Gotta hand it to Sweeney for getting the kind of players he wanted. Some speed, some grit, some size. If one of the Bruins' problems the last few seasons was complacency, I think that will be in the rear-view mirror now. At least it better be.
I liked Lucic, but I think that was part of his problem - complacency. Marchand said so about himself, which is why he started working with a sports psychologist and his play rebounded last year.
With a new 4th line (I'm actually kind of interested to see Talbot-Kelly-Rinaldo - 2 buzz-saws and a smart, hard-working vet), Beleskey, Hayes, plus the youth of Spooner and Pasta, we will hopefully see some new energy to this squad. Will it make them a successful team? We shall see.
Only thing that seems a bit puzzling is that Sweeney has been talking from day 1 about integrating young players. I had assumed that meant players from Prov, not just Spooner and Pasta. With these acquisitions today, there's not much space for our forward prospects.
I guess there's still camp, where prospects could win spots for themselves, maybe forcing a trade.
D, of course, is another matter. But I think we need to add a decent top-4 D talent to be truly competitive. Lots of time before camp.