Management Don Sweeney VI

[LouJersey]

it huuuuurts

But doesn't watching McAvoy make it better? I mean he's the steal of the 16 draft. If you're going to beat them up for passing Barzal can't you be ecstatic that they identified McAvoy?

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

McAvoy is a great pick, no question. I don't think any of us could have handled him busting with Chychrun having been there too. But McAvoy also wasn't part of the great liquidation of Lucic/Hamilton etc... Would be nice to walk away with elite players once you trade away franchise pieces like that. So with that in mind I'm firmly rooting for our 3. No choice now, develop them into fine players!

 

[Estlin]

But doesn't watching McAvoy make it better? I mean he's the steal of the 16 draft. If you're going to beat them up for passing Barzal can't you be ecstatic that they identified McAvoy?

But how much better would it be to have McAvoy and Barzal now?

 

[DKH]

Lucic/Hamilton

Colin Miller
Trent Frederic
Sean Kuraly
Jakub Zboril
JFK
Jeremy Lauzon
Zach Senyshyn

Premature to pass final judgment I ggggggguesss

 

[EverettMike]

And I was told I was being "melodramatic" here when I lost my **** at the draft and said we would badly regret it (passing on Barzal) for the next decade +.....

but, yeah, now people all over the hockey world are looking up his advanced stats to back up what the eyeball test should have told the Bruins scouts on their FIRST viewing of him. It blew my mind how I could go to a game with someone and they were not enamoured with him, even though he had crap support in Seattle.

Funny, this time last year people were telling me how Barzal wasn't going to make any noise in the NHL because he "couldn't shoot" and, here, how much further ahead DeBrusk was because he was playing pro hockey.

The Isles have had their share of whiffs and we have had homeruns too (McAvoy, Carlo) but the reason the Barzal thing will haunt the Bruins is because they had the unique 3 picks in a row thing and that has never happened before. If they just had the 1 pick then people wouldn't hang it on them so much.
It could have been an amazing fleecing for Sweeney..... getting Barzal for Lucic is pure plunder but it wasn't to be.

You definitely were all over that. You started a thread before they made their first pick with the title "Bruins draft Barzal at either 14, 15, or 16."

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

What's absurdly painful is the Islanders traded up to the Barzal pick. There was interest from people to come up and get him. When you let that sink in and combine the ADP of the dudes we did get, you realize how stinky that whole mess was. Really botched.

If you're not high on Barzal that's fine, don't take him. But then you trade one of those picks to the teams who are hot for him, and know your position in the draft. Take a chance and get those extra assets.

 

[ODAAT]

am I on the Islanders board??

 

[DKH]

But how much better would it be to have McAvoy and Barzal now?

I'm a Barzal guy but going to give JFK and Senyshyn time before I consider this a catastrophic pick

I remember all to well how we thought of Marchand - me included

The Law of Avwrages was on the side of the Islanders

 

[whatsbruin]

No point in doing a rebuild, either, because Sweeney likes to pick reaches over folks like Debrincat, Barzal, Konecny, and Connor. We'll end up with another team full of grinders.

I wish we had some new players that could actually snipe top shelf. If we don't get dirty goals, we don't get goals.

I don't disagree that Sweeney has gone off the book in his drafts, but so far the results are mixed, and if Bjork were playing with Bergie and Marchand all year, perhaps his stats would be much better.
The same could be said with either Debrusk or Heinen if they were playing with Krecji and Pasternak. Really can't judge their stats based on the team this year due to all the injuries.

As far as your "team full of grinders" comment, I don't see where Sweeney has a love for these, nor do I see Cassidy have the love affair with grinders that Clode had. Personally, I think you need a few on the team. Perhaps 2 for the 4th line and 1 for the 3rd, but there is no magic formula. What draft picks of Sweeney's have been grinders ? Sweeney has traded for : Colin Miller, Martin Jones, Sean Kuraly, Jimmy Hayes, Lee Stempniak, JM Liles, and Drew Stafford. Of those I'd say Kuraly is closest to a grinder, but I think he is a good 4th line player. Now the quality of players he has traded for has not been the greatest.

Here is a list of Bruins Draft picks, and Sweeney took over in April of 2015: List of Boston Bruins draft picks - Wikipedia
I don't know all of those players, but those I do know, I don't see too many, if any, grinders.

Of the current team, I'd say Accari, Kuraly, and Beleskey are the only grinders. I think most feel Beleskey is a huge disappointment, and pretty hard to foresee his plummet to the abyss.

 

[BruinDust]

Of the current team, I'd say Accari, Kuraly, and Beleskey are the only grinders. I think most feel Beleskey is a huge disappointment, and pretty hard to foresee his plummet to the abyss.

What are Nash and Schaller if not "grinders". Maybe pluggers is a better description.

 

[BruinsFanSince94]

But how much better would it be to have McAvoy and Barzal now?

They don't so it's time to move along.

 

[Gee Wally]

I cried for 10 years about taking Kluzak over Bellows.

Trust me, it's no way to go through life.

 

[ODAAT]

But doesn't watching McAvoy make it better? I mean he's the steal of the 16 draft. If you're going to beat them up for passing Barzal can't you be ecstatic that they identified McAvoy?

Agreed

I have to hit the boards of the 13 teams who chose ahead of the B`s a few years ago and bypassed McAvoy and see if they whine as much as some on this board do about the "what if`s" at draft time

 

[EverettMike]

Agreed

I have to hit the boards of the 13 teams who chose ahead of the B`s a few years ago and bypassed McAvoy and see if they whine as much as some on this board do about the "what if`s" at draft time

Someone brought up a pretty fair point though about why this is different: the Bs passed on him 3 times, not once. And while I don't know enough about draft prospects to be able to say if a guy should have went earlier or later, a loud contingent of people who do were apoplectic in the moment, so it's not like this is Monday Morning quarterbacking.

If Barzal turns into a stud and Debrusk and Senyshyn don't, Sweeney deserves all the criticism in the world.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I cried for 10 years about taking Kluzak over Bellows.

Trust me, it's no way to go through life.

Worse yet (1987), Stephan Quintal at 14. Joe Sakic was 15th.

Making it worse, Bruins had already drafted Wesley at #3.

 

[LouJersey]

But how much better would it be to have McAvoy and Barzal now?

In a perfect world yes. And mike brought up a great point that the Bruins passed on him 3 times but if I got over the Vikings drafting Darrin Nelson over Marcus Allen or the Mets drafting Gavin Cecchini over Corey Seager I will survive this.

 

[ODAAT]

Someone brought up a pretty fair point though about why this is different: the Bs passed on him 3 times, not once. And while I don't know enough about draft prospects to be able to say if a guy should have went earlier or later, a loud contingent of people who do were apoplectic in the moment, so it's not like this is Monday Morning quarterbacking.

If Barzal turns into a stud and Debrusk and Senyshyn don't, Sweeney deserves all the criticism in the world.

Good post Mike, I think what I "try" to do when it comes to drafts/who was passed over by the B`s is wait and see how the prospect for the B`s turns out. I can understand why some here look at Barzal, putting some excellent numbers for the Islanders while Senyshyn is working to find his pro game in the AHL. I`m going to stick with my approach and just let things pan out first and see what happens with Senyshyn.

So many mistakes are made by every NHL team at draft time, well, maybe not even mistakes, has to be such a difficult job projecting where a Junior/NCAA player will be in 2-3 years regardless of how talented they are at that level, it`s, as we all know, such an inexact science. I look at picks like Heinen/Bjork, later round picks who are getting some NHL time now, good on the scouts who saw something in them a few years ago.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Good post Mike, I think what I "try" to do when it comes to drafts/who was passed over by the B`s is wait and see how the prospect for the B`s turns out. I can understand why some here look at Barzal, putting some excellent numbers for the Islanders while Senyshyn is working to find his pro game in the AHL. I`m going to stick with my approach and just let things pan out first and see what happens with Senyshyn.

So many mistakes are made by every NHL team at draft time, well, maybe not even mistakes, has to be such a difficult job projecting where a Junior/NCAA player will be in 2-3 years regardless of how talented they are at that level, it`s, as we all know, such an inexact science. I look at picks like Heinen/Bjork, later round picks who are getting some NHL time now, good on the scouts who saw something in them a few years ago.

Good point.

Draft has always been a crapshoot. Players are still kids. Almost impossible to project what they will be in the next 5 years of development. Ray Bourque was considered a reach at #8 in his draft, 3 other defenseman taken ahead of him. Steps into the league immediately as an 18 year-old and is a first team all-star.

 

[Dr Hook]

Good point.

Draft has always been a crapshoot. Players are still kids. Almost impossible to project what they will be in the next 5 years of development. Ray Bourque was considered a reach at #8 in his draft, 3 other defenseman taken ahead of him. Steps into the league immediately as an 18 year-old and is a first team all-star.

None of those D men take ahead of him were scrubs either- it seems like all three teams that "passed" on Bourque probably were happy about the picks they made, but you really do highlight what a coin toss it can be. Barzal may well end up great, it may be a fluke season for him but so far, the three guys we did take can potentially make the picks look good regardless of what Barzal or Connor ultimately become.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

None of those D men take ahead of him were scrubs either- it seems like all three teams that "passed" on Bourque probably were happy about the picks they made, but you really do highlight what a coin toss it can be. Barzal may well end up great, it may be a fluke season for him but so far, the three guys we did take can potentially make the picks look good regardless of what Barzal or Connor ultimately become.

All true.

And its way to early to judge what any of the three Bruins' picks will turn out to be.

 

[Hali33]

I am quite sure if it one of our 3 picks having that kind of start in the NHL while Barzal was fairly quiet or still finding his game in the AHL there would be no hesitation at all in declaring this all set and a win by our genius Bruins.

 

[EverettMike]

I am quite sure if it one of our 3 picks having that kind of start in the NHL while Barzal was fairly quiet or still finding his game in the AHL there would be no hesitation at all in declaring this all set and a win by our genius Bruins.

Yup.

 

[Tampbear]

I am quite sure if it one of our 3 picks having that kind of start in the NHL while Barzal was fairly quiet or still finding his game in the AHL there would be no hesitation at all in declaring this all set and a win by our genius Bruins.

My stance is the guys chosen can make Sweeney look ok, I'm not closing the book on them. Sweeney could have made things less precarious and pick the obvious talent and kept this from ever being a debate.

 

[DKH]

You definitely were all over that. You started a thread before they made their first pick with the title "Bruins draft Barzal at either 14, 15, or 16."

I bet there isn't one person on this board who was as pissed as me they passed on Barzel

But I'll wait it out - not putting him on HOF yet as Bill Parcells would say

Hated hated hated the Patriots drafted Richard Seymour over the WR from Michigan

And don't even get me going on the Logan Mankins pick

A f***ing guard!!!! You pick these up in the 4th round

 

[Colt.45Orr]

I bet there isn't one person on this board who was as pissed as me they passed on Barzel

I'd take that bet; I have a Barzal Thunderbirds jersey and, heck, I even got them to spell it right!


edit: People say "He is an Islander now, it doesn't have any impact on the Bruins anymore" ---which is something I would love to get behind but the really annoying thing is that with Barzal giving them a legit 2nd line now, I would bet that they are making the playoffs this year and taking away one of the wildcard slots that the Bruins will be gunning after.

I've also heard that Tavares (who was in a "show me" year.... wanting management to show him a reason to sign on long term) loves Barzal, so it is going to directly impact a huge UFA signing as well. I only mention that because Tavares name is thrown around here as well.