Mason Lohrei Impresses & Maple Leafs Have the Same Problems | Poke the Bear - video Dailymotion

CLNS Media Sports Network

Welcome back to another episode of 'Poke the Bear' with your hosts Conor Ryan of Boston.com and Evan Marinofsky of New England Hockey Journal. Today's lineup is as electric as a fresh sheet of ice. We kick off with Tyler Bertuzzi's controversial leap to Toronto – did he underestimate the pressure cooker of Maple Leafs hockey, or will he prove to be the missing piece? Then, we revisit the all-too-familiar storyline of the Maple Leafs' enduring challenges. The spotlight shifts to rookie sensation Mason Lohrei and his standout debut, as we analyze what makes him NHL material. And for the main event, it's a faceoff between Jake DeBrusk and Tyler Bertuzzi – who is the ultimate asset for a franchise? Lace up for this and more as we 'Poke the Bear' in the world of hockey. Don't miss it!  Topics:   - Does Tyler Bertuzzi regret his decision to go to Toronto?   - Same ole Toronto   - Mason Lohrei had one heck of a debut   - Why Lohrei looks like he’ll stick at the NHL level   - Who would you rather have: Jake DeBrusk or Tyler Bertuzzi?   Poke The Bear with Conor Ryan Ep. 175  This episode of Poke the Bear is brought to you by Fanduel Sportsbook, the exclusive wagering parter of the CLNS Media NetworkRight now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR MONEYLINE BET! So, visit https://FanDuel.com/BOSTON and kick off the NFL season. FanDuel, Official Partner of the NFL. 21+ and present in MA. Hope is here. First online real money wager only. $5 pregame moneyline wager required. First onlinereal money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. 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 And Ryan Mugenel, the head coach at Providence, was like,

00:02 he told Montgomery, the game against Toronto was the best game they've seen him play,

00:07 beyond anything he's done in Providence.

00:09 Like, maybe, hell, maybe he's just the guy that elevates to another level against NHL

00:13 competition, which if you're the Bruins, you will take.

00:15 Because if he has more games like that, you've got another top four guy at an already,

00:20 arguably the best D-Core in the NHL.

00:22 And again, for 6'5", he's a great skater.

00:25 Yeah.

00:26 Like, that's another thing, I think, that, you know, when you look at his skill set,

00:29 right?

00:30 And I think in the D-Zone, his stick is awesome.

00:32 Like, the way that he's able to close in on guys and kind of put stick on puck,

00:36 I know it sounds really easy, but a lot of guys aren't good at it.

00:38 And, you know, the fact that he can kind of shut guys down doing that,

00:42 while also keeping up with them, you know?

00:44 Charo was 6'9", but he wasn't, like, the greatest skater in the world.

00:48 He was fine.

00:50 I'm not saying he was bad or anything, but, like, his reach would save him a lot.

00:53 Guys would cut him, you know, try to cut in, and his reach would stop him.

00:57 The fact that Lowry, again, I'm not comparing Char and Lowry here,

01:00 but the fact that Lowry can stay stick on stick and keep up with those players,

01:04 I think is huge.

01:05 Poke the Bear is brought to you by FanDuel,

01:08 the exclusive wagering partner of the CLNS Media Network.

01:11 And welcome into Poke the Bear, episode 175,

01:15 presented by our good friends over at FanDuel.

01:17 That's Connor Ryan, I'm Evan Marinovsky.

01:19 Connor, what is up?

01:21 Evan, I'm doing well.

01:23 How you doing?

01:24 Doing great.

01:25 Doing great.

01:26 And I'm doing better than those Leafs.

01:28 Ooh, not having a good one.

01:32 Not having a good one.

01:33 Didn't have a fun one on Thursday night.

01:34 You know who really didn't have a fun one on Thursday night?

01:36 Who's that?

01:37 Tyler Bertuzzi.

01:38 Oh, really?

01:39 Ah!

01:40 Tough start to the season.

01:42 Think he regrets signing that one-year deal?

01:44 Little bit.

01:46 Little bit.

01:47 And it's funny, I was talking about this on Bruinsby with Pete Blackburn,

01:50 which I recorded legitimately five minutes ago before we started recording this.

01:55 What are you working on?

01:56 Oh, yeah.

01:57 I'm just going all day talking.

01:58 You know, it was pretty well documented that his camp sort of mishandled,

02:05 fumbled the bag, as the kids like to say, around free agency,

02:10 and sort of had a deal from the Bruins and then said,

02:13 "Ah, we can get better somewhere else."

02:14 And when they came back, Bruins were like, "Actually, we're all set."

02:18 And, you know, we don't always praise Don Sweeney on this show.

02:22 And again, it's only been a month in Toronto.

02:24 It's only been a month, so I don't want to, you know,

02:26 I don't want to make any official statements.

02:28 But I think the Bruins might have made the right choice.

02:32 So far, looking like that's the case.

02:34 Yeah, I mean, what is it?

02:36 He only played 11 minutes last night.

02:38 I'm trying to remember what the Sheldon Keefe quote was,

02:40 but it was like, "We had a simple game plan and he didn't execute it,"

02:44 is what he said after the game yesterday.

02:45 So, I mean, between that, you already have Leafs fans

02:48 that are now pissed about him laughing on the bench

02:51 when Marchand was going back and forth with Reeves.

02:53 I've seen that.

02:55 I think it was Elliott Friedman on Friday on his 32 Thoughts saying,

02:58 was like, "Yeah, it's not been a good fit at all so far."

03:01 So again, whoever you want to point fingers to,

03:05 whether if you wanted the Bruins to sign him,

03:07 which again, they were not going to trade

03:09 Linus Olmark for pennies on the dollar

03:12 to accommodate a guy like Bertuzzi.

03:14 When they offered him a deal and his agent pretty much tried to

03:17 play hardball with a team that was already way up against the cap,

03:22 that was going to have to give up multiple pieces anyway,

03:25 which you saw with Taylor Hall, like, try to play games with that.

03:27 And again, the Bruins couldn't be in a spot where they could wait things out.

03:30 Like, if you were going to wait for Bertuzzi to come back to you two days later,

03:36 you were going to have to sign four or five like,

03:40 Denton Heinen level contracts.

03:41 And again, they didn't break the bank by any means,

03:43 but you had so many roster spots to fill that you needed to sign

03:47 guys that were going on day one, like a Gigi or a Shattenkirk or,

03:50 you know, Luchich probably who's always going to be here, right?

03:53 But like, there's a lot of these guys-

03:54 Luchich would have been here for like, stop and shop gift cards.

03:57 Right, right.

03:58 But like, you were going to have a lot of guys who I think the Bruins,

04:01 and so far we've seen it,

04:02 were going to offer really good value that were going to be gone.

04:04 Like, someone else would have grabbed JVR for one year, one million,

04:07 like Shattenkirk, all these guys.

04:08 Like, you needed to go out there and shore up your roster with guys

04:11 that weren't going to break the bank.

04:12 So you weren't in the spot, if you're the Bruins,

04:15 to wait things around and see whatever trump card that Bertuzzi's

04:19 clearly not that f*****g great agent is waiting to drop on them.

04:23 So again, you can kind of decide who you want to point fingers to.

04:26 It does take two to tango, but so far it looks like a massive fumble

04:30 from Bertuzzi and his camp in terms of how it's been.

04:32 Again, all it takes is one game, a couple of games to heat up there,

04:35 but so far it seems like it's just not worked out that well.

04:38 And whether it's the offense, the defense has been lacking,

04:42 which has been kind of a red flag in the past, right, with him,

04:46 even during that playoff series where he was so good for the Bruins.

04:49 Does not look good right now, whether it's those guys,

04:52 whether it's Max Domi, all these players, all these guys that I had to like,

04:55 look at like the roster sheet like 10 times.

04:57 It should be like, I know the usual suspects on Toronto,

05:00 but I was looking at the rest of their forward core.

05:02 So far, it hasn't worked out.

05:05 Switched a lot of that roster around,

05:06 but it's still kind of the same, same things keep on sprouting up for that team.

05:10 - Same old Leafs, same old Leafs.

05:12 It's interesting, Pete Blackburn was saying this to me,

05:14 and I thought it was a good point.

05:15 You know, in Boston, he was a supplementary piece, right?

05:18 He was an addition.

05:20 He was not a guy that you needed to drive play.

05:24 He was someone who could just, you know,

05:26 can you play responsibly enough on the wings?

05:29 Can you tip some pucks in front?

05:30 Can you produce all those things?

05:32 I think the expectations in Toronto were,

05:34 you know, maybe, yeah, you're not gonna be the guy,

05:37 but you're gonna be close to being the guy,

05:40 and you're gonna add a lot of scoring with Matthews and Marner.

05:44 And by the way, Willie Nylander looked great on Thursday night.

05:48 But I, you know, it's interesting though,

05:51 'cause like on paper, we talked about this in the off season,

05:54 like, and we kind of prepared our listeners for this.

05:58 Bertuzzi's gonna put up 30 goals and 60 points and up in Toronto,

06:01 but like, you know, anybody would in that situation.

06:03 And I think so far we've seen that

06:05 you gotta have the details right.

06:07 We've talked a lot about details early on this season with Patra,

06:10 and Bertuzzi kind of lacks those.

06:12 And you mentioned it, like we saw it in the playoffs last year.

06:14 Like there were a lot of missed assignments, you know,

06:17 like Bertuzzi would contribute to two goals at one end,

06:20 but then like, you know,

06:21 kind of be lost in space for two in his own.

06:24 And so like, I just, I go back to, you know,

06:28 we discussed this a little bit at the end of last year,

06:30 and I think we were both on the same page of like,

06:32 it'd be great if you could bring Bertuzzi back,

06:34 but also like, there is a downside.

06:36 This is not a foolproof addition or a foolproof signing.

06:40 Like there is a downside to him that could rear its head

06:44 if you sign him long-term.

06:45 And I think teams are now seeing it.

06:47 Like it's well-documented that, you know, his value,

06:50 what he might get on his next deal is gonna be a lot less

06:52 than what he would have gotten this off season.

06:54 - Yeah, maybe you should have signed the deal

06:55 that Bruins first had for him.

06:57 I believe it's called fuck around and find out, right?

06:59 - Exactly.

07:00 That old guy with the whiteboard where he's like,

07:03 "Oh, he's fuck around and now he's finding out."

07:05 So, but you know who is fine?

07:08 You know what we're finding out right now, Conor?

07:10 - What's that, Adam?

07:10 Good segue.

07:11 - We are finding out that Mason Lowry is quite good.

07:15 Damn good, I would say.

07:17 Been one game.

07:19 It's been one game.

07:20 Yeah, Dynamite.

07:21 Montgomery was just dropping bombs.

07:23 Dynamite after the game.

07:25 It's one game, but it's pretty damn big game.

07:29 Thursday night, ESPN plus primetime.

07:33 - Everyone's trying to find their password.

07:35 I'm not going to do the Mike Felger like routine, but yeah.

07:39 I had quite a few, I think everyone in the press box

07:41 is getting quite a few tweets asking people like,

07:44 as if we were a Hulu tech support.

07:47 I empathize with everyone who's in that spot.

07:50 I'm very sorry.

07:51 As someone who watches some like game on Nessun360

07:54 and like those stream breaks, that's frustrating,

07:56 but I can't fix it.

07:57 I'm very sorry, people.

07:59 - I saw Jeff Israel make up a letter that he sent

08:02 to like Gary Bettman allegedly, you know,

08:04 with a picture of his TV screen not working.

08:06 But that's, and that's what sucks.

08:08 I do feel for people because there are, you know,

08:10 for any demographic, I think it's not just older folks.

08:14 It's anybody.

08:15 I mean, you like, it's a complicated thing

08:18 and it's extra money on top of it.

08:21 I get why ESPN is doing that because they want people

08:24 to subscribe to ESPN plus, but it's annoying.

08:28 That's a big game that you do want everybody to see.

08:30 And I don't want to go down this road

08:33 because I think we could probably do a whole show on this.

08:35 But I, you know, I do feel for people on this

08:39 because it is really annoying when Hulu breaks down again,

08:42 it's not a Bruins Ducks game.

08:44 It's Bruins Leafs.

08:45 It's, you know, it only happens a couple of times a year

08:47 and it was a great hockey game.

08:49 It was a great game on Thursday night,

08:52 but Lowry looked really good.

08:54 Lowry looked really solid.

08:56 What did you note?

08:56 What did you like in his game last night?

08:58 - Yeah, I mean, I think the traits that we've seen

09:01 and heard about him as to why he's a blue chip prospect,

09:04 you know, the offensive touch there,

09:06 the playmaking was really good in transition.

09:09 Like it was hitting guys on the tape,

09:10 really again, limiting those mistakes that can happen

09:14 in a hurry against a team like Toronto

09:16 that can make you pay in a split second.

09:18 Really, really sound in that area.

09:20 Shot first mentality, which I think the Bruins

09:23 have been lacking on that, on that, that decor.

09:26 It's something Montgomery has stressed.

09:27 So he's been a really strong,

09:29 a strong start for him in that regard.

09:32 But I think probably the biggest surprise

09:33 is just how solid he was in his own.

09:35 And again, he's not perfect.

09:36 He's still learning on the fly.

09:38 It is a hell of a matchup against guys like Matthews

09:41 and Marner and Tavares and all these guys.

09:43 So it's not easy by any means.

09:45 And I think the more he plays,

09:47 the more you'll see those lapses,

09:49 which happened to even the most seasoned defenseman out there.

09:52 But I think overall his instincts in the D zone,

09:55 like making simple, smart plays to clear the puck out,

09:58 making those sound first passes

10:00 was really good on the PK, I thought.

10:03 Like I had a two stick plays to really kind of knock

10:06 the puck away from Bertuzzi, two spots there.

10:10 Like I think that's what's really encouraging.

10:11 Like we know.

10:12 Oh, he overpowered Bertuzzi.

10:14 I mean, he's sunned Bertuzzi.

10:16 So I mean, like we know what his offensive capabilities are

10:20 and something that he could probably carve out a career

10:21 just being a third pairing,

10:25 sheltered, a five on five power play kind of guy.

10:28 But like if he's able to eat into the PK

10:31 and play 20 minutes a night,

10:32 then you got something special there.

10:34 I think it's something we've already talked about, right?

10:36 Like his floor is that third pairing special teams guy

10:39 and his ceiling is like, I don't know, John Carlson, right?

10:42 Like that's what I've always mentioned is like a six, four,

10:45 55, 60 point guy that can play 20 minutes a night.

10:48 And you saw, again, not saying that's what he's going to be,

10:52 but you saw glimpses of it, right?

10:54 And I think that makes the world of a difference, right?

10:56 There's a lot of defensemen in the league

10:58 that are really gifted playmakers.

11:00 Not a lot that can play 20 plus minutes in this six, five.

11:03 So really encouraging.

11:05 I think, again, we've,

11:07 feeling this whole season so far,

11:09 we've preached patience with these younger players

11:12 like Patra and, you know, Beecher

11:14 and now Laura, like, all right, these guys don't, don't rush them,

11:18 but kind of proven us wrong

11:19 because every time they've been in these lineups,

11:21 they're carving out spots.

11:22 And it's, I even asked Montgomery on Friday,

11:25 like, what'd you hear from Providence in terms of like,

11:27 how is D zone players coming along?

11:29 And Ryan Mugenel, the head coach at Providence was like,

11:32 he told Montgomery,

11:34 the game against Toronto was the best game

11:36 they've seen him play, like beyond anything he's done in Providence.

11:38 Like maybe, hell, maybe he's just the guy that elevates

11:41 to another level against NHL competition,

11:43 which if you're the Bruins, you will take,

11:45 because if he has more games like that,

11:47 you've got another top four guy

11:49 and already, already the best D core in the NHL.

11:52 - And again, for six, five, he's a great skater.

11:55 - Yeah.

11:55 - Like, that's another thing I think that, you know,

11:58 when you look at his skillset, right?

11:59 Like, and I think in the D zone, his stick is awesome.

12:02 Like the way that he's able to close in on guys

12:04 and kind of put stick on puck,

12:05 I know it sounds really easy,

12:06 but a lot of guys aren't good at it.

12:08 And, you know, the fact that he can kind of shut guys down

12:11 doing that while also keeping up with them, you know,

12:13 like Charo was 6'9",

12:16 but he wasn't like the greatest skater in the world.

12:18 He was fine.

12:19 I'm not saying he was bad or anything,

12:21 but like his reach would save him a lot.

12:23 Guys would cut him, you know, try to cut in

12:25 and his reach would stop him.

12:26 The fact that Lowry, again, I'm not comparing Char

12:29 and Lowry here, but the fact that Lowry can stay stick on stick

12:32 and keep up with those players, I think is huge.

12:35 And you saw, you know, even just, you know,

12:37 the way he's able to join the rush,

12:39 I think is so encouraging.

12:40 Again, that's nothing new.

12:42 Like that was in the preseason.

12:44 We, you know, we've seen that at Ohio State.

12:45 Like that's nothing that's, you know,

12:48 that was added to his game in the last three weeks.

12:50 But I think just the confidence that he was able to show

12:53 was so impressive.

12:55 But again, I go back to like zero high danger chances

12:58 against in his 17'34" five on five time is freaking crazy.

13:03 And to do that against, and again,

13:05 like the goal that went in when he was out there,

13:07 I wouldn't put it on him.

13:08 I know it went off his stick,

13:09 but like Marner's nasty, cuts middle.

13:12 I thought Carlo could have done a little better of a job there,

13:14 kind of taking away the middle,

13:16 even though he basically did.

13:17 Marner's just so gifted that he kind of just,

13:19 right to the middle.

13:21 But I mean, I just, he looks good.

13:25 Yeah. Like that's going to be a hard guy to try to send down

13:28 because he seems to have carved out a role.

13:30 We'll talk kind of long-term stuff,

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14:25 So Lowry looked really good.

14:29 And you know, again, it's not surprising at all.

14:34 We said when he went down to Providence

14:37 at the beginning of the year, and we were both pro,

14:39 "Hey, let's go down to Providence, work on the D-Zone,

14:42 work on structure, work on assignments, things like that."

14:45 We said, "Hey, he's going to be up at some point this year."

14:50 Like that's pretty much a foregone conclusion.

14:52 Now he's up.

14:53 And by the way, Werther's what I thought was solid last night.

14:56 Led the team in hits.

14:57 Mitchell was fine.

14:59 I thought the real guy on D that kind of,

15:01 and I think I texted you and Ty about this,

15:03 Shattenkirk had a rough night.

15:05 And I-

15:06 - Lindholm played a shit ton of minutes.

15:08 So I mean, give him credit there, but he wasn't,

15:10 he's still, I think, waiting to kind of hit that other gear.

15:12 I think the Bruins are kind of waiting for.

15:14 Doesn't seem like Montgomery and those guys are panicking yet,

15:16 but that is something worth noting is like,

15:18 you need a, over the stretch,

15:20 you don't need like Lindholm from last year

15:22 in October, November when McAvoy was out

15:24 and he was going ham.

15:25 Like dude looked like a Norris front runner there.

15:28 - Are you worried about him?

15:29 Zero points in 10 games.

15:30 I'm not worried, but there are times he does seem to try

15:33 to do too much.

15:34 - Yeah, I think it's all about, you know, simplifying.

15:36 And again, I don't know if he's going to be

15:38 the player he was last year over the next couple of years

15:40 of a 50 point guy,

15:41 but if he can give you a 35, 40 and play 22 minutes

15:45 and just be solid,

15:46 then I think you'll take that as being another anchor

15:48 of your decor.

15:49 So I think the points are going to come.

15:51 It's all about, I think the priority is just

15:52 continuing to be a really strong shutdown guy.

15:55 And I mean, who knows how,

15:56 if Lorimer is only a long-term

15:58 and you put him and Carlo together,

15:59 then maybe you put him,

16:00 McAvoy into a super pairing

16:02 that helps out both parties there as well.

16:04 So time will tell there,

16:05 but I'm not really too worried about him yet.

16:07 He's, I think, got enough of a track record,

16:09 especially here in Boston,

16:10 that I think you'll expect him to kind of

16:13 right the ship there in terms of his maybe offensive game.

16:16 - Yeah, I agree.

16:18 Low-right though, it's an interesting idea.

16:21 I think long-term,

16:22 I mentioned this a little bit on Bruinsbeat,

16:24 but you know, NHL's copycat league,

16:26 size matters on defense these days.

16:30 And you know, it's an interesting addition.

16:34 And I think a lot of people have been talking

16:36 about Matt Grislik, right?

16:37 That's the guy that, you know,

16:38 people even labeled at the beginning of the preseason,

16:40 you know, is low-right Grislik's replacement.

16:44 I like Grislik a lot.

16:45 I do.

16:46 I think he adds a lot to your team at five on five.

16:48 You just look at his usage in the playoffs

16:50 the past couple of years,

16:51 and you just wonder what's the fit here.

16:53 If low-right continues on this track

16:57 and Grislik comes back in, you know, early December,

17:00 does Grislik have a spot?

17:04 Is that, is it time to deal him if he gets back

17:08 and Forbert's there and, you know,

17:10 then you've got three left shot guys.

17:13 Like, what happens then?

17:15 - Yeah, I mean, it's going to be really interesting

17:17 how they prioritize the skill sets.

17:20 I think it all comes down to if Valera is ready, right?

17:22 So if we're going to assume that he's sticking up here

17:24 and he's a guy that's in with Carlo,

17:26 then it all comes down to how you want to kind of

17:28 comprise the rest of your decor, right?

17:30 Because again, it's, I'm also a big Grislik guy.

17:33 So I think, especially at five on five play,

17:36 like he can impact whatever pairing he's with.

17:38 Again, you have those questions about

17:40 how he is in the playoffs, what have you.

17:42 It also depends on what kind of return you get

17:44 if you were to deal him, but it's always puzzling, right?

17:47 Because like this year, especially Montgomery,

17:49 I think has been really high on Grislik.

17:51 He's talked about how he's trusting him more with PK reps.

17:53 In terms of that shot first mentality

17:56 that Laura has shown, Montgomery said a few days ago,

17:59 the only guy that has really consistently done that

18:01 of being really aggressive in the offensive zone

18:03 has been Grislik amongst the defense.

18:05 And so like, he's been really pleased

18:07 with what they've had from him so far,

18:08 but if he's going to not play in the playoffs again,

18:11 you know, in a few months, then what's it all worth, right?

18:14 Like I could see a scenario where, you know,

18:17 maybe he's your third pairing guy back to where he was,

18:19 back to where he was in like 2019.

18:23 Maybe that's where he's best suited

18:25 and maybe full board to your seventh D,

18:27 the guy you can bring in, switch things around

18:29 if the series gets heavier or what have you.

18:31 Like maybe that's a scenario you deal with,

18:33 or even like Grislik can shift to the right side

18:36 if you think he's a better player than Shattenkirk.

18:39 Like it's kind of not the same thing as Ulmach, right?

18:42 Raining Bez and the trophy winner,

18:43 but I also don't think you're moving a guy like Grislik

18:46 who is versatile, can do a lot,

18:48 has been really strong this year so far.

18:53 Like that's not a guy I think you just cast off.

18:54 Unless you're getting a really nice draft pick

18:57 or anything back.

18:58 Like I don't think they're in a rush to like,

19:00 Grislik's off LTIR, you gotta move him

19:02 or you gotta like, you know,

19:03 push a guy like Forbert out there.

19:05 Like I think if those are your seven D,

19:07 you got a very good problem on your hands, right?

19:09 And I think Grislik's a guy that,

19:10 even maybe his role is lessened

19:13 and he ends up averaging 16 minutes a night

19:16 instead of 18 or what have you.

19:18 And he's more in a third pairing spot.

19:19 Like he can still bring value, I think,

19:21 wherever you put him.

19:21 But it is a really good problem to have.

19:24 'Cause if Laurie is eating up those minutes,

19:26 and again, you would think that maybe

19:28 Forbert's safe in that spot

19:29 because how good he is on the PK.

19:31 But like if Laurie is eating these PK minutes

19:33 and is looking good there,

19:34 and that's a role for him to get more

19:36 ingrained into the system,

19:38 that could put him in that same spot

19:41 of being a guy that could be on the outside looking in.

19:43 So it's gonna be really fascinating.

19:44 But interesting to see just where those pieces fall.

19:48 'Cause again, there's no like really right way to do it

19:50 or no way that's like the,

19:52 I think everyone can agree will be the consensus

19:54 on how to move.

19:55 I'm sure there'll be a lot of very vocal people on Twitter

19:57 who are like, "Just trade Grzlik.

19:59 "Grzlik's a perfect fit."

20:00 It's like, no, he still brings an awful lot of value

20:02 even if Laurie's playing well.

20:04 - There's no rush to deal him.

20:05 - No.

20:06 - It's not like this is the trade deadline.

20:08 It's not like there's a team

20:10 on the other end of the line saying,

20:12 "We'll give you a first round pick for Grzlik."

20:14 Then in that case, like, yeah.

20:16 But that's not happening.

20:17 I would be fascinated to see a Forbert-Grzlik pairing.

20:22 And again, we'll see what ends up happening when he returns.

20:24 It's not for almost at least basically a month.

20:27 But I'd be curious to see what that looks like.

20:30 Him potentially running the power play

20:33 instead of Shattenkirk or Lowry jumps in.

20:36 That's another area of Lowry's game I'm curious to see.

20:39 He's a very good offensive guy.

20:41 When does he sort of start to get the keys

20:43 to that second unit?

20:44 If he continues on this track record, on this record.

20:47 I'm not saying like, it's one game.

20:49 We do have to temper our expectations a bit.

20:52 But again, if he continues on this track,

20:54 at some point he's going to get those keys.

20:57 So again, I think it's a good problem to have.

21:01 Also injuries happen.

21:02 Injuries take place.

21:05 And I think that's another thing.

21:06 You're already seeing it.

21:07 Forbert was out Thursday.

21:08 McAvoy was suspended.

21:11 What did you think of the four games?

21:12 Not really surprised.

21:15 I thought maybe like two or three.

21:17 But I mean, it's a play you just can't have happen.

21:20 I understand like heat of the moment, what have you.

21:22 But high hit, clear contact, guys down.

21:26 Can't have that happen, right?

21:28 I think that's been more or less the consensus.

21:30 I know there's maybe a few dissenting opinions there.

21:33 But it wasn't really surprising.

21:35 I saw four games.

21:35 I was like, oh.

21:36 But it wasn't like the punishment or anything like that

21:40 was out of the realm of, you know,

21:42 if it was like a 10 game, it'd be like, oh, shit.

21:44 But for the, you know, the way that play kind of played out,

21:51 not really surprising.

21:52 Maybe it was a little bit steeper than I initially thought.

21:54 Yeah, I don't know.

21:55 Part of me thought he'd got he might get a teeny bit more.

21:58 But four is four.

21:59 I mean, again, I thought it was a dumb play.

22:01 Can't do that.

22:02 Can't do that.

22:03 Especially like two minutes after he scored a goal.

22:05 It was like, you know, like LeRoy Jenkins, like he just

22:08 lifted a great play.

22:09 And there was like, whoo.

22:12 Can't do that to all of our.

22:14 It was like that Simpsons meme where who is is it?

22:17 Bart getting thrown?

22:18 It always Ralph getting thrown out the window, right?

22:20 Always.

22:22 It is.

22:24 I always want to use it, but I'm like, that's Connor's thing.

22:27 Like, I can't impart on that.

22:28 The Simpsons.

22:30 I have not watched The Simpsons in a long time,

22:32 but I got back into The Simpsons with their Halloween specials

22:37 and I laughed a lot and I forgot how funny The Simpsons can be.

22:41 Vintage Simpsons is right up there, man.

22:44 It's goated.

22:45 It's goated.

22:45 Yeah, I loved it when I was little and then I just kind of got away from it as I got older

22:49 and I saw some of the newer seasons and I was like, yeah, but like old Simpsons is hilarious.

22:53 And like, I will never not laugh at Homer Simpson.

22:56 Like, it's impossible not to.

22:58 So I got to get back into The Simpsons because it's a good show.

23:02 And I got the Halloween drew me back in.

23:05 One other thing from Thursday night, Jake Dabrowski, first goal of the season.

23:11 Good to see him get going.

23:13 What can this do for his confidence?

23:15 Because it feels like he's about to maybe go on a little streak.

23:18 Yeah, I mean, it's you look at the track record.

23:20 He's got a very interesting resume or a stat line over the years that I think,

23:26 you know, he's had these peaks and valleys before, but almost always when he's had a drought,

23:30 he gets that one goal and he goes on a heater.

23:32 Like even last year, I was looking at it and I think we all agree probably last season was his

23:37 most consistent, but he still had in, I think, late February through the middle of March,

23:42 he had seven games without a goal.

23:44 Right.

23:44 So like even last year when I think he was the most dialed in, like these things do happen.

23:48 Then he then goes through a stretch right after that.

23:51 I think he had five goals in eight games, including goals in four straight games.

23:55 Like this happens, like it's all about kind of getting that first bounce or that first

23:59 opportunity.

24:00 That was a great play.

24:01 Like even like that pass to Marcian to kind of set it up was great.

24:04 Like I think that was probably the best game in terms of just, again, when he's moving his feet,

24:08 when he's like driving wide and putting guys on their heels and driving to the net,

24:13 make things happen on the floor check.

24:14 That's what he's got to do, right?

24:16 Because you can see how impactful he can be in the offensive zone when he's really moving like that.

24:20 But we can talk about these guys like Patra and Laura and Beecher, and they've been huge.

24:27 And it's really exciting to see, but you also need these stalwarts up front to be the guys

24:32 that I think are most responsible for consistently generating offense.

24:36 And you need a guy like DeBrusque to really start landing punches there.

24:40 So you hope a game like Thursday, where, you know, he's really playing confident,

24:44 playing to his strengths and finally gets rewarded.

24:46 Keep on doing that more and more.

24:48 Again, we've mentioned this every single time we talk about DeBrusque, what he needs to do,

24:52 drive to the net, the chances are going to be there.

24:54 So hopefully he's able to build off of that.

24:56 And I'm fascinated, the shootout move he does.

24:59 He does it every time.

25:00 Now, we watch every game, so I guess we're used to it.

25:03 But I am always shocked goalies aren't just like this with their blocker as DeBrusque

25:08 is coming down on that, you know, just like this.

25:10 Like, I, you know, it's coming.

25:13 All right, fine.

25:15 You're going to give me the lower part of the net.

25:17 But it's a filthy move.

25:19 Like, you know, like, you know, we always talk about Pasternak.

25:22 And rightfully so, right?

25:25 Like just outstanding moves.

25:27 You never know what he's going to do.

25:28 Obviously, with DeBrusque, he's done this like 100,000 times.

25:32 But to make it look that easy, like that is a hard, hard play.

25:37 And to always get it, to always get it in that top right corner of the net is so impressive

25:43 to me.

25:44 But again, I guess that's why he's in the NHL.

25:46 I agree with you, though.

25:47 I think, real quick question, who would you rather have for the next five years?

25:53 We're going to play this game.

25:55 Ready?

25:56 Jake DeBrusque or Tyler Bertuzzi?

25:58 I'd probably take DeBrusque.

26:01 I think he's a more complete player.

26:02 And he's, again, you need to have more consistent scoring.

26:05 But what he does on the PK, his defensive game, which I think has made a lot of strides

26:11 beyond the consistency in the offensive zone, he's probably the more complete player.

26:15 Again, like he can sometimes drive you crazy.

26:17 He has to set an extra alarm or two.

26:20 But in terms of, I think, how we can impact the game and plays into what the Bruins'

26:26 core strength is, like Bertuzzi, everyone loves him, right?

26:28 He's got the long hair.

26:29 He's missing a tooth.

26:30 He looks like a typical Bruin.

26:31 But in terms of the bedrock of their success now, which is defensive, accountability, in

26:37 their own zone, good on the rush, I think DeBrusque kind of fits more into what exactly

26:44 they need.

26:44 So when Tyler Bertuzzi isn't producing, what's he doing?

26:47 That's the real question, right?

26:49 Like when Jake DeBrusque is--

26:50 Laughing at our jokes on the bench.

26:53 While Ryan Reeves does nothing.

26:54 But can we also-- let me just say one thing.

26:57 It's very funny how Toronto beefs up their whole roster.

27:00 And that's like the new change in leadership is all these guys.

27:03 And then they clearly have a bone to pick with Martian off of that play, which is unfortunate.

27:08 You really hope Lillegren's hopefully back soon, even though it didn't really look good.

27:12 But--

27:13 Terrible.

27:13 Talking the whole time on the bench and keeps pissed afterwards.

27:17 What do they do?

27:18 Nothing.

27:19 Nothing.

27:20 Same old--

27:21 It's the same shit.

27:24 Every year, Evan.

27:25 No, it is.

27:26 And I also go back to like, Reeves is a tough guy who is not good at hockey.

27:32 So they can't put him out there.

27:33 Like you-- he's a tough guy.

27:35 Nothing happened.

27:39 And like, again, by the way, I don't think that play was dirty by Martian.

27:42 I didn't see the trip.

27:43 I didn't see the dirty-- the part of that play that was dirty.

27:46 I know Toronto people would disagree with me there.

27:48 Should have been a penalty.

27:49 But it shouldn't have been people clamoring for a suspension or what have you.

27:52 Like, no.

27:53 Yeah.

27:54 Yeah.

27:54 It sucks.

27:55 Yeah.

27:56 It wasn't classic Martian or anything.

27:59 I just-- I agree with you.

28:01 And, you know, again, I think it goes back to Bertuzzi's comments before the game being like,

28:04 you know, he's full of shit.

28:06 You know, it's funny.

28:06 I know he's a good guy.

28:07 So I'm wondering if it was that.

28:09 But like, at least kind of act mad, man.

28:12 Like, you know, you're getting demoted to the fourth line.

28:15 You're not playing well.

28:15 You're sitting at the end of the bench.

28:17 And you're chuckling at that.

28:19 Like, you know, especially in a market like Toronto.

28:22 Like, at least look angry.

28:24 You know, like, I know he shook his head and everything.

28:27 You don't want to read too much into that stuff.

28:28 But I agree with you.

28:32 I just-- I go back to Jake Dubrosk when he's not producing is still at least able to play on the PK.

28:38 Able to produce-- or not produce, but you know, get to dirty areas and play responsible hockey.

28:45 So I would take Dubrosk.

28:48 I would take Dubrosk.

28:49 It's close, but I would take Jake Dubrosk.

28:54 I think we kind of hit everything.

28:56 Did we miss anything?

28:57 I don't think we did.

28:57 I think that's kind of the big point from that game.

28:59 Again, there's always a lot of takeaways from Toronto.

29:02 But again, beyond that, another really strong win for a team that continues to kind of push the--

29:08 I don't know how many more goalposts people want to push it back, right?

29:11 Like, they start off against a pretty light schedule.

29:14 Now you're into like the meat of the season.

29:16 This is one of their tougher stretches the whole year right now.

29:19 And whatever game it is, whether it's a younger guy contributing early,

29:23 and then you have like the JV-- every game you've had like a new

29:27 the insert players name here game, right?

29:29 You had the Poitras game against Anaheim.

29:32 You had the JVR game against Nashville.

29:34 Like every single game, there's a new guy stepping up.

29:37 And once you get more consistency from the guys, the usual suspects like Dubrosk

29:42 or the guys that we know are going to contribute like Pasternak,

29:45 like you've got a pretty good team on your hands,

29:47 especially if that deep end to the goal tending stays the way it is.

29:50 I do have two quick points to end this show on.

29:53 Number one, Poitras had a rough start to the game,

29:55 but I thought he had a really good finish.

29:57 His final shift was bananas from him in the third.

30:01 Sicko mode.

30:02 Sicko mode.

30:02 I mean, his ability to play with the puck along the wall,

30:04 evade defenders while also being really tired,

30:09 again, just more proof that this kid is legit.

30:12 Number two, and I meant to bring this up during the Bertuzzi discussions,

30:17 uh, I think there was so much pants pooping about Sweeney's, uh,

30:23 signings over the summer.

30:25 And I always want to say to people, they didn't have much space.

30:28 You had to kind of go the money ball route.

30:30 And so far it's worked.

30:32 Like is Van Riemsen like this transcendent talent?

30:35 No, I mean, we're not talking about, you know, we keep saying like,

30:38 you know, can he be in the top six?

30:40 And he really has not kind of solidified his spot, but he's produced on the power play.

30:45 He's held his own and he's a million dollars a year or a million dollars for one year.

30:50 Right.

30:50 And you got Geeky, who is a solid value signing.

30:52 And, you know, you have these solid value signings, um, instead of,

30:59 you know, signing Bertuzzi to a ton of money.

31:01 And you've gotten more out of the value signings than, you know,

31:04 Bertuzzi's produced up in Toronto.

31:06 So, um, again, not trying to be, you know, the pro Bruin defender or anything, but like

31:13 they worked with what they had and they did a pretty damn good job of getting value pieces.

31:18 I'm not saying these are MVPs or all stars or guys are going to lock up to extensions.

31:24 Um, but again, I think it's just value pieces.

31:27 Um, and they did a pretty good job of it.

31:28 So, um, yeah, always fun to play the Leafs Bruins have the red wings again,

31:34 except they're in Detroit Saturday night.

31:36 So we'll see what happens there.

31:38 But Connor, what can people look forward to from you over at Boston.com

31:43 and the Boston globe?

31:44 Yeah, we're going to cover it up throughout the season with a roster breakdowns features,

31:48 columns, all that good stuff, every single game.

31:52 So continue to please read our stuff over at Boston.com.

31:55 And if you want to follow me on Twitter, X, whatever the hell it's called,

31:58 you can at Connor Ryan underscore 93.

32:02 I always forget to call it X it's Twitter.

32:04 I thought I will always call it.

32:06 I will always call it that.

32:07 But that is Connor Ryan.

32:08 I'm Evan Marinovsky.

32:09 Poke the barrel.

32:10 Listeners have a great rest of your week.

32:22 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Mason Lohrei Impresses & Maple Leafs Have the Same Problems | Poke the Bear

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