Player Discussion Matt Beleskey II (12/14 WAIVED)

[bp13]

Little thought experiment here:

Let's say at the end of this season the Bruins are given the opportunity to be totally off the hook for Beleskey's contract without any restrictions. They don't have to give up picks, cash, or assets, and there is no penalty to the cap the next 2-4 years. A clean cut without strings attached.

What would the rest of his season have to look like for you want them not to do that? What would he have to do the rest of this year for you to say they should keep him for the next two seasons?

I can't imagine an even semi-realistic scenario where I'd keep him. I like the thought exercise but realistically Beleskey's cooked. 3/4 of a season of the best hockey of his life probably wouldn't sway me.

And God speed to Backes but I'd have said the same for him too. They weren't, aren't, and won't be worth their contracts. They might get to the level where you wouldn't pay to be rid of them, and Backes is closer for sure (or was), but there's honestly nothing they could reasonably do that would encourage me to keep them if I could snap my fingers and be done with the contract.

 

[LouJersey]

Little thought experiment here:

Let's say at the end of this season the Bruins are given the opportunity to be totally off the hook for Beleskey's contract without any restrictions. They don't have to give up picks, cash, or assets, and there is no penalty to the cap the next 2-4 years. A clean cut without strings attached.

What would the rest of his season have to look like for you want them not to do that? What would he have to do the rest of this year for you to say they should keep him for the next two seasons?

17-22 goals
250 hits
8 fights

 

[GloryDaze4877]

17-22 goals
250 hits
8 fights

Roughly this.

We are 10 games in already, so I will say 16-20 goals, 235-240 hits, don't care about the fights.

 

[NDiesel]

I'd agree with the above except the 8 fights as well....he sucks at fighting anyway.

If he plays like his first year here while adding 10-15 goals, he has a spot in the bottom 6 IMO

 

[Mainehockey33]

17-22 goals
250 hits
8 fights

I was going to say play like Lucic circa 08-11 for the rest of the year but there isn’t a remote chance that will happen.

 

[Alberta_OReilly_Fan]

Little thought experiment here:

Let's say at the end of this season the Bruins are given the opportunity to be totally off the hook for Beleskey's contract without any restrictions. They don't have to give up picks, cash, or assets, and there is no penalty to the cap the next 2-4 years. A clean cut without strings attached.

What would the rest of his season have to look like for you want them not to do that? What would he have to do the rest of this year for you to say they should keep him for the next two seasons?

My question now becomes who else is filling roles? If i have marchand and debrusk around thats 2 of 3 money spots occupied. If bjork moves to left side thats all 3... but then we have cehlarik and heinen.

Even if belesky is back to 20 goals do we need him? At 3.9 mill does he project higher value than our other options?

I mean if he could become a 30 goal guy bringing energy like marchand he would have a spot. If he was right handed he might have a spot. But the way things are, even a bounceback wouldnt change my mind

If we can move him then we need to move him

 

[Alberta_OReilly_Fan]

I can't imagine an even semi-realistic scenario where I'd keep him. I like the thought exercise but realistically Beleskey's cooked. 3/4 of a season of the best hockey of his life probably wouldn't sway me.

And God speed to Backes but I'd have said the same for him too. They weren't, aren't, and won't be worth their contracts. They might get to the level where you wouldn't pay to be rid of them, and Backes is closer for sure (or was), but there's honestly nothing they could reasonably do that would encourage me to keep them if I could snap my fingers and be done with the contract.

I like backes because hes an above average defender with above average grit and strong leadership. There will never come a day he offers nothing

He may not score enough to justify 6 mill? But winners like this help kids develop the right stuff

 

[bbfan419]

Bruins can't afford anymore buyouts with Seidenberg and Hayes still on the books, so that option is out to me anyway. If we could trade Beleskey for a 7th rd pick or career minor leaguer without retaining salary that would be the obvious preferred choice, I would only include a lesser prospect like Grezlcyk, Czarnik, Acciari , Kuraly type to move him, not giving up any top prospects or picks. If that still can't be done then the next best thing is to put Beleskey on waivers and see if some team would take him for free hoping he rebounds to his former self, if no then send him to the AHL, saves us maybe $900K in cap savings, but gets him off the team for now. The big question though is would cheap skate JJ allow DS to do it?

 

[JCRO]

Bruins can't afford anymore buyouts with Seidenberg and Hayes still on the books, so that option is out to me anyway. If we could trade Beleskey for a 7th rd pick or career minor leaguer without retaining salary that would be the obvious preferred choice, I would only include a lesser prospect like Grezlcyk, Czarnik, Acciari , Kuraly type to move him, not giving up any top prospects or picks. If that still can't be done then the next best thing is to put Beleskey on waivers and see if some team would take him for free hoping he rebounds to his former self, if no then send him to the AHL, saves us maybe $900K in cap savings, but gets him off the team for now. The big question though is would cheap skate JJ allow DS to do it?

I mean... Are you really going to get another team to bite on taking Beleskey in a deal that involves one of the four you listed?

But yes I agree, they need to get him off the books if the opportunity presents itself. And Id like to see the official breakdown if he were waived and went unclaimed.

 

[Kalus]

I mean... Are you really going to get another team to bite on taking Beleskey in a deal that involves one of the four you listed?

But yes I agree, they need to get him off the books if the opportunity presents itself. And Id like to see the official breakdown if he were waived and went unclaimed.

Yeah, those proposals are not going to get it done. Maybe Heinen (who I really like), Spooner, and Beleskey with $1M retained for pretty much nothing.

You turn a $3.8M cap hit for 2.75 more seasons into a $1M cap hit during that same time. A buyout this summer would result in carrying the full cap hit for the rest of this year and about $1M, $2M, $1M, $1M over the next 4 years. You lose a nice player in Heinen, a player who probably isn’t going to stick in Spooner but may be attractive to a team willing to take the chance w a guy in an expiring deal, and gain cap relief in both dollars and term.

He does have a modified no trade that lets him block a list of 8 teams which might complicate things.

The point is that it will take a lot to offload him.

 

[BruinsFanSince94]

Bruins can't afford anymore buyouts with Seidenberg and Hayes still on the books, so that option is out to me anyway. If we could trade Beleskey for a 7th rd pick or career minor leaguer without retaining salary that would be the obvious preferred choice, I would only include a lesser prospect like Grezlcyk, Czarnik, Acciari , Kuraly type to move him, not giving up any top prospects or picks. If that still can't be done then the next best thing is to put Beleskey on waivers and see if some team would take him for free hoping he rebounds to his former self, if no then send him to the AHL, saves us maybe $900K in cap savings, but gets him off the team for now. The big question though is would cheap skate JJ allow DS to do it?

Cheap Stake JJ, yet he spends to the cap every single year and has allowed the team to buyout Seidenberg and Hayes the past two seasons. I know he's a terrible owner, and charges too much money for all the bullshit in the Garden, but you calling him a cheap skate here is funny.

 

[Mainehockey33]

At this point what team would want him for less than a first or great prospect? Just sit him in the box for now and call someone else up.

 

[Dr Hook]

At this point what team would want him for less than a first or great prospect? Just sit him in the box for now and call someone else up.

I'm with you on this- we'd likely have to eat some salary AND give up an asset because he has no value as a stand alone piece of a deal right now. Revisit the issue again over the summer and see if there is a deal to be made . If not, rinse and repeat.

 

[Jean_Jacket41]

Let him be the 13th F and bring up someone up from Providence if there is an injury.
Useless.

 

[Dr Hook]

Let him be the 13th F and bring up someone up from Providence if there is an injury.
Useless.

But don't you find yourself, every time he's dressed, hoping he'll bring something good? I do, and I get disappointed every time. If there was ever a game for Beleskey to stand up and be counted it was last night's, and he brought pretty much nothing- again. Useless.

 

[BMC]

His decline has been very fast. I really liked him when he was a Duck but he just doesn't have it anymore. The curse of all athletes sooner or later your skills & body fail you.

 

[Mick Riddleton]

It is pretty sad that I looked at this a few times and do not even have anything good to say about him anymore. What a disappointment, I had such hopes for him to be a Horton type physical presence and chip in some goals with speed. Swzarz already looks better, that is sad. No one will take him off our hands, we will eat his contract in some manner.

 

[LSCII]

His decline has been very fast. I really liked him when he was a Duck but he just doesn't have it anymore. The curse of all athletes sooner or later your skills & body fail you.

There is no decline. That's the really messed up part. He's the same exact guy they signed. He's just not coming off a career year type of season, one that is clearly the outlier in his career.

 

[BruinDust]

I'm with you on this- we'd likely have to eat some salary AND give up an asset because he has no value as a stand alone piece of a deal right now. Revisit the issue again over the summer and see if there is a deal to be made . If not, rinse and repeat.

At some point, they have to cut the cord.

It does no one, not the players, not the coaching staff, not Belesky himself, any good to have this current situation drag on year after year until his deal is done.

Not saying Belesky isn't going to be a pro and come to work, but like any workplace, what positives are there having an employee who is going nowhere fast, is aware of this fact. He may never say it publicly, but I can't see how any pro hockey player would be happy being the "14th F" year after year. These are ego-driven proud guys, they wouldn't be here otherwise.

If thing continue going the way they are going, and I don't see how it will change, I don't see how the Bruins have any choice but to buy him out next June, for the benefit of ALL parties.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

There is no decline. That's the really messed up part. He's the same exact guy they signed. He's just not coming off a career year type of season, one that is clearly the outlier in his career.

again...his career high in points was the year AFTER he signed here. he had a lot of people saying Lucic was no loss because he brought 80% of what Looch did. His first season in Boston was pretty solid for the money.

There was absolutely a dropoff.

 

[Dr Hook]

At some point, they have to cut the cord.

It does no one, not the players, not the coaching staff, not Belesky himself, any good to have this current situation drag on year after year until his deal is done.

Not saying Belesky isn't going to be a pro and come to work, but like any workplace, what positives are there having an employee who is going nowhere fast, is aware of this fact. He may never say it publicly, but I can't see how any pro hockey player would be happy being the "14th F" year after year. These are ego-driven proud guys, they wouldn't be here otherwise.

If thing continue going the way they are going, and I don't see how it will change, I don't see how the Bruins have any choice but to buy him out next June, for the benefit of ALL parties.

I don't disagree with you at all, but thinking practically, keeping him might be the only real option. With Seidenberg and Hayes both being paid by us to play elsewhere, I don't know that a buyout at the hit Beleskey would bring is a viable option. EDIT: Looks like 2.7m this year for those two and then 2m next year, after which Seids is off the books. Add Beleskey to that next year figure and ouch!

Either that or we agree to take some of his contract for a move which would still hurt, but not as bad, but we'd probably also have to give something up we'd rather not in addition. I don't know- I'd love to see him go.

 

[Jdavidev]

No brainer to me, buy him out after season. The penalty will be high the next two years including seidenberg & Hayes (about $3M), but it would be even higher to keep him as 13f at $3.9M plus the other buyouts.

 

[DominicT]

I don't disagree with you at all, but thinking practically, keeping him might be the only real option. With Seidenberg and Hayes both being paid by us to play elsewhere, I don't know that a buyout at the hit Beleskey would bring is a viable option. EDIT: Looks like 2.7m this year for those two and then 2m next year, after which Seids is off the books. Add Beleskey to that next year figure and ouch!

Either that or we agree to take some of his contract for a move which would still hurt, but not as bad, but we'd probably also have to give something up we'd rather not in addition. I don't know- I'd love to see him go.

Actually, Hayes comes off after next season, Seidenberg has one more year.

If they bought him out in the offseason. the cap hits would be as follows

2018-2019: Seidenberg 1,166,667 + Hayes $866,667 + Beleskey $966.667
2019-2020: Seidenberg $1,166,667 + Beleskey $1,966,667
2020-2021: Beleskey $1,166,667
2021-2022: Beleskey $1,166,667

Of course, a potential lockout in September 2020 would change things, but a potential lockout in 2022 would not.

 

[Dr Hook]

Actually, Hayes comes off after next season, Seidenberg has one more year.

If they bought him out in the offseason. the cap hits would be as follows

2018-2019: Seidenberg 1,166,667 + Hayes $866,667 + Beleskey $966.667
2019-2020: Seidenberg $1,166,667 + Beleskey $1,966,667
2020-2021: Beleskey $1,166,667
2021-2022: Beleskey $1,166,667

Of course, a potential lockout in September 2020 would change things, but a potential lockout in 2022 would not.

Maybe not as painful as it seems at first glance then? Okay, I'm on board- buy him out

 

[DKH]

Actually, Hayes comes off after next season, Seidenberg has one more year.

If they bought him out in the offseason. the cap hits would be as follows

2018-2019: Seidenberg 1,166,667 + Hayes $866,667 + Beleskey $966.667
2019-2020: Seidenberg $1,166,667 + Beleskey $1,966,667
2020-2021: Beleskey $1,166,667
2021-2022: Beleskey $1,166,667

Of course, a potential lockout in September 2020 would change things, but a potential lockout in 2022 would not.

Not that bad as thought.

I keyed on Beleskey the other night at game and he played fine- what I noticed though he's pulled the aggressiveness back a bit knowing these refs are turning the game into no check

Three or more years ago Beleskey would be ok but nowadays you can't even remotely hack or whack or even hit a guy

The Bruins should go watch a college girls game where they don't allow checking but the girls have figured out how to play aggressively without checking

The game is downright confusing to me how it's played and I been to I figure 1000-plus live Bruins games