh new uniform release friday is the draft and then again we got the weekend and then free agency on on July 1 there’s also development camp is also uh starts on June 30th and that’s worth mentioning too will Z will be there they got him in the Charlie Coyle deal dan Turner will be there uh obviously their former first round pick last year um and some others so
Calvin Boy is supposed to be there right
who Yeah also whoever they draft this year is going to be there
yeah yeah yeah right so lots to cover over the next uh little while here so thank you all very much for listening and we’ll talk to you on Wednesday
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Discussing the details of the deal the Bruins made to keep Mason Lohrei in Boston and if the deal was a good value. Plus, why trading out of the seventh-overall pick would be a mistake for the Boston. And, is Georgii Merkulov on the verge of leaving the Bruins?

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Leave your questions in the comments and we will answer as many as we can!

Jump to:
00:00 – Opening shifts: Lohrei, jersey release, draft thought
9:00 – Would trading 7th pick be a mistake for the Bruins?
30:00 – Reacting to Zegras trade value
43:00 – Did the Bruins get a good deal on Mason Lohrei’s contract extension?
1:05:00 – Is Georgii Merkulov on the verge of leaving the Bruins?

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