Could the Bruins make an early trade? | Poke the Bear w/ Conor Ryan
Conor Ryan of Boston.com rides solo for this one! With the Bruins playing only one game in five days, Conor is here to discuss the team's performance so far and what we can expect moving forward. He also answers some user-submitted questions in Poke the Bear's first mailbag segment of the season.
TIMELINE:
0:00 Limited game sample size, Bruins face favorable schedule.
4:12 Pavel Zacha praised for skill in power play.
6:45 JVR valuable for Bruins, Poitras joining top six.
10:08 Possibly best suited at 3C position.
15:04 Geekie shows potential in top six role.
18:55 Nugent-Hopkins trade for Ullmark could work.
22:16 Bruins' Heinen could bring value in role.
23:39 Clarity expected after nine game sample.
This episode of Poke the Bear is brought to you by Fanduel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network. Visit FanDuel.com/BOSTON and start earning BONUS BETS with America’s #1 Sportsbook!
21+ and present in MA. First online real money wager only. $10 Deposit req. Refund issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at fanduel.com/sportsbook. Hope is here. GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234
TIMELINE:
0:00 Limited game sample size, Bruins face favorable schedule.
4:12 Pavel Zacha praised for skill in power play.
6:45 JVR valuable for Bruins, Poitras joining top six.
10:08 Possibly best suited at 3C position.
15:04 Geekie shows potential in top six role.
18:55 Nugent-Hopkins trade for Ullmark could work.
22:16 Bruins' Heinen could bring value in role.
23:39 Clarity expected after nine game sample.
This episode of Poke the Bear is brought to you by Fanduel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network. Visit FanDuel.com/BOSTON and start earning BONUS BETS with America’s #1 Sportsbook!
21+ and present in MA. First online real money wager only. $10 Deposit req. Refund issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at fanduel.com/sportsbook. Hope is here. GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800)-327-5050 for 24/7 support. Play it smart from the start! GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234
Transcript
00:00 I see why the Bruins want to do it with Patra of, listen, you got a nine game sample size
00:04 here.
00:05 You want to see if this guy can, he's already shown that he can, I think, handle himself
00:08 in the NHL ranks.
00:09 He can fight through the physicality, can still make plays, smart with the puck, but
00:14 can he unlock more tangible offense?
00:16 And I think you'll see if he can do that next to a guy like Marchant in these next couple
00:19 of games.
00:20 Poke the Bear is brought to you by FanDuel, the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS
00:24 Media Network.
00:28 And welcome into Poke the Bear, episode 170.
00:33 I'm your host, Connor Ryan, presented by our good friends over at FanDuel.
00:38 And as you can see, we're riding solo today.
00:40 We've got no Evan, no Ty, anyone else like that.
00:44 And honestly, it makes a lot of sense.
00:46 We're as excited, I think, as Bruins fans are for the new season to get underway.
00:51 We're in a bit of a lull.
00:53 It's not great.
00:54 It's not great when you've been waiting a few months for Bruins hockey to get back and
00:58 all of a sudden the Bruins go out on the West Coast and they're playing, what is it, one
01:03 game in five days.
01:04 It's not great.
01:05 Not a lot to talk about right now.
01:07 You know, we looked, you know, Evan and I spoke about Jim Montgomery's lineup reshuffle
01:13 on Monday during our taping of Bruins Beat.
01:16 But since then, Bruins have an off day as we're recording this on Tuesday.
01:20 Not a whole lot to talk about right now.
01:21 Not a lot of new developments, I would say, beyond what we've seen over these last two
01:25 games against Chicago and Nashville.
01:28 And even then, can you glean all that much?
01:31 I mean, listen, Bruins are 2-0.
01:33 A lot of guys are impressed right now, but really don't have a huge sample size quite
01:38 yet.
01:39 Especially when you look at that Nashville game, how many total minutes of 5-on-5 play
01:42 even were there in that game?
01:44 Not a whole lot.
01:45 Not in a game where Bruins are killing seven penalties.
01:48 So we still don't have a full, I think, sample size quite yet of this team.
01:52 But as we kind of wait for more tape to be out there, more games to happen, the Bruins
01:58 finally head out to the West Coast for what ideally should be a pretty light schedule
02:03 for them in terms of, listen, this is a team that is kind of starting a new chapter in
02:09 the franchise's history.
02:10 So good to get them out there against teams like Anaheim.
02:15 Even if they go out to play Chicago, the San Jose Sharks, not good.
02:21 So if you're the Bruins, even though I'm sure both them and obviously you guys would
02:26 like them to be playing a lot more games early on here, the matches that they do have are
02:32 pretty favorable to them as they kind of figure out where best to put guys.
02:36 So again, for this episode, where it's a solo show, not a lot happening with the Bruins
02:43 right now, at least in terms of tangible news, we figured we might as well start it off with
02:47 our first mailbag podcast of the new season.
02:51 So I took to Twitter on Monday, asked for a few user submitted questions.
02:57 Again, thank you guys for sending in stuff.
02:59 If you have any other questions throughout the year that we can kind of stow away in
03:04 our mailbags, I'm sure we'll have plenty of these throughout the year, please send them
03:07 along to either myself, Evan.
03:11 We'll definitely pocket them and use them at a later time, but let's dive into it.
03:15 We have, I think, about six questions here.
03:17 So we'll kind of hit on some of the top topics here and see kind of what you guys are thinking
03:21 about the state of this Bruins team just two games in.
03:24 So first question is from @ColinTheMaster1.
03:30 And Colin asks, what's your opinion on how JVR has played so far?
03:34 And what more would you like to see from him?
03:36 Well, Colin, thanks for the question.
03:38 And I think that game against Nashville was probably the perfect microcosm of what you're,
03:44 what you hope to see from JVR, right?
03:46 And again, Evan and I discussed this, like, I don't think JVR is the same player he was,
03:53 you know, back when he was with the Flyers in that first stint or with the Maple Leafs,
03:57 especially.
03:58 I don't think he's a guy that's giving you 30 goals.
04:01 That being said, you see his skill set and what he brings.
04:04 It's not like this is a guy that is reinventing the wheel in terms of why he's been so productive
04:09 in the NHL, why he's had such a long NHL career.
04:12 He's a big body, obviously, at the net front, but his skill at, you know, in power play
04:17 situations down low, whether it's the hand-eye coordination, the quick passes along the crease,
04:23 his ability to tip pucks.
04:24 Charlie McEvoy pretty much said that, you know, Joe Pavelski is the guy that kind of
04:29 around the league has the most praise for the ability to tip pucks and redirect pucks
04:34 and generate chances that way.
04:36 JVR is kind of right behind Pavelski in that regard.
04:39 Like, he's been doing it for a long, long time.
04:41 And if you're the Bruins, again, listen, you would love if JVR finds the fountain in the
04:46 youth and gives you a 2020 season.
04:49 That would be fantastic.
04:50 I think if he can establish himself as a go-to guy on the net front there on the power play,
04:55 it gives you an added element there, because again, you're kind of reworking key pieces
05:01 of your power play.
05:02 Without Bergeron there, you have Zaka in the bumper, which adds a different wrinkle, but
05:06 there's going to be some learning, you know, bumps along the way there.
05:09 If you can have a guy like JVR who can kind of make something out of nothing with any
05:12 point shot that heads his way or can make things happen with some of those, you know,
05:17 passes in the crease that can lead to a lot of high danger chances, it just makes an already
05:21 pretty talented power play that much deadlier.
05:24 So I think at five on five, we'll see where he's best utilized.
05:29 I think Montgomery's latest lineup shuffle with putting JVR with Coyle and Frederick,
05:34 I think better suits all those guys, especially if it's going to be more of a puck possession
05:38 plotting line out there that is just going to be a pin he has to play against.
05:42 I mean, all three of those guys, Coyle, Frederick, JVR, are 6'3", all over 200 pounds, all very
05:49 tough to knock off the puck when they have it on their stick.
05:51 So I like JVR in that spot at five on five play.
05:54 But I think especially on the power play, this is a guy that is, you know, averaged
05:58 about eight or nine power play goals per season.
06:01 Last year was a major dip for him.
06:03 He only had two.
06:04 But that being said, that was, I'll chalk that up more of an more of it being an outlier
06:08 than an indictment on his his skills really kind of dropping off.
06:13 Granted, he was on a Philadelphia power play that was downright dreadful.
06:18 They were last in the league, 15%, I think 15.4.
06:23 And again, that power play unit didn't have guys like Pasternak or Marchand feeding the
06:27 puck, right?
06:28 You had Joel Faraby, you know, Provorov at some point, right?
06:33 Like just not guys that I think are proven offensive conduits, especially in terms of
06:38 getting the puck down low to a guy like JVR.
06:41 Having McEvoy at the point and Pasternak and Marchand and these guys will be able to put,
06:45 I think, JVR in a better spot to showcase his skills that really haven't eroded in terms
06:51 of how good he is in the net front.
06:52 So that's my expectation for JVR.
06:54 If he can give you 15 goals, you know, chip in with six or seven on the power play, he's
06:59 already made a pretty good dent in that with this game against Nashville on Saturday.
07:04 So again, for what he brings, his added element on the power play, and most importantly, the
07:09 fact that he is signed to a one year deal for $1 million, I think that's a pretty good
07:13 value for the Bruins.
07:14 He's already kind of showcased that through two games with his new team.
07:18 So all right.
07:19 The next question we have is from Mr. Antisocialite, who asks, how do you think Coyle will react
07:26 if Pochart displaces him in the top six?
07:28 Should Pochart be giving a game or two at 2C?
07:31 Thank you for the question.
07:32 Obviously, I think we're going to see that probably starting as soon as Thursday when
07:37 the Bruins head out on the West Coast, that Pochart is pretty much going to get a look
07:40 in the top six based on the lines we saw on Monday at Warrior Ice Arena.
07:45 It looks like it's going to be JVR, Zaka, or not JVR, Jake Dabrusk, Zaka and Pasternak
07:53 as kind of your high octane offensive line, right?
07:57 Dabrusk back at his natural spot at left wing, adds more pace to that grouping.
08:01 I imagine they're going to be a lot of ozone starts.
08:04 You have Brad Martian with Matt Pochart and Morgan Geeky, which is an added wrinkle there.
08:10 But again, this is a group that Montgomery Hoves can unlock a little bit more five on
08:15 five offense.
08:16 If you're the Bruins and you're high on Pochart and what he can bring as a poised playmaker,
08:20 putting him with an elite talent like Martian certainly helps in that regard.
08:24 And Montgomery pretty much said that Pochart has earned that opportunity.
08:29 If he had zeros on the board in these last two games and wasn't really impacting the
08:33 game, getting knocked off the puck, they probably wouldn't have bumped him up to this spot.
08:38 But he's proven that he deserves a look there.
08:41 And with Pochart moving up, you have a third line, as we've mentioned before, that's, there's
08:45 a lot of heft to it.
08:46 And JVR, Coyle and Frederick as more of your puck possession, maybe more of your defense
08:51 focus line, right?
08:53 If that's the line, Coyle and Frederick have done a lot of shutdown roles, especially last
09:00 year, they were kind of your de facto shutdown forward grouping.
09:02 If they can keep that up this year and all of a sudden you open the door for the Zaka
09:07 line and even the Pochart line to get more ozone starts, that helps out everyone, I think
09:12 in terms of unlocking more offense.
09:14 So again, I see why the Bruins want to do it with Pochart of, listen, you got a nine
09:19 game sample size here.
09:21 You want to see if this guy can, he's already shown that he can, I think, handle himself
09:24 in the NHL ranks.
09:25 He can fight through the physicality, can still make plays, smart with the puck, but
09:30 can he unlock more tangible offense?
09:32 And I think you'll see if he can do that next to a guy like Marchant in these next couple
09:36 of games.
09:37 But for Coyle, yeah, I mean, it's something that he's mentioned all year that, you know,
09:42 he's taking on this big responsibility to play in the top six.
09:45 For the end of the day, it has to come down to where guys are one best, what best helps
09:52 the team out there, right?
09:53 Like this is a, this is a situation with Coyle where, listen, I think anyone would want top
10:00 six minutes, you know, guaranteed, right?
10:03 And Coyle, again, has been a very good player for this team for a long time, you know, probably
10:08 more suited in that three C spot.
10:10 And maybe that's where he's best suited in terms of normally where his skillset can be
10:14 best utilized, especially if he's with a couple of other puck possession guys like a Frederick
10:19 and a JVR.
10:20 But if him in that role and his ability to possess the puck, eat up the clock, really
10:27 negate other teams, top forwards in more of a defensive oriented role.
10:33 Again, that's not flashy.
10:35 That's not nearly as appealing as, you know, proven top six minutes, getting a guy like
10:40 Marchant on your line.
10:41 But if that is better catered towards where, you know, Coyle's skillset is and helps the
10:47 team, I think you have to, you know, that I think at the end of the day, it comes down
10:51 to what's best for the team, right?
10:52 I mean, look at Taylor Hall, who right now is back on the top line in Chicago with Connor
10:57 Bedard, right?
10:58 Like when that guy who is still only a few years removed from from winning the hot trophy
11:04 is league MVP.
11:05 Would he like to be a top six fixture with the Bruins?
11:08 Of course, but he was more of a third line defensive focus guy last year with Coyle and
11:14 Frederick.
11:15 That may not be what exactly he wants to do, but.
11:20 If you're part of a group that was rewriting the record books and was giving you a chance
11:26 to win a Stanley Cup, I think you do that again.
11:29 The main scene of this team has those same Stanley Cup aspirations, but if Coyle in that
11:36 spot at 3C can can, you know, play to his strengths, really locked down in other teams,
11:42 top forwards and it opens the door for guys like Zaka and Potter to thrive.
11:47 And that's not to say that Coyle, if he's back at 3C, is all sudden going to be now
11:52 limited to 20 points, what have you like Coyle?
11:55 I think you can still pencil him in for 3545 points wherever you put him in a lineup.
12:01 Just kind of the way he plays, but I think it all ultimately comes down to just where
12:05 he's best utilized and what best helps of the team.
12:07 And I think if Potter can prove that he can hold his own in top six, I think that domino
12:13 effect of, you know, pushing a guy like Coyle down the lineup, making that into more of
12:17 a defensive focus third line helps out the entire team.
12:20 And all sudden a forward grouping that had a whole lot of question marks going into the
12:23 air.
12:24 And again, you can't replace the guys they've lost, but you can see the the plants kind
12:30 of starting to fall into place a little bit more once you have Coyle in that spot and
12:35 Potra in a top six part driving play along with a guy like Zaka.
12:39 So we'll make for a very interesting road trip to be sure you guys get to stay up a
12:44 little bit late for those West Coast games.
12:46 But I think it'll be fascinating to see just how Potter does, but how the rest of a really
12:50 reworked lineup holds its own in that game.
12:53 So before we go into our next set of questions, let's take a quick pause here and hear from
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14:01 All right, so let's get into the next question here.
14:04 This is from Joe D. J. Donnelly0611 who asks, "What have you seen from Morgan Geeky in the
14:11 first two games?
14:12 I didn't know much about him coming in, but I like what he's brought on the bottom six."
14:15 Thanks for the question, Joe.
14:17 And again, I agree with you.
14:19 I was a big Morgan Geeky fan after the Bruins signed him.
14:23 I'm one of the leading members of the Geek Squad, as I told Evan, in that this is a guy
14:28 that last year didn't even average over 11 minutes of ice time with the Kraken and still
14:35 had over 30 points.
14:36 This is a guy that you can look at his production last year under limited minutes and how he
14:43 could be in Boston where I don't think he's getting 18 minutes a night or anything like
14:48 that.
14:49 But even if it's 13, 14 minutes, you like what he could bring in more of a featured
14:52 role there and being a potential 40-point guy.
14:56 And I think Jim Montgomery kind of echoed what you said, Joe, in that he's liked what
15:01 he's brought so far in that bottom six spot.
15:04 He opened the year with Frederick and Matt Potra.
15:06 And again, he's the guy that may not be the biggest, most imposing guy, but he's 6'3",
15:12 he's a really good skater and really effective on the floor track and does some of the dirty
15:17 plays.
15:18 And I think in the early season, he had that play where he kind of took a hit, made a solid
15:22 outlet pass and leads to an empty net goal.
15:25 Like, does I think those little things really well, but with more room to grow offensively,
15:29 which I think can be just a byproduct of just more reps, which I think the Bruins are hoping
15:33 for.
15:34 And I think it's a good sign for him that the Bruins and Montgomery want to put him
15:39 into a top six spot with Marcin and Potra and see how they exactly gel there.
15:44 And I don't know if Potra is like the best possible option for a top six wing spot.
15:50 I feel like that's kind of the one looming question is like, you probably need one more
15:55 top six winger, I guess, if you really want it to field a complete forward core, especially
16:00 if that JVR coil Frederick line holds its own in the bottom six.
16:04 But Geeky, for what he brings in terms of his motor, his shot, which is really good,
16:10 his ability to kind of contribute on the floor check and capitalize on the rush.
16:14 He's a guy that I think the Bruins think has a lot more room to grow.
16:18 And if, you know, at all lives are going to be focused on Potra and how he does in this
16:22 top six spot and whether he can drive play with Marcin.
16:25 But if playing with Marcin also gets Geeky rolling and all of a sudden you have a guy
16:30 that again, I'm not expecting him just because he's averaging 15 minutes a night to go from
16:37 a 30 point guy to a 60 point guy.
16:39 You already had one of those situations with Zaka last year.
16:41 I don't know if that's going to happen two years in a row, but you look at how many forwards
16:46 that a guy like Marcin has elevated over the years, whether it's Ken Heinen or Riley Nash
16:51 or what have you.
16:52 And again, he's also usually just had a Bergeron or a Pasternak with him.
16:56 So Marcin can't do it all by himself, but I think the Bruins really like what Geeky
17:00 has and they think that he could really thrive with added minutes out there.
17:05 So, so far so good.
17:06 Again, I'm high on him, but until we see it over an extended sample size, like let's see
17:10 what he does during this four game road trip, then we'll be able to, I think, get a better
17:13 picture of where he's best utilized.
17:15 But he's a guy that can play center, has pretty good phase off numbers, can go play on the
17:22 wing, like even if Patrick doesn't pan out and he drops off a cliff, like he can still
17:27 be your three seat if it calls for that as well.
17:30 So he's a guy that I think wherever he's locked into the lineup, he's really going to be heavily
17:34 utilized in Jim Montgomery's system.
17:37 So definitely a guy worth keeping tabs on.
17:40 Next one is from Ryan, Ryan J7800, who asks, "If Edmonton is desperate, who of Swainman
17:47 or Olmark would you trade?
17:49 What would you want in return?"
17:50 That's a good question, Ryan.
17:52 Thanks for sending that along.
17:53 Yeah, that's a fascinating one, because if there's one thing Edmonton desperately needs,
17:58 it's goaltending.
17:59 They got pretty much everything else, even if their defense is, you know, got a few key
18:02 pieces there, but not really the best six man unit.
18:06 Doesn't really mean all that much when you've got Conor McDavid and Leon Drysaddle driving
18:09 play.
18:10 So, you know, the Bruins would make probably plenty of sense for Edmonton if they wanted
18:15 to trade and acquire someone.
18:18 I would imagine if the Bruins were looking at moving someone, it probably would be Olmark,
18:22 just in terms of his value is probably higher in terms of right now, he's older, and you
18:28 also probably could, he's probably a more tradable asset in terms of his contract, where
18:34 let's say if you're the Bruins, I have to imagine if you're trying to acquire someone
18:37 and you're moving a reigning Bezan Trophy winner, looking for an impact forward coming
18:42 back.
18:43 So is Ryan Nugent Hopkins an option, right?
18:45 I mean, this guy that had 100 points last year, again, helps when you're on a power
18:49 play with guys like McDavid, but Nugent Hopkins is a really effective guy in the power play,
18:55 could really energize an already pretty effective power play for the Bruins and a solid five
19:01 on five guy.
19:02 And again, first overall pick, you can talk about how much of his stats are being influenced
19:07 by playing with guys like McDavid and Dreisaitl, but Nugent Hopkins is still a very good player,
19:12 signed long-term to I think a pretty fair contract, 5.125 million.
19:16 So at Olmark for Nugent Hopkins trade, if you're the Bruins, probably makes sense.
19:21 If you're especially looking at just the cap situation, now would both teams do it, right?
19:27 Like I'm sure Edmonton would probably bite the bullet and make that trade if it brings
19:32 in a proven best in a trophy winning goalie like Leon Olmark.
19:37 Would the Bruins do it?
19:38 I know that's where it gets kind of, you know, gets a little bit tougher, right?
19:41 Like you look at the center spot and the center position is the one thing I think it's holding
19:45 up the Bruins from really establishing themselves as being a established contender for years
19:51 to come, right?
19:52 Like they've got a great goalie core, as we all know, great defense, got a lot of talent
19:57 on the wings.
19:59 But the play down the middle is kind of the biggest question mark right now.
20:04 And so if you think that, you know, Zaka and Patra are your one-two punch for the foreseeable
20:11 future or you can solve that problem in free agency by getting a guy like Elias Lindholm,
20:18 then like I think that could be a situation where you opt not to trade, you know, one
20:25 of your key pieces.
20:26 Let's face it, I mean, this Olmark is a valuable asset out there.
20:30 He's a guy that could get you a pretty solid return, especially if you waited out, get
20:34 to the middle of the season when teams are getting desperate, a team like the Oilers
20:37 that are in the win now spot or like we will give up a whole bunch just to get a guy to
20:42 put our team over the top.
20:44 It's very appealing to listen and offers to a guy like Olmark, who again also can veto
20:48 some of his trade spots.
20:49 I don't know if he really wants to go to Edmonton, but I digress.
20:54 But this is still a guy that if you're the Bruins, if you're going far this year, if
21:00 you're trying to stay in a lot of games and accrue points at a steady clip, you're going
21:04 to have to rely a whole lot on Liam Olmark and Jeremy Swayman as being kind of that the
21:08 key foundation of your success, right?
21:10 Like those two guys are going back and forth.
21:13 When one guy has a cold swell, the other guy gets on a roll.
21:15 Like those are your two best avenues towards probably contention this year.
21:20 So you really have to decide whether or not you think Swayman can handle an established
21:24 number one spot there and think that a guy like Brendan Bussie can step into that role.
21:29 But it's tough.
21:30 That is a very, very tough call.
21:32 I think if you're the Bruins, because you have to decide like is Ryan Eugene Hopkins
21:36 the guy that you're willing to kind of break up your established talent in order to do
21:43 it.
21:44 So it makes it very fascinating.
21:45 I could see that being if the Bruins were ever to, you know, look at a situation where
21:50 a guy like Olmark is expendable, a team like Edmonton definitely does make a whole lot
21:55 of sense out there.
21:58 All right.
22:01 So next one we got is from Sean Rajot who asks, what do you think ends up happening
22:06 with Heinen and where does he fit on this team?
22:09 Great question, Sean.
22:10 As of right now, Danton is still just chilling.
22:13 He's still at practice, not signed to any contract.
22:16 I don't think you're going to get a whole lot of clarity there until the Bruins find
22:19 out what they're going to do with Matt Potra.
22:23 And I think that's going to be a spot where if Potra stays and you know he's going to
22:28 be there long term the entire season, I think you can see a situation play out where Heinen
22:34 signs a league minimum deal and he's kind of your 13th forward.
22:37 And I think he brings a lot of value there.
22:40 You know, he's probably fighting for that spot with Patrick Brown, who's currently on
22:43 the roster in that similar spot.
22:46 So I could see that being a spot for Heinen if he wants to be the spear forward after
22:50 Potra finds out where exactly he's going.
22:53 If Potra doesn't make the team and gets sent back down to the OHL, I could see him again,
22:58 Heinen signing a league minimum deal and joining the Bruins in what could be a featured spot.
23:03 Like if your third line is all of a sudden Heinen, geeky Frederick, again, it's not the
23:09 line that I think is as flashy as the one we have right now or as maybe exciting as
23:14 what would happen if Potra stuck around long term.
23:17 But I think he's still a guy Heinen that can bring value with one, the fact that he's probably
23:23 going to make dirt cheap money, versatility, familiarity with the Bruins and Jim Montgomery.
23:28 Like whether he's a spear forward or a guy that can slot in on the third line, I think
23:33 Heinen can bring a lot of value to this team.
23:35 And it's just I think going to depend on when exactly he signs that contract.
23:39 And I think you're probably going to get more of that clarity after Potra's nine game sample
23:43 size is up and see kind of what comes what comes in from there.
23:46 So I think that's kind of the situation for Heinen.
23:48 Kind of a weird situation for all guys involved, a little bit similar to Anton Strallman last
23:53 year where he wasn't really signed but was still hanging around.
23:56 It seems like Heinen is, you know, heard from the team, bought in and knows that, you know,
24:03 situation is going to present itself once they figure out how some of these other dominoes
24:06 are going to fall first.
24:08 So so I think that's kind of all the questions we have for today.
24:12 Again, it's tough to really kind of glean too, too much out of out of this Bruins roster
24:16 off of two games that I think we've already talked quite a bit about.
24:20 But I'm sure there'll be plenty more to discuss once we get into these West Coast games into
24:25 this road trip and see how especially that revamped Bruins lineup works on those games.
24:31 So again, want to thank you guys for listening in.
24:33 Thank you for everyone who sent in those questions for us.
24:37 We'll do plenty more of those throughout the year, even when we have Evan or Tyron and
24:41 else like that on board as well.
24:43 Probably do a few mailbags as we start to ramp up the amount of shows we do each and
24:46 every season.
24:47 So again, want to thank you guys for listening in.
24:50 I'm Connor Ryan.
24:51 This is Poke the Bear.
24:52 You guys have a great rest of your day.
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