What have been the top surprises for the Bruins so far this year? w/ Ty Anderson | Poke the Bear
Poke The Bear with Conor Ryan Ep. 178
What have been the top surprises for the Bruins so far this year?
Welcome back to another episode of 'Poke the Bear' with your host Conor Ryan of Boston.com! Today Conor is joined by Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub to discuss the biggest surprises of the Bruins season so far.
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.
Conor Ryan
Reporter for Boston.com
Twitter
What have been the top surprises for the Bruins so far this year?
Welcome back to another episode of 'Poke the Bear' with your host Conor Ryan of Boston.com! Today Conor is joined by Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub to discuss the biggest surprises of the Bruins season so far.
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.
Conor Ryan
Reporter for Boston.com
Transcript
00:00 It's kind of twofold here.
00:01 I would still sign him personally, but you got to get more than what you got in
00:05 one goal in 13 games, simply not good enough.
00:07 He's got to be more of an impact player every single night.
00:09 So, you know, maybe that comes Tuesday in Buffalo, but it has not been a start.
00:14 You know, he's shooting worse than he was during the pandemic year, which we all
00:17 admit was his worst year ever for a multitude of reasons.
00:20 I mean, this, this is, this is a tough, this is a tough start for him.
00:23 And welcome into poke the bear episode 178 presented by CLNS media and sponsored
00:38 by our good friends over at FanDuel.
00:40 My name is Connor Ryan.
00:41 And once again, we are joined by 98.5, the sports hubs, Ty Anderson.
00:46 Ty, how you doing?
00:47 What's going on?
00:48 Are we, how are we doing today?
00:50 I'm doing swell, Ty.
00:52 I'm doing great.
00:53 Um, obviously by the time this podcast drops, the Bruins will have already played the
00:58 Sabres, so we're not going to focus too much on that.
01:00 Uh, instead we're going to go big picture with this one, because as has been the case,
01:05 it seems like every single year for the Bruins, they're scheduled to start the year.
01:09 Is brutal.
01:10 We have like one game every, I think three weeks, uh, not a lot of in between.
01:15 And then we get to match and instead of getting ready for the playoffs, the
01:18 Bruins, like most other teams are ground into dust because they're playing about
01:23 a 21 games in 23 days.
01:24 It's not great.
01:25 I hate it.
01:26 I hate it.
01:26 They got the Dana, the, uh, the day night double header, uh, in March as, as a
01:31 tradition, uh, it's good for the good, good for the, uh, bowl game.
01:36 You don't have to change over the ice.
01:37 It's just going to do the ice again.
01:38 Um, I, I hate it.
01:40 It used to be a thing because of the circus being in town.
01:43 Uh, I think circuses are now illegal.
01:45 I want to say I haven't seen a circus in years.
01:47 So why is this?
01:49 Why do we deal with this?
01:50 I don't, I don't know.
01:51 I can't tell you.
01:52 Yeah. I feel like circuses now it's kind of like, if you go in there, you're like,
01:55 you pay in cash, like people look around and they let you in the tent.
01:58 Like it's, it's kind of more of a covert operation.
02:01 And so the days of the days of Barnum and Bailey are long gone.
02:04 It's Jurassic park too.
02:06 It's game hunters and whatnot.
02:09 And we got Peter Ludlow, Peter Ludlow and like a nice, like John
02:13 Phillips suit leading the way.
02:15 It's like, Oh, I was supposed to have a colorful outfit.
02:16 No, it's, it's just a rich British man trying to steal a T-Rex.
02:19 That's right.
02:20 That's right.
02:21 I w I wish, I wish there was a dinosaur.
02:23 It is a circus.
02:23 Anyway, we're getting off topic here.
02:24 We're getting, let's get back on track.
02:26 Let's look big picture with the Boston Bruins right now.
02:30 Um, and I think we'll start off this podcast looking more at what have
02:35 been the biggest surprises this year.
02:36 I think you and I both agreed that this team was going to be very competitive.
02:40 I think we both said second or third in the Atlantic going into the year.
02:44 I want to say, or somewhere in that picture.
02:46 Yeah.
02:47 I had them second behind the Leafs, which is not looking so hot right now.
02:50 One of those is not looking so hot right now.
02:52 Exactly.
02:53 Uh, but again, we both thought they were going to be very good, but I don't know
02:56 if you were expecting them to be, you know, only have one regulation loss so far
02:59 this year, at least based on whatever happens with Buffalo, but they're really
03:03 damn good.
03:03 Uh, a lot of guys have really kind of pulled their weight, uh,
03:06 impressed out of the gate.
03:07 So, uh, leading off this podcast, Ty, let's kind of go through a couple of,
03:11 uh, players or developments with this team that have been kind of
03:15 the biggest surprises so far.
03:16 So, I mean, for you, what's kind of one player or something that really stands
03:20 out to you that's been a big surprise through the first month of the season?
03:23 Yeah, I would say a big surprise for me is in Brandon Carlo.
03:26 And I say that not because I'm not one of these people who thinks that Brandon
03:32 Carlo is not good or ineffective.
03:35 Like there's a lot of people online who really want him to be something that he's
03:39 not.
03:40 Uh, but for me, why I'm impressed with him and why I'm surprised is that I feel
03:45 like he's bringing his playoff intensity to the regular season, which I thought he
03:50 had a very good post season last year.
03:52 It kind of flew under the radar because his pairing partner Hampus Lynn Holm did
03:55 not have a great, uh, post season at the broken foot as we know.
03:58 Uh, but I feel like Brandon Carlo is really sort of address some of the things
04:02 that people were critical of him about, like his physicality, clearing the front
04:06 of the net, you know, his willingness to sort of be more aggressive and be a more
04:11 dominant six foot six skater.
04:13 I feel like you're seeing more of that and I just feel like he's playing
04:16 the best hockey he's ever played.
04:18 And so it's not surprising in the sense that I felt he was good, but this level,
04:23 this intensity is, is really impressing and surprising me a little bit here.
04:26 Yeah, it's, it's really been great to see for a guy like Carlo who's, you know,
04:30 had issues with staying healthy or again, I think the narrative on him, it does
04:34 seem like it's hopefully clearing up a little bit, but I think for years, Carlo
04:37 was kind of the guy that people looked at his contract, how long he signed them
04:41 for what that cap it is, which 4.1 looks pretty good right now.
04:44 Uh, and it's going to get even better.
04:45 Uh, but people, I think kind of took him to task of painting him to be a player
04:50 that he's not right.
04:51 Uh, in terms of, you want to see more, I don't know, assertiveness,
04:54 more offensive generation.
04:55 Like, no, you have to know what Brennan Carlo is as a player.
04:58 And when he's playing at his best and he's being a shutdown defenseman
05:01 that can anchor your PK.
05:03 I mean, I think you've seen it, especially this year.
05:05 It's not to say that I think Brennan Carlos ever, his values ever
05:08 wane to this team, but when you're built like the Bruins are, you're going to be
05:11 protecting a shit ton of one goal leads late, you're going to have a lot of, uh,
05:16 grinding out wins a lot of, uh, you know, white knuckles, uh, sequences are in the
05:20 PK that's when I got, I think Brennan Carlo really shines.
05:23 But beyond that, I think he has taken a huge step forward this year.
05:26 And I think Bruins fans are at least starting to appreciate it more.
05:29 It's almost like, I think Charlie coil is a guy that people were like, ah, this
05:33 guy's got to be a 60 point guy.
05:34 Uh, again, maybe he's going to do that this year, but I think the last year or
05:38 so people appreciated like what coil brings beyond the statute.
05:42 I think hopefully you're starting to see a little bit more of that.
05:44 Well, what Carlos bringing, because I think you're right that he's playing
05:47 the best hockey of his career.
05:48 Yeah.
05:49 It's kind of like, you know, you have to, you have to update your biases
05:53 and your agendas and how you view certain players.
05:56 And I do think there's a segment of people who get stuck in 2019, stuck in
06:01 2020, 2021, like, and, and their, their complaints about players are a bit outdated.
06:07 I think some of the complaints that you will hear about Brennan
06:09 Carlo this year are a bit outdated.
06:11 I think that he's done a very good job and you have to also.
06:14 You know, if you don't think that he's been very good, you have to watch him
06:19 every night and see what he's going up against.
06:21 I mean, both he and Lindholm are getting an absolute brutal assignment
06:26 every single night, it feels like, you know, I think there's been one
06:30 exception this year and it was the Detroit game in Boston where they
06:33 actually put McAvoy and Grizzlik on to Brinkett and Larkin for the majority
06:37 of the night, but more often than not, you've seen Lindholm and Carlo get just
06:42 D zone start after D zone start going against the other team's best players.
06:46 So, you know, when you look at their numbers, you're like, oh, they
06:49 should be a plus 15 or whatever.
06:51 Well, not when you go against those kinds of teams and they
06:53 have those kinds of assignments.
06:54 So I think it makes it really impressive.
06:56 And that's why with guys like Brennan Carlo and even Charlie Coyle, to your
06:59 point, I think you have to really watch the games to understand their impact
07:03 and to see just how difficult an assignment these guys are getting
07:06 almost every single night.
07:07 Yeah.
07:08 And I think it's also one of those things where even if you are like
07:11 combing through the film of what Carlo brings, when you look at his
07:15 assignments, it also, it's easier to spot sequences there, those split
07:19 second decisions where maybe there's a lapse in coverage or there's a miscue
07:22 because he's in the D zone the entire time, usually against top six guys.
07:25 It's like, if you've got a really good, like left tackle and on 25 of the snaps,
07:30 uh, they, the quarterback, then you have that one lapse where a guy gets knocked
07:34 down and you get, you give up a sack.
07:36 It's like, Oh, you're there.
07:37 It's like, well, you got to look at what the assignment is.
07:40 And when it's Brennan, Carlo and Lindholm are getting 10% ozone draws and they're
07:44 spending most of their time in the D zone, stopping Matthews or whoever, like
07:49 those lapses are going to come, but.
07:51 It could be a whole lot worse.
07:53 Like they're, they're stemming the tide time and time again, in terms
07:55 of what their assignments is.
07:56 So I do agree with you that, yeah, Carlo has been a pleasant surprise.
08:01 You know, it's more of, I think that he's really kind of rounding
08:03 and deforming to what I think the Bruins are hoping he could be and what
08:07 Bruins need right now for how, uh, the way this roster is built.
08:11 So, uh, no, that's a good one, Ty, for, for you.
08:14 Um, for me, I'm going to go JVR.
08:16 I think that's a guy that you look at the Bruins approach, uh, this
08:19 off season, the money ball Bruins in terms of trying to max out value and
08:24 find guys for affordable deals, um, that can fit in areas, uh, I think
08:29 JVR has been a home run so far.
08:30 I mean, 11 points in 14 games, you seen his, uh, skillset really
08:35 utilized on the, uh, on the power play at the net front, how good he's with
08:39 those kinds of split second passes down around the crease that can lead to
08:42 grade a chances and so far he's looked really good with what has probably
08:46 been your most impactful forward line with coil and Trent Frederick.
08:49 Um, and again, I think it's all within the context of, of what the Bruins are
08:54 looking to get out of JVR and who he's replacing, right?
08:56 Like as much people want to talk about Tyler Bertuzzi, which it does seem like
08:59 that's kind of quieted down considering what's kind of going on up north.
09:04 Uh, I think JVR has been a home run in terms of, I mean, hell he could have
09:08 six points in 14 games and one year for 1 million would be great, but I think
09:12 he's really kind of, uh, impressed so far in these kinds of new surroundings.
09:16 He's been a great fit right out of the gate.
09:18 Yeah.
09:19 What I like about him too, is that he has been, you know, really
09:22 effective in terms of just like.
09:24 Being with anybody.
09:27 I thought this was the guy that you were going to have to hyper manage in terms
09:30 of like how you utilize, how you utilize him, where you utilize him, who he played
09:34 with, but he's been as effective with, with posture knock and, and Zaka as he
09:39 has been, I mean, actually he's been better, I would say with coil and
09:41 Frederick, which is something that I admittedly didn't see coming just based
09:45 on how, again, defensive that line was used a year ago and JVR was not a
09:50 guy that I thought of as defense.
09:51 I thought of as his work around the front of the net, his power play prowess.
09:56 And, you know, that's kind of where the, I knew the line there, but this
09:59 guy has been really effective for them.
10:00 And I think it's really interesting.
10:02 You know, it's kind of like what we talked about, I think in the off season
10:05 where we were saying, Hey, if Nick Richie could put up a career high
10:08 and goals on that power play, why can't JVR, you know, have a Renaissance
10:12 kind of year, a bounce back kind of year.
10:14 And so I think we're kind of seeing that played out.
10:16 I think what's really impressive though, is, is, you know, what you're
10:19 alluding to here is like the five on five scoring, he, he ha he hasn't
10:23 been a pure specialist, he's been finding ways to impact the game five
10:26 on five, which is again, something I was a little bit surprised that, you
10:31 know, or I didn't really necessarily see it coming to this degree that
10:33 we've seen so far.
10:34 Yeah.
10:35 It's almost like you were expecting for what his deal is and what his
10:38 skillset is, even if you're just going to manufacture 25 points and most
10:42 of them on the power play for what that price value is, you'll take it.
10:45 But no, he, as you said, he's kind of.
10:47 Uh, showing what he can do at five and five play really meshing well
10:51 with coil and Frederick, which again, please just keep that line together.
10:54 Uh, for all the shoveling, just keep that group, uh, in place, see how they
10:58 kind of build some of that chemistry, but no, he's been a home run signing so far.
11:02 Um, is there anyone else that kind of sticks out to you, Ty, that's been kind
11:05 of a surprise so far out of the gate?
11:07 Yeah, I would have to say that Johnny Beecher.
11:10 And, and I say this because I admittedly didn't think he'd make the team.
11:14 I had hopes that he would make a strong push, make things interesting, you know,
11:20 just give him something to think about.
11:21 I did not see him making the team out of camp and not only that, sticking with the
11:27 team and getting better as he comes along here.
11:29 So, you know, when they go out and they sign Morgan geeky and they sign Patrick
11:33 Brown and even they bring in, you know, guys like Jason Megna, right.
11:37 And guys like, uh, you know, like just guys like that, that you, that you look
11:41 at and you go, okay, those are four fine centers, right.
11:44 But he outworked them all.
11:46 And he's really planted his flag here and, and he's stuck.
11:50 And I think that's, what's really been impressive to me is that he hasn't faded
11:53 out of frame after what was a strong preseason, it looks like for a minute
11:57 there, like he was going to lose his spot.
11:59 Didn't it late in the preseason where he was kind of, it was, it was a lot more
12:03 Patrick Brown and you're like, wait a minute, what's going on here?
12:05 So, uh, he gets the job, he's keeping the job and I think he's
12:09 actually getting a lot better.
12:11 I would say just as a, as a reliable kind of presence, you don't have to, again,
12:15 you don't have to manage him.
12:16 You can throw him out there.
12:17 He's getting some tough, tougher assignments.
12:19 So to see him stick after what 75, I want to say, HL games, uh, really
12:25 impressive to me, uh, that he's done that.
12:27 And, you know, Hey, it's, it's.
12:30 He had delayed start essentially.
12:32 He's a first round pick in 2019.
12:34 It takes him four years to get here for a multitude of reasons, but he's here now.
12:37 And I don't think we're sitting here right now going, oh, he's going back
12:40 tomorrow, like he seems to like he's here.
12:42 And so that that's a great development of the Bruins and a bit of a surprising
12:45 one, again, just based on some of their off season moves and who they brought
12:48 in for him to outwork those guys, I think is really impressive.
12:51 Yeah.
12:52 And I think what's really kind of stood out to me about him beyond the fact that
12:55 he's doing the little things to warrant his spot, whether he's being hired on
12:58 the floor, check he's winning face offs, which is kind of what elevated him right
13:02 off the bat in terms of just, you know, getting those tough assignments, but
13:05 limiting the amount of time he's kind of, uh, holding onto the puck in the D zone.
13:09 I think for Beacher, what's impressive is this is a guy that you look at the speed.
13:14 You look at some of that creativity, that shot he had for his goal.
13:16 Like you see why he was a first round pick, why the Bruins even thought that
13:20 as a third line center on the USA development team, that he could be a
13:24 guy that could morph into a top six.
13:26 I don't think he's that, but I think when you look at his skillset and I
13:29 think he's accepted how he needs to play and not over-complicate his overall
13:34 style of play to kind of just focus in on, on being just a really strong, uh,
13:39 North South skater, really strong on the four check and generating offense that way.
13:43 Like I talked to him after the, after we scored that goal and it's like, yeah.
13:47 That's a great, you know, that's probably the best goal I've scored as a pro, but I
13:50 know, you know, forcing turnovers behind the net, uh, crashing the net, those
13:54 things, like that's how, that's my best Avenue towards generating consistent
13:58 five and five offense out of that role.
14:00 And I think not only the fact that he's been solid, but the fact that we
14:04 talked going into the season of how good a fourth line of blue teach
14:07 and Lauco and Beecher could be.
14:08 He's kind of just had a rotating cast of players in that spot and his like overall
14:14 approach, his style of play hasn't really waned.
14:16 So now that you have Lauco back now that you have Lu teach hopefully back
14:20 within another week or so, um, if features, you know, staying steady and
14:25 playing this style of play, um, that at least offers hope that once those guys
14:29 get back and healthy and they start generating a little bit more chemistry
14:32 together, we'll see even more and more returns, because I think we both agree
14:35 that that fourth line went healthy.
14:37 Can do a whole lot of damage if they're all really engaged out there.
14:40 Yeah.
14:41 I love the idea.
14:42 You know, we've, we've talked about this before the idea of having two speedsters
14:45 with a space clearing net front presence, like Lu teach, that's how you maximize
14:50 those three players, you know, collectively and individually.
14:53 And so I, I think that's a great fourth line and don't sleep on a guy.
14:57 You know, I've been very impressed with Oscar Steen.
15:00 It's been a small sample size.
15:02 I know, but I think he's been really good in that fourth line role.
15:07 And so there's no shortage of competition there between Steen, between Denton Heinen,
15:12 who I think is, is a guy who plays just happening when he's out there.
15:16 Good things are happening more often than not for the Boston Bruins.
15:18 So, um, you know, they have a, they have a nice surplus here of bottom six talent,
15:24 which I think again, for a team like this built the way they are, it's important
15:30 because you're gonna, you're gonna have to win in a variety of ways.
15:33 You're going to face teams that are built differently.
15:36 You're going to have teams that are more physical and that teams that are more
15:38 skilled.
15:39 So to be able to kind of rotate how you have your four flying complexion, I think
15:43 it's huge.
15:44 I think it's huge for the Bruins.
15:45 So I like that part of their game.
15:47 And I think it all begins though, with Johnny Beecher, he is the nucleus of that
15:52 fourth line.
15:52 You know, we're talking about all these guys that have played well, the constant
15:55 there has been Johnny Beecher at fourth line center.
15:58 So that's got to remain the case.
15:59 And hopefully it does.
16:00 Cause I think again, he's been a surprisingly strong addition for this team.
16:03 Yeah.
16:04 And for me, finally, my last kind of big surprise, I'm going to go with a bit of a
16:08 cop out, but Charlie coiled just because, uh, the fact that his offensive game, you
16:13 know, you're seeing better returns there again.
16:15 I don't know if he's going to have a hat trick and four point nights.
16:18 I don't know if he's on, he's going to finish.
16:20 I think he's on pace right now for 70 points.
16:22 I don't know if he's getting there.
16:23 I think if you're a Bruins fan, you'll be doing a backfill.
16:25 If, if he gives you a 50, right?
16:27 Like it just in terms of is that a minute.
16:29 I think what's most encouraging about coil is that you're seeing a little bit more
16:33 of that offensive production that this Bruins team needed.
16:35 When you look at just how many, how much offensive talent you lost in the off
16:39 season, but he's generating more chances.
16:41 He's being a little bit more impactful in the offensive zone, but his defensive game,
16:45 like his bread and butter, what made him such a valuable piece to this team last
16:49 year also hasn't waned, like, it's not like he's, he's generating more offense,
16:52 but that's because Jim Montgomery has given them 70% ozone starts.
16:56 Like there's still that line with him and Frederick and JVR is still operating as
17:00 kind of their shutdown line, getting 20, 30% ozone starts a lot of really taxing
17:05 minutes, still playing a key role in that PK.
17:07 So it's almost like.
17:09 Uh, the way that he's been deployed, you run that risk of like, all right, we're
17:13 getting more offense out of him, but this Bruins team, the way they're built should
17:17 never, I think, sacrifice kind of their cornerstone stingy defense in order just
17:22 to get better returns at five and five play.
17:24 That's a, a losing strategy that you can really kind of, um, that can go downhill
17:28 in a hurry.
17:28 You start sacrificing defense for offense.
17:31 And that hasn't been the case with coil so far.
17:33 Like he's getting those same reps, those same really critical assignments from Jim
17:37 Montgomery, but he also producing more down the other end of the ice, which is
17:40 huge.
17:41 Yeah, absolutely.
17:42 And I, and here's a, here's an interesting stat.
17:45 I think that really speaks to the difference between coil his first few years
17:49 here and coil this year.
17:50 And then now this is entering the Buffalo game, so it may die tonight, but through
17:54 14 games, he has not gone two games in a row without a point.
17:57 He is finding consistency.
17:59 He's finding ways to be a constant factor in their, in their game.
18:03 And even the Knights green doesn't have a point.
18:05 He's winning 70% of his face offs.
18:07 Like he is finding ways to, to have an impact on the game every single night.
18:12 And part of that, again, is just going to his bread and butter.
18:15 The other part of that is the increased role usage in the power play.
18:19 He's playing power play.
18:19 I didn't play power play at all last year, you know?
18:21 And so, um, but I think that's the thing that I was most impressed me the most.
18:25 He's another guy.
18:26 If we do, if we were doing three, he'd be my third one, to be honest with you.
18:29 Um, but it's just a consistency.
18:31 It's not going multiple, multiple games in a row without a point, because I think
18:35 that's kind of when, you know, that's when the grumbling about him gets loud,
18:39 right, is that he's making over five mil and you're dealing with the
18:42 four game pointless drought, you know, that's not great.
18:45 So he's finding a way to, to, to be consistent, to be there every night.
18:49 And I think that's been a huge boom for this team, honestly.
18:52 Yeah.
18:54 So, I mean, we got two veteran stalwarts, we've got a rookie
18:57 centerman and we got a free agent pickup signed for a million.
19:00 So it's been a pretty good mix so far for the Bruins as to why they're at least
19:04 as of when we were recording 11, one and two, it's not too shabby.
19:07 Um, all right, before we kind of dive into the second half of our podcast,
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19:39 You want to bet on how many wins the Patriots are going to have this year?
19:42 Be my guest.
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19:47 Go for it.
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20:02 FanDuel, official partner of the NFL.
20:04 Ty, I got to tell you, I don't know if the FanDuel read on the actual podcast
20:09 is the same as the one we have on the audio video recording.
20:12 I'm going to have to change that copy a little bit.
20:14 I can't have Mac Jones be in my, uh, be in my bets anymore.
20:17 Might not, might not work out.
20:18 It's a bad, bad idea.
20:20 That's a bad idea.
20:21 I, uh, I had a couple last night that hit and I was very happy about that.
20:25 Uh, you know, Islanders to score first against the Oilers.
20:28 Felt like I had to do that.
20:30 I, I, that Oilers team has been real leaky.
20:32 They come back to win the game, which also helps, uh, you
20:35 Connor McDavid anytime goal scorer betters out there.
20:38 Uh, I'm not going to name names, but you know, sometimes, uh,
20:42 you gotta take the chance on that.
20:43 It feels like good, odd, always.
20:44 I mean, the guy's a freak.
20:45 The guy's a freak.
20:46 Um, but yeah, no, absolutely.
20:50 Mac Jones.
20:50 No, unless the bet is to get under seven points, then that's,
20:54 that's free money, baby.
20:55 Absolutely.
20:57 Well, once again, shout out to a shout out to FanDuel.
21:00 All right, Ty.
21:01 So as we get to the second, uh, second part of this podcast, we
21:04 can't have too much positivity.
21:05 Of course, we gotta take a critical lens here, uh, for you, what has
21:10 been kind of your biggest disappointment out of the gate for this Bruins team?
21:13 Jake DeBrusque.
21:15 I mean, it's gotta be Jake DeBrusque and, and we, you know, one goal through
21:19 13 games, uh, entering Tuesday against Buffalo really just hasn't found his
21:25 groove and, you know, I understand what he's saying when he says, well,
21:30 I haven't missed any grid a looks.
21:31 Okay.
21:31 Well, you got to generate some more then because you, you kind of, you know, for
21:35 this team to go where they want to go, we're just talking about coil and JVR
21:40 and Beecher, this team to get where they need to be at 100%, Jake DeBrusque
21:46 needs to be their third best winger behind Poshnok and Martian.
21:49 And if he's not going to be, that's a massive problem.
21:52 It's going to force Don Sweeney in the Bruins to, you know, look at the
21:55 trade market and maybe pay a price that they really shouldn't be paying this
21:59 time of year, in my opinion, I don't want to trade a first round pick from the
22:03 Bruins you've traded enough of them.
22:04 You need to start replenishing the cupboard a little bit here.
22:08 Uh, and it's a contract year, so, you know, it's, it's kind of twofold here.
22:13 I would still sign him personally, but you gotta get more than what you got
22:16 in one goal in 13 games, simply not good enough.
22:19 He's gotta be more of an impact player every single night.
22:21 So, you know, maybe that comes Tuesday in Buffalo, but it has not been a start.
22:26 You know, he's shooting worse than he was during the pandemic year, which we all
22:29 admit was his worst year ever for a multitude of reasons.
22:32 I mean, this, this is, this is a tough, this is a tough start for him.
22:35 Yeah.
22:36 I wonder if you sign him to like a long-term deal right now.
22:38 He just takes off.
22:39 I mean, I'm sure it's not helping the fact that beyond the fact that things
22:43 are regressing in terms of shooting percentage, I think he's shooting 3.4%.
22:46 Going into a Tuesday's game.
22:49 Uh, it's probably not helping that also he's got that looming big
22:52 payday, like on the horizon that.
22:53 Right now it's, you know, we're, I think people were looking like
22:56 Brennan Hagel's contract and now it's like slowly going down a little bit here.
23:01 Like you wonder how much, uh, getting that clarity with that con, not to say
23:04 the broom's like, need to sign him right now to get him going, but you do wonder
23:08 how much that is also weighing on him.
23:10 But I agree.
23:11 Like, I think he's at least being more noticeable in terms of like, we've had
23:15 stretches seeing the brusque in years past, especially where it's not producing,
23:19 but you also don't notice him.
23:21 Like he's moving his feet.
23:22 He's doing what he can.
23:22 He's still been a valuable contributor in terms of, I think he's second on the
23:27 Bruins and even strength ice time for forwards on the PK feeling he's due for
23:32 like a nice shorthanded, uh, rush opportunity with a guy like Beecher.
23:35 So that's coming one of these days.
23:37 I'm sure the brush would love that to happen.
23:39 Um, but they, you're right.
23:41 Like they do need to get him going because when he's rolling and he's
23:44 contributing and cashing in regularly, it just adds another, uh, level of, uh,
23:50 you know, impact to this forward court that you desperately need right now.
23:53 Yeah.
23:54 And you know, you nailed it right there saying that he's doing, he's
23:56 impacting the game in other ways.
23:58 And that's great.
23:58 You know, namely on the PK he's been, uh, he's been a valuable contributor
24:02 to what is the league's best penalty kill.
24:04 And I can't sleep on that, but, but on this team, he's, he's here to score goals,
24:11 you know, and he admitted that he said, I'm a goal scorer, been a goal scorer
24:14 my whole life, so this sucks.
24:15 And that's kind of where, where they're at.
24:18 It's like, you look at this team, like when they struggle, it's because
24:21 David Pasternak is not dominating the game five on five, right.
24:25 Or, or Marsh hands on having a takeover kind of night.
24:28 Like, I think that, so that's when you need the breast to come along with some
24:33 goals, like that, like on nights when those guys are quiet, which are, it's
24:36 going to happen, it's human, it's human nature.
24:37 You need your third best fourth best players to contribute.
24:42 And that's DeBrusque.
24:43 That's he's one of those guys.
24:44 So for him to kind of still be looking for his game, you know,
24:48 approaching Thanksgiving, that is not what the Bruins ordered this year.
24:52 Absolutely.
24:54 Um, so hopefully whether it's Buffalo or something pretty soon, he starts
24:57 snapping out of it cause you need more steady five and five production
25:00 there from DeBrusque, no doubt.
25:02 Um, for me, I'll go, I think mine again, when your team's 11, one and two,
25:06 you're trying to scrap the bottom of the barrel a little bit, I'll still go
25:09 with Lindholm in terms of the offensive production, and I know this is the guy
25:13 that is his most important duty is logging heavy minutes a night being a
25:18 shutdown defenseman, and I don't think it's fair to expect him to be the.
25:22 50 point guy he was last year, uh, when he was a top five finalist for the
25:27 Norris, but still, I think when you look at what Jim Montgomery has always
25:30 preached about generating more offense, a lot of that coming off of the blue
25:33 line, whether it's, there's a little bit more of a shot first mentality,
25:36 looking for rebounds or tips, uh, down low, uh, jumping up to the play when
25:40 needed, just want to see a little bit more assertiveness, I would probably
25:44 say from Lintone when he's has those opportunities in the offensive zone.
25:48 Cause I'm like a guy like a forward or what have you, like he has the means
25:52 to, I think, pull on the rope, just a little bit more of the offensive zone.
25:55 So not to say that he's been a bust or people think that, you know, like we
25:59 need to talk about Hamper's Lindholm and what he's doing, the bread and
26:02 butter is game still there, but I think when you're looking at this team that
26:05 really has to scrap and scrape for.
26:07 Consistent five on five scoring.
26:09 Ideally you get Lintone going just a little bit more on the offensive zone.
26:12 Yeah.
26:13 I think that, you know, I, I I've, I got into this over the weekend on Twitter
26:18 with a lot of people basically saying that, no, he's, he's, it's a purely
26:21 defensive kind of role right now.
26:23 However, I will agree that offensively you'd like, you'd like a little bit more.
26:28 And namely, I feel like where he's taking a step back is his offensive risk
26:34 taking in terms of shooting the puck.
26:36 Right now through 14 games, he has 19 shots on goal.
26:39 Uh, last year he had almost 160 shots through 80 games.
26:42 Like he, you know, that's a full shot per game drop off.
26:45 I feel like his hands are not as quick as they were a year ago in terms of
26:48 getting that shot off, getting it on goal.
26:51 Um, I feel like he's not activating nearly as much as he did a year ago in
26:55 terms of getting down low and opening things up for his line mates, uh, or
26:59 whoever's on the ice with for that matter.
27:00 Like, and so I think that's kind of, that's something that I am noticing.
27:04 That is something that I think is real is that the offensive, a, the risk taking
27:08 be the willingness, you know, is not there like it was a year ago.
27:12 Now, is that physical?
27:13 Is that mental?
27:14 Is that no, no, I got to play defense.
27:17 I don't really care about this right now.
27:18 Like, like there is, I think there's a number of answers there, you know,
27:22 like possible answers there, obviously.
27:24 Um, so I agree that offensively he's got to get going.
27:27 And I think that's, that's the important distinction that I want to make when I
27:30 say I'm disappointed in him is that I think defensively he's given you quite a bit.
27:33 I just think offensively, you're not getting that 50 point kind of
27:37 guy that you got a year ago.
27:39 And I wonder Connor, like, is that.
27:40 Is that unfair to him?
27:43 Like for us to sit here and expect him to put up 50 points in a plus 60 or whatever
27:47 it was like, is that just, is that just out of the realm of possibility?
27:51 You know, like I, like I do wonder there, but no, if you go back to his first year
27:56 here, you know, the 10 game, the, the, what is it?
27:58 10 game run or whatever it was.
27:59 He still produced that.
28:01 What was it?
28:01 Six points, five or six points.
28:03 Like, I believe so.
28:03 Yeah.
28:04 So he had the pacing of a 40 point season, you know what I mean?
28:08 So like, he's got to get that part of his game going.
28:10 I just wonder what the holdup is.
28:12 You know, I wonder if it's, if it's physical or if it's mental, like, like I,
28:15 I I'm starting to wonder about him in terms of like, why isn't it coming, you
28:20 know, beyond just the role and the usage.
28:22 Yeah.
28:22 Cause it's something like that where it's, I don't think it's fair for him to be
28:25 like, ah, where's this 55 point season.
28:28 It's like, ah, man, he's not being a top three Norris finalists again.
28:31 Like, I don't know if that's fair to weigh that against him, but I think the
28:34 expectation is really, really strong defensive metrics, obviously 22, 23
28:39 minutes a night, 30, 35, 40 points, I think is kind of right in his wheelhouse,
28:44 which gives you a pretty damn good defenseman, especially if he's kind
28:47 of the number two guy there.
28:48 So we'll see how he kind of builds off of that.
28:51 Hopefully starts generating a little bit more offense there.
28:53 Also maybe having a few guys that are better at finishing plays might
28:56 help them out a little bit there.
28:57 So again, that's why I got like the breast, getting him going could help a little bit.
29:01 In terms of getting other guys involved there, even if it's maybe a few more
29:04 secondary helpers for Lint home.
29:06 So, yeah, I mean, could he get, could he get in the power play?
29:09 Do we like, is that something that we could maybe consider with him?
29:13 Like, could he get on the power play?
29:14 Cause I feel like that would help him quite a bit.
29:15 Yes, absolutely.
29:17 So it's definitely something worth keeping tabs on there for Lint home in terms of,
29:20 again, I think he's been really, really strong, but she's been a little bit more
29:23 offensively just to get, I think the rest of the team going as well.
29:26 Um, all right, tied to end this podcast.
29:29 One last question.
29:30 Who's an unsung hero.
29:32 You think that's been on this Bruins team so far out of the gate?
29:34 It's a great question.
29:36 Uh, I am probably, I, this is so hard.
29:41 You know what I'm going to say?
29:44 I'm going to say Joe Sacco.
29:46 And that sounds so weird.
29:47 The way that they've had to, to tweak things defensively, I think to, to be in
29:54 games, to win games, to close out games, to know the vibe of when to sit somebody
30:00 or when to give them more rope.
30:01 I think it's been so crucial.
30:03 They've had so many white knuckle finishes here.
30:05 And I think it's really come down to riding the right guys in the right moments.
30:10 And so I think that comes down to Sacco who's running the defense this year.
30:15 Um, I think his, his eye for when to, again, when to let guys go and when not
30:21 to has been really kind of huge for this team, because again, like they're not as
30:26 talented as they were a year ago.
30:27 Right.
30:28 And it's easy to look at the goaltending and, you know, kind of how they performed.
30:33 But I think defensively the PK work, um, that they put forth the, the mixing and
30:40 the matching they've had to do because of for bird, because of Grizzlik, because of
30:43 McAvoy, like it's required a lot of movement, I think from Joe Sacco.
30:48 So I have to give him credit.
30:49 It's a non-player.
30:50 I know it might be a bit of a cop-out, but I just think with the, with the PK
30:54 work and the defensive shuffling, he's had to work some serious magic with this
30:57 group.
30:58 And I think he has so far.
30:59 Yeah, no, that's, that's a great pick because again, you can look at all the
31:02 different, uh, moving parts up front, the roster turnover, and I think people take
31:07 it for granted, but it's also has to be on the coaches to adjust with what you
31:10 have, right?
31:11 Like this is a team that's bread and butter has been kind of strong defensive
31:14 game, uh, building from the net out, but also you have to tweak some of those
31:18 things to work with what you got.
31:20 And this was a, an entire off season of turnover for this team.
31:23 So, uh, I think that's a great pick, uh, Joe Sacco and just the whole coaching
31:27 staff of how they've kind of adjusted their overall approach to get the most out
31:31 of this.
31:31 When we call them rag tag, but it is a overhaul, definitely upfront team that
31:35 has to kind of change their approach a little bit to, uh, get out to this really,
31:39 really strong start to the year.
31:40 Um, for me, I'm going to go a guy who's currently injured right now, but I think
31:44 every time I see him out there, I think he's doing the little things to help out
31:48 the team.
31:48 I'm a big Morgan geeky guy.
31:50 I'm leading the geek squad.
31:51 I think he's a guy that, uh, wherever his role is, whether, especially I think with,
31:56 uh, Matt Potra, I think you saw a lot of really good chemistry there.
31:58 Um, I think it just makes a simple smart plays that I think falls in line with what
32:03 you're looking for out of this team.
32:04 Um, I was surprised to see that.
32:05 I think he's leading the Bruins and high danger chances.
32:08 Uh, per 16.
32:09 That's wild.
32:11 Yeah.
32:11 So again, but I always feel like when you really notice him, it's either along the
32:15 board or it's especially like behind the net, the guy's always, even though he's,
32:18 he is six, three, but he's not the biggest guy.
32:20 He always seems to be like, hold on to pucks.
32:22 Uh, always seems to like generate a good look or a grade a, uh, set up feed off
32:27 of like a backhand pass, what have you like he's pretty crafty and strong
32:31 on his skates in those spots.
32:32 And I think whether it's with.
32:34 A guy like Patra, like I wouldn't be, I'd be intrigued.
32:37 It sinks that he's hurt, but like a DeBrusque Patra geeky line, like what
32:41 that could do if you want to keep them together, um, I think just his versatility,
32:45 the way he, I think fits in with what this team's looking to build.
32:48 Uh, hopefully he's back pretty soon.
32:50 Cause again, I don't know if this is a guy that people were expecting
32:52 was going to have a 40 point season.
32:54 Just off of the fact he was getting more reps than he had with Seattle.
32:57 Again, it helps me have Daniel sprung on his line in Seattle, who was shooting,
33:00 I think 45% last year or something like that.
33:04 It was some unsustainable thing.
33:05 So I think that was a bit of a reach, but I think for what you have in terms of
33:09 his versatility, his ability to impact the game and how I think he meshes with
33:13 what the Bruins are looking to.
33:14 Achieve in terms of their approach in the offensive zone.
33:18 I really like what geeky is brought so far.
33:20 That's a great pick.
33:21 I think that again, an unheralded kind of signing in terms of, uh, I think
33:27 he's one of these guys, it sounds so weird.
33:29 I know that his name works against him.
33:32 You spent 2 million on a guy named geeky and everyone's like,
33:34 wait, what are you doing?
33:36 Why are you doing that?
33:37 You got, you signed a geek for 2 million.
33:38 You don't need to do that.
33:39 So I think there's a little bit of that, but, uh, but no, he's really effective.
33:42 And you know, I kind of said this over the summer.
33:45 I'm not sure if I said on here before or not, but like, I looked at Morgan geeky
33:49 as like the Riley Nash 2.0 with the Bruins where like, it's a low money.
33:54 You look at the underlying metrics, you're like, Ooh, you might have something here.
33:57 You might have a guy who can move up and down.
33:58 And I think what's huge for, for geeky has been the connection with Patra.
34:03 I mean, really making life easier for the 19 year old stepping into the NHL.
34:08 Um, and it's kind of interesting that I don't know if Patra has
34:11 been as loud without geeky.
34:14 You know, like I, I just, I wonder about that.
34:16 And so, um, you know, that that's, it's been a value add in that respect
34:21 in that respect alone, you know, which is helping your top prospect,
34:24 essentially, you know, your top pro prospect now, um, get settled in.
34:29 And I think that that goes a long way.
34:31 So that's a great pick.
34:32 Yeah.
34:33 So hopefully he gets back healthy along with a couple other Bruins.
34:36 Obviously we didn't talk about Lucci, who I thought was really, very strong
34:39 through the first four games in terms of what, uh, he could offer is more of
34:43 a fourth line role, a lot of guys banged up on this team that is still 11, one
34:46 and two as of recording, uh, so a lot of really positive things to draw from
34:51 this team so far, and we'll see how they do tonight against the Sabres.
34:54 And I'm sure we'll break that down in the days and weeks ahead, but, uh,
34:58 tied before we let you go, anything you'd like to plug.
35:01 Uh, I mean, not plug per se, just, uh, I'm online.
35:06 Uh, I'm, I'm, I, I deleted Twitter off my phone for a little while.
35:10 So, uh, uh, but yeah, I'm on Twitter slash X at underscore Ty Anderson.
35:15 Um, also I have a Facebook page, Ty Anderson, you can find that I'm on there.
35:19 Um, uh, yeah.
35:21 And then 90th house sports hub.com.
35:23 That's where you can read all my work.
35:24 So, so yeah, so I deleted Twitter off the phone for a little while.
35:27 And I just wanted a little break from it.
35:29 So it was a freeing.
35:30 Was it great to not have people tweet about like Mason, Laura and for a bunch
35:36 of like candy corn to Edmonton.
35:38 Yeah, no, it's great.
35:40 Um, it's definitely, it's definitely like, it's good to do that every now and then.
35:45 Cause I don't think, I don't think human beings should be exposed to everyone's
35:48 opinion about them 24 hours a day.
35:50 I think, I think it's just, it should be harder to contact people than it is.
35:54 Right.
35:54 And so I think that's kind of how I felt.
35:57 So a nice little shutting off for a little bit and just touching grass.
36:00 If I can find some out there, we'll see.
36:02 Exactly.
36:04 Bring back the carrier pigeon.
36:05 That's how you should reach someone now is bring back the world
36:07 door one carrier pigeon.
36:08 So, uh, and obviously you can read any of my stuff over Boston.com.
36:12 If you want to follow me on Twitter X, whatever the hell it's called, you can
36:15 do that at Connor Ryan underscore 93.
36:18 So this has been the latest episode of poke the bear podcast.
36:21 Uh, once again, I am Connor Ryan.
36:23 That is Ty Anderson.
36:24 You guys have a great rest of your week.
36:28 Okay.
36:29 [inaudible].
36:34 [inaudible].
36:39 (upbeat music)