Bruins '21 OFFSEASON Thread

Like all the players they acquired but I'm not sure how they fit. Especially if Krejci returns.

While I advocated for a vet goalie, I'm stunned they signed one to a contract like that.

seems pretty obvious-

during the playoffs, bostons bottom 6 was a complete black hole so they have begun to make moves (on the very first day of free agency) to address that. some of these moves will result in players playing for the bruins while some might be talent acquisition for a later trade. either way, the moves made thus far were in an attempt to improve the current roster so the bruins fare better in the playoffs this upcoming season.

There’s so much I find fault with in that post I’m not even going to get into all of it.


He didn’t choke a couple years ago. He was the only reason they were there. Can’t say the same about line 1 tho

Get your takes from somebody other than Felger


The most wrongfully disrespected athlete in Boston sports history. He’s had to deal with fools that know nothing about hockey complaining about him for a decade now, I’m glad he can take a little break. Ask an NHL player what they think about him, and not a talk radio hack whose 4th sport is hockey

I agree on how Rask has been disrespected, as I have said a few times here.

I don't know exactly what Sweeney's comments were. If he's just keeping the door open in case a whole bunch of things go wrong. But you don't give out the contract they did to Linus Ullmark if you are seriously thinking you'll need to bring Rask back. I hope that's not what Sweeney is thinking, that he gave out $20 mil to hold the fort down unit February, because that would be ridiculous. It sounds like that's how Felger took it (and again, I gave no idea if he has any basis in interpreting it that way).

I thought Felger's "take" was humorous, because it's hard to imagine Rask having dirt on the front office, clearly we're in hyperbole land--or it should be clear.  Where I have "issues" is that if there is clearly a young goalie to start grooming (based on extremely strong recent performance, and past performance that led us to selecting him very highly in the draft) it's Swayman.  How exactly that transition happens is certain debatable, I don't claim to have the definitive method on this, however, signing Ullmark for as large of a contract as we gave him, does SEEM on the surface to preclude this transfer of starting role to someone who looks worthy of being given the chance to take it.  The savings on a starting goaltender that Swayman appears he might become, could have been leveraged.  I think others felt similarly--there was a bit of a glimmer here for us to bolster a roster for a big run this year with money saved on goaltending and spent elsewhere.

It is, however, strange to see Sweeney defer to how Rask is doing in his comments summarizing the decision to get Ullmark:   www.nbcsports.com/boston/video/don-sweeney-explains-rationale-behind-linus-ullmark-signing

Rask may catch too much flack in this town because he's a dispassionate player.  He's the Iceman to Top Gun's maverick.  He just is, and Iceman is never the fan favorite, even if his efficiency rates are through the actual roof.  He's unlikeable in some core way.  I can totally get that, but that also those guys on the "lynch Iceman" side of things have one point, still at the end of the day.  Rask did NOT deliver a Stanley Cup as a starter.  That's the major fact they have that is viable at the end of the day.  Other goalies stood on their head and delivered one. Hasek delivered 2 in a very long career, with 6 times as many Vezinas. 

As cool and focused as Rask seems to play a lot of the time, however, he also has these moments of loss of focus.  I'm certain you could find at least one moment for every goalie in the world where this is true, however, with Rask, there seem to be these soft goals from time to time where you wonder if he's hungry, or something else temporarily distracted him, because his focus is NOT razor sharp when you think it would be for someone playing the Iceman style of goalie.   

The issue I have,really, is with Sweeney in all of this.  His position might be justified in wanting some security and depth at the goalie position, ok, I'll bite.  Several other goaltenders were available for this sort of veteran/Swayman tandem.  However, the amount of money allotted to Ullmark was irresponsible in todays cap-confined league.  The only scenario I can see where it works out, is Swayman ends up proving somehow he is what we saw last year or better, and then we unload Ullmark, who is also playing lights out as a major asset.  However, I find this outcome to be a very low % likelihood outcome at the end of the day.  What looks more likely is Ullmark is your starter, plays well enough that Swayman isn't getting enough starts, so you send him down to Providence so he can continue starting every day, however, this experience does virtually nothing for him.  He needs to start against NHL talent at this point to be tested and brought along, the AHL isn't going to give him the experience he needs now.  Rask is still available, potentially in any scenario to jump back into things if needed.  His comments, by the way, are also what exacerbated this entire situation--he said he would not play for another team.  That literally let you have a third goalie, effectively, sitting on your bench that you can sign whenever he's ready to play and the team needs him.  That is such an additional luxury, it's almost unheard of in the game today.  That paired with Swayman, and a serviceable veteran on a smallish contract, again, would have given really nice roster flexibility, the team seemingly decided to burn on fire like the joker in Nolan's Dark Knight.  Just burn up that possible cap flexibility, who needs it anyway?

The pendulum reaction from last year trying to go all youth movement to this year going, seemingly, all veterans for the bottom 6, is also a strange way to allocate funds.  Some are anticipating JB is gone and that shoe just hasn't fallen yet, which at least gets you a little cash back for another need, but it's hard to see that this group of bottom 6 has-beens can produce any more than the kids did last year.  The bottom 6 was mostly a black hole last year, and it's difficult to see that mediocre veterans is going to change that.  I'd love to be wrong and see a resurgence from one of these guys.  I just don't see a reason to expect it.  Maybe a week here or there with one of them "feeling it" is worth stripping the playing time from a kid who might put something together from playing that week?  I'm sure there are opportunity cost metrics for this stuff somewhere, I'm just not sure Sweeney would use them when there's cap money he could be wasting! 

Tuukka did stand on his head in 2018. Again, not his fault “he didn’t deliver one”.

This might be hard to understand but hockey is a team sport and the goalie cannot score goals. So when the first line no-shows a series 5 on 5 you should maybe turn your attention away from the goalie who is the only reason why you’re still in it

And if completely stealing a cup is your only criteria on what makes a successful, good goalie then you must think a lot of goalies suck


They wanted a legitimate starting goalie because they’re trying to win now and Swayman has 10 career games. Now they have one that can do a 55%-45% split, a 50-50 split the next year, and then if Swayman is ready you can move Linus pretty easily as he only has a limited NTC at that point

That’s how you break in goalies. Not the way Philly did it

Is there even cap room for krejci at this point?

By burying contracts, they can get closer but it would require a trade to fit him assuming hed be somewhere higher than 4m.

Krejci is old enough to have his deal structured with bonuses. Wouldn’t shock me if he wants to play a half season


I’m 99% confident we haven’t seen the last of him in Boston. I don’t foresee him signing elsewhere in the NHL

They spent all the money they could have given him…. Pretty bad off-season so far

Absolutely a path to signing him if he decided to stay.