Boston Bruins: 2014-2015

[chippa13 1844]

It starts with Rask's horrible record against the Habs that he has to answer for before each matchup and continues with the extra scrutiny that Lucic's handshake chat brought.

[Steve_v3 289]

What a lousy effort tonight. Two short handed goals. They were both bad but the second was Atrocious!

I don't know how long this is going to go on before changes get made.

[chippa13 1844]

They lost 2 in a row after going on a nice run. Realistically, what changes could be made? Outside of bringing in a winger and sitting Smith they don't have a lot of pieces they could or want to move. Some keep spinning Eriksson on the move but that hasn't got much traction.

[chippa13 1844]

Two horrendous giveaways and a lot of thinking instead of playing again.

[stick9 890]

Realistically, there isn't much they can do short of partially blowing it up. They just dont have the pieces or the cap room to add a good NHL player.

Chiarelli backed them into a corner with some of the deals and contracts he's handed out. The Seguin deal was a complete disaster. Not being to keep a 30 goal guy (Iginla) because guys like Kelly and Paille are important to the PK is just stupid.

Joe Haggerity said in a radio interview that 9 of the 12 Bruin forwards have some form of no movement clause.

[chippa13 1844]

Not being able to keep Iginla hurt. I'll bet he's looking at the standings and wishing he tried harder to fit himself under the cap in Boston.

[Steve_v3 289]

Dealing Boychuk hurt more than anyone thought.

I wish he found another way to clear cap space.

It's hard to believe that this team has fallen off so much from just last year. Chara has taken a step back and Seidenberg has looked like a totally different player.

Chiarelli is going to have dump some salary either before the trade deadline or in the summer. He has fallen in love with too many of his players.

[chippa13 1844]

Chara and Seidenberg both had recent knee injuries that have hindered their mobility. Bartkowski took a huge step back in his development which hurt as much as shipping out Boychuk.

[Jason Harris 31]

The bonehead giveaways of the last two games notwithstanding, I don't think the defense is the problem. In fact, I think its relative solidness has allowed Rask to calm down and play at an elite level. (I really believe he was just as jittery with Bartkowski out there as some of us fans were.)

They're missing offense and they're missing the edge they had in previous years. I've seen rumors of a trade for Chris Stewart, and I think he's the type of player they need: someone who could score into the twenties, but, more importantly, make it tiring for other teams to play against the B's.

My guess is Reilly Smith will be packaged with one of the defense to pick up a bruising type right winger.

[chippa13 1844]

I've seen those Chris Stewart rumors and I'm just not sold on him. He has size but the times I've seen him play he looks a little lost out there, and not just this season on a horrible Sabres team. I think they might actually create a hole by dealing McQuaid and then possibly fill it with a Sekera rental.

[stick9 890]

The problem with the Boychuk deal was it forces one of McQuaid, Miller or Krug in the top 4, none of which are suited for that role. With Chara and Seidenberg both coming off knee injuries and their age, it would make sense to have some stability like Boychuk back there.

And definitely not a Chris Stewart fan. What got me was watching David Perron play RW on PITTS top line, and he came pretty cheap.

[chippa13 1844]

To be fair, at the time of the Boychuk deal it looked like the Bruins had a stable full of healthy NHL defensemen.

[Jason Harris 31]

I think Miller is a defensive upgrade on Boychuk -- who pinched too much -- although a step back offensively.

[chippa13 1844]

I see Miller as McQuaid 2.0.

[Jason Harris 31]

I could see that, but I still think that's better defensively than Boychuk was.

[Steve_v3 289]

I think Miller is better defensively than McQuaid.

Another ugly loss tonight. I almost think they should try to trade away some salary this year.

[chippa13 1844]

They have a lot of guys coming due, they will have decisions to make.

[stick9 890]

Guess this will squash any and all "trade Tuukka" chatter.

[chippa13 1844]

I didn't see it but the "3 saves" stat on the NHL Network crawl doesn't sound like a strong debut.

[Jason Harris 31]

The first one might have been tipped, the second he let in under his arm, and after the third, he probably thought, "Wow, these guys are fast!"

What a tough decision to make over the next two weeks. I'm going to throw out the last few games because they seem to be playing with a lack of confidence, which can spin around in three games, and say they theoretically have a playoff quality defense. But I don't believe they have anywhere near enough offense to be a contender.

I think I'd be sellers, but what could you get for Paille or Kelly or Eriksson? Pretty much nothing. And until Caron learns how to hustle like Cunningham -- actually Caron played well last night -- there's doesn't seem to be enough in the minor leagues to rev Claude's engines......

[chippa13 1844]

If Krejci is out then we may see what Kochlachev really has at the big league level, maybe paired with Pastrnak as a kid line to inject some youthful enthusiasm.

I think Kelly has decent value on the market as a depth center and penalty killer. You're right about Paille, he's a dime a dozen player who is a decent guy for the PK but expensive for the icetime. That said, they don't seem to have somebody in their system that can bring what he does. I know Caron isn't the next Paille.

[chippa13 1844]

With Miller out for the season the Bruins have gone from shopping Bartkowski to needing him. He actually has played decent since getting back into the lineup, much better than he was before his exile to the pressbox.

[stick9 890]

I think they should sell too. But, I don't think Chiarelli has it in him to move pieces big enough to rebuild the roster. That means it will need to happen in the offseason after Chiarelli is let go.

My personal deal, Lucic and Hamilton to Edmonton for Hall, Yakapov and Nurse. Pipe dream, right.

[bagsbie 8]

if they can get rid of Lucic it'd be a start. Is it a wild assumption that Chiarelli's days as GM are numbered?

[chippa13 1844]

I don't think so. He did build a team that went to the finals twice in the last 4 years. I think he will get a chance to right the ship.