The Feb. 24 trade deadline is approaching. Sweeney’s primary target is a No. 2 right wing. He would like depth at forward and defense.
It might be, however, that the six internal transactions Sweeney executed in January have a greater influence than any acquisition. This is team-building in the cap era.
Fluto cites these 6 moves
By moving Backes, Ritchie and Kampfer out and bringing in Kuhlman, Blidh and Lauzon, Sweeney gave Cassidy the tools he needed.
For Matt Grzelcyk, it would have been uncomfortable enough to sit in front of a laptop, with Bruce Cassidy at his side, to review the sluggish feet, passive play and hiccuping breakouts that had burrowed into his game.
What made it worse was when these shortcomings were broadcast for all of Grzelcyk’s teammates to watch.
“When you get called out like that in video in front of the team,” Grzelcyk said, “you want to respond.”
The session occurred when Grzelcyk’s performance mimicked that of the team. When they gathered at Warrior Ice Arena on Jan. 16 prior to a home game against Pittsburgh, the Bruins were stuck in a 7-6-7 stumble.
Grzelcyk was coming off a healthy scratch in a 3-0 loss to the Blue Jackets. Tuukka Rask was suffering from headaches and severe motion sickness, the consequences of an Emil Bemstrom sideswipe in Columbus. The Bruins could not answer Bemstrom’s blow or make life otherwise difficult on the Blue Jackets.
Grzelcyk’s scratch and the open-doors critique were two indications that the bosses were not messing around. It didn’t matter that the Bruins were six points clear of Tampa. They didn’t care that postseason qualification was all but guaranteed.
Change was coming.
“Was I losing sleep at night? No,” Bruce Cassidy said. “I had confidence that guys in the room would get it corrected. But you just don’t know in this business. It happens. It can happen quick. It’s sometimes tough to correct.”
It might be, however, that the six internal transactions Sweeney executed in January have a greater influence than any acquisition. This is team-building in the cap era.
Fluto cites these 6 moves
By moving Backes, Ritchie and Kampfer out and bringing in Kuhlman, Blidh and Lauzon, Sweeney gave Cassidy the tools he needed.
For Matt Grzelcyk, it would have been uncomfortable enough to sit in front of a laptop, with Bruce Cassidy at his side, to review the sluggish feet, passive play and hiccuping breakouts that had burrowed into his game.
What made it worse was when these shortcomings were broadcast for all of Grzelcyk’s teammates to watch.
“When you get called out like that in video in front of the team,” Grzelcyk said, “you want to respond.”
The session occurred when Grzelcyk’s performance mimicked that of the team. When they gathered at Warrior Ice Arena on Jan. 16 prior to a home game against Pittsburgh, the Bruins were stuck in a 7-6-7 stumble.
Grzelcyk was coming off a healthy scratch in a 3-0 loss to the Blue Jackets. Tuukka Rask was suffering from headaches and severe motion sickness, the consequences of an Emil Bemstrom sideswipe in Columbus. The Bruins could not answer Bemstrom’s blow or make life otherwise difficult on the Blue Jackets.
Grzelcyk’s scratch and the open-doors critique were two indications that the bosses were not messing around. It didn’t matter that the Bruins were six points clear of Tampa. They didn’t care that postseason qualification was all but guaranteed.
Change was coming.
“Was I losing sleep at night? No,” Bruce Cassidy said. “I had confidence that guys in the room would get it corrected. But you just don’t know in this business. It happens. It can happen quick. It’s sometimes tough to correct.”
