Management Bruins GM Don Sweeney addresses signings- All Sweeney Talk Here

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missingchicklet

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Jan 24, 2010
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This reporter gets it. Great article.
Yeah, weird to see someone who understands that DS is staying the course while at the same time keeping open the possibility of a big deal if one arises. He makes a good point about the Moore signing.
 

PlayMakers

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Aug 9, 2004
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Totally agree. I wish someone would ask Cassidy [why Backes doesn't play center]. He’s the coach he puts the player where he wants.

Does he think his strength is board work, pressuring the D on forecheck and net front presence on Offense? If so he can’t be a center doing that.

What I think is why he is not playing center. But it should not be etched in stone. He was a good defensive center at one time.

You just described center Sean Kuraly. I don't share the view that forechecking and board battles are the domain of wingers anymore. I think good, complete centers do all those things. That’s the way I think the league has been heading anyway. Big, strong C’s like Frederic and Studnicka are good examples. Size/strength up the middle, speed/skill on the wings.

At any rate, if they’re not looking to Backes for that role, then would you agree that his days are numbered? They already have 4 young middle6 wingers who look more than capable and if rumors are to be believed, were/are on the hunt for another winger (Kovalchuk, Skinner, etc).
 
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DKH

The Bergeron of HF
Feb 27, 2002
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You just described center Sean Kuraly. I don't share the view that forechecking and board battles are the domain of wingers anymore. I think good, complete centers do all those things. That’s the way I think the league has been heading anyway. Big, strong C’s like Frederic and Studnicka are good examples. Size/strength up the middle, speed/skill on the wings.

At any rate, if they’re not looking to Backes for that role, then would you agree that his days are numbered? They already have 4 young middle6 wingers who look more than capable and if rumors are to be believed, were/are on the hunt for another winger (Kovalchuk, Skinner, etc).
I don’t think his days are numbered because this is a player Cam specifically identified and Cam singled him out 2 weeks ago as being a physical player they need more of (Wagner immediately came to mind and bingo we got a winner)

The wingers you speak of?
DeBrusk, Heinen, Donato, and Bjork?

You are bang on - Frederic & Studnicka.

These two are impressive and exactly what you say - big, smart, 3 zone players

Studnicka was one if not best player in camp - seems like he’s got a high hockey IQ and he looks at least 6’2. Still a bit gangly but I’m kind of hoping a Frederic & Studnicka successful top 9 awaits
 
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PlayMakers

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I don’t think his days are numbered because this is a player Cam specifically identified and Cam singled him out 2 weeks ago as being a physical player they need more of (Wagner immediately came to mind and bingo we got a winner)

You are bang on - Frederic & Studnicka.

Studnicka was one if not best player in camp - seems like he’s got a high hockey IQ and he looks at least 6’2. Still a bit gangly but I’m kind of hoping a Frederic & Studnicka successful top 9 awaits

I agree with you on Frederic and Studnicka. Those guys are going to be really, really good middle6 centers. Ok, not Tavares good, but I could see them becoming Kesler-level good.

I also agree with Cam that they need more bang and bite in the middle6, but I'm not sure Backes is giving us what we need. There were times last year where he did, but look at how his role was diminished in the playoffs when we needed that type of play the most. Was he injured?

I'm also loathe to take one of the kids (Donato/Bjork) out of the lineup for Backes to play wing. I recorded a Bruins in 2 marathon the other day and the first game was opening night against Nashville. I think we've all forgotten how good Bjork looked at the start of the year. He was the fastest player on the ice, flying up and down, stripping pucks on the backcheck and carrying the puck through the neutral zone. Seeing him scream through the neutral zone with the puck on his stick was Kessel/Seguin-esque.
 
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Dr Hook

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I also agree with Cam that they need more bang and bite in the middle6, but I'm not sure Backes is giving us what we need. There were times last year where he did, but look at how his role was diminished in the playoffs when we needed that type of play the most. Was he injured?

Remember he came back very quickly from the colon surgery, so no telling how much the rest of the season took out of him. Going through that has to be hard on the body, so not surprised that his energy reserves might have been a bit low. Add to that the big thigh slice he got near the end of the season, which required some massive number of stitches and time off. I just don't think he was 100% in conditioning terms, or even close, going into those playoffs.
 

DKH

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Feb 27, 2002
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I agree with you on Frederic and Studnicka. Those guys are going to be really, really good middle6 centers. Ok, maybe not Tavares good, but Kesler-level good.

I also agree with Cam that they need more bang and bite in the middle6, but I'm not sure Backes is giving us what we need. There were times last year where he did, but look at how his role was diminished in the playoffs when we needed that type of play the most. Was he injured?

I'm also loathe to take one of the kids (Donato/Bjork) out of the lineup for Backes to play wing. I recorded a Bruins in 2 marathon the other day and the first game was opening night against Nashville. I think we've all forgotten how good Bjork looked at the start of the year. He was the fastest player on the ice, flying up and down, stripping pucks on the backcheck and carrying the puck through the neutral zone. Seeing him scream through the neutral zone with the puck on his stick was Kessel/Seguin-esque.
I agree with you but I’d be stunned if Backes isn’t back


My belief is he is:
1. Third line RW
2. Second PP
3. Primarily RW final minutes of close game leads
 
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KrejciMVP

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Jun 30, 2011
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I agree with you but I’d be stunned if Backes isn’t back


My belief is he is:
1. Third line RW
2. Second PP
3. Primarily RW final minutes of close game leads

I didn't appreciate JT .Miller headhunting him and Krejci. Backes should hang em up to help Boston
 
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BergyWho37

Only The Strong Will Survive (Never Give Up)
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When it comes to re ups Don is smashing it out of the park.

Unbelievable money thrown around this League, hopefully Don has learned his lesson on UFAs
 
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DKH

The Bergeron of HF
Feb 27, 2002
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When it comes to re ups Don is smashing it out of the park.

Unbelievable money thrown around this League, hopefully Don has learned his lesson on UFAs
I feel bad for Winnipeg they have no choice but to go to Cap max and that probably won’t be enough

I’m not exactly sure who but at least one or two teams are going to have little money left even if they wanted to pay better players

If a team has 5 guys making $40 M, and 5 guys making $25 M, that leaves $15 M for 13 players ?

And not every team wants to be a max cap team they are going to be a burial ground for inevitable guys making North of $5 M who’s play is South of it
 

Don Cherry

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Sep 28, 2017
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I agree with you but I’d be stunned if Backes isn’t back


My belief is he is:
1. Third line RW
2. Second PP
3. Primarily RW final minutes of close game leads
I will be surprised if Backes plays a significant role ever again anywhere. Terrible signing of a player way past his prime and now we get to watch him (slowly) skate off into the sunset semi aware of who/where he is.

One way or another we need to find a way to be done with him and his eggshell skull.
 

Blowfish

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Jan 13, 2005
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I will be surprised if Backes plays a significant role ever again anywhere. Terrible signing of a player way past his prime and now we get to watch him (slowly) skate off into the sunset semi aware of who/where he is.

One way or another we need to find a way to be done with him and his eggshell skull.

With his latest concussion he becomes even less impactful as a player he was originally recruited for. I much prefer see the kids play.
 

BruinDust

Registered User
Aug 2, 2005
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I will be surprised if Backes plays a significant role ever again anywhere. Terrible signing of a player way past his prime and now we get to watch him (slowly) skate off into the sunset semi aware of who/where he is.

One way or another we need to find a way to be done with him and his eggshell skull.

Your insightful analysis has been missed the past while.
 

Mr. Make-Believe

The happy genius of my household
After reading the sentiment yet again in the old Trade Proposals thread, I feel the need to finally respond.

"The Bruins had a 112 point season. How many teams ahead of them improved?"

Now why would the Bruins require improvement if they were already better than all but three or four teams in the league? 112 POINTS!

Well, the last I checked, the goal in this league wasn't to hit 112 points. It wasn't to get second place in the division.

The Bruins were out-hustled, out-hit and out-scored in a decisive series loss in the second round to the Lightning. That same Lightning team were in turn, out-everythinged by the Washington Capitals.

112 points, Shmunhundred-and-shmelve shmoints. You look at the areas that were exposed in the playoff loss and you do your best to address those. You don't want that to happen again this year. Regardless of what has happened around us with other teams, you take care of your own house. 112 points is a San Jose Sharks Regular Season Warrior mentality.

And it's not just me and those who agree with me about what has and hasn't been done this offseason. Bruins Management did the very same identifying in their press conferences after their playoffs ended.

Halak? Sure he should be an improvement over Khudobin. Didn't address a need or a hole. Net zero.
Wagner? Helps with the hitting game and setting the tone. Net positive.
Moore? Helps with the size on the left side of the defence. Good skater. Often makes the simple play out of the zone than the one that drives offence (which I'm not complaining about - I LIKE the simple play rather than the one that kills ya in turnover). But is he better than Grzelcyk? If not... Net dunno.
Nordstrom? One-for-one for Schaller? A mostly doesn't-do-much PK specialist. Only a small amount of hope is how high Reed Duthie is on Nordstrom - I trust his eyes. Net zero.

Is the defence addressed? I don't know. Maybe? Moore is going to have to prove to be a lot better than most believe he is and must push Gryz into the press box.
How about the scoring depth? They were a one-line team against TB and have added not a thing to address this issue.

And it's debatable, but I think they could use some aggression on the walls from their scoring wingers, but it's not critical.

Meanwhile we're having discussions about Kuraly as the third-line center. I'm no Reilly Nash fan, but he's better than nothing.

And then consider this: If Gryz is playing and everyone is healthy, you have Moore ($2.75M), let's say Miller ($2.5M), and extra forward (~$1M) in the press box and Halak ($2.75M) on the bench. Almost nine million in cap space not contributing on the ice.

They COULD have added Skinner I'm sure, if not for their cap squeeze.
 

Dr Hook

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After reading the sentiment yet again in the old Trade Proposals thread, I feel the need to finally respond.

"The Bruins had a 112 point season. How many teams ahead of them improved?"

Now why would the Bruins require improvement if they were already better than all but three or four teams in the league? 112 POINTS!

Well, the last I checked, the goal in this league wasn't to hit 112 points. It wasn't to get second place in the division.

The Bruins were out-hustled, out-hit and out-scored in a decisive series loss in the second round to the Lightning. That same Lightning team were in turn, out-everythinged by the Washington Capitals.

112 points, Shmunhundred-and-shmelve shmoints. You look at the areas that were exposed in the playoff loss and you do your best to address those. You don't want that to happen again this year. Regardless of what has happened around us with other teams, you take care of your own house. 112 points is a San Jose Sharks Regular Season Warrior mentality.

And it's not just me and those who agree with me about what has and hasn't been done this offseason. Bruins Management did the very same identifying in their press conferences after their playoffs ended.

Halak? Sure he should be an improvement over Khudobin. Didn't address a need or a hole. Net zero.
Wagner? Helps with the hitting game and setting the tone. Net positive.
Moore? Helps with the size on the left side of the defence. Good skater. Often makes the simple play out of the zone than the one that drives offence (which I'm not complaining about - I LIKE the simple play rather than the one that kills ya in turnover). But is he better than Grzelcyk? If not... Net dunno.
Nordstrom? One-for-one for Schaller? A mostly doesn't-do-much PK specialist. Only a small amount of hope is how high Reed Duthie is on Nordstrom - I trust his eyes. Net zero.

Is the defence addressed? I don't know. Maybe? Moore is going to have to prove to be a lot better than most believe he is and must push Gryz into the press box.
How about the scoring depth? They were a one-line team against TB and have added not a thing to address this issue.

And it's debatable, but I think they could use some aggression on the walls from their scoring wingers, but it's not critical.

Meanwhile we're having discussions about Kuraly as the third-line center. I'm no Reilly Nash fan, but he's better than nothing.

And then consider this: If Gryz is playing and everyone is healthy, you have Moore ($2.75M), let's say Miller ($2.5M), and extra forward (~$1M) in the press box and Halak ($2.75M) on the bench. Almost nine million in cap space not contributing on the ice.

They COULD have added Skinner I'm sure, if not for their cap squeeze.

Not a bad assessment- they stabilized or stayed level in the areas you mentioned above and I agree Wagner is a plus add. However, the wildcard in all this are the young players. That appears to be what the team is positive about given that we didn't add secondary scoring. Donato and Bjork are two key players in this, and we should look to see improved seasons from Heinen and DeBrusk. There is also whoever is going to be a 3/4c- Studnicka, JFK, or Frederic. On defense, I think we see an improved McAvoy, which makes the Moore add a sound depth/stabilizer rather than anecessary improvement. Grizz, should he play will be better.

I get your take here, and if we are thinking in terms of proven, veteran talent we didn't go forward much outside of Wagner, but we have so much youth with potential, some proven already, that the course the team is on looks good to me.
 

Mr. Make-Believe

The happy genius of my household
Not a bad assessment- they stabilized or stayed level in the areas you mentioned above and I agree Wagner is a plus add. However, the wildcard in all this are the young players. That appears to be what the team is positive about given that we didn't add secondary scoring. Donato and Bjork are two key players in this, and we should look to see improved seasons from Heinen and DeBrusk. There is also whoever is going to be a 3/4c- Studnicka, JFK, or Frederic. On defense, I think we see an improved McAvoy, which makes the Moore add a sound depth/stabilizer rather than anecessary improvement. Grizz, should he play will be better.

I get your take here, and if we are thinking in terms of proven, veteran talent we didn't go forward much outside of Wagner, but we have so much youth with potential, some proven already, that the course the team is on looks good to me.
I don't disagree that the course is good. The young players I have a ton of faith in.
Just think big money went to depth bodies rather than adding to the top of the roster and pushing down. It strikes me as delusion when one champions the Bruins' offseason thus far.

And no one can say "there's just nothing happening right now" as a defence either. Not only can you force the issue if you choose to, but Jeff Skinner was just dealt yesterday. Dead time is no excuse.
 

Don Cherry

Registered User
Sep 28, 2017
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Sweeney once again has slept through the off-season. When was the last time Sweeney was even heard from? Talk about keeping a low profile.
 

RedeyeRocketeer

Registered User
Jan 11, 2012
10,445
1,492
Canada
After reading the sentiment yet again in the old Trade Proposals thread, I feel the need to finally respond.

"The Bruins had a 112 point season. How many teams ahead of them improved?"

Now why would the Bruins require improvement if they were already better than all but three or four teams in the league? 112 POINTS!

Well, the last I checked, the goal in this league wasn't to hit 112 points. It wasn't to get second place in the division.

The Bruins were out-hustled, out-hit and out-scored in a decisive series loss in the second round to the Lightning. That same Lightning team were in turn, out-everythinged by the Washington Capitals.

112 points, Shmunhundred-and-shmelve shmoints. You look at the areas that were exposed in the playoff loss and you do your best to address those. You don't want that to happen again this year. Regardless of what has happened around us with other teams, you take care of your own house. 112 points is a San Jose Sharks Regular Season Warrior mentality.

And it's not just me and those who agree with me about what has and hasn't been done this offseason. Bruins Management did the very same identifying in their press conferences after their playoffs ended.

Halak? Sure he should be an improvement over Khudobin. Didn't address a need or a hole. Net zero.
Wagner? Helps with the hitting game and setting the tone. Net positive.
Moore? Helps with the size on the left side of the defence. Good skater. Often makes the simple play out of the zone than the one that drives offence (which I'm not complaining about - I LIKE the simple play rather than the one that kills ya in turnover). But is he better than Grzelcyk? If not... Net dunno.
Nordstrom? One-for-one for Schaller? A mostly doesn't-do-much PK specialist. Only a small amount of hope is how high Reed Duthie is on Nordstrom - I trust his eyes. Net zero.

Is the defence addressed? I don't know. Maybe? Moore is going to have to prove to be a lot better than most believe he is and must push Gryz into the press box.
How about the scoring depth? They were a one-line team against TB and have added not a thing to address this issue.

And it's debatable, but I think they could use some aggression on the walls from their scoring wingers, but it's not critical.

Meanwhile we're having discussions about Kuraly as the third-line center. I'm no Reilly Nash fan, but he's better than nothing.

And then consider this: If Gryz is playing and everyone is healthy, you have Moore ($2.75M), let's say Miller ($2.5M), and extra forward (~$1M) in the press box and Halak ($2.75M) on the bench. Almost nine million in cap space not contributing on the ice.

They COULD have added Skinner I'm sure, if not for their cap squeeze.

Damn this was a fine post. Nice one.
 

remer

Registered User
Oct 18, 2005
5,826
1,746
Sweeney's work at the deadline:

Traded:
2018 1st round pick
2018 3rd round pick
2019 7th round pick
Matt Beleskey (50% retained)
Ryan Lindgren
Rob O'Gara
Ryan Spooner
Net gain= Nothing

Traded Frank Vatrano for a 2018 FLA 3rd round pick
Net gain= Jakub Lauko | F | 3rd Round

Sweeney's work at the draft:
Axel Andersson | D | 2nd Round
Jakub Lauko | F | 3rd Round
Curtis Hall | F | 4th Round,
Dustyn McFaul | D | 6th Round
Pavel Shen | F | 7th Round


Sweeney's work this summer:
John Moore
Joakim Nordstrom
Chris Wagner
Jaroslav Halak

Sweeney's work at camp and season opening?

It would be nice to see Sweeney flip a few extra bodies they have and turn them into assets on a trade.
Hopefully some of the rookies push the Bruin management to make a deal. I guess we will wait and see.
 

BruinsFanSince94

The Perfect Fan ™
Sep 28, 2017
32,709
43,379
New England
Sweeney's work at the deadline:

Traded:
2018 1st round pick
2018 3rd round pick
2019 7th round pick
Matt Beleskey (50% retained)
Ryan Lindgren
Rob O'Gara
Ryan Spooner
Net gain= Nothing

Traded Frank Vatrano for a 2018 FLA 3rd round pick
Net gain= Jakub Lauko | F | 3rd Round

Sweeney's work at the draft:
Axel Andersson | D | 2nd Round
Jakub Lauko | F | 3rd Round
Curtis Hall | F | 4th Round,
Dustyn McFaul | D | 6th Round
Pavel Shen | F | 7th Round


Sweeney's work this summer:
John Moore
Joakim Nordstrom
Chris Wagner
Jaroslav Halak

Sweeney's work at camp and season opening?

It would be nice to see Sweeney flip a few extra bodies they have and turn them into assets on a trade.
Hopefully some of the rookies push the Bruin management to make a deal. I guess we will wait and see.

What exactly was the point of this?
 
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