For those of you wondering, yes, I\u2019m still alive.<\/p>\n
I know most of you weren\u2019t, and that\u2019s fine. You\u2019ve been busy wondering about the Boston Bruins and what their confusing moves this summer mean for them in the upcoming season.<\/p>\n
Thanks to all who submitted questions via comments here on the site and through social media. Your engagement is very much appreciated.<\/p>\n
And for those keeping score, the FanDuel odds on the Bruins to\u00a0win the Stanley Cup<\/a> are +18000, and only four teams, including San Jose and Chicago, have worse odds.<\/p>\n What is up with the goal-tending situation? There needs to be a trade. \u2013 Paul G. Bielawski<\/p>\n It\u2019s certainly a crowded crease on Causeway Street.<\/p>\n The Bruins surprised many when they retained Michael DiPietro on an incredibly team-friendly two-year deal worth just $812,000 a season, and even more by not trading away Joonas Korpisalo soon thereafter.<\/p>\n The two will battle for the backup position in training camp, but the competition won\u2019t simply come down to whoever looks best in net.<\/p>\n While their individual performance certainly matters more than anything, I think the Bruins are looking to see who fits best alongside Jeremy Swayman and forces him to elevate his own game.<\/p>\n Right now, I\u2019m leaning toward Korpisalo winning the job.<\/p>\n Is Don Sweeney done for the summer? If so, I think they might be tanking this season \u2013 Paul G. Bielawski<\/p>\n I think it\u2019s safe to say at this point that Sweeney is pretty much done for the summer. That is, unless another general manager offers him a top-six goalscorer with multiple years of control left on his deal, but don\u2019t hold your breath. Sweeney certainly isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n The winners and losers of free agency<\/a> have largely been decided but we\u2019re all waiting on those blockbuster trades that don\u2019t seem to be coming out of Pittsburgh. No, for better or worse, the pieces that will make up the Opening Night lineup are already on the roster. I wouldn\u2019t write this year off, though. At least not yet.<\/p>\n The Bruins aren\u2019t exactly considered postseason contenders, but I wouldn\u2019t be entirely shocked if they\u2019re challenging for a wildcard spot when the trade deadline rolls around. If not, then they can sell, and we can officially say they\u2019re in a full-blown rebuild.<\/p>\n Is there any chance Tanner Jeannot works out? They need to be heavier to take on Florida, but it still feels like an overpay in term and money. \u2013 Mike M.<\/p>\n That depends on what your definition of \u201cworks out\u201d is.<\/p>\n Will Tanner Jeannot be a depth scoring option, feature on the second power-play unit, and be an effective penalty killer? No. He\u2019ll provide a vocal presence in the room and a physical one on the ice. No more, no less.<\/p>\n The contract\u2013which carries a $3.4 million cap hit over the next five seasons\u2013 is tough to swallow for a player like that, especially in this day in age. Yet, from all accounts, it seems the Bruins were aggressive in their pursuit of Jeannot in free agency, far more than any other team that showed interest in him.<\/p>\n However, I think there\u2019s still value in a player like Jeannot. It\u2019s just not going to show this year, and probably won\u2019t until the Bruins are back in the playoffs, whether that\u2019s against the Panthers or not.<\/p>\n Think of Jeannot as a modern-day Shawn Thornton. Someone who carries himself with an intense demeanor that helps set a high level of expectation, balanced with the charm to lighten the mood when need be.<\/p>\n The value of that for a young team cannot be stressed enough.<\/p>\n Do the Bruins eventually look to move Hampus Lindholm? Left side feels expensive, and Lohrei over time feels like he should get more minutes because he\u2019s a unicorn (big and skilled) \u2013 Mike M.<\/p>\n I think if there is one player on the back end that the Bruins eventually move, Lindholm is it.<\/p>\n At 32, he\u2019s the oldest member of the D-corps and is still owed another $26 million over the next four years, so he\u2019s certainly a cap-relief candidate, but we\u2019re far from away getting to that point. The Bruins have several other contracts that are easier to move (Joonas Korpisalo, Pavel Zacha, Casey Mittlestadt, Henri Jokiharju) if need be.<\/p>\n Even then, Lindholm is the only certainty on the left side of the blue line right now.<\/p>\n Nikita Zadorov has a ceiling to his game, and while Mason Lohrei<\/a> may have limitless potential, he\u2019s far from reaching it.<\/p>\n Were the Bruins ever in on Trevor Zegras? It would appear that they could have put together a better package (a combination of Mittelstadt, Poitras, Lysell and\/or picks) than the Flyers. \u2013\u00a098 Problems<\/p>\n The Bruins\u2019 need for a bona fide top-line center made them a logical landing spot for Trevor Zegras, but he didn\u2019t make all that much sense for them. There was never any genuine interest on their part.<\/p>\n Zegras is all flash and no substance. He has all the skill in the world and then some, but little of the hockey sense that\u2019s required to be an effective, 200-foot player.<\/p>\n His name wasn\u2019t at the trade rumors for years because teams were having a bidding-war over him. The Ducks\u2019 asking price was simply higher than what anyone was willing to offer, and eventually settled when they traded him to the Flyers.<\/p>\n Any chance Hagens blows away the brass enough to make the opening night roster? \u2013 @CivilServantRet<\/p>\n If there is a chance, it\u2019s pretty slim.<\/p>\n Hagens performed well in development camp, but even then there\u2019s only so much to take away from that. As hungry as he is to make it to the NHL as fast as possible, the Bruins look intent to send him back to Boston College for another season<\/a>.<\/p>\n As much as the may frustrate Hagens, along with some fans, it can really only benefit him.<\/p>\n Pick a player who might surprise us by coming out of nowhere, both a positive and a negative version. Ex: Geekie and Swayman last year? \u2013 Philip Steeves<\/p>\n I think Elias Lindholm is going to change a lot of people\u2019s opinions of him this year. The adjustment to Boston was never going to be an easy one for him, and it was only made more difficult by a back injury he suffered prior to the start of training camp last year.<\/p>\n Lindholm disappointed for the most part in his first go-around with the Bruins, with just 47 points with 17 goals in 82 games. Although, he did seem to find chemistry with Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak over the final seven games of the year. The trio outscored opponents 15-2 over that span and generated 12.77 GF\/60, while Lindholm himself had nine points with four goals. I\u2019d be pretty shocked if new head coach Marco Sturm<\/a> didn\u2019t reunite the three to start this season.<\/p>\n Mason Lohrei is also a prime candidate for a bounce back year. It\u2019d be pretty hard for him to be much worse after finishing last season with the worst plus\/minus (-43) in all the NHL.<\/p>\n As for someone who might underwhelm, there\u2019s a chance that Geekie comes back down to Earth following his 33-goal, breakout campaign in 2024-25. That\u2019s not to say he\u2019s going to completely fall off a cliff. It\u2019s just going to be incredibly hard for him to have another year in which he scores on 22 percent of his shots.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For those of you wondering, yes, I\u2019m still alive. 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