Boston Bruins Off-Season Review ft. @blackngoldproductionsllc | EP55

Boston Bruins Off-Season Review ft. @blackngoldproductionsllc | EP55

Welcome back to the Puck Bunker. I’m Rockco Zappia, joined as always by my co-host, the man who invented the iPod Mini, Darren Boyce. And today we are joined by writers and contributors for Black and Gold Productions, Tom Kudy and Jack Studley. Guys, thank you so much for joining us. How are you doing this morning? Oh, it’s going. It’s It was a night and now it’s a morning. Hey, that’s okay. there’s no such thing as too hung over for for hockey talk. Um so continuing with our our series of trying to kind of, you know, get get team coverage done and and dive into the state of the franchise and the state of their prospects. Um as mentioned, today is going to be all things Boston Bruins. So let’s start off with a season recap 2024 2025. Tom, I’ll start with you. What were your thoughts on the Bruins this past season? what they did did they do right? What surprised you? Um and kind of what what are your thoughts on on where they finished up? I think 2024 25 for the Boston Bruins was the year of everything that possibly could go wrong went wrong. I mean I think we should have known. It should have been a pretty clear harbinger early on in the season when um Elias Lynholm isn’t present at the second day of training camp and you know Jim Montgomery at the time talked about you know maybe him tweaking something. and they tried to downplay the injury and then we find out after the season he hurt his back before the season even started. So I mean you look at just the amount of injuries that piled up. You have him getting hurt, you have Charlie Makavoy getting hurt, you have Hampus Lynholm getting hurt, the season was defined by those injuries and then I think you had a little bit of a a regression to the main. I mean Charlie Coyle put up 60 points, 20 goals in 2023 24 you didn’t get that out of him. Pavle Zaka was a 60-point guy two or technically a year ago. You didn’t get that out of him. Trent Frederick was a 171 18 goal scorer, you didn’t get that out of him. So when you combine the dysfunction that was off the ice, you know, the Jeremy Swayman contract, Jim Montgomery not wanting to be there, the injuries and the regression to the mean, you have a season where you finish with the seventh overall pick. That’s just how it goes. You can’t have that much go wrong for you and expect to be successful. Yeah, agreed. It was just all the stuff from before the season really just all the dominoes were falling as the season fell in. And then once Montgomery got fired, it he seemed it seemed like the scapegoat fire at the time, but um it it really didn’t seem to fix anything. Didn’t seem to write the ship. And then it just it wasn’t tough. It wasn’t fun to watch the uh the end of the season this year, especially once the deadline came around and everybody packed their bags and got moved. And if you want like a a real insight into how badly this season went, I think it was Frank Saravali in his preseason um he does like a preseason podcast series and he talked with a couple members of the Bruins and Jim Montgomery about how great the culture is and how they continue to turn over talent and compete year in and year out and Montgomery said their expectation is to make it to the third round. You got to get past Florida and make it to the um the Eastern Conference Finals and you could not have been further from that. Like not only did the team fail to meet expectations, but they had lofty goals, that’s the sad part, and they still just fell woolfully short. So, can I ask, were those your goals to start the season? Did you think they could make the third round? Jack, you go first in that one. I got to I got Yeah. Um I mean that’s what you want to see every season, but it Florida was the tough one to get by. I think that was more the goal this year was to beat Florida, get there and beat Florida and then everything kind of will come after that. That’s the first step. I I just feel like everything they did in the off season was to combat Florida. You add Elias Lynholm who’s a legit top six, I won’t say first line center to try to combat Sasha Barkov. You add Nikita Zadorov as an enforcer on your back end. And you expect, you know, a guy like Trent Frederick, guy like Morgan Geeki to take jumps. I feel like the expectation was for me, you know, you took Florida to six games and if you in 2023, 24 and you get a couple bounces, maybe you take them to seven. So my expectation was give Florida a series in the second round. And and that’s that’s kind of tough because I mean the second round by the time uh you know January rolled around um that kind of be became a bit of a pipe dream. Now Boston did some serious unloading and obviously you know they give up Carlo they trade Frederick but the big one look I’m a maritime guy my family’s from Halifax. I’ve got a lot of love for the little rat in my heart Brad Marshand. He left. He went to Florida, the team that you guys were gearing up to try to beat. Ends up kind of doing one of these at the end of the year with with the Stanley Cup there for the second time in in his illustrious career. What is and then and then signs for six more years. Uh he signed he signed actually through um through retirement and not just NHL retirement through his his old age pension. That’s when his contract expires I think when he hits 65 or a second grandkid. I forget what the condition was. Um, but it’s a long deal for for an older guy. Now that we know he’s not coming back to Boston, what’s his legacy there? Um, and and and has has he tarnished that that at all by kind of going to the enemy and and helping them get over the hump? Tom, I’ll let you start. I I think we all got to the point where we knew once Brad was traded that it was over. There were a couple people people kind of clinging to the idea he might come back in free agency, but with him being a captain and all, that would be strange. So, I don’t think his legacy is tarnished. I think now he’s kind of looked at as a Ray Bourke figure, a guy who the Bruins set free in a time where they’re not contending to go chase a ring and um you know, add to his legacy. He’s always going to be an all-time great Bruin to me and I think a lot of fans feel that way. And I was I was happy to see him win. You know, it’s tough to watch Florida dominate the way they have, especially with what they’ve done to the Bruins, but you can’t not be happy for Marshian. He’s given his blood, sweat, and tears to that franchise. And, you know, I I can’t wait to watch him get inducted into the Hall of Fame one day. Yeah, totally agreed. It It felt like a Ray Bourke situation. It took a little more time because it was Florida and not Colorado, but um seeing him win the cup this year, everybody from who I talked to up here was pretty happy to see him win the cup. A lot of friends of mine, family, and stuff. So it was it was good to see him win in the end. Now a question I have just we were going on that you guys unloaded a lot at the deadline. Were you happy with those moves? Were you happy with what they got in return? I mean they have it does look like they have um I mean their pick pool is a lot better than it was and they do they are and need some you know some some new blood in the prospect pool. So were you were you happy with the moves that they made? Yeah, I think, you know, for an embattled GM who’s had his ups and downs, Sweeney did great at the deadline. I mean, you get a second round pick and a fourth plus a defensive prospect for Trent Frederick, who I think had under 10 goals at that point in the season. That’s a great return. Brandon Carlo, who Leafs fans have already turned on, if Twitter tells you anything, you get a first round pick and Frasier Mitten who looks like a, you know, he could be a real solid bottom six center. the Charlie Coyle trade. I mean, the fact that you got Will Zeers who put up 44 goals in the USHL, a second round pick, and Casey Middlestad, who whether you like him or not, you needed a rostered player for a guy who was in Colorado for what, six months, including the offseason before he got traded. All those deals were really great for Sweeney. The Marshian deal is the one that gets criticized the most because you should have gotten more for him. But, you know, at that point in his career, you’re gonna set your guy up. you know, you’re gonna do him a solid. You’re gonna make it so he can go somewhere he wants. So, I don’t mind the fact that maybe they didn’t get complete value on Marshian, but they they cleaned up with the other deals. They they sold off from the middle of their roster. They peeled away pieces that really aren’t going to be there for the future. They added draft capital. They added assets. I mean, it’s it was kind of a textbook trade deadline for a team that’s entering a rebuild or a retool, whatever you want to call it. Yeah. one deal there that also sorry I um wanted to just add the Justin Brazo trade was another one I loved um you kind of pulled a guy out of the middle of nowhere with Brazo and you got a decent return on him I know we didn’t the Bruins didn’t end up keeping uh Loco but having him back at the end of the year there was that like he provided a presence to the locker room that like familiarity and then Husnadinov uh I I love Husnadinov he’s here for two more years I think there’s a chance in a more um in a bigger role for him here in Boston. I like that. Um the thing with the Marian trade, my kind of take on it, you’re showing there that you’re going to take care of your guys, I think. And okay, maybe you want to get another asset or maybe a bit higher quality um of a return for a guy who obviously proved to be pretty valuable in a cup run. that says to the league that, hey, you’re a longtime Bruin, like you said, blood, sweat, and tears for the organization, and you give us that and and we’re going to give you some love back, especially at the end of your career. So, I think most Bruins fans can kind of understand that from a long-term reputation sense that Boston’s still a place that takes care of their players. Um, NHL is a small world, so I think that that kind of stuff matters to guys, especially when you’re trying to attract names um to get over the hump one day again in the future. Now, the 2025 draft, um Boston had a great opportunity here, um picking seventh. There was there was kind of a group um of of seven to eight or nine or or or upwards of 10 guys um who were kind of consensus above the rest of the pack. And you guys were in a place where you couldn’t really lose. uh you weren’t going to have to make many decisions on the pick because someone was just going to kind of fall into your lap. And lo and behold, it ended up being local legend James Hagens. That not local, but you know what I mean. I mean, he’s going to school in Boston. You guys are going to adopt that that boy as one of your own in no time, I’m sure. What were your thoughts on that pick? He’s not the typical big bad Bruins selection, but he he might be the highest skilled player you guys have drafted since Bill since Tyler Sean, maybe. um in terms of pure offensive ability. Uh so past notwithstanding, that’s a pretty big one. Um what are your thoughts on what are your thoughts on on landing James Hagens? Did you are you happy with the pick and and did you even think he would be there? No, I think that’s a gift from the hockey gods. That was I I love the pick. Uh he had an I think he had a great season at BC. though it was disappointing. People weren’t He had high high expectations. I think this this pick he showed us at development camp why he’s so great. His skating is really precise. He focuses on the small things, but he’s also got the mind that like an elite hockey player would have. Um so I believe it’s a great pick. I can’t believe it still that he’s on the Bruins. I watched a lot of BC hockey this year. um just cuz he was on the team. He was a consensus number one for a long time. Might as well see this talent if it’s on the TV. Never once did I think he’d end up in a Bruins uniform. So, it’s still to this day isn’t like it doesn’t feel real almost. The Bruins needed an elite playmaking center. And the fact that a guy who was projected at one point to go number one overall fell in our laps is nothing short of a miracle. And I get it. You know, the size is something everyone’s going to point to. Does he have that upside where he can be a true 1C? But I think we got to the point, you know, going through all the the different minations of the draft. Is O’Brien going to fall? Is Fondell going to fall? You know, do they, you know, kind of reach and take Brady Martin? It kind of got to the point with me where it was just take the best guy on the board. And I I think the Bruins were really lucky that the best player on the board was pretty clear and cut. There was no real debate that Hagens wasn’t the best guy still available. You know, local ties aside, Jack talked about him at development camp. His skating, his edge work, his agility, it’s it’s just a step it it’s it’s really interesting, you know, when you’re watching these guys who are all competing to play in the NHL and one of them is just a step above because he’s that gifted as a skater. You know, things that are kind of tough to teach. So, really happy with the pick. I I I don’t think there’s any criticism for the way they went about it and excited to see wherever he plays next year how he does. So just to play off that, was there is there any kind of talk of where Boston wants him to play next year? Like do they want him to come to camp? Like do they want to give him a shot to make the team? Is he going to go back to school? And the second part of that is to are do they see him as a long-term centerman? Is that’s is that the plan they’re going to try him at center? I’ll go I’ll go one two or Jack you can cut in whenever you’d like because I’ve been talking a lot but James Haggins I will say really wants to be a Bruin. He talked a lot in development camp about wanting to be a member of this organization as soon as possible. Jack I don’t know if you agree it feels like the team it leans a little bit more towards another year at college. Yeah I definitely agree with that. And I think when you look at long-term projection I think their their plan is to keep him in the middle. They hyped him up all week. If you look at their socials, it’s all James Hagens. And I I think they’re really ready for him to be one of the next faces of the franchise. And I think that’s the case with the draft pick. You keep him at center. You let him take quite literally center stage and go from there. Unless, you know, unless maybe, you know, Gavin McKenna comes along next year, you draft another generational guy, something like that happens, maybe they move him to the wing. But I really think they like him in the middle. Yeah. and and that’s someone that we had um we ended up ranking him fifth on our final rankings just because of what you mentioned that the size being the biggest concern and we do have some uh some debates there about whether we think he’s he’s going to end up on center or on the wing. But I think at seventh overall, you’re thrilled either either way because at worst case at worst case you’re getting a firstline winger and best case you’re getting a first line center and and you know the other option between you get a number two center there. So um either way at seventh overall you guys are are thrilled. Um we we both felt it was it was borderline criminal for for a guy that talented to to fall to to seven. I mean, I think we’re looking at a at a 90 plus point player. You look at someone like like Jack Hugh, I I think he I think that’s what he’s gonna end up being. 90 plus points in his prime. Our comparable was Phil. That’s what we thought. Like Phil, so yeah. Yeah. But like if that’s what you end up, I mean, you’re pretty happy with with with that, right? Jack Hughes might be another name um that has some similarities there. Although I mean I I don’t know that I don’t like Hagens better at the same at the same age. The one thing about Hagen’s fit with Boss is they’re going to give him every opportunity it looks like to play center. Like there’s not a lot in the prospect pool to challenge him there. Like they’re going to give him that opportunity, I think. So it’s a good landing spot for him just in general. Just I mean I think it’s a good fit for both sides. Mhm. Now, what did you guys think of the remainder of Boston’s draft class? I mean, you got Will Moore, a product of the national development team program in the second round, and a couple pretty interesting picks there, uh, with Cooper Simpson and Vasik. What name am I going with? Blair. Yeah, go ahead, Tom. Jack. No, Jack has a uh Jack has a thing for Vashik Blanar, so I’ll let him talk about him. He he’s he was on that pick from the second it happened. He did some incredible uh online digging to get some background on him. But um Will Moore, I will say I really liked the camp. He’s big body and you can tell he hasn’t failed out yet. He’s got some growing to do, but he he’s just gifted with size. Really good hands. He’s a really good facilitator. We saw that in the five on five scrimmage at development camp. Just the way he always has his head up, is able to hold on to pucks and extend plays while looking for his teammates. Um and Cooper Simpson was kind of the standout of the last day of camp. They do this um they split the development camp prospects into four groups and they do a inzone three-on-ree scrimmage and Cooper Simpson was the leading scorer for the team that won. And when you look at some of the prospects that were on that team, there were a couple of camp invites, couple of overage college guys. So it’s not like he was playing with James Hagens or anything. And really Simpson, the way he can shoot, the way he creates time and space, he he just has like a natural gift for knowing and how to be an offensive hockey player. There’s some work to do on the defensive side of the puck. But for somebody who’s only played American high school hockey, only nine games in juniors, I was really, really impressed with just how gifted he is offensively and how much of a knack for the game he has. And with that, it’s time for the Blenar talk. Yeah, this Vashek Blar, it was kind of a on draft day, it seemed like an offthe-board pick. Didn’t really know, you couldn’t really find too much about him, but he’s 6’4. He’s 183. He came in and he was one of the best defenseman that the Bruins had at development camp. He’s got really high offensive potential. He could skate around. He was making moves and putting pucks on net that like you would think a forward would do. um he he looked really he so he’s got a lot of raw talent and he’s going back to Sweden um to play in the U20 for HV71 and he told Adam Mcuade my favorite part about him is he told Adam Mcuade the development coach that he hasn’t really worked on his defensive game he’s a defenseman so he’s you kind of think that that would go there but he’s got some work to do he knows that he’s he wants to model his game like most cider He’s I think there’s a lot of talent here for a pick that the Bruins social media team couldn’t find a picture for him. Um and it was just the TD guard nice when we drafted him. Um I think this could have been one of the diamonds in the rough in this draft. Yeah, he he really his his skating compared with his size reminded me a lot of Mason Laurai. He had a like just the the puck moving gifts he had at that age was really good. And his defensive instincts like like Jack said, for a guy that has not been coached up or focused on defense in those threeon-ree scrimmages, his stick was always in the right spot. He had good anticipation. He was besides James Hagens, he was probably my favorite player to watch at dev camp. Mhm. Boyce, you had something. Um, well, the only other one I wanted to add is your late round Russian pick, Carl Yeanov. Well, I really like the Russian players. He’s a very smart guy. Like, he is a very smart player. I thought that was actually kind of a savvy pick for them because he can skate a little bit. He has some offense and for a late round guy, he seemed to have some upper end ability that maybe you wouldn’t be able to find in that spot. Um, I guess my question is, does Boston tend to have, you know, good scouting in the Russian area or is that just kind of more of a shot in the dark? Like, do they have a guy there that they’re just, you know, they kind of they can they can take shots with, I guess, per se? I don’t know off the top of my head if they have a great Russian scout. They haven’t had a great relationship with a lot of the Russian players that they’ve they’ve drafted or acquired in the past. Like I don’t know if you guys are familiar with the Alexander Klichev saga where the Bruins just Klo Julian just wouldn’t play him and he went back to Russia. Um they had a similar situation with Georgie Murculov who’s current you know he’s been a point per game guy in the AHL for two straight years and they’ve he’s played 10 games in the NHL. So, I thought you were going to ask, “Do the Bruins usually draft well in the late rounds?” Which I would agree with, but I I don’t know off the top of my head if what their connection is with the Russian area and if they have, you know, anything any in insider information or great scouts over there. We all we always find or we seem to find that uh there can tend to be some pretty good value there in Russia especially the last few years um with no one really traveling in and out. Um interesting interesting prospect. Now you mentioned this earlier and something that that I wanted to bring up like the Bruins have been kind of in in go for it mode trying to hang on to the to the Marian Berseron to an extent. Crree uh window. So the prospect pool’s fairly depleted here and they’re just getting started kind of um adding to it again. You guys took last year though a pretty raw and interesting player in Dean Luro. I’m curious as to what the thoughts are in Boston right now in regards to how his development has gone and and kind of where he stands uh within the organization now was with the pick Rocco. Yeah. So yeah, thank you for that one guys by the way. He’s been for us. Yeah, that’s a terrible trade on our end looking back on it. But, um, I really like Dean Lerno. I think there’s, like you said, a lot of raw talent there. He’s 67. Um, he’s he’s a giant on the ice. Um, and he spent this year at BC, so he made the transition out of Canadian high school. Um, and he just it it was a big jump. He wasn’t ready for it, and he was playing bottom six minutes. So, he ended up with a pretty brutal statline this year. If you’re looking at it from just the stats towards the end of the season, he looked a lot better. He was kind of he fit in more. He was kind of found his game, but he was playing with a broken hand. Uh we found that out during camp. He looked a lot better during camp this year. He’s got a dangerous shot and he’s only a year removed from a 75 goal senior year in high school. So, I think there’s still a lot of talent with his shot and his playmaking is he’s gotten better and he’s established himself more in the net front and on the boards as a physical presence this week or last week at development camp. And that was something that I was looking for Laterno to provide. He’s got really good hands for a guy that’s 6’7. Like he he’s really good with maneuvering the puck, you know, trying to beat guys in tight spaces. And like Jack said, I think, you know, he was drafted as a long-term project, but I think you saw him take steps from last year to this. Is he ever, you know, the the initial comps were Tae Thompson. Is he ever going to be that? I don’t know. But an interesting comparison I heard this week, and I brought it up to a couple friends, is Brian Bole, you know, can he be a, you know, legit third line, uh, cameo as a second line center, play shutdown minutes, and chip in offensively? I think if you get that out of him, then it’s it becomes a value pick. But it’s going to be a long road for LNO that there’s he’s still growing into his body. I mean, there’s a there’s a lot of just filling out he has to do. And I think he’s still trying to, you know, figure out how to skate well in his body. Not to say he’s a bad skater, just, you know, learning how to use a 6’7 frame the right way and well. But he took steps forward and if you’re a Bruins fan, you have to be encouraged by that. Yeah. And I think that’s what you guys wanted to see from him was was that big step this year because last year um obviously there were some struggles adjusting to the NCAA game and and you know the pace of play and and figuring out like you said how to use that big frame and those tools. You mentioned Tae Thompson and and that same drafter there was there was another guy uh Riley Tuy. So that was always a thing with LNO. Do you think he’s Thompson or do you think he’s Tuy? Right. And that’s kind of his his range. um because he could be absolutely anything here. Um if a guy guy that big figures out the kind of the nuances there um that could be a pretty exciting prospect now within you have something on Lerno. Do you want to add? Yeah. Yeah. I just what does the fan base kind of feel of that pick? like are they is there is there enough patience with the fan base for that pick or are they upset because like Liam Green went right after that and he was kind of the consensus guy on the board and he was the big kind of offensive type player so I I guess that’s the question how’s the fan base feel about that pick not happy not great boys not great they’re they’re not happy um but it’s a lot of people looking at the games played and one assist and they’re not and no goals and it’s That’s kind of what the fan base is seeing. If if you were watching the games, you would notice the impact he had, especially on the back half of that BC season. He was you you notice Dean Lerno on the ice. So, people are looking at numbers and they’re not happy. Oh, sorry. Go ahead, Tom. I think you just you see the first round pick, you see the size, and you see Boston College and you think, “All right, this guy has to like you’re on one of the best teams in the country. How do you not produce?” And, you know, it’s one thing to have a down year like James Hagens had quote unquote a down year with a with a point per game because everyone thought he was going to be a lot better, but to have the kind of year Latero did, I get it from a sense because, you know, this team and this fan base wants the instant gratification, but it’s a little unfair to the kid. It’s it’s gotten almost cruel at some points some of the uh some of the things they’re saying. Well, that’s that’s a pro sport fan base for you. But, you know, you mentioned Lerno zero goals this year. He’s still averaging almost 40 across the last two. So, there’s a couple ways to look at stats, right? They can be manipulated to say kind of what what you want. And I think the key is actually watching the kid and seeing what kind of impact he has. And in colleges, it’s it’s hard to score in college, especially without power play opportunities. It’s very tight. five on five there in the NCAA without a ton of high-end scoring chances. So, I think everyone maybe needs to take a a big deep breath and and realize that you got a six foot seven kid who’s who’s out to prove something and and hopefully that’ll be good enough for um for the Bruins faithful once they see the improvements. He probably would have benefited from the CHL, Rocco. He probably would have benefited from a year or two from the CHL then call. I I talked about this um I talked about this last year, Boyce um extensively when I was going over Lerno that I never understood the path he was taking for the life of me. Um that’s a guy who should be playing three three to four years in the CHL. Uh and and then moving on. Um but I digress. There’s there’s more than one way to get it done, right? So um you know, you got to trust that that him and his advisers know what they’re doing in that sense. Now, is there anyone else in the Brewing system? I mean, we’ve really covered again the system is quite bare because it’s been it’s been win now mode for so long for you guys and nobody feels bad for you at all. I can assure you that. But is there anyone that we really haven’t mentioned that maybe the casual fan or even a guy like me and Boyce might not be super familiar with that that down there in in the depths of the HF boards on Bruins Land um you guys are like, “Hey, we we got a guy here that no one’s really talking about.” Yeah. I don’t know if I don’t know if Will Zeers counts because, you know, 44 goals in the USHL. My when I talk about Bruins prospects that I’m really high on, the two guys I look at are Oscar Yelvic and Chris Pelosi. Yelvic had I think he was over a point per game when he was on Cutter Goautier’s wing last year. BC tried him out at center this year between Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perau and he’s not a center, so bad idea. Then he got hurt, so he wasn’t, you know, he was his numbers were a bit down, but he was trending in the right direction and then he got hurt. Um, Adam McQuade said at dev camp, he’s uh recovering from shoulder surgery, should be ready for the season. But he’s a guy smaller but speedy forward, sees the ice really well, has this kind of knack for seeing seeing plays develop in real time and kind of reading the ice, making plays before they happen. So, he’s one guy and Chris Pelosi, he really turned it on. He’s a center second half of the year at Quinnipic. For an incoming freshman to be put in the top six and to play the way he did down the stretch is great. He’s just a really gritty, really polished, really mature forward for his age. And I think he’s somebody that has, you know, he’s not flashy, but he has the tools to be an NHL player. And I think he could be a really solid thirdline center one day. And another guy, um, he just made the transition from the Hockey East to the Providence Bruins. Uh Dons Los Melis is another guy that we have in the system who isn’t really getting the spotlight. He wasn’t at development camp. He’s been playing with team Latvia. Um he was at the Worlds in May and he’s an Olympic hopeful in February, but he just moved from UMass Amherst to Providence and in six games he had 12 points. He played in their playoff run before going to team Latapia for the Worlds. I think he’s and then at worlds the story came out after Canada played Latvia Crosby went and found Los Melis after the game and let him know that he played pretty well. So when you hear that from Sydney Crosby, it must mean something. But he’s another exciting name that the Bruins will have at uh training camp this fall. So, I guess looking at their prospect pool in general, what would you say they’re kind of lacking? Um, especially in upcoming drafts, is there a type of position that they need to kind of be addressing? Is there a specific player type? Is there something, you know, is size supposed to be or speed or, you know, some sort of skill that they should be addressing? What do you think they’re kind of missing right now? Two targets that I had for this draft. Um, we’re a right-handed defenseman and a goalie and we got neither. Um, so still a right-handed defenseman. I think we brought in some goalie prospects. Uh, we brought in a kid from the Czech Republic and we brought in um the the a goalie from the from the Lion from the Tro Troy Rivieri Lions. I don’t know if I’m saying that right, but from the ECHL. He just won MVP of the Kelly Cup. Now he’s on the Providence Bruins. So, we still don’t have any right-handed defenseman. You You You said that pretty good. You said that pretty good. I’ll get Sweet. I wasn’t sure if the Boston accent would come out there. Hey, you did you did great. You nailed that. Sweet. Thank you. Getting a little dicey with the French there, Jack. Yeah. Not my forte, but um yeah, the defense is kind of a black hole right now for them. They have a guy in Frederick Brune in Providence that could be ready to make a jump in a year or two. Jackson Edward is another guy who they’re high on. Big physical defenseman, but after that it kind of tails off. Lo Johansson or Johansson is a guy they drafted in the sixth round last year who’s kind of skyrocketed through Monton. Played really well in their second pair, you know. Uh pretty sure they won the the championship in the queue. Yeah. Yeah. Adam Mcuade said he’s ready at least for Providence next year. So, he could be coming. But after that, not a lot of high-end defensive talent. I think you have guys that could maybe fill a middle or bottom pair, but they really need defenseman. And, you know, with goalending, they have Jeremy Swayman, so hopefully if he’s, you know, back to normal, he’s your your goalie for the next 10 years, but would be nice to have a little bit of organizational depth. No. And that’s and that’s fair enough. Now, you didn’t get to address the right handy or the goalie, but you did come away with with James Hagen. So, I think given given the choice at at uh you know, I think you did okay this year and obviously they’re in a position where they’re probably going to be acquiring um picks and prospects fairly regularly here. They have two first next year, Rocco. So, Well, exactly. So, plenty of opportunities to to address those things. Now, offseason uh offseason thoughts, how how have you guys felt? Uh maybe I’ll start with Jack here. Have you felt because you you look like you have an answer to that question already. How have you felt about the Bruins off seasonason in terms of um the trades and signings and and other organizational moves that they’ve made so far. Are we looking at a successful offseason here or have they kind of screwed the poochie a little bit? Yeah. Uh it’s confusing because at the po end of the postseason press conference which was a disaster we were told that scoring in offense was going to get worked on and that was going to be the improvements for this summer. Tanner Jano, Sean Carali and Mikey Acimont do not address scoring. So those are your big three signings and Arvdson I like the Arvbitson trade for a fifth. That’s fine. But man, that the the contract and the term that they gave to Jano. Pick one to go over on. Don’t go both. I like the player. I don’t like the contract. I think he’s going to he’s going to win the crowd over when he starts beating people up. That’s what happened here with Nikita Zidorov. He beat Sam Bennett up and all the Zidorov talk went out the door. Everybody loves Zidorov. But yeah, this off seasonason was a really confusing one, especially with the direction we were told we were going in and the direction they did end up going in. I don’t really know how it’s going to like where the answer where the answer lies unless if you’re looking at a Blue Mel or an Alex Steves to be those those goal scorers. I don’t know if you address the scoring like you said you were going to. I don’t like when management tries to pull the wool over my eyes. And Don Sweeney, like Jack said, he talked about he wants to evolve offensively. He said, “Marco Sturm is going to be a big part of that, bringing his offensive system in.” And he said, “We need to upgrade on the wings.” When they traded for Victor Arbertson before the, you know, the noon or 1:00, I forget when free agency starts, but when that trade came down, I’m thinking to myself, okay, Arson would be a perfect piece on the third line. You fill in with t, you know, your mountains of cap space, somebody on the second line, and maybe you’re looking at a decent team. You bring in Janelle, you bring in Carelli, you bring in AC. It does two things. It does not help you with goal scoring, like Jack said. It does not help you evolve offensively. And now you’re you have probably six or seven bottom six guys that are blocking your young talent that need it’s going to need time to marinate in the NHL. I mean they have five or six guys under the age of 25 whether it be Fabian Lysel Georgie Mcculaf Fraser Mitten Matt Patra Morat Hus Nadina and now they’re going to be fighting with Tanner Jano Mikey Acimont Sean Carali John Beecher Mark Castlick for ice time I mean it at some point time in the AHL is great you know everybody I think a lot of players need it to adapt to the pro game but at some point you’re going to need to let your young guys play and what frustrates me the most about Sweeny’s off season is he didn’t stay true to his word and then he blocked his prospects. Two things that he’s been criticized for in the past. It’s it’s like they’re continue it’s the the definition of insanity. They’re continuing to do the same thing over and over again. And maybe they have this grand plan next off season when the free agent class is better to spend big. But, you know, until I see it, get me a top six winger that it it’s it’s all they need to, you know, go from a bottom a seller dweller to like a decent team. And the fact that they couldn’t acquire that with all the draft capital they have with all the prospects is really frustrating. So, we’re not expecting half a decade, Jano. Half a decade at Jano. We’re not expecting Tanner Jano then to return to 20 plus goal form is I I get the sense that’s kind of what you’re saying here. I don’t think we are. I hope the Bruins don’t. Could Could I Could I Could I ask something then? Is James Hagens that winger? He very well could be. I So, with Casey Middlestat having only one year left on his deal, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bruins either try to move him or if he walks and then they just slide Higgins right up into the two the 2C spot once he um if he goes to BC this year. But, you know, that’s not that’s not a terrible idea. I do wonder if because the Bruins have been known to kind of ease their centers along, play them on the wing to kind of lessen the um defensive impact of the game because, you know, Bruins centers, you talk about Berseron Crerache, guys were defensive defensively responsible. I do wonder if at the end of the season, you know, and we’re looking at March, right? Frozen is usually in March. after that comes along, they they bring Higgins up and throw him on the wing because the thought again, so we’ll be honest. Our concerns with Hagens were if he had the, you know, the defensive acumen to play center. Um, but it does seem with this roster that they could insulate him a bit and he could play on the wing and that might work better and then he could get opportunities to play at center. you can kind of, you know, they have professional centerman and then they can kind of, you know, work him in as the season goes along. So maybe he’s the maybe he, you know, again, maybe they’re looking to put him on the wing because I mean, he might be better than a lot of the other wing options you guys could get. So that’s those are the faces of two guys who are really hoping they just drafted their franchise center. Well, they I think they want to play like he might he might be their most offensively skilled guy other than past. So, I think he he could be for sure. Um yeah, I agree. Now, let’s say let’s say that um he goes one more year back to school, then comes towards towards the end of the season. Um and let’s also assume that there’s no blockbuster coming between now and training camp. And this is more or less maybe for a depth edition or two. uh more or less the roster that you’re going to have going into the season. Um what are our thoughts? Do we have expectations for this team if if any? Um or are we just kind of gearing up for a long year in Boston? I think the Bruins will tell you that with a healthy back end, good goalending, and a gritty bottom six, they could sneak into the playoffs. I don’t think their ceiling is much higher than that. You still have Florida, you still have Tampa in front of you. Toronto, even though they lost, Martner is still good. Ottawa, can they replicate what they did last year? Montreal’s coming. I mean, that team is still young, but they’re they’re on their way. So, you know, I think they’re going to have to win a lot of games 2 to1 and 3 to2. And to talk about, you know, bring back what we talked about before, doing the same thing over and over again. They tried to do that last year and it failed miserably. So, we’ll see. But I I don’t think they’ll be terrible like they were this year. they really feel that an AHL roster towards the end of the uh the season, but their their ceiling is a wild card team and I unless you see a Washington Capitals kind of skyrocket to the top, which I don’t think is coming, that’s kind of where I think they’re going to exist right on the middle of that inout playoff line. Yeah, I definitely think they’re going to be just because of like the the health going into it for next season. a lot of our like Makavoy and Lindholm will be back. That will be an improvement and Swayman can bounce back, but I don’t agree. I agree with Tom. I think the Ceiling’s a wild card team if that I think too with Swayman like if he’s actually at a full camp, they’re not worried about this contract stuff. He should be playing better. Like I think he shouldn’t be behind. So I think you can probably expect him to play a little bit better. News flash, I really like him as a goalender. So thought is again I’ll give them a pass on that year. Um do you think the new coaching staff could you know influence them a little bit differently? You said they just kept trying to do the same thing over and over again. You know is this you know is there going to be a kind of a change in the the way that they play or do you know are you excited with the new coach just because there’s a lot of noise last year with what was going on? What do what do you guys think? Yeah, I think uh Coach Sturm, Marco Sturm, he’s kind of like the the players coach is what we’ve heard. So, I think that kind of having that and carrying that with us is going to be huge. But he’s his time here lined up with Sweeney and Neil. They weren’t president and GM. They were vice president and assistant GM when Stern was a player here. So, he he kind of knows the expectations. I think we’re going to see a lot of that defensive style hockey that Tom was mentioning, winning games 3-2, 22 2-1 where it’s going to be like that, but bringing in I I was a huge fan of the Steve spot hire uh just because of all the experience he’s got. He was with Peter Dbor for the last 10 or 12 years. So, and he’s he’s gotten that he’s worked with those like highle offenses. I think that those two and then the returning staff of Kelly, make sure Chris Kellyy’s on the penalty kill. Don’t can’t do the power play with him again. That Kelly off the PP that he wasn’t on it when he was a player. He’s a penalty killer. He was a great He was great at that when he played for the Bruins. Let him coach it. And then Jay Leech, he only has been here for a year. He’s been a he’s been a name that’s been hot for a head coaching job past couple of seasons. So, I think keeping him around too is also a good move. I think this coaching staff going forward is going to be a lot more grounded and clear in what they want. Chris Kelly was great in Ottawa, too, for for a long time, but um you’re absolutely right on that. Uh he was not a power play specialist in the NHL. That said, he was a phenomenal special teams player as a penalty killer. Hey, he was an he was an OHL power play guy. I know that. Well, yes, that’s a bit of a different animal there, Darren. I I would go Nights Rocco. Another Knights guy. Darren boy’s biggest London Knights fan going. So, um, no surprise we have to get a shout out to London at least once an episode. Um, you guys mentioned that your kind of expectations even with the new coaching staff and a return to health slash return to form by some of your best guys. Even if those things go right, we’re looking at a wildcard team that’s probably not going to do much damage in the playoffs. you get to round two, that’d be phenomenal. I think that would blow everyone’s expectations out of the water. Um, the management looks like they’re trying to position themselves for a quick retool and getting a player of Hagen’s caliber is certainly one way to expedite things because you can add him to your lineup in a top six capacity within a year or two. Is the retool good enough or do we risk here falling into New York Islanders territory where you’re just kind of ship but not really every year and you don’t really have Calgary Flames would fall into that model as well. Vancouver Connects you’re kind of there but you’re not you’re not rebuilding you’re not going to win uh but you’re not acquiring the true high-end talent you need because you’re picking between 10 and 15 every year. Is a retool good enough and can they become a cup contender with the core pieces they have now or do we just need to call it what it is and say it’s time to kind of blow this puppy up and and and go at it again? I think as long as you have a healthy postern Makavoy and Swayman playing to their ceiling, it can’t really be a rebuild because even even last year when you look at everything that went wrong and before Don Sweeney sold at the uh the trade deadline, that team was still, you know, fringe. They they were a couple points out of a playoff spot, but there was still, you know, they were in the graphic for wild card break. We hadn’t fallen out of that yet. It wasn’t like a a crazy thing that they could have made the playoffs. And so I think although the team does lack the high-end talent you’re talking about, and it’s kind of difficult to acquire that in the um when you’re picking in the middle of the round, I I just don’t think rebuilding is in this team’s DNA. And I don’t think Don Sweeney has the leash to rebuild. I think once he enters a rebuild, his his job is over. His his contract is terminated. And so when you couple the fact that they do have three legit studs down the middle or three legit studs at each level of the ice combined with where Don Sweeney is, how the fan base views him, and probably how management views him after last year, like the if the uh Jacobs family loves anything, it’s money. and the fact that they couldn’t really bring it in last year because the team sucked probably hurt their wallet. So, when you look at all of that, I I don’t think a rebuild is in the cards. And I think they’re close. I think they have the assets to maybe acquire somebody that could upgrade the roster. But if we enter rebuild territory, I’ll say one thing, it management’s going to look a lot different if they go back to the basement again. Now, is that the right decision? Yeah, I definitely think so. kind of what what Tom said about like having uh Swayman Makavoy Posanak like it would be tough to kind of enter that like the official rebuild where you tear everything down. So I I hope it’s the right decision. We have the tools for it. And I think the the Arvidson the Arvidson pickup this summer reminded me of something that Washington did last summer in their retool where they took the they took the flyer on the guy that wasn’t really working out in in his last spot, bring him to a new spot. Hopefully, it’s a different this different change of scenery works for him. I mean, it’s it’s a good question, right? Because when you look at a lot of the elite teams in the NHL, they have guys that went in the top five in the top 10. I mean, you have Barkoff and Eblad in Florida. You have Nathan McKinnon and Kale Mar. You know, these these perennial contenders are teams that that have this elite talent drafted high in the first round. And it it’s it’s a good exercise because, you know, is trying to retool on the fly worth it or should you just blow it up? But I just I I feel like they can’t. I I feel like they do not have the ability to do that. So here’s my question for you then. If they don’t have the ability to, you know, fully rebuild and it’s a retool, like is this the GM? Is this the management group that you trust to do that? Yeah, we don’t have an option. Um they extended Sweeney for three years, so the ownerships, they got trust in them. And I I mean before the the 65 win season, I was already on the get rid of Sweeney boat, but uh he hasn’t won anything. But then that whole thing happened, he kind of redeemed himself a little bit. There were some good moves made at this at this season’s deadline. So I can just I can put my faith in Sweeney in this, but not my full confidence. He’s not a terrible GM. I mean, he I think he saved his job both in the the 60 whatever. I I don’t that season’s a black hole to me because of the way it ended. Yeah. But um you know he saves his job that season and then the next year you lose Bersron and Creation and you make it to the second round against Florida. I mean it’s good GM work and whether or not he got you know players playing over their heads doesn’t matter. That’s good GM work. He saved his job there. So they were going to extend him. the question about whether or not I trust him. He’s put together good teams in the past and you could argue I think that the question is this. Do I trust him to get them back into the playoffs and make them a you know maybe a wild card team or a a three maybe a two seed? Sure. I don’t know if I trust him to build a cup contender. That’s my big question. Yeah. And and that’s and that’s kind of I look at the Boston roster. like he said, Swayman, Makavoy, Pasternac, Hagens, when he when he gets there, those guys might be too talented to allow you to be bad enough to get those top five talents, but geez, it’s it it is hard to win. I mean, and and you said the guys on Florida, but I mean, Reinhardt second overall, Bennett third overall, Kachchuck, I think, was was sixth overall pick. Um, they have plenty of high-end talent. You got the McKinnons and the Mars, but they also had Gabe Landiskog at the time. Val Nachushkin was was a top 10 pick. Um, it’s very hard to get there without it. So, um, you guys are kind of in in an interesting spot. I I wonder if if a very strong free agent class next year, um, with the cap jumping up significantly, I think we’re going to see a lot less resignings next year than we did this year because of how much money is going to be out there. Um, so maybe you can maybe you can fix it there, but it’s it’s it’s in dangerous dangerous territory where you’re you’re almost you’re too good to too good to move forward. You almost have to take a step back um before moving forward. Boyce, go ahead. Well, just looking like again, you mentioned those top three kind of studs they have at each position. They’re also worth a lot on the market to a lot of teams and I think a lot of teams would want to fit them in even at their cap hits. So it I mean it is kind of you know how long do you wait it out with the retool until you have to kind of look at moving these guys or they start going you know start losing value because they’re getting older. Um that’s another part of it. U one thing I was going to ask so they have the Leafs first next year by the way. I always love the Leafs slander. Um they have their their pick then the year after they have Florida’s and Boston like yours again. So you have four first the next two years. Do you think they possibly move any of those for to you know and what would they move those for? Would it be that top six winger like it would be an impact guy probably? I think it would be malpractice for them not to move one of those for a for a top six winger and even it it you know it could be a center. Is it you know do they take a risk on a guy like a Marco Rossi? Um do they try to find one of these guys that’s maybe not happy in his current situation? But if I I mean it gets back to the question if if we’re truly retooling and we want to be back in a year or two, you have to move those picks for NHL talent. Prospects break your heart and they take a while to develop. If the Bruins want to get back into the playoffs and become a quasi contender, you have to you have to move that draft capital. Marco Rossi is an interesting name. I didn’t even say that, but that’s good. All right. Intriguing. all the lists I’ve been trying to compile that, you know, this spring and summer of guys they could acquire. He was he’s just so interesting because they haven’t come to an agreement yet. And everything you read, whether it be Elliot Freeman, uh Frank Saravali, Dave Pagnatada, it’s just everything is not good in Minnesota between uh Bill Garin and Marco Rossi. So, he’s just I’m really interested by that situation. He’s he’s smaller, but I mean he can play talented. So yeah, he’s very talented. So I mean doesn’t necessarily doesn’t necessarily fit the picture of what I would close my eyes and and picture wear wearing the bee, right? Well, I think that could be that could be a problem that Don Sweeney has had is he’s thinking too much about the past Bruins and not about what they need to be in the future. And and that’s Yes. And that and that very much could be the case. Now, this year coming up, it could provide a lot of clarity for Boston in terms of what direction they’re moving. Was last year a blip in the radar or are they really on the downturn? Now, for you guys, what do you think this year upcoming? What do they need to do for it to count in your mind as hey, this was a successful season? Is sneaking into the wild card good enough for that? Um, are you looking for, hey, we see a maybe strong draft class here. We got to really suck for a year and call that a success. Uh, because we’re getting another high-end piece. Um, what what are you hoping for this year, I suppose, is my question. Uh, more of like a the expectations are kind of the same, but the with a little better. So, obviously the wild card would be like would be the the answer to that question. Like if we could sneak into the wild card, like that would be unbelievable. But there would have to be a lot that goes right. A lot that goes right for that to happen. Like in Swayman and Geeky playing the way he did again and Elias Lindholm picking up the way he played at the end of the season and at Worlds there. There would be a lot that we kind of need to see in order for this season to be successful. I almost feel like, and this is going to be contradictory to everything I just said, but I almost feel like it it’s not about the record at the end of this year. I I need to see some development. I need to see Morgan Geeki put up the same numbers like Jack said. I need to see Mason Lorai improve his plus minus and keep improving his defending. I need to see one of Fraser Mitten, Matt Botra, or Fabian Lysel establish themselves as a middle six player. If I see that progress and they don’t make the playoffs, I’m fine with it because they’re moving in the right direction. They’ll add James Hagens. Hopefully, he’s ready and then you can, you know, you’ve had your down year and a half. you’re ready to take your jump next year. But if they just make the wild card on the back of a David Posternok monster season and you know Jeremy Swayman putting up Vzna numbers, it’s a success because you know you get to watch playoff games but it’s really you know it’s an empty victory. It’s a paper tiger type thing because it’s not really what you need to be long-term successful. And adding on to that, I think having a firsttime head coach will kind of ease the season for the whole team. He’s going to make mistakes. It’s it’s his first time. So, let him do that in a year where we can not throw it away, but it’s almost like there’s more goals than just making the wild card. Like the development matters this year. I got one more question. I’ll turn it over to you, boys. Just to follow up. All right. Is there is there any appetite amongst the Bruins fans where you say, “Hey, you know, we picked seventh last year, but a couple teams jumped us in the draft lottery. We maybe should have picked top five, and if we suck just a little bit more, we can maybe get Gavin McKenna out of this, too.” Is there any appetite within the diehard Bruins fan base for them to to try to take a stab at a guy who’s coming in with with this much fanfare, or are you guys just like, “No, we are Boston. We don’t rebuild. we win all the time. Like, let’s move forward. Jack, I don’t know about you, I’ve definitely seen some people, at least on Twitter, who are just tank for McKenna. And I think a lot of it’s sarcastic because they’re they’re not high on the team, but you know, people are wary about what this team’s going to look like because of the offseason moves. And so I think there is a section of the fan base that’s like, “Hey,” and I know this will probably be more difficult when you’re in January and your team’s under 500 and the season’s already over, but I think there is a segment of the fan base that’s like, “Hey, you know what? Good draft class. Let’s let’s kind of ride this train for a little longer and then get on the upswing next year.” I don’t know if I can do that, especially covering the team. Being in that building last year, it was like a funeral home towards the end of the season. It’s like a morg. It was quiet as hell. That’s terrible. You never want to see the garden like that. So, some fans might want that, but I’m not one of them. Makes me feel a little bit better, Rocco, that it’s not just the sends that are just in depress for years on end here. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about pro sports fans, it said out of an average out of 32 team or 30 team league, probably about 26 of them think their franchise is absolute dog [ __ ] at the moment. So, it’s nice. It’s comforting. We live through a long long period of of piss poor management in Ottawa and we’re finally turning the corner. So, but you know, we do share we do share that that long-term pain of okay, we’re we’re spinning tires here for for quite some time. So, wait, can I ask you guys a question? So, when you when you hear Boston fans complaining after, you know, 10 plus years of contention, are you kind of like, oh, all right, guys. Come on, take it easy. Or do you Yeah, shut up. We You’re getting no pity. You guys won a cup in 2010 and you had a couple other chances and I’ve never seen a Stanley Cup in my lifetime. So until until I do Oh, the the uh the amount of pity I have is is is very small. It’s not so much the hockey team, it’s that every team in your city wins. Yeah, that was Yeah, that was going to I was in college at the time. Going to a different parade every year as a 21 year old. Yeah, it’s pretty fun. How many of those do you remember? I was so the Patriots first won. I don’t remember. I was only five or six when they won. I remember being up for the other two. I remember 2004 vividly. I would say everything from the Patriots the Eagles Super Bowl, the one in 03 or 04, I forget. From that on, I remember vividly. Yeah. No one feels bad for Boston sports fans. I’m a Raptors fan, so we at least won something. So, I was happy with that. But the Celtics always win. So, I don’t I don’t hate on the Bruins, but the Celtics, Celtics, Celtics fans, they bleed green and they’re they’re just everything is awesome and the team can go. Hey, I I I gotta give it to you guys. Like like jokes aside, Boston is I’m sure you guys would say number one, but undisputably amongst the greatest sport cities in in all of North America and and and debatably all of pro sports worldwide. You guys live and die by your sports franchises and and something that that I commend. We we’ve got one we’ve got one team in auto. I mean, we’ve got some other pro sports. We got a CFL team, but it’s that’s that’s a joke to you guys. So, um, as far as far as the major sports are concerned, uh, we we live and die by ours and hopefully they have a have a better year. Uh, boys, do you have any other topics or questions for the guys that you’d like to touch on here? Yeah. I just want to I want to hear what they’re what they’re actually what they think the team’s going to be next year. What as of today, what do you think the record’s going to be or what’s going to happen this year? Let’s pull it to you this way. First round of 2025 or 2026 draft. The Bruins are selecting blank overall, ninth, 13th. No man’s land, guys. I I really think be no like they’re they’re not good enough to suck. I mean, they they really are. I mean, they had at one point the second line was Vinnie Lati, Casey Middlestat, and Cole Keepy at the end of the season, and they still they like they finished fifth in the league, but there wasn’t a huge I mean, they were really fighting for those points. I mean, there was they weren’t totally far behind Montreal. It it’s it’s either no man’s land or it’s the playoffs. They they just unless another catastrophe happens, they’re not bad enough to suck. No one. That’s That’s fair enough. That’s That’s fair. First overall would be pretty sweet. I got to give you one here. They might pick ninth and 13th with that Leaf pick. Yeah. Hey, hope so. I am very interested to see what that Leaf team has been Darren Boyce the last couple weeks since that Martin Trade has been like quietly getting a little louder about the Leafs maybe being on the outside looking in in in the playoffs. And I I think Ottawa’s going to finish ahead of them in the regular season this this upcoming I listen I hope so. I don’t act like it. Well, how far has you don’t think Mitch Mner is going to cost him three, four, five wins in the regular season? That’s all that they were behind. It could think about it. I hope so. Think about it. Stranger Things have happened. Guys, where can um for for our Puck Bunker fans um who are seeing you guys for the first time, uh you’ve got your your Twitter handles there um beside your names. Where can we find your your uh your work for Black & Gold Productions? Uh, black and goldhockey.com. Black N with the instead of and, it’s an N. The letter N. It’s It’s cool. It’s edgy. [Music] The chicks love it. Black Black and Goldhockey.com for the girls. Jack, Tom, this has been phenomenal. You guys obviously know your team inside out. Um, this has been very insightful for for uh for myself and I assume for for boys as well. Thank you guys so much for joining us. um on an early Sunday morning here. Uh we appreciate you guys taking the time. Uh we look forward to doing this again. And hey, if me and Boyce ever come down to Boston, can we count on you guys come to a Bruins game with us and we can we can uh take us to the local spots in Boston. It’s a city I’ve always wanted to visit, but I haven’t yet. But it’s it’s up there on my list. Got to have a drink at Sullivan’s Tap before the game. See, we’re going now. Let’s go, dude. And I got I got I got a I got a nice Italian name. I think I think the Bostononians will take me in as one of their own, you know, without without much debate here. I’ll work on my I’ll work on my accent here. Um I know, you know, the Canadian is going to be pretty obvious when I get down there, but um looking forward to meeting you guys uh in person one day and and doing this again. Again, thank you guys for your time. Uh this has been great. Boyce, we’ll see you next time. See you later. For sure. Thank you for having us on. Yeah, thank you guys. It was a blast.

On this episode we are joined by Writers & Contributors for @blackngoldproductionsllc & @BlackNGoldProductionsClips, Tom Calautti & Jack Studley! Topics covered include 2024-25 season recap, James Hagens & the 2025 Draft, the state of the Bruins prospect pool, off-season trades & signings, state of the roster headed into 2025-26 and realistic expectations for the team. Hosted by Rocco Zappia & Darren Boyce

#BostonBruins #Bruins #BruinsNation #BruinsHockey #Blackngold #Blackngoldproductions #hockeypodcast #nhldraft #2025nhldraft #nhldraft2025 #nhldraftpodcast #nhlpredictions #NHLBruins #BostonSports