Monthly Archives: July 2016

2016 Bruins Offseason, 2016 NHL free agency, Boston Bruins, David Backes, Uncategorized , , , , , 1 Comment

Getting to know David Backes

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When the news broke Friday in the NHL’s annual free agent extravaganza that the Boston Bruins agreed to terms with former St. Louis captain and center David Backes, any optimism that the team might be acquiring a player with a great deal of experience and an impressive body of work as a top two-way forward and leader was tempered with concerns about the 32-year-old’s five-year, $30 million pact.

Regardless of what side of the fence you come down on, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound veteran is a multiple 30-goal scorer who spent his entire career with the Blues after being the 62nd overall selection in the storied 2003 NHL Entry Draft, the same one that saw new teammate Patrice Bergeron selected 17 spots ahead by the Bruins in Nashville.Now, 13 years later, the most senior member of the B’s was credited by Backes as one of the key players who reached out to him this week and helped sell him on leaving the only NHL home he’s ever known to try and get Boston back on a winning track.

“He, personally, was one of the guys that I was able to talk to,” Backes said in an afternoon conference call. “I can maybe flatter a little bit now that he’s my teammate, but I hate giving players credit, giving them any edge, when I’m playing against them. But he’s a guy you were pissed at by the end of the game because he never made a mistake. That’s a good way to be successful defensively and then, by the end of the game he typically was producing something [on the] offensive side of the score sheet, too – just a guy that you can’t take a shift off because he’s going to make you pay.

“If you’re going to get anything done against him, he’s always in the right spots, he’s winning draws against you, he’s a fearless competitor, he just keeps going and keeps his mind focused on what he needs to achieve during the game. He’s a winner. He’s won a gold medal, to my dismay. He’s also won a Stanley Cup. You can’t discredit any of those great achievements that he’s had.”

That Backes would have such immense respect for a player of Bergeron’s caliber is not surprising in the least. Natural competitors and leaders gravitate towards one another, after all. And, as the Minnesota native would later reference in his various remarks, those leaders are the ones most responsible for instilling and maintaining a winning culture that everyone in the room gets on board with.

“We need a cohesive leadership group that’s made up of prominent players that have a loud voice and walk the walk and not just talk the talk,” he said. “If you have that – a good four to five guys with those qualities – the rest of the team has no option but to jump on board and fall in line. If that’s what you have, that pretty much cracks the whip on everyone else and that’s going to breed a ton of success.”

Leadership and character alone is not enough, however. Immediate concerns about the signing have cropped up primarily related to the newest Bruin’s age and diminishing returns in terms of his statistics, finishing the year with 21 goals- his lowest output since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign.

“Feeling really well,” Backes replied when asked about the toll his rugged brand of hockey over more than a decade has taken on his body. “I think that physical style has been one of my calling cards for 10 years, and I think maybe if you start to slow down a little bit, and you get a little bit older, your intelligence and your hockey sense and your ability to think the game is accelerating maybe faster than you’re slowing down. And those types of efforts to be efficient I think make – in my world, I think it’s made me a better player, and been able to carry that physical play and pick my spots at key moments, rather than just hitting everything that moves like it’s a rugby match.”

In other words, the old horse isn’t ready for the glue factory quite yet.

“Being able to perhaps finish on certain guys on the other team and other ones, it’s not worth going the extra two, three steps out of your way to expend that energy and to go for that hit,” Backes said.  “I’m 32. I’m not 52. I think there’s plenty of legs and plenty of physicality and energy left in me and the term’s been something that maybe a few people have questioned, but for me, I expect to still be at the top of my game for that last year and be a contributing member for the Boston Bruins and training differences, being able to really take care of my body, listening to it and just give everything I’ve got and I think that’s the way I’m going about it and I would expect to be really good in that fifth year still.”

All the heart and want to in the world won’t matter if the machine breaks down or the player is unable to match the previously high-end performance that he was known for as a member of the Blues who spent the last five years wearing the captain’s ‘C’.

Boston GM Don Sweeney naturally sold his signature acquisition to date as someone who will be part of a winning formula going forward, even though the more pressing need of at least one defensive piece to upgrade the back end was conspicuously absent from his list of transactions today.

“We identified David from day one as the type of player that would play with and complement Patrice and David Krejci and allow us to have flexibility, be it this year with, you know, if he wants to move to the wing in a production role or a matchup role,” Sweeney said.  “You know if you look at the defensive zone starts that David Backes had over the course of his career, it’s phenomenal that he’s produced at the level he has. He’s now got the chance now to play either with Patrice or David Krejci or play amongst them in a balanced lineup that allows him to be in an offensive situation with Krejci and maybe even backup Bergeron from that standpoint. So I think it adds the balance to our group, you know. And if Ryan Spooner continues to emerge and play the way that he’s capable of playing on a consistent basis and David Backes moves to the wing we’re going to be a better organization.”

Despite some of the more advanced analytics that showed Backes’ effectiveness in positive puck possession declining, Sweeney pointed out that the veteran still represents a clear upgrade for the B’s going forward.

“We have on the horizon a number of young, skilled players that I think will benefit, as I mentioned, will continue to play with Marchand, with Bergeron, with Krejci, and now with a Backes type,” Sweeney said. “He can then slide into players that come in and identify themselves handling bigger roles, then he can slide into different positions. I just think the versatility of this player and the leadership qualities speak for themselves.

“And his production, we expect it to continue. It took a drop this year, but that’s the age-related studies that everybody looks at and realizes that you know what you’ve signed up for in this player, that if the commitment to the term and from the ownership standpoint, we were all on board. We’re trying to win. The number of players we have, as I mentioned, with the younger players, I think it’s going to be a good complement.”

Not always the most fleet of foot, Backes is one of those more powerful skaters who uses a full head of steam to drive the net and score goals through grit and will as opposed to generating a highlight reel package off the rush. As he gets older, the foot speed and quickness are sure to diminish, so Backes addressed what is likely in store with him in the lineup.

“I don’t think the game’s getting slower,” he said. “I think that it’s a fast game, but if you start to manage the puck in the right way, and you can occupy the offensive zone and do a lot of the things that teams that are heavy and control the puck and occupy zones do, it’s not a track meet up and down the ice.”

The track meet…something the Bruins have been ill-prepared to compete in for years, even as the NHL has undergone a clear paradigm shift to more of a speed/transition and skill game, is one of the chief concerns among observers and fans who saw the team often unable to match the pace and tempo of those higher-end clubs who were among those playing well into late May and June.

“With Pittsburgh winning the Cup, a team that was kind of designed on that track meet, let’s go, let’s see who can skate the fastest up and down the ice, there may be a trend or a tendency to start to build teams like that,” said Backes.  “But you’ve also seen other teams in the L.A. Kings, the Boston Bruins, in recent history, win playing that heavy game, and maybe not having the fastest team, but winning every battle that you get into, being able to control the puck once you get it and then owning the important areas of the ice which is in front of the net.”

The consistent net-front presence, which is something Backes is sure to provide, is another area the Bruins have been lacking in. They’ve also lacked a consistent set of forward lines, which is something the newest free agent vowed to address, even though there was discussion about what position might have been promised to him ahead of time.

“I’m into winning games, so if Claude (Julien) thinks that we’re going to win more games with me playing wing then I’m in,” Backes said.  “If he thinks that we’re going to win more games with me playing center, I’m in. Whatever he thinks, you know, I’ll do it to the best of my ability. And you know it’s one of those things where it may be schedule dependent, it may be opponent dependent, it may be dependent on a bunch of different variables, but we’re going to have a game plan to win and we’re going to go out there and execute it.”

Sweeney echoed the sentiment of being flexible and basing it on ideal matches, allowing the coaches to leverage the veteran’s flexibility.

“We’re going to let it play out,” he said. “We look at the fact that the penalty killing was an area that we needed to address. He’s really good at that.”

Center or wing? Wing or center? Don’t expect to have it figured out in July.

“The strength up the middle of the ice, as I mentioned. Ryan Spooner, it will be a great challenge for him to occupy that spot or play next to one of these centers,” Sweeney said. “The guys that emerge as being able to handle the minutes and the situations are the ones that are going to play. It’s just a real good opportunity for anybody, any younger player coming into this organization is going to be put in position to play with really unique players. And we’ll find the right complements.

“If that means David gets to move to the wall to play with one of the top two guys in a producing role, that’s okay. We’ve now been in a position where if we want to go four deep, which we generally have when we’ve had success, where’s the matchup come from the other side? The other teams may find it difficult to play against the top centers that we have. So we’re going to let it play out.”

Ultimately, there are those who will embrace Boston’s newest acquisition and what he could bring the team, even if they acknowledge that Sweeney and Co. are accepting risk by offering term and value on a player who is on the wrong side of 30. Those are entirely valid concerns, but at the same time- it is not a zero sum game. Backes is a hands-on leader who will complement Boston’s existing leadership core, several of whom tend to be a little more quiet and passive as opposed to direct and confrontational. The B’s have no problem with leaders who set the right example, but when players aren’t pulling their weight or doing the things necessary for team cohesion and success, Backes is the kind of guy who will likely get in someone’s face. He’s got the proper body of work and cachet to do it, too- whether he wears an ‘A’ on his Bruins sweater or not won’t matter one bit.

“You talk about the character piece, the leadership qualities and his willingness to want to win and it aligns with the guys that have won,” Sweeney said. “And the more we can surround our team and identify our team in that regard – now, this all being said, that our younger players have to step forward, emerge, have the opportunity to take a hold of it, and these guys are going to be the leading core to get us to where we want to go, and our younger players have to jump on board.”

Backes sees the world in relatively straight forward fashion, and that was evident when he addressed his desire to make Boston his new hockey home:

“Every time I had a conversation with someone from the organization, that kind of goosebump feeling on your arms and that emotional connection and thought process towards what it would be like to maybe have a different sweater and be able to join what they’re trying to do in Boston really just kept building,” Backes said. “And then the opportunity presented itself not too long after 11 (a.m.) struck. Once (the agent) and Don Sweeney figured out the numbers, it was let’s move on with this and sign the deal because it makes so much sense on so many levels.”

This signing might not make sense on as many levels to some, but one of Boston’s priorities in the offseason was to get tougher to play against, and they succeeded on paper with the Backes acquisition. Time will tell if it will work out as planned, but for now- one veteran is in the fold to help shore up an offense that lost Loui Eriksson’s 30 goals and strong two-way play to Vancouver.

There is still much work to be done, however, with a blue line that is still at least one key upgrade away from being playoff caliber.

The July 1st transactions were a start, but the offseason grade is still incomplete.

 

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Bruins sign six: still looking for that D upgrade…

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While waiting for Bruins GM Don Sweeney’s conference call to recap the David Backes signing and day 1 of NHL free agency, here are some more names to ponder. Some are old, some are new…some are…what’s that old saying about something blue again?

From the team’s release:

BOSTON, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, July 1, that the team has signed the following six players: defenseman Tommy Cross (one-year, two-way contract through the 2016-17 season worth an average annual value of $600,000 at the NHL level), goaltender Anton Khudobin (two-year contract through the 2017-18 season worth an average annual value of $1.2 million), defenseman John-Michael Liles (one-year contract through the 2016-17 season worth an average annual value of $2 million), forward Riley Nash (two-year contract through the 2017-18 season worth an average annual value of $900,000), forward Tyler Randell (one-year, two-way contract through the 2016-17 season worth an average annual value of $600,000 at the NHL level) and forward Tim Schaller (one-year, two way contract through the 2016-17 season worth an average annual value of $600,000 at the NHL level)…

…Defenseman Tommy Cross signed a one-year, two-way contract through the 2016-17 season worth an average annual value of $600,000 at the NHL level.

Cross, 26, completed his fourth season in the Bruins organization in 2015-16, skating in 64 games with Providence and recording three goals and 20 assists for a career-high 23 points with 97 penalty minutes. Cross also saw his first NHL action in 2015-16, appearing in three games with Boston and registering his first career NHL point, an assist in the Bruins’ 5-3 win at Arizona on October 17, 2015. In his AHL career, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound defenseman has played in 217 games with Providence, amassing 11 goals and 52 assists for 63 points with 261 penalty minutes.

The Simsbury, Connecticut native was originally selected by the Bruins in the second round (35th overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Goaltender Anton Khudobin signed a two-year contract through the 2017-18 season worth an average annual value of $1.2 million.

Khudobin, 30, completed his seventh NHL season in 2015-16, appearing in nine games with the Anaheim Ducks and posting a 3-3-0 record with a 2.69 goals against average and .909 save percentage. The 5-foot-11, 203-pound netminder also played in 31 games with the San Diego Gulls of the AHL in 2015-16, recording a 19-8-3 record with a 2.46 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.

Khudobin was previously acquired by the Bruins in a trade with Minnesota in exchange for defenseman Jeff Penner and forward Mikko Lehtonen on February 28, 2011. Khudobin appeared in 15 games with Boston over the course of two seasons from 2011-13, posting a 10-4-1 record with a 2.13 goals against average and a .926 save percentage. He also played in 60 games with Providence, compiling a 30-23-4 record with a 2.48 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. In his seven-year NHL career with Anaheim, Carolina, Boston and Minnesota, Khudobin has appeared in 100 games, amassing a 44-39-0-8 record with five shutouts, a 2.42 goals against average and a .918 save percentage.

Representing Russia on the international stage, Khudobin has earned a gold medal at the 2014 World Championships as well as a silver medal at the 2015 World Championships.

The UST-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan native was originally selected by Minnesota in the seventh round (206th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

Defenseman John-Michael Liles signed a one-year contract through the 2016-17 season worth an average annual value of $2 million.

Liles, 36, skated in 17 games and notched six assists for the Bruins in 2015-16 after being acquired in a trade with Carolina in exchange for Anthony Camara, a 2016 third-round pick and a 2017 fifth-round pick on February 29, 2016. Prior to joining the Bruins, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound defenseman played in all 64 games for Carolina, recording six goals and nine assists for 15 points with 16 penalty minutes. In his 12-year NHL career with Boston, Carolina, Toronto and Colorado, Liles has skated in 800 games, amassing 87 goals and 278 assists for 365 points with 282 penalty minutes. In 40 career playoff games, he has notched four goals and seven assists for 11 points.

The Indianapolis, Indiana native was originally selected by Colorado in the fifth round (159th overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

Forward Riley Nash signed a two-year contract through the 2017-18 season worth an average annual value of $900,000.

Nash, 27, completed his fifth NHL season with Carolina in 2015-16, appearing in 64 games and producing nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound forward skated in 68 games with Carolina in 2014-15, notching eight goals and establishing career highs with 17 assists and 25 points. Nash set a career high in goals in 2013-14, when he potted 10 goals and added 14 assists while skating in a career-high 73 games. In his five-year NHL career, Nash has played in 242 games, amassing 31 goals and 50 assists for 81 points with 69 penalty minutes.

The Consort, Alberta, Canada native was originally selected by Edmonton in the first round (21st overall) of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Forward Tyler Randell signed a one-year, two-way contract through the 2016-17 season worth an average annual value of $600,000 at the NHL level.

Randell, 25, completed his first NHL season in 2015-16, skating in 27 games with Boston and producing six goals with 47 penalty minutes. He had goals in each of his first two NHL games played, becoming the first Bruin to do so since Dmitri Kvartalnov opened his NHL career with a five-game goal streak from Oct. 8-17, 1992. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound forward has also played in 172 games with Providence in the AHL from 2011-16, recording 17 goals and 16 assists for 33 points with 314 penalty minutes.

The Scarborough, Ontario, Canada native was originally selected by Boston in the sixth round (176th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Forward Tim Schaller signed a one-year, two way contract through the 2016-17 season worth an average annual value of $600,000 at the NHL level.

Schaller, 25, completed his second NHL season with Buffalo in 2015-16, producing one goal and two assists in 17 games. The 6-foot-2, 219-pound forward also played in 37 games with the Rochester Americans of the AHL in 2015-16, notching 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points with 48 penalty minutes.

In 2014-15, Schaller split time between Buffalo and Rochester. He played 65 games with Rochester, recording 15 goals and 28 assists with 116 penalty minutes, while also appearing in 18 games with Buffalo, scoring one goal and adding one assist. In his first professional season with Rochester in 2013-14, Schaller netted 11 goals and added seven assists in 72 games.

Prior to joining the Sabres organization, Schaller spent four years at Providence College from 2009-13, playing in 131 games and amassing 29 goals and 39 assists for 68 points with 161 penalty minutes.

The Merrimack, New Hampshire native was originally signed by Buffalo as a free agent on April 2, 2013.

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David Backes Boston-bound with 5x 30

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Boston’s first major free agent signing since 2013 when the B’s inked Jarome Iginla to a one-year, incentive-laden deal fell quickly in the opening moments of the annual July 1 NHL free agent frenzy when word broke that St. Louis Blues captain David Backes had signed a 5-year pact with the Black and Gold worth an AAV of $6M.

Here is a dated, but  informative video from the NHL:

What’s interesting is that Backes had been somewhat of a hot topic of late with B’s 1st-round choice and St. Louis native Trent Frederic mentioning him at the draft as his hockey idol and player he most tries to emulate. Now, Frederic will likely share the Boston dressing room with him at some point.

As for Backes- where to start? How about with this OT goal vs. Chicago to kick off the opening round?

We’ll hit the good:

The Blues captain has been one of the most effective two-way centers in the NHL since he broke out with 31 goals and 54 points (165 PIMs) in 2008-09.  He’s never topped more than 62 points in a year, but he’s so valuable as a space-eating, versatile forward who can move between center and the right wing. He plays that physical, grinding game the B’s want to get back to, but he’s skilled enough to be a consistent scoring presence.

Loui Eriksson was also a versatile winger for Boston, but he lacked the size and physicality that the 6-3, 220-pound Backes brings. He’s a year younger than Backes, but where the Bruins were only willing to go four years for him, they went an extra 365 days for their newest player.

There are things Backes can do that Eriksson simply couldn’t. What is interesting to me here is that if the Bruins and Blues had been able to get past the stumbling blocks of a reported bad contract needing to go back Boston’s way in order to consummate that trade, Backes would likely have remained put in St. Louis and the B’s would be working on signing Shattenkirk to an extension instead. It’s interesting food for thought, but the Blues, who allegedly really wanted to extend and keep Backes and Troy Brouwer (who signed with Calgary today) and were more than willing to sacrifice Shattenkirk to get that done, now are essentially stuck with their third choice. Blues GM will have some personal relationship management to do, and in the end- Shattenkirk could very well be a big trade deadline move for the team next winter if he’s not willing to sign on in the long term.

As a captain and character guy- Backes is a proven leader who will instantly bring a needed leadership presence that the B’s have missed. Since Mark Recchi was in the room, the team has lacked for a vocal leader who commands respect beyond the quiet professionals that currently comprise the club’s core of leaders.

Now for the bad:

To get Backes, the B’s had to commit five years and $30 million. That’s a deal that immediately represents risk for the team and the front office that signed him.

Since I raised the point repeatedly with respect to Milan Lucic and his (still awaiting the details) contract with the Edmonton Oilers in terms of not much tread on the tire/much mileage on the engine- it’s the same, if not an even bigger case for Backes, because he’s four years older than Lucic is and has similar wear and tear concerns given the style of game he plays. It takes a heavy toll on the body and if Backes can’t hold up physically in years 3-5, the B’s will be in it deep.

When you look at the potential for the Bruins to get a less-than-average return in the long term on the big contract, the possibility is real that Boston could be hamstrung when it comes to retaining some of the higher-end youngsters who will come due for deals when Backes is still on the books. If he isn’t producing for the club, then they’ll be back to where they were when the previous GM had to move the ever popular Johnny Boychuk for futures at a time when expectations for the club were high. In hindsight, Brandon Carlo and Ryan Lindgren are promising prospects who will in all likelihood play for the Bruins, but there is no question that not having Boychuk for the last two seasons has been an enormous factor in the defense’s plunge to the bottom of the league.

Don Sweeney and Cam Neely are courting disaster with a signing of this magnitude- they aren’t gambling here…because Backes is a proven commodity who despite his age still brings a lot to the table. However, when we’ve watched the way injuries and age have helped speed Zdeno Chara’s decline, it is a fair point to raise here. Backes is leaving his prime, but the Bruins just paid him like a guy who is in it…kinda like Lucic is.

Now, here’s some encouraging news- Backes scored 7 goals and 14 points in 20 playoff games. His level of play went up, as he posted career bests in the postseason and led his team by example to the Western Conference final, where they ran out of gas against the upstart San Jose Sharks club. His previous postseason high for games played was just 9 contests, so it isn’t like Backes has had much experience going deep into the playoffs, but he performed like a star and captain at age 32- that had to be a key in terms of what impressed the Bruins enough to take the plunge.

Unfortunately, the modern NHL continues down a path whereby exorbitant prices are paid in the offseason to players who typically won’t justify those contracts from start to finish. That makes the lower-cost ELC and bridge contracts for younger players more critical than ever, so when people express concern for what could happen down the road to rising stars like David Pastrnak, for example, that shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand, which is what I did. A mistake for which I apologized. I have to think that management is already looking ahead to Pastrnak and figuring out how to keep him. That, in my mind, started last year when he asked for the Bruins to release him to play for his country at the World Jr. Championship and they obliged- even though they incurred all the risk had some catastrophic injury happened to him. That’s the kind of thing that can help strengthen the bridge to longer-term contracts and a presence with the team that showed you respect, though it would be naive in the extreme to think that a player like Pastrnak would turn down a massive offer sheet elsewhere because the B’s honored his request.

Ultimately, Backes is now a Bruin. Fans should look forward to what he can bring as someone who can do just about everything and has come up against Boston in big moments in the past. But, that doesn’t mean embracing a player without taking a hard look at the dollars and cents and where a deal like this could come back to haunt down the road.

The big question is the same for all GMs who are spending available cap space today: are you paying the player for what he did for someone else, or because you think he’s going to provide the same level of performance for you? If the answer is the latter, then we have no choice but to cross the fingers and hope that the worn tread on the tire won’t be an issue. Because if injuries force Backes out for extended periods, or his normal 20-30 goals per season drops to 10, seeing that $6M bite out of the cap will be a bitter pill.

For now, you look at the team today- and they’ve lost a little offense from Eriksson, but gained a measure of size and heaviness- made themselves tougher to play against. Backes is a good fit for Boston, and one can only hope that unlike other big-ticket free agents of the past who signed bloated deals at age 32, that he’ll stave off the effects of Father Time and be a part of a winning solution for the Bruins going forward.

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The Bruins also re-signed trade deadline acquisition John-Michael Liles to a one-year $2M extension. That’s solid for the player who still has the wheels and puck-moving chops to be an effective middle tier role player. He helped boost the B’s offense in the first 10 days after he was picked up, but like the rest of the club, came down to earth and wasn’t able to make enough of a difference to prevent the late-season implosion.

It will be interesting to see how Liles does with a full training camp and opportunity to adjust to the new coaching staff.

However, Boston’s biggest need remains at the defense position and Sweeney has yet to address it.

Whether that comes via trade involving forward parts that can now better afford to be moved with the Backes addition or the team is looking at another bigger name (there aren’t many) UFA remains to be seen. The right-shooting Jason Demers is still on the market at the time of this writing, but probably not for long.

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Shots fired: Report- Eriksson to Vancouver, Khudobin back to B’s

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Nick Kypreos reporting that Loui Eriksson has agreed to terms on a 6-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks. AAV to be determined, but have to think it will be around $5.5-6M range- too rich for the Bruins, in all honesty.

The Bruins now just have D Joe Morrow and winger Jimmy Hayes to show for the Tyler Seguin trade that happened just three years ago on July 4th. The criticism will only grow, as once again- it was the return, dummy. Seguin still has a lot of growing up to do, but man- the guy is a super star and the B’s failed to get commensurate value. Period. End of story. There’s no dodging that one, even if I still maintain that I understood the reasoning behind moving him.

What adds fuel to the fire is that the B’s could have flipped Eriksson to St Louis back in February for Kevin Shattenkirk, but neither team could make the money work. Based on connected sources to both teams, I am told that there is a sense of regret that the sides did not work harder to make it happen. The Bruins have now lost Eriksson to free agency for zip and the Blues may have lost David Backes to the open market as well.

Ultimately, though- unrestricted free agency represents a sense of insanity, where teams pay above market prices for older players who more often than not represent the law of diminishing returns. If the Bob McKenzie rumor that the Bruins are in heavy on Backes, (and hey- it’s Mr. McKenzie- no one is going to doubt it for a second) and they end up with him, this one is going to sting for Doug Armstrong, as dealing Shattenkirk to the B’s would have likely given him the cap space to get a deal done with his captain.

Backes makes perfect sense when you look at what the Bruins value- size, ability but leadership and character. They have to get bigger up the middle, and getting him would mean that Don Sweeney can flip other assets for help on defense.

Farewell, Loui- he was a good Bruin and had his best season in Boston at the right time. These guys should be given every chance to cash in, and Eriksson did just that. The B’s wanted him back, just not at the price Jim Benning was willing to pay. Now, we wait to see who the B’s bring in to shore up their non-playoff squad that is weaker than it was without Eriksson.

Also from Mssr. McKenzie- the Bruins are reportedly bringing back goalie Anton “Dobby” Khudobin– the diminutive but plucky netminder who played well for them as Tuukka Rask’s backup before signing with Carolina a few years back. He’s bounced around after failing to earn that elusive No. 1 spot elsewhere, and this is a fine (and cheap) signing to bring in veteran insurance, while Malcolm Subban may still be given every opportunity to earn the backup spot. Jeremy Smith is no doubt gone now that Borat is indeed back.

EDIT: He’s on a 2-year, $2.4 M deal which helps keep the costs down on Rask’s $7M hit- $1.2M for a capable backup is a little higher than ideal, but the B’s know what they are getting and he’s shown he can get the job done when called upon, despite the lack of ideal NHL size for the position.

2016 Bruins Offseason, Boston Bruins, Boston Bruins prospects, Charles McAvoy, Dennis Seidenberg, MIlan Lucic, Podcasts, Pop Culture, Rob O'Gara, Ryan Lindgren, Torey Krug, Trent Frederic, Zachary Senyshyn , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

The 3 Amigos Podcast Episode 2: NHL Free Agency preview & Bruins draft review

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The 3 Amigos- LTD (Luedeke-Tiano-Duthie) are back with our second hockey podcast on the Scouting Post after previewing the OHL in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft on Father’s Day weekend.

This podcast not only recaps the Torey Krug extension and Dennis Seidenberg buyout, but looks at the Boston Bruins’ efforts in Buffalo, breaking down all of the players and handing out (admittedly premature) grades at the end. We also preview what is shaping up to be an active NHL free agent frenzy tomorrow.

We’re already hearing rumors that Oilers Prez and GM Peter Chiarelli is bringing Milan Lucic to Edmonton on a big deal on term and AAV. Just a crazy, wild thought here, but isn’t this the kind of thing that got Chiarelli shown the door in Boston? We break it down a bit. You’ll not find many bigger supporters of Lucic than yours truly- but if we’re talking 6 or 7 years at around $6.5-7M AAV, that could pose a huge risk for the Oil. Lucic is 28 and there’s a lot of tread on his tire- this contract if the rumors are right- could end up being an albatross in relatively short order if Lucic’s body doesn’t hold up. We shall see.

We also talk about the Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson, PK Subban for Shea Weber trades and the announcement that Steven Stamkos is staying in Tampa Bay- all huge stories from June 29.

We also dive into the B’s rumors, especially the reported offer sheet stuff and possible moves for Don Sweeney and company.

It’s a veritable smorgasbord and it clocks in at slightly under 1 hour and 45 minutes.    Alas, my esteemed colleague Reed Duthie was having some internet connectivity issues, so he breaks up in parts. Everyone’s a loser because we don’t exactly get every word he says, but he brings plenty of great insights. When you hear the connection go wonky, know it is not your computer acting up on you- the issue was on our end.

Finally, I posted 3 photos of Charlie McAvoy last night and promised to explain them. Our analysis comes at the 1:31:30 mark, so if you must have that burning meaning of life-type question answered for you, skip ahead.

Or listen to the whole thing. This podcast thing is fun! (Thanks for listening and all of the support for our merry little band- enjoy the theme music)