Are Bruins Planning for Something Big Next Summer? | Pucks With Haggs

Are Bruins Planning for Something Big Next Summer? | Pucks With Haggs

Welcome to the Pucks with Hacks podcast, a proud member of the CLNS media network. Make sure to hit subscribe to the Bruins Ringside YouTube channel and turn on notifications for when a new video drops to the channel. Uh the show is also brought to you by Prize Pix, the largest daily fantasy sports platform in North America. Download the Prize Pix app today and use the code CLNS and get $50 instantly when you play five bucks. That’s code CLNS on Prize Pix to get $50 instantly when you play $5. You don’t even need to win to receive the $50 bonus. It’s guaranteed. Prize picks run your game. Uh, welcome in everybody. Uh, this is the 206th episode of the Pucks with Hags podcast. I’m your host, Joe Hagerty. You can find my work at joehagardy.substack.com. Subscribe and get yourself a premium membership. Get all my Bruins and NHL writing sent straight directly to your inbox. I also write columns three times a week for the Boston Sports Journal. So, check that out. uh along with the weekly Q&A I do answering fan questions which some of them I actually transfer over here to the podcast and answer them. Uh thanks as always for listening, commenting, interacting, uh being interested and passionate about the Bruins a and uh tuning in to the podcast. We appreciate it and we’re glad that you’re here and we’ll just keep them going throughout the summer here uh going into next year because there’s tons of interest out there obviously uh and still stuff going on. Um, speaking of that, the new the news for this week, there wasn’t a ton of Bruins news. Um, but was what was out there was an interesting hiring for the Providence Bruins coaching staff. Uh, Ryan Bourke, Ray Bourc’s youngest son, uh, gets hired over uh, at on the Providence Bruins staff on Ryan Mujinell’s staff uh, in Providence. He joins Trent Whitfield um, on that on the staff there for the P Bruins. Uh, interesting. hire. Uh I think he’s somebody that definitely uh can help them. Uh not too far removed from his playing career, he was mostly an AHL player. A little bit of NHL time I believe with the Rangers. Uh my memory of watching him play last was actually I want to say it was 2015 201 I can’t remember exactly when it was. Um it was the beginning maybe it was 14. It was the beginning of uh David Posternneck’s career. He got sent down to Providence to play in the Providence AHL playoffs uh because the Bruins were either eliminated or not in it. Um and I believe he was playing Ryan Borick’s team and it was the Hartford Wolfpack and um I remember going to a game in Hartford. Ryan was playing for the Wolfpack and Ray was there uh after the game was over and was there during the game. Um, but it had been a while since I had seen him play, but he just played up until recently. And he worked at the US national team development program. Actually worked with Will Moore and with um James Hagens uh when they were at the US uh development program. Um so he’s worked with a couple of the Bruin young Bruins prospects. He’s worked with a slew of young guys recently this past year. He was the head coach at Cushing Academy. Um, so you’re talking about a guy that I think can communicate well with the young players, uh, helps in the the sort of development phase for them and is is not so far removed from his playing days that he still kind of speaks the language a little bit with the players. Uh, and I think it’s important, especially in the AHL, in the minor league system where you’ve got so many young guys that are on the development track, uh, to have some younger coaches that can sort of like connect with the players on a different level, um, than maybe guys can that are a little bit, uh, further removed from their careers and have it’s been a while since they played. So, uh, that along with just, you know, he’s obviously a a talented guy, uh, had a really good hockey career. uh both he and his brother Chris, Sons of Ray, uh played locally and and then ended up playing professionally. So, uh nice addition to the Providence Bruins staff. It’s always good to see a Bourc uh involved with the Black and Gold and and back in the Bruins family. So, I think that’s something really good to see. And I I you know, I think it’s going to help having somebody that uh has worked recently in the US uh development program uh that’s involved with the Bruins coaching staff. um given how what a good job they do out there developing players and and everything that he soaked up while he was out there for I think it was a year uh helping coach uh that program I think is going to be nothing but an asset for the Boston Bruins. So uh good stuff there. Congratulations to Ryan on getting that gig. Um as far as Bruins news, that’s about it for now. Uh what I’m going to do is answer a few questions here. Um and uh talk some Bruins and then we’re going to be out and uh you can go uh enjoy your day and enjoy uh the beautiful sun and the July weather that we’re having right now. And you know, we’re really getting it’s mid July at this point. We’re really getting to the portion of the hockey schedule about July 15th to maybe August 15th where there’s not a lot going on. Everybody has signed, the trades have all been made. Everybody has retreated to their cottages in Canada somewhere or the Cape or Maine or wherever they go. Um, and basically hockey kind of takes a hiatus uh for about a month until mid to late August when you start seeing captain’s practices uh really up um their uh intensity and and and they start popping up and you see guys that are local start skating together at Warrior and they’re starting to get ready for training camp. Um, I guess the other interesting thing that was uh done this week that’s more from a global perspective is uh the the extension for the CBA. Um, I think it was four years. Uh, and some of the interesting things that are going to come out of that. Uh, and this is not going into effect in until I think after the 26 27 season I believe it was. Um, but the schedule is going to change. They’re actually going to move to 84 regular season games from 82. Um they’re going to have I think it was four preseason games and that’s it. Uh which I think is great. I’ve been all in favor of lessening the preseason and adding a few more games to the regular season for a while now. It felt like it was kind of a money grab. um some of those preseason games where there were barely any NHL players in it and it was going on for like eight games for like a month uh before they would get the regular season going when you know you knew the veteran players were kind of ready to you know tune up in the final game or two and get ready to play. Um so I think that’s a smart thing. Um they’re changing the max contracts termwise. Uh, it used to be it was eight years you could resign for if it was your own team and seven years if you were signing a free agent contract to a different team. Now it’s going to be seven years that you can reup with your own team as a max term in six years if you’re signing with somebody else. Uh, they changed the ebug um, qualifications and rules a little bit now that you can have a traveling emergency goalie with you. Um there are a bunch of like qualifications they have to have including never played an NHL game and you know a few other things um that that they they have to they have to qualify for. Um, the unfortunate thing with that is it’s going to rule out like the stories like David Ays, uh, who was the guy that was driving the Zamboni in Toronto that all of a sudden became the emergency goalie for the Hurricanes against the the Maple Leafs. Um, when he was like he was the Ebug being provided by Toronto. And this was kind of the the problem with the Ebug system is that when you went to an NHL rink, u the emergency goalie that was at that rink could play for either team. Either the team that he was kind of employed by or the team uh the other team, which could create some awkward situations if like what happens with David Ayers, he’s employed by the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and then he goes out and shuts down the Maple Leafs in a game and it becomes kind of an awkward thing afterwards. Um it was an interesting wrinkle, but I think it did create like something of an issue u where I think it m makes much more sense uh for teams to have their own emergency goalie that is just theirs that you know sometimes practices with them and uh is a little more involved with their team um that comes in and plays with them instead of like having them practice with your team, having them sort of be a pseudo part of the team. then all of a sudden by um by circumstance they have to actually play for a different team uh against the team that they’ve trained with. Um so I I I understand why they’re doing it. Um I just hope they don’t ever completely go away with it because I kind of think the Ebug thing is something that really makes the NHL unique and adds a you know a sliver of a chance for sort of a common man goalie uh that never got to live out his dream to to play in the NHL which I think is really cool. um and a really unique thing uh that you don’t see in other sports. So, uh let’s hope that that continues to go on even as they’re sort of like whittling down the the the field of players that they’re looking at and and kind of limiting sort of like uh some of the places that they could have played uh before they qualify as as an emergency goalie. they it it seems like they have to have some it’s going to get to a point where they have to have had either NCAA or you know some kind of major junior experience or something like that but as it should be um for a bunch of them. All right. Um let’s start answering some questions here um now that we’re past the news of the week. Uh Almeida022680 asks uh Trevor Kunar was in the mix until the very end of camp last year and supposedly almost made the team. How did it go from that to him not getting a qualifying offer? Um, Countar, I think it was a second year pro he had this year, this past year with the Providence Bruins. He was a draft pick out of Boston College. Um, had a decent first season, had over a 100 penalty minutes. Uh, you know, did okay offensively. Uh, but this year was in and out of the lineup, missed some time with injuries, and I think might have been a healthy scratch at certain points. I believe he only played in like three of the playoff games uh for a Bruins team that um you know made it a couple of rounds. So he wasn’t you know automatic in the lineup uh in the playoffs which is not a great sign uh if you’re an AHL player that you’re going to be sticking around. And I just think it comes down to um you know there there comes a certain point where you just get replaced on the depth chart and another wave of young players comes in. I think Trevor Kintar came in and was was okay. Um I don’t know that he was that close to making the team out of camp a year ago. I I think he was one of the final players in in training camp based on that he did pretty well for himself and that he you know he had a decent camp and a good preseason, but I don’t think he was all that close to to making the team. Um, I think they had kind of decided on what their fourth line was going to be and and ahead of time. It was going to take a lot for any of those guys to to not make it. Um, but I I think you saw that with Mark Mclofflin, too. Another BC guy that got traded in the middle of this year. Um, and it’s players I think that aren’t going to get the opportunity here that u maybe some other young guys are going to get. And other guys have sort of taken the lead as far as how they’re being looked at. like um I think Riley Durant is a guy that kind of is in the same mold or a little bit of the same mold as a Trevor Quintar and I think he hopped him um as far as how he’s viewed by the organization, the chances he’s going to get and I think it’s as simple as that. I think, you know, you get to a certain point if you’re a young guy and, you know, if you don’t really establish yourself as somebody that’s going to help them in the NHL level after a couple years, there are more young guys coming through the pipeline, uh, that are potentially going to replace them and potentially become guys that could maybe help the NHL team at some point and certainly look like a more viable option. And I think, you know, Riley Durant’s just uh, he’s maybe got a little bit more offensive upside than Trevor Counter. He’s definitely bigger and stronger than Trevor Kintar. He’s not quite as um sandpapery as as Kunar is. I mean, Countar, I think, was definitely a guy that was okay sort of going over the edge and uh you know, being a little bit of an agitator, and I don’t see Riley Durant as being that kind of guy too much. Uh maybe that’s something he’s going to bring a little bit more of as time goes on. We’ll see. But I think um you know, I think it’s it’s based on that. I I think Mark Mclofflin, like I said, same way. He came in, had a great NHL debut, uh helped them a little bit at certain points, but I think hit a a wall where he wasn’t going to really get much more NHL time. He like came up when Joe Sako took over and had a good little run, was not able to do enough to sort of solidify anything when he was up there. And I think that was it at that point. Um, you know, maybe you’re better off going to a different organization where you might get a little bit more of an NHL look with somebody else. But, you know, there are other young guys coming in every single year that they’re going to look at, and that’s just the natural sort of circle of life with the NHL. So, um, you know, I I I don’t think there’s anything beyond that really. uh you know I think it becomes a numbers game at at a certain point and you know he’ll end up finding something somewhere else but I think it’s a pretty pretty clear indication that the Bruins didn’t see a future with him at the NHL level and didn’t see him really even being a guy that was going to step up if there were injuries and fill in. uh they had some other guys in Providence that they feel like are are at that point and you know there’s other guys that are going to probably be in that uh camp before too long. Like I was actually a little surprised that uh Georgie Merkel was qualified and will be back because I I think it was Mark Diver was on with us and had mentioned something about uh Merkel had kind of requested a trade or talked about that at some point last year and wasn’t really happy with the looks he was getting at the NHL level with pro as while he was playing in Providence and was hurt for most of the AHL playoffs and you know it seems like he’s kind of very much at a crossroads with the Bruins where he can’t really cinch a job. He can’t really lock down an NHL job with this organization and hasn’t really flourished offensively and really shown what, you know, the the potential that he has at the NHL level offensively when he’s been up there, but has also been a guy that’s been really good at the NHL level and and shown everything he can do there. And he’s kind of in between right now. Um, Fabian Lysel, I think, is quickly coming to a crossroads, too, where he’s got to start really like showing a a a very big step forward or his time uh with the Bruins organization isn’t going to be long either. And, you know, they traded Ryan Mast uh in one of those deals that they made around uh the uh beginning of free agency. Same thing. I think he was a guy that the writing was on the wall um that it was not going to happen here with the Bruins organization, so he moves on to somewhere else. And and that’s just the way it goes. you know, they’re this is why um sometimes you kind of laugh at, you know, the people that go hog wild about prospects at any organization, the the prospect Nicks or the prospect experts. Um they’re right up there with the draft Nicks, too. They like they, you know, will speak glowingly about these young players like they’ve got these huge futures and and and look, just being pro is is amazing. Like they’ve accomplished a ton just being playing pro hockey and getting to that level, it’s a massive step. But like it it most of them are not going to make it to the NHL. And so when you speak so glowingly talking about these prospects and their upsides and you know all this other stuff, you always you always always always have to keep in mind perspective of how tall the odds are that they face, how unlikely it is that they’re ever going to develop into an NHL player, and how some of this lofty praise that you’re giving them, they’re not going to be able to live up to. and it’s just not going to happen. Uh sometimes they will, but of more often they will not and they become players that move on to other organizations, play a few more years, and then sort of cycle out. And I think we’re starting to see that with some of the guys uh that have been in the Bruins organization as they move on to other places. And and that’s that’s what’s happening. I mean, it’s not there’s no shame in it. Um I hope Trevor Kunar has really good luck and he hooks on somewhere else. Um, but that’s what happens sometimes. You know, that’s that’s the way pro hockey works uh for a lot of these players. All right, let’s uh take a break here and um for those of you listening to this episode of the Pucks with Hags podcast, we ask that you subscribe to the podcast, like and leave a review. And for those watching the show on CLNS and enjoying all this hockey talk, go ahead and hit that like button and subscribe to the Bruins Rankside YouTube channel where you can find our show and a lot of other great Bruins content with fellow Bruins talkers like Connor Ryan and Evan Marinowski. There’s also the CLNS media network and Celtics all access on CLNS, the NBA History Channel, Patriots Press Pass, and Bruins Ringside YouTube channels as well. Also, please make sure to turn on your notifications so you know the instant a new Pucks with Hacks podcast video drops on the interwebs. Let’s also thank our friends at Prize Pix, the largest daily fantasy sports platform in North America and the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports. Join over 10 million users and get started today. Instead of valing thousands of other players that could be pros or sharks, you simply pick more or less than on two to six player stat projections and you watch the winnings roll right in. It’s fun and it’s super simple. On prize picks, you can mix and match player projections from different sports. Combine your favorite hockey players with players from baseball, basket, esports, and so much more. You can now win up to 2,000 times your money on Prize Pick. Prize Pix offers Venmo, Mastercard, and Apple Pay for quick and easy deposits into your account this sport season. Download the Prize Pix app today and use the code CLNS and get $50 instantly when you play five bucks. That’s code CLNS on prize picks to get $50 instantly when you play $5. You don’t even need to win to receive the $50 bonus. It’s guaranteed. Prize picks run your game. All right, let’s get back into it. Uh this is from Mark Daniels. Uh he’s one of the uh Q&A uh regulars over at Boston Sports Journal. So Mark, we shifted your question over here. I answered it on there, but I’m also going to answer it on the podcast. Hi Joe. Uh, it’s multi-pronged question here. Do you think Sweeney didn’t go after bigger fish in the free agent market because number one, he feels a little burnt about the return so far on last year’s signings of Lindholm and Zidorov and was being risk averse. I mean, I think that’s a little part of it. Uh, and there’s more to this question, but I I’ll take this part first. I think that’s a little part of it. Um, but I think it what it does is it speaks to you got to be careful with the big long big money contracts. Like you’ve got to really really love a player, really think he’s going to be a big difference maker and really feel like he checks all the boxes if you’re going to overextend and pay the premium costs of bringing in a player in free agency, especially if it’s one of the big fish, one of the big dogs that’s going to command a lot of money. Um, you know, I I think they really liked Elias Lindholm and I think that was clear. They had liked him in his draft year. They had almost traded for him previously. We had heard rumors of that and they they were interested and, you know, there was a few different times when they were interested in that player before they got him. So, I think that was genuine and they really liked him and felt like he was worth the money. Uh, and it’s understandable like some of the parallels to Patrice Berseron and his style of play that Elias Lynhomem has. I do not think Elias Lindholm is the same player as Patrice Berseron. I do not think he is as good as Patrice Berseron, but I think there are some similar qualities there that they bring to the table that the Bruins really liked. Uh Nikita Zidorov, I had not heard as much about them really having long uh time interest in that player before they signed him. But let’s face it, ever since Zado retired, they needed a big mean, intimidating defenseman on the back that could stand up for teammates, that would throw bodies around, that would make it really uncomfortable to get to the front of the net, that would do all that stuff. And Zidorov is that type of guy, you know, he’s a he’s a different style player than Zadara was. Uh, a little more risky uh high-risisk player. definitely plays away from the net more than Zadino Charara did um as a defenseman, but I think is also a guy that, you know, when push comes to shove will bring some of the elements and qualities that Char did uh to the table. And I think they knew they needed a guy like that and and Zidorov made a ton of sense because there’s not many of those guys out there. But I I I do think when you sign some players like that and the returns are mixed like um you know slow starts for both of them. They both ended up hitting their stride and I thought were very good you know the last few months of the season and you hope that that carries over into next year but you never want to read too much into like garbage time at the end of a year when a team is out of it and and the way that they look at play. Um, but like I I think you’ve it makes you a little hesitant or it at least makes you remind yourself that this is going to have to be somebody that we absolutely love and know is going to hit if we’re going to sign them to that kind of a contract because we can’t afford more of the David Bachis, Matt Bleski type um players that you sign to big money and they come in and they don’t they’re not able to live up to it. Um, and that’s just part of it. All right. Uh, number two, the big fish that were available to sign like Eers didn’t want to sign in Boston because they, the bigger fish, didn’t like the direction the team is headed. Therefore, Sweeney had no chance to sign them. With Eers, um, yeah, I never heard him link to the Bruins. I never heard any of the bigname free agents. And let’s face it, the other part of this is that most of them resigned with their own teams. Brock Besser, Brad Marsh, Shan, Sam Bennett. Go down the line, there was a bunch of players that would have been good free agents that never got there. Um, so that kind of took a lot of uh choices off the table for the Bruins and also made it a much sort of narrower uh field of talent in free agency. But Nikolai Eers seemed like he really wanted to go to Carolina. It seemed like Boston was never an option. Frankly, I’m not sure that Boston loved him uh like some of the other teams did either. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t. Uh but it didn’t seem like he was anybody that was that they were ever overly interested in and that he was ever overly interested in them. Um, and I’m going to get there’s another question coming up and I’m going to get to why I think that is and I have a theory on that. Uh, but let’s finish this uh question first. Lastly, I did read your article as to Sweeny’s free agent signings. I just don’t agree with Sweeny’s logic. For instance, why sign Jano? Is he really that much of an improvement over Frederick? Uh, and that’s from Mark Daniels. Uh, I think Jano is an improvement over Trent Frederick because I think Jano wants to play the role that they wanted Trent Frederick to play. And I don’t think Trent Frederick always wanted to play that role or always was super excited about it or always sort of embraced it. I think he was somebody that at times could play that role. Uh, but I think there was some hesitancy there and I don’t think he put fear into a lot of other teams. Like I think some, you know, they obviously respected him. He was a tough kid. Uh, but I think Jano is a little different. I think Jano is a little more of a player that puts a little bit of fear into the other team as far as when he drops the gloves, as far as going after the other team’s tough guys, as far as sticking up for his teammates, as far as setting the physical tone, like all that stuff. I do think they needed a player like that. And I think you you decide that five years of him is is better than signing Trent Frederick to an eight-year deal and uh off a down season and and resigning him to keep him. And you know that they they basically signed Jano to the slot that they probably had in mind for Frederick that it would just wasn’t going to happen with him. And they I think frankly decided after a certain amount of time like we just can’t keep him. He’s not going to be a guy we want to invest that kind of money in tournament. Uh, so they decide to go with Jano instead. Um, so I I like the logic. I like the signing. I think you need a player like that. I think you definitely need a player like that when James Hagens makes it to the NHL um to kind of protect him and and allow him to do his thing and a player that can stand up for him and go after guys if they try to take uh shots at Hagens and if they try to like take runs at him. I think you’re going to need a player like Jano to protect him for sure. Um, so I I like the signing, you know. I’ve Call me an Neanderthal, call me a hockey caveman, call me like outdated and old school. Uh, whatever you want to call me, I don’t care. Um, I just think you need players like Tanner Jano. And now they and they also needed it because Marcus Stell has had concussion issues and you don’t know if he’s going to be able to play the role and and sort of do it as much with as much a clone as he did last year when he did it and he got banged up as a result of it and got a bad concussion. And now you’ve got some questions about him and whether how much he’s going to be able to play that role and and if he’s going to be able to continue the style of play that he had last year uh moving forward. And I think those are legitimate concerns and I think you want to, you know, take your time with that and be careful with that. Um, and be careful with that player and and everything he went through. Um, so I think for all those reasons it made sense. Um, you know, if it gets to a point where Castellic really isn’t fighting anymore and and shouldn’t be fighting um, and shouldn’t be engaging in any of that stuff uh, with other defending his teammates, then you’re going to need somebody that can do that. And I, you know, you don’t want Zidorov doing it and being in the box all the time. Uh, so it made sense to bring in a guy that could do it and also that can actually play a shift and has been a decent player in the league. Um, you know, do I think he’s going to score 27 goals like did he did his first year in Nashville? No. But I think he could be double digit goals and get up to like 20 points and be a a serviceable bottom six guy uh that also plays physical and and drops the gloves. And I think that’s that’s what you’re going for there. You know, that’s what you want. And uh maybe it’s a little bit of an overpay, but the cap is going the salary cap is going over 100 million next year. Um 3 point whatever million is not going to seem like a big cap hit uh for that player moving forward. And I think people are going overboard uh thinking it’s a bad contract uh when they’re getting a little too carried away with that. All right. Um this is from J Muse 45. The Bees didn’t save bullets for next year. Everyone they signed got multiple years, so there’s no cap already tied up on replacement level guys that aren’t just aren’t that are just clogging the pipeline. All right. Uh replacement level, first of all, definitely a stat geek, baseball stat nerd there that’s sent in this question. Salute you. Uh replacement level player is definitely baseball nerd talk. And I know that because I would I could baseball nerd it up with the best of them. Um, but you’re wrong a little bit. I mean, Frank, just by virtue of the signings themselves, sure, but you gotta consider Victor Arvdson in here as sort of an acquisition, free agent acquisition that was basically like a signing. U, but he’s in the last year of his contract. All right. So, that’s four million that’s coming off the cap after the season with Arvidson. And you’ve got 900,000 for Johnny Beecher. You did sign him to a one-year contract. So, they did sign somebody to a one-year contract. Um, he did not get multiple years. So, that’s like 4.9 that’s coming off the books. And add all that together, you know how much the Bruins have in salary cap space next year? Right now, at this point, without even anybody else getting traded or coming off the books, they have $20 million in cap space next year. The cap is going up over hund00 million. So, they did save bullets for next year by not overextending, by not overspending, by trading for a guy that only has one year left on his contract in Victor Arvdson. They have put themselves the Boston Bruins in a place where they can pay for Jack Eel next year if they want. They could pay for Conor McDavid next year if somehow he gets to free agency and wanted to play for the Boston Bruins. There is a massively massive upgrade, a massively massive, if you like that, upgrade in talent level for next year’s free agent class. Yes, some of these players will resign with their teams, but not all of them. And I think if if a guy like Jack Eel gets to free agency, I think the Bruins will have the money to sign him and will be all all over that trying to get a player like that. And I think that is when they will be okay to overpay for a player like that that can come in and be a serious impact center, impact forward, definitely top six guy obviously and can really help them. And uh the Bruins have put themselves in a position where they can do that. So this is kind of like what we’re looking at for the retooling, right? Is this year is going to be a little bit of a bridge year. Maybe they get to the um playoffs by a wild card. They sort of get back to basics defensively. They get uh Jeremy Swim back on track. They win lowscoring games where they’re playing uh got good defense and good goalending going on. And they sort of build back up to the way that they want to play. They do it with some character guys, some physical guys. And then they can introduce towards the end of this year James Hagens to the mix. Then they will have salary cap space if they’re trending upward to go out and get that difference making making needlemoving player like a guy like Jack Eel to bring in next year. And then they will have Hagens and they will have other players on board and you start to look at them as a little bit of a different level and different talent level and they could make a real big jump in year two uh to year three of this retooling. And I think that’s what the Bruins have in mind. I think this is a two to threeyear plan and people are some people are all doom and gloom being like, oh, you know, this team’s not going to make the playoffs next year. There’s no hope for the next two or three years. You can’t look that far into the future. You have no idea what this team is going to look like in two to three years. You have no idea what impact Hagens can have if he has a great year at BC and and comes in online at the end of the year. You have no idea what they’re able to sign next year in free agency when there’s a much better free agent class that is much more worth the money that’s going to be uh doled out. uh to come in and up the talent level, up the dynamic offensive ability, and really upgrade the top six um and have them at at a very dangerous level uh moving forward. You know, I I I just think when you when you look at it from a really uh pessimistic pessimistic perspective, sure, you can be really down in the Bruins and you can say things look awful, but I think they’re positioning themselves. And I think there’s a long-term plan to get them maybe two years from now to really be back uh to where they want to be. Uh, and I think it’s very realistic that they will be able to do that based on the cap space they have, based on the players they have, based on the draft picks they have. They they’ve put themselves in a good position um to build it back up in the next couple years the right way to be really back uh in the mix and where they want to be maybe two seasons from now. And it comes down to next year building back up the right way, getting back to basics, playing hard, like playing the right way uh with defense and goalending and playing in in a simple brand of hockey. Um that is going to allow them to be competitive before they really start to to add on the bigger pieces and really start to go for it. And I think they will. I I mean I I I think there’s a really realistic timeline here of of seeing the Bruins a couple years from now being back to a really good level where they’re going to be competing for a Stanley Cup two to three years. I I really think based on everything that’s going on with them, based on the way they’re doing things, based on sort of the plan that it seems like is in place, that could happen. Now, are you going to have to be able to get the job done and sign one of these big fish free agents a couple years from now and get them to come to Boston and believe and buy into what you’re doing? Of course. I mean, that’s part of the whole deal is being able to do that and and finding a way to to make that happen. But like Don Sweeney, I think, has done that in the past. He’s shown the ability to get players to want to come here and to stay here. And it’s going to be on him to do it again. And it’s going to be a harder cell obviously with no Brad Marshan and no Patrice Berser on, but they still have David Posternneck. They still have Charlie Makavoy. They still have a what should be a really good goalie and and back into a you know a top peak performance next year and Jeremy Swayman. They’ve still got some decent bones to this team and I think they’re going to show that next year. Do I think there’s going to be some growing pains? Yes. Do I think it’s going to take them a little while before they really uh get up to speed, especially with a bunch of new pieces in place? for sure. I think it’s going to take a little bit and I I do think it’s going to be I said this in the last show. I think it’s going to be really hard for them to make the playoffs next year. Um based on the Atlantic division, based on how good it’s going to be, based on Ottawa being better, based on the Red Wings being better, based on the Canadians being better, um you know, even the Sabres are better. But I do think they’re going to be better than a couple of those teams. But I think the Bruins are really gonna have to hope also that either Tampa or Toronto really like falls out of it. Um and either Tampa starts to really show that they’re too old or Toronto just has a hard time with Mitch Mner gone and and starts to, you know, implode on itself just based on the way that they’re built and based on the pressure that’s going on there and based how they they frankly haven’t been able to live up to it uh for this long. So, it’s a little bit of believing in what you’re doing and then also hoping that there’s a regression from some of the other teams in the division, which is asking for a lot. Um, so a lot I think is going to have to happen for the Bruins to actually make a wild card spot and make the playoffs next year. A lot is going to have to go right for them and wrong for somebody else. It’s possible. Uh, but we’ll see. But like I’m also, I think, more bullish and more optimistic on the long-term plan and the long-term prognosis. um for this team and and the the long-term sort of uh you know diagnosis of what they’re going to be and analysis of what they’re going to be like. I think I could see a very realistic scenario where two to three years from now they’re really back in a much better spot and they’re playing the way that they’re supposed to play. They’ve got a new wave of young players. They that have joined uh the established players that they have. the core group has really taken a step forward and they’ve added to it with some more star power uh via free agency and the the the money that they have tons of uh to go after players next year. Now, the other part of that is that there’s I think going to be a lot of other teams with the cap going up over 100 million. They’re going to have cap space next year to sign players. So, it’s not going to be easy. uh they’re going to have to compete with other teams and find some way to offer something that the other teams can’t or find something that’s more attractive about them than some of the other teams, but like they’d still have some things going for them. I do not believe for a second uh that that there’s a wide swath of players that are like, “We’re not playing for Boston. Like, we don’t like it there or it’s not good for players or, you know, that’s a place we want to avoid. It’s not a destination spot.” I disagree with that. I think it’s one of those destination spots in the NHL still even to this point. Um, even if they didn’t get a bigname free agent on July 1 because I’m not sure they really wanted any. Um, but you know, we’ll we’ll see how things go into place now and how this plan uh progresses moving forward. Um, but for now, I I think the the Don Sweeney retooling, the draft, free agency, the trade deadline, all that stuff leading into now, I think has done a pretty good job and I think has put them in place to do exactly what they want to do and has not uh, you know, backed them into a corner in any way, shape or form with assets, with the salary cap, with any of that stuff. On the contrary, I think the contracts that they gave out gave them flexibility to still do a lot um this season in trades coming up and then also in free agency after that. I think that was a big part of what they did was not tying themselves down to too much and being flexible to go after other things as they may become options. And that’s really what it’s all about, especially if you’re in the situation that they are. Um all right, that’s it for questions this week. Thank you for tuning in. Uh let’s give a shout out one more time to uh this show being brought to you by Prize Pix, the largest daily fantasy sports platform in North America. Download the Prize Pix app today and use the code CLNS and get $50 instantly when you play five bucks. That’s code CLNS on Prize Pix to get $50 instantly when you play $5. You don’t even need to win to receive the $50 bonus. It’s guaranteed. Prize picks run your game. We are also a proud member of the CLNS Media Network. Make sure to hit the subscribe button of the Bruins Ringside YouTube channel and turn on notifications for when a new video drops on the channel. And then we have uh NBA History Channel, CLNS Media Network, and Celtics All Access on CLNS, Patriots Press Pass, all good stuff on the YouTube channels. Uh so tune in to all that. And also make sure to turn on your notifications so you know the instant a new Pucks with Hags podcast video drops on the interwebs. All right, everybody. That’s it for the Pucks with Hags podcast. Thank you very much for listening. and we’ll see you at the ring. [Music]

Pucks with Haggs host Joe Haggerty answers Bruins fans’ questions and talks about whether the Bruins might be saving cap space for a big run at a free agent a year from now.

0:00 ⏰EPISODE TIMELINE⏰
1:25 Ryan Bourque named P-Bruins assistant coach
4:36 Upcoming schedule
5:38 CBA Extension
9:40 Could Trevor Kuntar and Riley Duran make the team?
13:52 Crossroads for Georgii Merkulov and Fabian Lysell?
16:51 Subscribe to Bruins Rinkside on YouTube!
17:28 PrizePicks
18:20 Why did Sweeney avoid the big fish in free agency?
21:48 Was Boston an option for Ehlers
22:57 Why sign Tanner Jeannot?
26:51 How much cap space did the Bruins save?
33:34 Chances of making the playoffs?
34:43 Reasons for optimism long-term?
37:16 Thanks for watching!

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