Boston Bruins Grading Sweeney and the Bruins on their deadline moves

[Fenian24]

B+ I love the Nash trade, like the Holden move and think Wingells brings some nice and needed grit to the team. I would have liked a top 4 D, even seeing the price of McDonaugh I would have made the move but realize the cap money wasn't there. Only true fail is not getting a third line center, I think counting on Nash is going to bite them before the playoffs are over. Obviously would have liked some toughness as well.

Overall I think Sweeney did well, Nash for a decent prospect, a first in a good draft and Spooner is very good, it doesn't hurt the team today or for the foreseeable future. Getting out from under Beleskey's deal, possibly even more of it than original thought if NYR buy him out, was very well done. Holden is a great insurance policy/upgrade over matt grzelcyk again for a player who was far down the depth chart in O'Gara and a pick which they improved upon by unloading Vatrano and Wingells is a nice sneaky quiet pick up who is an improvement over Acciari. Gionta may play a game or two but with Wingells here he moves farther down the depth chart. Maroon would have been a nice addition of the players moved yesterday.

 

[BruinLVGA]

I hope he doesn’t turn into Jagr because that would mean the chemistry has been disrupted.

Jagr was not liked by Bergeron, Marchand and a few others.

I want Nash to be anything but Jagr.

Didn't know that. Why is that? What happened?

 

[flooredaccord]

I'm fine with it other than Spooner. Big Spooner fan. I'd be ok if the cost to unload belesky was Spooner but not a fan with the retention.

 

[remer]

I give him a B.
The Nash deal was a high price to pay. 1st and a 7th rd pick, Lindgren who was a 2nd round pick, Spooner and keep 1/2 of Beleskey. Really hoping for a Ranger buy out versus the Rangers just letting him sit in the AHL. Not sure we are any better with Rick Nash versus Spooner, but a least all the Spooner haters are happy. The Bruins will miss his speed and his presence on the half wall on the powerplay. I know the Bruins were likely not going to re-up him as a RFA anyway, but he still had a lot of value. I am hopeful that Rick Nash can make a playoff statement this year, because his reputation is that he isn't a playoff performer or warrior. I guess we will find out. If he fits well, I hope the Bruins can hopefully resign him for a reasonable dollar ( one year ) and keep him as an asset. I do believe this is more about Krejci and seeing if he is worth 7.25 million. He better perform now. No more excuses.
I believe that Nick Holden will help the Bruins, but if there is a weak point on this team, its not having a stellar defensive crew. Chara should not be a 1st line defender, Krug is good but small, Grzelcyk is great but young. Hoping Carlo improves and Miller / McQuaid stay healthy.
I do like the trade for Tommy Wingels but it will be a 4th round pick ( conditional 5th)since you would hope Boston can win one round in the playoffs. I doubt they plan to resign Wingels. Gionta to me was a wasted signing, but no big deal.
As well, I am not in love with Riley Nash as our third line center like so many people are. I would have preferred him as our 4th line center but that is the way it goes. I am hoping Backes can pick it up as well.
I was hoping the Bruins could have brought in some draft picks. Postma who was a bad signing this year will finish off in the AHL. A few UFA's in Providence (Szwarz/ Cross/Agostino or even Schaller, since Wingels was brought in. Missing a 1st and 5th rd pick this upcoming draft. Happy that Vatrano brought back a 3rd rd pick.
Hoping the Bruins bring up Zboril or maybe Donato. I would like to see what they can bring to the team.
But Sweeney does get credit for providing help to the team and let's hope they respond. They will be in tough with Toronto, Tampa, Pittsburg to make it to the Cup final.

 

[Gee Wally]

We have other places to relive the draft. Again and again and again and again.
Thanks.

 

[Alicat]

Didn't know that. Why is that? What happened?

A lot of things but one of the most glaring was that Jagr constantly botched line changes because he'd stay out for an extra shift. It made it difficult for them to be consistent when you had a different RW every other shift.

 

[cat400]

For as long as I can remember the yearly NHL trade deadline would come and go with the Bruins dabbling around the fringes picking up used spare parts but making no major additions much to the chagrin of the fans of team.

This year the GM went out traded for the leading forward on the trade list while adding to his D and back end grit and PK.

We will not know the results of the Bruins moves until the end of the play-offs and beyond re the prospects / picks traded; however if the name of the Trade deadline game is to immediately strengthen your team (given the restrictions of the salary cap) for a Cup Run then one would have to say Don Sweeney has done his job.

 

[Krupp]

There was some real gutsy calls this time around. I'm concerned about the Nash trade, simply because they probably aren't bringing him back next year, but if they can go on a deep run, that changes my opinion. Intrigued by Holden, but i'm not sure how much of him we'll see. Wingels is a decent pickup, so i'm ok with that one. Still not clear why Gionta was brought in.

I said B-, but i'm probably closer to a C+ in all honesty

 

[GloryDaze4877]

I'm fine with it other than Spooner. Big Spooner fan. I'd be ok if the cost to unload belesky was Spooner but not a fan with the retention.

For arguments sake, say the B’s had been able to make the deal without Spooner. Where was he going to play with Nash on board?

It appears that the C ship has sailed for Spooner, so 3rd line center, bumping Nash, was not likely.

The B’s also don’t seem to want to play Backes at C, so a 43-42-51 combo was not happening.

Doesn’t look like the B’s would have bumped DeBrusk off DK’s left, where he has been all year?

Spooner on the 4th line? They are all defensively responsible and a couple of them are pretty heavy on the puck. Not a good fit there.

Once the B’s got Nash, Spooner was gone. If it wasn’t in that deal, it would have been in a separate one.

 

[mar2kbos]

B+

Would have been A+ if Beleskeys whole contract was gone and we didn’t sign Gionta.

 

[Baddkarma]

I gave them an A.

Sweeney got the best rental winger without losing one of their A+ prospects. The first was the going rate this year so the Bruins rewarded this club for their phenomenal play so far.

Now the boys need to find a way to deal with their meat grinder last 45 days of the regular season and get some chemistry for the Cup run.

 

[Buckets and Gloves]

B+

Very happy with Nash addition... hoped we got someone for our backend, I wouldn't have paid that for McD so didn't have to be him. Yes, they got Holden but I was hoping for someone who can play top 4 minutes without me tightening my sphincter when I watch them do it lol

 

[Pia8988]

B-.
Holden is fine depth, Wingels is an upgrade. Nash is fine. Didn't really lose any future core pieces. Only real issue is the retaining on Beleskey. Overall felt the price he paid should have earned more than a 725k and 775k cap savings.

 

[Tim Vezina Thomas]

I gave Sweeney a B. I think he targeted the correct player and was able to execute a deal.

On the other hand, there was no real "value add" on his part in terms of the negotiations when it came to the Nash deal. He paid the full rental price, thats for sure, and it seems like a deal that any one of us could have made. Maybe there wasnt any room to negotiate but its hard to give Sweeney an A when all he likely did was say "sure lets do it." He didn't give up any main core future assets so I think the trade is a big net positive for the team, but hard to give a GM credit for paying full price at the TDL.

Loved the Holden/Wingels deals, and getting rid of Vatrano for a 3rd.

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

I'll take an overpay over nothing when Tampa, Toronto, NJ and Pits all got better.

 

[PlayMakers]

I'm thinking A-/B+ range.

I love that Sweeney went for it. He didn't sit on his hands or sit on his cap space. He didn't blame the market or prices. He's taking advantage of the lack of a roster maximum. He found a way to make deals work, he found ways to create cap space. That alone is worth a B, regardless of the actual deals he made. That's something we can feel good about going into every other trade deadline... "You know Sweeney's going to be hungry to make some moves."

Then you look at the deals themselves and you have to say they're also very good.

He got Gionta for free. I know some folks are poo-poo'ing that move but folks were also screaming Recchi should be scratched during the Canucks series. And it's not like we're asking him to be Rex and play on the Bergeron line. He's depth, in case the kids falter. For free. That was a shrewd move.

Holden has been a #4 that we have the luxury of using as a #5/6. He wasn't too expensive and we're now 8 defensemen deep, 4 lefties, 4 righties.

Wingels provides competition for Acciari who I've felt has lost his edge. Plus, guys like that get banged up so again, there's depth on the 4th line.

The Nash deal, I still feel like he we gave up a lot, but we dealt from areas where we had a surplus so we can absorb the losses without skipping a beat. If you looked at the players available and what we needed, a RIGHT wing, Nash was clearly the best option. Kane is a pure LW and so is Maroon. Nash is a lefty but has tons of experience and production from the right side. He's also the most skilled of the group and the most likely to find a connection with Krejci since they're both guys that like to slow things down.

He added 4 players. FOUR? And one of them a legitimate big fish. That's impressive. The only things keeping this deadline from being an A or an A+ are the Vatrano deal (not that that was terrible, I just think he could have played here given the chance) and the fact they didn't add anything long-term. But if Nash does end up being a good fit and they're able to re-sign him to a reasonable extension that would address that minor complaint.

 

[mjhfb]

Would grade the Nash move higher if the 1st rounder was a 2nd, and he was not a rental gone in a few months.

 

[Tim Vezina Thomas]

I'm thinking A-/B+ range.

I love that Sweeney went for it. He didn't sit on his hands or sit on his cap space. He didn't blame the market or prices. He's taking advantage of the lack of a roster maximum. He found a way to make deals work, he found ways to create cap space. That alone is worth a B, regardless of the actual deals he made. That's something we can feel good about going into every other trade deadline... "You know Sweeney's going to be hungry to make some moves."

Then you look at the deals themselves and you have to say they're also very good.

He got Gionta for free. I know some folks are poo-poo'ing that move but folks were also screaming Recchi should be scratched during the Canucks series. And it's not like we're asking him to be Rex and play on the Bergeron line. He's depth, in case the kids falter. For free. That was a shrewd move.

Holden has been a #4 that we have the luxury of using as a #5/6. He wasn't too expensive and we're now 8 defensemen deep, 4 lefties, 4 righties.

Wingels provides competition for Acciari who I've felt has lost his edge. Plus, guys like that get banged up so again, there's depth on the 4th line.

The Nash deal, I still feel like he we gave up a lot, but we dealt from areas where we had a surplus so we can absorb the losses without skipping a beat. If you looked at the players available and what we needed, a RIGHT wing, Nash was clearly the best option. Kane is a pure LW and so is Maroon. Nash is a lefty but has tons of experience and production from the right side. He's also the most skilled of the group and the most likely to find a connection with Krejci since they're both guys that like to slow things down.

He added 4 players. FOUR? And one of them a legitimate big fish. That's impressive. The only things keeping this deadline from being an A or an A+ are the Vatrano deal (not that that was terrible, I just think he could have played here given the chance) and the fact they didn't add anything long-term. But if Nash does end up being a good fit and they're able to re-sign him to a reasonable extension that would address that minor complaint.

I just wish there was ONE time where Sweeney made all of us say "trader Donny really made a GREAT deal here," ya know? Not saying we got taken to the cleaners by any means, but we undoubtedly paid full price for Nash. I like that he went for it and I love the other moves, but I'm having trouble giving Sweeney credit for the Nash deal.

Maybe I'm being overly critical, but its easy to buy a car if you go to the dealership and pay the sticker price.

 

[DaStinger]

I gave him an even C . I appreciate he wants to go for it but I do not think this team goes anywhere in the playoffs. Under competitive division makes the team look a little better than it is. The prospect pool is in real good shape though so the asset loss isn't a big problem.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

I'm thinking A-/B+ range.

I love that Sweeney went for it. He didn't sit on his hands or sit on his cap space. He didn't blame the market or prices. He's taking advantage of the lack of a roster maximum. He found a way to make deals work, he found ways to create cap space. That alone is worth a B, regardless of the actual deals he made. That's something we can feel good about going into every other trade deadline... "You know Sweeney's going to be hungry to make some moves."

Then you look at the deals themselves and you have to say they're also very good.

He got Gionta for free. I know some folks are poo-poo'ing that move but folks were also screaming Recchi should be scratched during the Canucks series. And it's not like we're asking him to be Rex and play on the Bergeron line. He's depth, in case the kids falter. For free. That was a shrewd move.

Holden has been a #4 that we have the luxury of using as a #5/6. He wasn't too expensive and we're now 8 defensemen deep, 4 lefties, 4 righties.

Wingels provides competition for Acciari who I've felt has lost his edge. Plus, guys like that get banged up so again, there's depth on the 4th line.

The Nash deal, I still feel like he we gave up a lot, but we dealt from areas where we had a surplus so we can absorb the losses without skipping a beat. If you looked at the players available and what we needed, a RIGHT wing, Nash was clearly the best option. Kane is a pure LW and so is Maroon. Nash is a lefty but has tons of experience and production from the right side. He's also the most skilled of the group and the most likely to find a connection with Krejci since they're both guys that like to slow things down.

He added 4 players. FOUR? And one of them a legitimate big fish. That's impressive. The only things keeping this deadline from being an A or an A+ are the Vatrano deal (not that that was terrible, I just think he could have played here given the chance) and the fact they didn't add anything long-term. But if Nash does end up being a good fit and they're able to re-sign him to a reasonable extension that would address that minor complaint.

I know a lot of folks were asking for players with term... But that wasn't appealing to me.

For example, I liked the idea of Hoffman when I first heard it. But that contract killed my enthusiasm. The increased flexibility for next season is part of why I appreciate what Sweeney was able to accomplish.

Now that I've been all rosy in his thread, I'll sour the mood a bit. Did we give up just as much for Rick Nash as the Lightning for McDonagh?

 

[Agent86]

I just wish there was ONE time where Sweeney made all of us say "trader Donny really made a GREAT deal here," ya know? Not saying we got taken to the cleaners by any means, but we undoubtedly paid full price for Nash. I like that he went for it and I love the other moves, but I'm having trouble giving Sweeney credit for the Nash deal.

Maybe I'm being overly critical, but its easy to buy a car if you go to the dealership and pay the sticker price.

I becomes a bit more difficult when others also want the exact same car and are also willing to pay up to sticker price and beyond.

I was content to stand pat, tbqh. Might of been out of fear that I didn't want to trade stockpiled assets for a rental but looking at what was done I think Sweeney did a very solid job. Didn't touch the top tier assets, moved a guy they were going to have to give a raise to but was not in the long term plans and sent a message to his core that he believes in them and their ability to win the cup. Moving Beleskey (and you can't do that for free) is the icing on the cake and as others have said, if the Rangers buy him out, even better.

 

[DarrenBanks56]

He gets a B from me.
Im just pissed Tampa got better.

 

[Agent86]

I gave him an even C . I appreciate he wants to go for it but I do not think this team goes anywhere in the playoffs. Under competitive division makes the team look a little better than it is. The prospect pool is in real good shape though so the asset loss isn't a big problem.

I thought last years team was not going anywhere in the playoffs but I took comfort that we would beat Ottawa, oops.
As of today, we get the Leafs (home ice is critical) and the pundits in the center of the hockey universe fret that the Leafs match up worse against the Bruins than they do against the Lightning. Tampa would get Columbus and they are not an easy out, solid goal tending, defense, fairly heavy and attempted to fix their biggest issue, PP, at the deadline. Who knows what will happen but the Bruins have as good a chance as any to get to the ECF.

 

[Tim Vezina Thomas]

I becomes a bit more difficult when others also want the exact same car and are also willing to pay up to sticker price and beyond.

I was content to stand pat, tbqh. Might of been out of fear that I didn't want to trade stockpiled assets for a rental but looking at what was done I think Sweeney did a very solid job. Didn't touch the top tier assets, moved a guy they were going to have to give a raise to but was not in the long term plans and sent a message to his core that he believes in them and their ability to win the cup. Moving Beleskey (and you can't do that for free) is the icing on the cake and as others have said, if the Rangers buy him out, even better.

I don't disagree with any of this, which is why I gave him a B.

 

[maxl7]

B-. I think the Nash addition is fine and I really don't think Lindgren is ever going to be much of a player, even if they ever managed to sign him given the glut of LHD ahead of him in the prospect pool. I'm fine with losing O'Gara. Not crazy about Holden, but it's fine. I'm also fine with moving on from Spooner and using him as value in moving Beleskey.

The only thing I absolutely hate is that they retained any money on Beleskey. I'd have preferred to upgrade the pick or add in extra value to make the Rangers eat the full contract.