Bruins half-season report card?

[PlayMakers]

What's your report card look like?

Marchand A+
Pasta A+
Chara A+ (fountain of youth. seems to have cut down on the turnovers and is on pace for +38)
Halak A+ (2nd in sv pct, 3rd in gaa)
Bergeron A
Rask A (9th in sv pct, 6th in gaa)
Krejci A (on pace for 62 points and a +35 without anyone playing well on his wings)
Krug A
Carlo A (absolute monster defensively, love that he’s jumping into the offense more, but misses more shots than rich peverley)
Coyle A- (on pace for 60 takeaways, dominant possession player)


McAvoy B (plays massive minutes against top lines and is on pace for +27 but his offense has regressed)
Moore B+ (small sample but has played great)
Bjork B+
Gryz B (looks like a top pair defensemen when given the minutes, but has been relegated to 3rd pair most of the season)
Wagner B (one of the league leaders in hits, you know what to expect every game)
Nordstrom B (not my favorite player, but plays hard and smart)

Kuraly C (poor start, but looking good lately)
DeBrusk C- (goals, points, hits, takeaways… everything is down)
Clifton C- (was hoping for more)
Heinen D+ (struggling to find his game this year)
Lindholm D (placeholder)
Ritchie F (doesn’t play big when we need him, doesn’t score

Backes inc. (I don’t know what to give him. He rarely dresses and when he does he never plays. The handful of shifts I have seen I thought he looked pretty good but he gets benched faster than Heinen)

Agree? Disagree?

Click to read more...

 

[Over the volcano]

What's your report card look like?

Marchand A+
Pasta A+
Chara A+ (fountain of youth. seems to have cut down on the turnovers and is on pace for +38)
Halak A+ (2nd in sv pct, 3rd in gaa)
Bergeron A
Rask A (9th in sv pct, 6th in gaa)
Krejci A (on pace for 62 points and a +35 without anyone playing well on his wings)
Krug A
Carlo A (absolute monster defensively, love that he’s jumping into the offense more, but misses more shots than rich peverley)
Coyle A- (on pace for 60 takeaways, dominant possession player)


McAvoy B (plays massive minutes against top lines and is on pace for +27 but his offense has regressed)
Moore B+ (small sample but has played great)
Bjork B+
Gryz B (looks like a top pair defensemen when given the minutes, but has been relegated to 3rd pair most of the season)
Wagner B (one of the league leaders in hits, you know what to expect every game)
Nordstrom B (not my favorite player, but plays hard and smart)

Kuraly C (poor start, but looking good lately)
DeBrusk C- (goals, points, hits, takeaways… everything is down)
Clifton C- (was hoping for more)
Heinen D+ (struggling to find his game this year)
Lindholm D (placeholder)
Ritchie F (doesn’t play big when we need him, doesn’t score

Backes inc. (I don’t know what to give him. He rarely dresses and when he does he never plays. The handful of shifts I have seen I thought he looked pretty good but he gets benched faster than Heinen)

Agree? Disagree?

I'd bump Clifton to a B- and Gryz to a B+, maybe drop Krejci a hair, but otherwise looks like a real good list.

 

[LouJersey]

What's your report card look like?

Marchand A+
Pasta A+
Chara A+ (fountain of youth. seems to have cut down on the turnovers and is on pace for +38)
Halak A+ (2nd in sv pct, 3rd in gaa)
Bergeron A
Rask A (9th in sv pct, 6th in gaa)
Krejci A (on pace for 62 points and a +35 without anyone playing well on his wings)
Krug A
Carlo A (absolute monster defensively, love that he’s jumping into the offense more, but misses more shots than rich peverley)
Coyle A- (on pace for 60 takeaways, dominant possession player)


McAvoy B (plays massive minutes against top lines and is on pace for +27 but his offense has regressed)
Moore B+ (small sample but has played great)
Bjork B+
Gryz B (looks like a top pair defensemen when given the minutes, but has been relegated to 3rd pair most of the season)
Wagner B (one of the league leaders in hits, you know what to expect every game)
Nordstrom B (not my favorite player, but plays hard and smart)

Kuraly C (poor start, but looking good lately)
DeBrusk C- (goals, points, hits, takeaways… everything is down)
Clifton C- (was hoping for more)
Heinen D+ (struggling to find his game this year)
Lindholm D (placeholder)
Ritchie F (doesn’t play big when we need him, doesn’t score

Backes inc. (I don’t know what to give him. He rarely dresses and when he does he never plays. The handful of shifts I have seen I thought he looked pretty good but he gets benched faster than Heinen)

Agree? Disagree?

Can't argue with any one of these, you pretty much nailed it.

 

[RHR37]

I like it. Pretty accurate IMO..Little hard on Dancing Heinen but I get it.

What about Bruce and Sweeney?

Jack and Brick?

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

What's your report card look like?

Marchand A+
Pasta A+
Chara A+ (fountain of youth. seems to have cut down on the turnovers and is on pace for +38)
Halak A+ (2nd in sv pct, 3rd in gaa)
Bergeron A
Rask A (9th in sv pct, 6th in gaa)
Krejci A (on pace for 62 points and a +35 without anyone playing well on his wings)
Krug A
Carlo A (absolute monster defensively, love that he’s jumping into the offense more, but misses more shots than rich peverley)
Coyle A- (on pace for 60 takeaways, dominant possession player)


McAvoy B (plays massive minutes against top lines and is on pace for +27 but his offense has regressed)
Moore B+ (small sample but has played great)
Bjork B+
Gryz B (looks like a top pair defensemen when given the minutes, but has been relegated to 3rd pair most of the season)
Wagner B (one of the league leaders in hits, you know what to expect every game)
Nordstrom B (not my favorite player, but plays hard and smart)

Kuraly C (poor start, but looking good lately)
DeBrusk C- (goals, points, hits, takeaways… everything is down)
Clifton C- (was hoping for more)
Heinen D+ (struggling to find his game this year)
Lindholm D (placeholder)
Ritchie F (doesn’t play big when we need him, doesn’t score

Backes inc. (I don’t know what to give him. He rarely dresses and when he does he never plays. The handful of shifts I have seen I thought he looked pretty good but he gets benched faster than Heinen)

Agree? Disagree?

Too high for both Krug and Moore.

If Nordstrom's a B, how can Lindholm be a D?

Also, don't think you can be "on pace" with the plus/minus stat.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I like it. Pretty accurate IMO..Little hard on Dancing Heinen but I get it.

What about Bruce and Sweeney?

Jack and Brick?

Bruce A-
Sweeney B-

Jack C-
Brick B+

 

[BAD BOY]

Bruce A-
Sweeney B-

Jack C-
Brick B+

I don’t have a problem with any of the grades maybe knit pick here and there.

Bruce....A ( For the most part has done a real good job)

Sweeney B- ( Will he make a move, will it be the right move,

Jack ... B

Brick ... A-

Dale ... B ... could he take a players side of things not Bruin related, overall he does a good job.

Andrew ...A... fresh approach with strategy, a different point of view.

Jaffe...B+ ... on target with everything, high strung a little. But brings emotion. Hey, who can argue that.

Barry P... A... when’s he’s able to talk he’s on point. Plus he always lets everyone talk without talking over everyone else

Sophia... A... Not just the way she looks but doesn’t always make it all about her.

I like the games on NESN over the national broadcast. But in the end it doesn’t matter.

 

[DKH]

Perfection Line A
Krejci A
DeBrusk C-
Heinen D+
Bjork B
Kuraly C-
Wagner C+
Nordstrom B
Coyle B
Backes B+ (where is he)
Ritchie D

Chara A-
McAvoy B
Carlo A
Krug B
Clifton B-
Grzelcyk B+
Kampfer A-
Moore B+

Goalies A

Cassidy A-
Sweeney B

HF Bruins board B+
Me B

 

[neelynugs]

well done, bill. i'd give jay leach and his staff an A as well

 

[Glove Malfunction]

Bill, I think you made a pretty good list, though I think both Debrusk and Heinen were graded a little harshly. Debrusk's goal pace is down from last year a bit (last year he shot at remarkable 17.3%, so I'm not sure he was going to keep that up), but he has also had at least two (more?) goals taken away from dubious reviews. His assists pace is up from last year too. He's a;lso not as protected as last year, with more DZ and fewer OZ starts than last year. I think if you graded him at an A-/B+ last year (seems fair to me), dropping him to a C- thus far this year seems a bit harsh.

Heinen is also at pretty much the same scoring pace as last year (admittedly both years less than his nice rookie year (Chara don't hurt me for saying "rookie!)). He's only one goal behind Coyle, who got an A-. Yes, his advanced stats have gone backwards a bit, but not enough to rate him a D+ I don't think. I'm not sure he's really "struggling to find his game" either. If he's struggling to find his game, then i think you may expect a lot more of him than he's probably going to give you, and it seems you're grading him against that unrealistic expectation.

 

[roflstomper]

A+ Pastrnak/Marchand/Bergeron/Halak/Special Teams/Angilly
A Krejci/Coyle/Chara/Carlo/Rask
A- McAvoy/Cassidy
B+ Grzelcyk
B Krug
B- Clifton
C+ Debrusk/Bjork/Lindholm
C Heinen/Wagner
C- Kuraly/Ritchie/Nordstrom/Nesn
D Backes

 

[BigGoalBrad]

Cassidy - C. Says the right things but doesn’t push the right buttons. He has the best goaltending and a top 3 roster and the slide is on him. Send Backes down and show you have a spine.

Sweeney - B. There’s no trade that makes sense. Maybe at the deadline.

Chara - A. Can’t ask for more. Excellent season. Who knows what will be left if we go deep but he’s been great.

Bergeron - A when he plays but B+ overall the recurrent injury messes things up.

Marchand - B+. Benefited from Pasternak not as dominant as last couple years.

Pasternak A- fabulous season but he’s missing the games we suck.

Krejci A- great player but has missed time.

DeBrusk C+. Huge part of the problem why we get bullied never sticks up for his teammates. Just a little bit of play like his dad would help is so much. Still a good winger.

Coyle - B. Big contract to live up to. But he’s better than his stats.

Heinen - C- I’m not punting on him. Just wish we could stick him on the 4th more or upstairs.

Bjork B- flashes star power but leaves you wanting more. Plenty of promise.

Ritchie D.

Kuraly C but slow starts are the norm not worried.

Nordy D. I want someone who fights he doesn’t bring offense. Just taking a spot from someone who can do more.

Wagner - C. Hits and that’s it. No fights. Not a problem but I don’t like the fourth lone.

Krug B+

Carlo A-

Gryz C

Mac B+

Cliffy B-

 

[Aussie Bruin]

My grades:

A+: No-one, although Pasta goes very close.
A: Pasta, Bergeron, Marchand, Halak
A-: Carlo, Chara, Rask
B+: McAvoy, Krug, Coyle
B: Clifton, Grzelyck, Bjork, Krejci, Nordy, Wags, Cassidy, Kampfer
B-: DeBrusk, Sweeney
C+: Lindholm
C: Kuraly, Heinen
D: Ritchie

Unrateable: Backes, Moore, Kuhlman, anyone who's only played a couple of games in Boston.

 

[Mathews28]

Team game. Team report card.

B.

they’re in a great spot standings wise. But there are holes.

a B team Can win the cup.

 

[Dr Hook]

My Grades:

A+ Marchand (A+ 'nuff said)

A Pasta, Bergeron (Pasta could be A+ but for the boneheaded turnovers he still makes and occasional indifferent defending; Bergeron just Bergeron)

A- Grizz, Rask, Halak, Carlo (Both goalies have been solid, Carlo's growth this season has been tremendous, as well as his consistency; Grizz just good 99% of the time, deserves more minutes)

B+ Chara, Krug (Chara better than I thought he would be, but is still slowing down; Krug is merely average defensively)

B Coyle, McAvoy, Krejci, Bjork, Wagner (Coyle needs to score more; Krejci could do more even with the junk linemates he often gets, Bjork getting there, Wagner consistent and energetic)

B- Nordstrom (Always playing hard, more physical than he gets credit for, defensively as solid as it gets, not a lot of offense)

C+Heinen, Clifton, JDB (Heinen generally competent, needs to improve scoring touch; Clifton ups and downs as expected for a young, dynamic defenseman; JDB has more to give and needs to start giving it)

C Kuraly, Lindholm (Kuraly, not awful, but surely meh so far his season; Lindholm doesn't hurt you out there, competent, good defender and hockey IQ , offensively challenged to be kind)

C- Moore Kampfer (Moore maybe should be incomplete, but he doesn't move the needle much for me- better options in Providence; Kamp is what he is won't generally hurt you but easy to see why he is an 8/9 guy)

D Backes, Ritchie (neither should be on the Bruins; Backes- it's all been said already, Ritchie has proven largely useless so far)

Kuhlman incomplete

Cassidy A- (I don't like all his decisions, but there is no denying the results)

Sweeney B (Overall good job, but dislike the Backes signing, failure to get a top6 RW that sticks)

 

[Tazz]

What's your report card look like?

Marchand A+
Pasta A+
Chara A+ (fountain of youth. seems to have cut down on the turnovers and is on pace for +38)
Halak A+ (2nd in sv pct, 3rd in gaa)
Bergeron A
Rask A (9th in sv pct, 6th in gaa)
Krejci A (on pace for 62 points and a +35 without anyone playing well on his wings)
Krug A
Carlo A (absolute monster defensively, love that he’s jumping into the offense more, but misses more shots than rich peverley)
Coyle A- (on pace for 60 takeaways, dominant possession player)


McAvoy B (plays massive minutes against top lines and is on pace for +27 but his offense has regressed)
Moore B+ (small sample but has played great)
Bjork B+
Gryz B (looks like a top pair defensemen when given the minutes, but has been relegated to 3rd pair most of the season)
Wagner B (one of the league leaders in hits, you know what to expect every game)
Nordstrom B (not my favorite player, but plays hard and smart)

Kuraly C (poor start, but looking good lately)
DeBrusk C- (goals, points, hits, takeaways… everything is down)
Clifton C- (was hoping for more)
Heinen D+ (struggling to find his game this year)
Lindholm D (placeholder)
Ritchie F (doesn’t play big when we need him, doesn’t score

Backes inc. (I don’t know what to give him. He rarely dresses and when he does he never plays. The handful of shifts I have seen I thought he looked pretty good but he gets benched faster than Heinen)

Agree? Disagree?

 

[bme44]

My Grades:

A+ Marchand (A+ 'nuff said)

A Pasta, Bergeron (Pasta could be A+ but for the boneheaded turnovers he still makes and occasional indifferent defending; Bergeron just Bergeron)

A- Grizz, Rask, Halak, Carlo (Both goalies have been solid, Carlo's growth this season has been tremendous, as well as his consistency; Grizz just good 99% of the time, deserves more minutes)

B+ Chara, Krug (Chara better than I thought he would be, but is still slowing down; Krug is merely average defensively)

B Coyle, McAvoy, Krejci, Bjork, Wagner (Coyle needs to score more; Krejci could do more even with the junk linemates he often gets, Bjork getting there, Wagner consistent and energetic)

B- Nordstrom (Always playing hard, more physical than he gets credit for, defensively as solid as it gets, not a lot of offense)

C+Heinen, Clifton, JDB (Heinen generally competent, needs to improve scoring touch; Clifton ups and downs as expected for a young, dynamic defenseman; JDB has more to give and needs to start giving it)

C Kuraly, Lindholm (Kuraly, not awful, but surely meh so far his season; Lindholm doesn't hurt you out there, competent, good defender and hockey IQ , offensively challenged to be kind)

C- Moore Kampfer (Moore maybe should be incomplete, but he doesn't move the needle much for me- better options in Providence; Kamp is what he is won't generally hurt you but easy to see why he is an 8/9 guy)

D Backes, Ritchie (neither should be on the Bruins; Backes- it's all been said already, Ritchie has proven largely useless so far)

Kuhlman incomplete

Cassidy A- (I don't like all his decisions, but there is no denying the results)

Sweeney B (Overall good job, but dislike the Backes signing, failure to get a top6 RW that sticks)

I think you are spot on with your ratings . The only player I think everyone has rated higher than I would is Chara . For me he is a B or B-

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Cassidy - C. Says the right things but doesn’t push the right buttons. He has the best goaltending and a top 3 roster and the slide is on him. Send Backes down and show you have a spine.

Sweeney - B. There’s no trade that makes sense. Maybe at the deadline.

Chara - A. Can’t ask for more. Excellent season. Who knows what will be left if we go deep but he’s been great.

Bergeron - A when he plays but B+ overall the recurrent injury messes things up.

Marchand - B+. Benefited from Pasternak not as dominant as last couple years.

Pasternak A- fabulous season but he’s missing the games we suck.

Krejci A- great player but has missed time.

DeBrusk C+. Huge part of the problem why we get bullied never sticks up for his teammates. Just a little bit of play like his dad would help is so much. Still a good winger.

Coyle - B. Big contract to live up to. But he’s better than his stats.

Heinen - C- I’m not punting on him. Just wish we could stick him on the 4th more or upstairs.

Bjork B- flashes star power but leaves you wanting more. Plenty of promise.

Ritchie D.

Kuraly C but slow starts are the norm not worried.

Nordy D. I want someone who fights he doesn’t bring offense. Just taking a spot from someone who can do more.

Wagner - C. Hits and that’s it. No fights. Not a problem but I don’t like the fourth lone.

Krug B+

Carlo A-

Gryz C

Mac B+

Cliffy B-

Not his call, is it?

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Perfection Line A
Krejci A
DeBrusk C-
Heinen D+
Bjork B
Kuraly C-
Wagner C+
Nordstrom B
Coyle B
Backes B+ (where is he)
Ritchie D

Chara A-
McAvoy B
Carlo A
Krug B
Clifton B-
Grzelcyk B+
Kampfer A-
Moore B+

Goalies A

Cassidy A-
Sweeney B

HF Bruins board B+
Me B

Lindholm doesn't even warrant a rating?

 

[Rubber Biscuit]

What's your report card look like?

Marchand A+
Pasta A+
Chara A+ (fountain of youth. seems to have cut down on the turnovers and is on pace for +38)
Halak A+ (2nd in sv pct, 3rd in gaa)
Bergeron A
Rask A (9th in sv pct, 6th in gaa)
Krejci A (on pace for 62 points and a +35 without anyone playing well on his wings)
Krug A
Carlo A (absolute monster defensively, love that he’s jumping into the offense more, but misses more shots than rich peverley)
Coyle A- (on pace for 60 takeaways, dominant possession player)


McAvoy B (plays massive minutes against top lines and is on pace for +27 but his offense has regressed)
Moore B+ (small sample but has played great)
Bjork B+
Gryz B (looks like a top pair defensemen when given the minutes, but has been relegated to 3rd pair most of the season)
Wagner B (one of the league leaders in hits, you know what to expect every game)
Nordstrom B (not my favorite player, but plays hard and smart)

Kuraly C (poor start, but looking good lately)
DeBrusk C- (goals, points, hits, takeaways… everything is down)
Clifton C- (was hoping for more)
Heinen D+ (struggling to find his game this year)
Lindholm D (placeholder)
Ritchie F (doesn’t play big when we need him, doesn’t score

Backes inc. (I don’t know what to give him. He rarely dresses and when he does he never plays. The handful of shifts I have seen I thought he looked pretty good but he gets benched faster than Heinen)

Agree? Disagree?

Think you nailed it

 

[mjhfb]

I think developmentally Bruce has done a very good job - giving kids confidence and the opportunity to succeed...Bench management is tough to judge since we don't always know what's going on with players behind the scenes.
I also think for Bruce having such a HOF core is both a blessing and a curse; with all his success he may never win the Jack Adams since some feel the core deserves most of the credit, not him.
As far a Sweeney/Neely, I think they've done a great job of surrounding the (cost contained) core with young good (cheap) players. Other Cup teams like LA and Chicago have fallen off, and it looks like the Sweeney/Neely plan was correct. So as Bruce says, good for them.
My one question/concern is that Sweeney/Neely will be judged on winning a cup very very soon with their core still capable. And most feel they didn't improve the team from last year, and that a bold move is needed this season to accomplish that. So my grade for them is Incomplete at this time.

 

[PlayMakers]

Cassidy B-
Too locked into spots and certain combinations. Instead of line shuffling to get a boost out of the lineup, he just plays the pants off our star players. That’s fine in the playoffs but over 82 games it’s going to wear them down. Brick alluded to Bergeron being worn down in the Jersey game.

He’s not doing enough to push DeBrusk. JDB should be a factor every game but is a passenger more nights than not. Oddly enough, Cassidy seems overly harsh on other players like Heinen and it seems to be killing the kids confidence.

Lastly, I think he can over complicate the PP, at times. They were red hot at the start of the year and then he started moving Pasta off the left side. He did the same thing on the second unit putting Gryz on the left and Krejci on the right so neither could 1time the puck.

I don’t want to pile on, because I think he’s one of the better coaches in the league. They’re one of the top 3 or 4 teams in the league. I love the plays he runs off face-offs, the quick up breakouts he’s installed and he seems to have the respect of most of his players (though I think his handling of Backes is testing the room).

Sweeney B-
His re-signing of Coyle was another great signing, but I think his off-season acquisitions have hurt more than they’ve helped. I understand the thinking behind taking a chance on Ritchie, but I feel like he should have pulled the plug on that experiment by now. Lindholm doesn’t do anything for me either, and I think the team would be better off giving those injury replacement games to the kids in Providence. I think they miss the boost that young legs give you during the dog days of the season.

 

[sarge88]

What's your report card look like?

Marchand A+
Pasta A+
Chara A+ (fountain of youth. seems to have cut down on the turnovers and is on pace for +38)
Halak A+ (2nd in sv pct, 3rd in gaa)
Bergeron A
Rask A (9th in sv pct, 6th in gaa)
Krejci A (on pace for 62 points and a +35 without anyone playing well on his wings)
Krug A
Carlo A (absolute monster defensively, love that he’s jumping into the offense more, but misses more shots than rich peverley)
Coyle A- (on pace for 60 takeaways, dominant possession player)


McAvoy B (plays massive minutes against top lines and is on pace for +27 but his offense has regressed)
Moore B+ (small sample but has played great)
Bjork B+
Gryz B (looks like a top pair defensemen when given the minutes, but has been relegated to 3rd pair most of the season)
Wagner B (one of the league leaders in hits, you know what to expect every game)
Nordstrom B (not my favorite player, but plays hard and smart)

Kuraly C (poor start, but looking good lately)
DeBrusk C- (goals, points, hits, takeaways… everything is down)
Clifton C- (was hoping for more)
Heinen D+ (struggling to find his game this year)
Lindholm D (placeholder)
Ritchie F (doesn’t play big when we need him, doesn’t score

Backes inc. (I don’t know what to give him. He rarely dresses and when he does he never plays. The handful of shifts I have seen I thought he looked pretty good but he gets benched faster than Heinen)

Agree? Disagree?

Lol.

I can’t believe I’m typing this but I think you’re being too hard on Heinen.

Honestly, I think a C is more accurate.

He’s been brutal for the last few games but for most of the year he hasn’t been a disaster.

I think a C is fair.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Lol.

I can’t believe I’m typing this but I think you’re being too hard on Heinen.

Honestly, I think a C is more accurate.

He’s been brutal for the last few games but for most of the year he hasn’t been a disaster.

I think a C is fair.

Wow, is it April 1?

I also rated Heinen a 'C', which still feels about right. Started pretty well, and mostly held that form through November. But his last month he's struggled and had too many giveaways which a player of his limited offensive capacity simply can't afford.

But he's hard to rate fairly, as he's been shuffled around more than any other player, spent most of the season on his off-wing, and often been played above his station. You could argue that getting 2nd line and more ice time should actually help him, but playing with 2 somewhat unfamiliar guys who already have extraordinarily little chemistry between them can't exactly be easy. So he's had a few challenges to deal with, but some of the recent issues aren't really excusable even so.

 

[CDJ]

Marchand A+
Pasta A+
Chara A
Halak A-
Bergeron A
Rask A-
Krejci B+
Krug A-
Carlo B+
Coyle B+


McAvoy B
Moore B
Bjork B
Gryz B
Wagner C+
Nordstrom B-

Kuraly C+
DeBrusk C+
Clifton B-
Heinen C
Lindholm C (I mean he is what he is)
Ritchie D


It’s a really good team. With a quality addition in the next month and a half they have just as good a chance as anybody. Just have to get hot at the right time