What are the Bruins doing? (Free agency day 1 thoughts)

What are the Bruins doing? (Free agency day 1 thoughts)

So, the first day of NHL free agency just wrapped up. I mean, I’m recording this at 1000 p.m. So, I’m not expecting anything else to really happen, at least for the Bruins. And today was I don’t even know like considering we have Don Sweeney at the helm, like what do you expect like what what do you expect? like what did what did you expect that was going to happen differently when you have Don Sweeney when you signed Don Sweeney to the extension. Um and yeah, this is not the free agent uh day one that I would expect for the Bruins. Um I expected them to go after at least a solid name out there. I would I mean I would expect them to, you know, get at least one big name. I know it’s not not not big name, not in loose terms. I mean, I did predict them getting Brock Brock Besser. Obviously, that did not happen. He signed with the Canucks for whatever reason. Um, did not expect that. I don’t think anyone expected that, even Canucks fans. But, um, regardless, yeah, this this day was, um, definitely a headbanger for a lot of Bruins fans considering who the Bruins brought in today. Um, mostly mostly bad. I’m not going to lie. I’m just going to say that right now. But um overall, I’m going to give my thoughts and opinions on most of the free agent signings along with the one trade that was made today. So, I’m not going to carry on too long for the intro. Let’s just get it right into it. So, the first move the Boston Bruins made today was trading for Victor Arbitson from the Edmonton Oilers. And the trade was a 2027 first round. Oh jeez. 2027 fifth round pick going to the Edmonton Oilers. In exchange, we get Victor Arvdson, a 32-year-old who’s on an expiring contract. He has a cap hit of 4 million. Um, honestly, I like this deal. I know Arvdson didn’t have the best season in his one season playing for the Oilers, but he definitely addresses a need that the Bruins have, which I’m not expecting Arvisson to set the world on fire. I think he’s going to, first off, I think he’s going to address the hole we have, the Bruins have in uh the top six when it comes to the when it comes to right-wingers. We definitely need or the Bruins need I keep saying we. The Bruins need a another top six winger out there. I think they tried to go for Brock Besser. I don’t know. This is my opinion, but I think they tried to go for Brock Besser. They realized they couldn’t get him. So, they settled for Victor Arverson and, you know, made this type of trade. And again, the points per or points the points that Arvdson put up last year, it’s nothing too crazy, but the one thing I guess what makes sense out of this trade, too. And this kind of makes the same thing with Tanner Jano, but that’s a completely different story. Buckle up for that. Uh, buckle up for what I’m going to talk about Tanner Jano because I might honestly crash out. But anyways, um, Marco Sturm. Yeah, Marco Sturm at least. Is that what his name is? Sorry, I’m blanking. Sturm, the new head coach for the Bruins. He obviously was previously with the LA Kings. So, he definitely has ties to that organization and before Arbertson played for the for the Oilers, he was on the LA Kings. So, there’s sort of that connection with that. There’s sort of that familiarity. So, I understand in that aspect, but Arbitson does address a major need that the Bruins have and that major need is uh puck movement and puck carrying and you know, things like that. The biggest thing that Arvdson is able to do is he’s able to transition with the puck very well. He’s able to get the puck into the offensive zone, which is a huge struggle that the Bruins had last season. I was talking about it in the James Hagens or when I was talking about James Hagens yesterday, but the reason or at least when it came to the Bruins power play and I’m not necessarily I don’t know what they’re going to do with Arvdson in the power play because I don’t necessarily think that this was just a power play fit, but I guess he’ll probably be on the power play considering how thin this roster is, especially when it comes to talent. But regardless, um, the Bruins really struggled on the power play because they just couldn’t get the puck into the offensive zone. They would lose a faceoff. They would have to regroup in the defensive zone and they would just get stuffed on the blue line and it would just repeat. And by the time they finally got into the offensive zone, the penalty was pretty much over. So, they definitely needed to address that and they definitely need a puck carrying forward in especially in their top six. and Arbitson is do is going to handle that. It’s a lowrisk, high reward, so I’m not really too concerned when it comes to um this trade. I mean, we’re only giving up or the Bruins are only giving up a fifth round pick for him, so it’s nothing too crazy. And if he sucks, he sucks. It’s a four, it’s a one-year deal, so it’s not going to hurt the Bruins too much. And also depending on how the season goes for the Bruins and how Arvitzson does if Arvdson succeeds with the Bruins, the Bruins can flip him and we can get or and the Bruins can get prospects in return. So there’s a lot of avenues that can go about this Arvidson situation. If it goes bad, so what. I mean, it is what it is. But also, if it goes well, we can easily the Bruins can easily get him for trade capital or draft capital. So, I don’t mind this. This is the only tra This is the only acquisition that really made sense for the Bruins, but it’s nothing that’s really going to move the needle for this team. But at the same time, again, this free agency class is so depleted. So, you got you got to sign somebody, especially with the cap space the Bruins had. You got to sign somebody. And now, oh my god, this is I don’t understand this. I don’t I wish I could see what that phone call was when Sweenie was talking to Jano’s agent and everything like that because how the actual did Tanner Jano, a guy who put up 13 points last year for the LA Kings, get a fiveyear contract for $3.4 million AAV. I know 3.4 4 million AA or 3.4 million isn’t too expensive in the NHL like especially now that the cap is raising and everything like that, but why are you signing this dude to a five-year deal? What what how does that make sense? It does. It genuinely doesn’t. Um I I feel there’s I don’t understand it. I don’t at all. What is the thought process behind this deal? Especially I would be fine if this deal was, you know, a one maybe two-year deal worth about two million. But not only did the amount of years he received is way expected compared to what is way more than it should have been, his cap hit is also higher. To put it in perspective, Brandon Tanniv signed what, a two-year, $2.5 million contract with the Utah Mammoth. Like, what the are we doing? Like, actually, genuinely, what is this thought process behind it? Um, Tanner Jano, he’s not a like the only thing that I can think of positively for Jano is he’s just like this physical bigbodied enforcing fourth line player. I And the Bruins don’t really have that. They have Marcus Stellic. They have a John Beecher. And they just signed Shawn Carelli this year or they just signed Shawn Carelli today um which we’ll talk about in a little bit. And then also um from the Kraken too um he’ll probably slot in to be a bottom six guy too. So what is this? Like the Bruins don’t need to worry about their fourth line. That’s the least of their worries. The main thing they had to worry about was acquiring a top six center and a top six forward. I’m guessing that they probably struck out, but that doesn’t mean that doesn’t mean that this contract should have even happened. I don’t understand it at all. Um, I already know like I’m assuming that Jano and Marcus Stell are going to play on the fourth line together and when they do, it’s going to be a penalty every single time they touch the ice. I don’t understand this at all. And it’s going to be a contract that it honestly kind of reminds me of the um who’s the guy that we got Max Jones last year cuz it’s kind of the similar thing where we get this or the Bruins get this guy that is sort of like this checking enforcer player and literally the like one like Max Jones played three probably three games for the Bruins sucked in all three and he got instantly waved. At least he got he went at least he went to the Oilers and we got the Bruins got rid of that contract right away. But still, I feel like it’s gonna be the same thing with the Jano contract, but worse. Sure, there are going to be some moments where Jano, he’ll have a pretty sick fight um that will hype up the TD Garden, but what else does he provide? I don’t I’m not expecting it. He ever since he got traded to the Lightning, it’s just been a steady decline for him. So, I don’t understand it. I don’t understand this at all. And it’s going to be a terrible contract. It’s going to be a terrible contract after the first year. I I don’t understand it. So, yeah, I think that’s by far the worst contract that was signed out this entire day. And of course, it happened with the Bruins with a guy that they have no need for. unreal. I’ll refrain that last thing really quickly. The Bruins do need physicality. That’s one thing they definitely lacked last year in my opinion. But at the same time, the Jano contract is not worth 3 whatever million. It’s not worth 3 million a year for 5 years. That is just ridiculous. The next signing I’m going to talk about is Sean Cari coming back to Boston. Um, as much as I’m excited to see because as much as I’m excited to see Shawn Carowi back in Boston, I still don’t really understand the fit for him coming to this team again. this team, this the bottom six of this team is going to be such a cluster now, especially when we have guys like Frasier Minton, Fabian Liselle, um you know, guys like that coming trying to make it fulltime in the NHL and then you have to deal with all these fourth line grit grinders coming in and trying to take spots. Like, I I don’t I don’t understand it. The one thing that I I can see make it make a little sense for the Bruins and again this is a minor need for them but it’s just to get a fourthline center. I know Castellic plays a little bit of center. Um I know Beer also plays a little bit of center. So I guess Cari is going to have to or at least I think in my belief in this I think Cari is just going to be the center for the fourth line. Uh, I don’t think Castellic or Beecher is necessarily great at taking faceoffs. So, I think hopefully it’ll improve that. But, hey, I’m not a guy that really pays pays attention to faceoffs like that. But, I guess it’s to address the defense a little bit more, add in a little bit structure. But, as much as I like Corali coming back, I don’t understand really the fit, especially when it’s a two-year contract, too. I get it’s 1.9 million. not anything for money really. But at the same time, I just don’t understand it. It’s just now it’s just going to make this roster so much more confusing. You’re going to see guys that are playing and I I don’t know. I don’t know at all. Like as much as I love Cari and for for you know the goal he had against the centers in 2016 or 2017 I think basically reviving the Bruins from there. Um and then just being a very solid fourth liner you know h with uh Nordstrom and Wagner. So, I guess I’m happy that a familiar face is back in Boston, but at the same time, I’m not sure what the thought process is. I don’t understand what the need for Corali is. So, in the last big free agent signing that happened for the Bruins today, I there was a few other like small ones, but I one, I don’t really know who they are, and two, I don’t really care. I don’t think that they’re anything really crazy. They’re kind of just fringe AHL guys that are going to play in Providence for the majority of the year and then come up if there’s an injury, you know, things like that. So, not going to really talk about it. The last one I’m going to talk about though is Michael. I’m butchering this last name, but Isamont. He’s a Ford. He played for the Kraken last year. I mostly recognize him for playing with the Tampa Bay Lightning the past couple years. And I’m going to be honest, I think out of all the signings or out of all the um moves the Bruins made today, this honestly is my favorite. Isot also addresses another need that the Bruins have, and that’s just shooting the puck. I know that sounds kind of crazy for a need, but the Bruins really lacked shots on goal, especially from their bottom six forwards, especially because of uh guys like John Beecher because he doesn’t shoot for But um yeah, I think his main the main priority that is comes with is just his ability to shoot the puck, him to just carry into the zone and just shoot. It’s kind of the same thing with Arvinson. does the same thing. But it’s another thing where yeah, Isa just does a good job of just shooting the punk. That’s really what it is. As simple as it is. So, another player where yes, the sample size is low. He only had 16 points in 77 games last year. So, it’s nothing special, but we’re taking a guy that we’re signing that the Bruins are signing for only one year for like a million dollars. And maybe it’s a guy we can flip or the Bruins can flip in the deadline. I keep saying we, but we are this another player that the Bruins could flip during the deadline and get something that get something back that is better for the value that could have been gotten for it. So that’s my thoughts, but also another issue is he’s kind of high in penalty minutes. like last year he only played 20 games for the Kraken or well wow or actually never mind he only play well yeah he played 20 games for the Kraken last year but he played 77 games in total between the Lightning and Seattle I didn’t realize that but oh yeah he did he was a part of the Bork or the Borkst deal but anyways um in the 20 games he played for Seattle he had 19 penalty minutes he’s had seasons where he’s he’s had over 100 penalty minutes So, the Bruins are going to take a lot of penalties next year. Um, I guess that’s that’s the probably the most knowable thing that’s going to take place. But, um, yeah, that kind of just wraps up the video. Um, definitely negative on the thoughts of Boston next year. But, uh, we’ll see. Hopefully, there’s some sort of trade. Again, I expect at least Palazaka or Jonas Corposal to leave this team. At least that’s what the hope. But I don’t know. I don’t know. They’re kind of already out of cap space at this point. They kind of went through all their cap space this year. And the best players that they got were Victor Arvdson and Tanner Jano. So yeah, it’s definitely interesting. But um yeah, we’ll I’ll see if there’s any updates the rest of the offseason, but not really going to expect much

I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the moves made by the Bruins on the first day of free agency.