Will Georgii Merkulov Push for a Spot in Boston? | Bruins Beat - video Dailymotion

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Evan Marinofsky is joined by Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal to discuss a variety of Bruins topics, including Georgii Merkulov and his standing in the organization, Fabian Lysell's future, and, of course, the Jeremy Swayman extension.   Prize Picks! Get in on the excitement with PrizePicks, America’s No. 1 Fantasy Sports App, where you can turn your hoops knowledge into serious cash. Download the app today and use code CLNS for a first deposit match up to $100! Pick more. Pick less. It’s that Easy! Go to https://PrizePicks.com/CLNS  Gametime! Take the guesswork out of buying NBA tickets with Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code CLNS for $20 off your first purchase. Download Gametime today. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed. Terms apply. Go to https://gametime.co !

Transcript

00:00Bruins beat is brought to you by price picks and the game time app.

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00:36Sox. Don't sleep on the socks. So go to game time and use that promo code CLNS. I'm Evan

00:42Maranofsky. That is Mark Diver. Mark, what is up?

00:48Just count the days, Evan, until, uh, the river at showcase on, uh, on Monday and, uh,

00:55the madness begins. That's it. It is so fun every year that we, for you and me, cause

01:03that's the real start of hockey season, the rats showcase. And then like a month or six

01:08weeks into it, we're like, Oh my God, this is, you know, what's going on this weekend.

01:14I don't know if I can take another one, you know? Well, that's the thing is that's the

01:19thing. And, and what's tough is like, I was thinking about last year and we did, we got

01:23that like Halloween showcase. Uh, and it was like, I'm done with this. And the kids don't,

01:30the kids aren't into it either. Like after a while, it's like, you know, cause for those

01:34who don't know, like fall hockey is sort of the setup for prep and high school season,

01:40which is sort of the main event. I mean, that's when, you know, you're playing for your school

01:43and it's a big thing and falls great to get looks. And cause colleges can go there more

01:49easily just cause the season hasn't started yet. So there'll be, you know, a ton of college

01:53coaches, um, you know, in Foxboro and different ranks this weekend and throughout the, uh, fall,

01:59but like, you know, you'll, you'll, you'll watch a fall hockey game.

02:04I'd say like probably like late October and there'll be a team with four defensemen and six

02:08forwards. And it's like, all right, like, I mean, come on, you know? So I'm with you.

02:13The I'm, I'm going to, I'm going to really enjoy this time though. The September month

02:17when it's still fresh and you're seeing new teams, that's fun. The junior Eagles and

02:22all that. So that I'm excited for that. So that's all that matters. Um, uh, anyways,

02:28Bruins, uh, counting down the days until training camp till captain's practices until,

02:33uh, that action gets underway. And, and one question I keep kind of coming back to,

02:38and I've mentioned this on a few podcasts, you and I have talked about this at great length

02:43at Foxboro or a dev camp is sort of the curious case of Georgie Mercullof of he spent two years

02:51in Providence. The production levels have been there, you know, in any other, you know,

02:56would in any other case would say, all right, guys, you know, done really well in Providence

03:00for two years, at least statistically speaking, it's time for him to get the promotion to the big

03:05club. Um, but the lineup spots, I don't know where that spot is. Um, do you foresee him

03:14making a really strong push for the team and where does he potentially fit?

03:18Well, I'll answer the first, the, uh, the first question first, I do see him making a strong push.

03:27I think, I think he's going to be very motivated. I don't think he, I don't think he wants or needs

03:35another year in the American league. Um, you know, I think, uh, I've said this before. He,

03:41they asked him to work on his defensive game and, and his, you know, his 200 foot game with,

03:46with good details in the defensive zone. And he's done that he's delivered that.

03:51And I think, uh, you know, the offensive game has always been there for him. Um,

03:58and I think it's, it's, you know, his tie, I think he'll be motivated. Like I say, he'll,

04:04he'll, he doesn't want to spend another year in Providence. And, you know, I think it's time

04:09for him. This is the third year of his three-year contract. It's time. Uh, but where does he fit?

04:14But where does he fit that? I don't know. I don't know where he fits. He's not,

04:21he's certainly not a fourth line guy. That's not his game. He's not a physical player. He's not

04:28a burner. He's, you know, he can keep up, but he's not, uh, doesn't have Johnny Beecher's wheels.

04:34That's for sure. So, you know, where do you, where does he fit? I, I honestly don't know.

04:41Uh, but if he, you know, I think the, he needs to go to camp, have us put in a strong performance

04:48and show that wherever they do put them, that he's, you know, going to, uh, going to give

04:54them something. And then we'll go from there and see what, uh, see where he ends up. Yeah.

05:01Another thing is I hear, uh, you know, suggestions that, well, maybe what if you put them on the

05:08wing? I just lost you there. What if you put them on the wing? I don't see him as a wing. He's a

05:14classic Russian center, you know, smart. He's not dot souk, but you know, in that mold crafty with

05:21the puck offensively gifted, I don't know how that works on the wing and his play on the walls.

05:28He he's, you know, he's five 11. He's not, uh, he's not going to blast anybody off the puck

05:34along the, uh, along the boards. So playing him out of position,

05:39geez, I don't think that works. I agree. And I think definitely it does not work on the right

05:44wing. And I think we've been over this because people have said, Oh, maybe, you know, potential

05:48top six, you know, right wing replaced a brusque. I don't think that's going to work. Um, I think

05:53the most like potentially obvious spot for a guy like Mark Ulof would be in that third line center

06:00role. If they don't feel Patras ready and, and Patra goes to Providence, I think that is sort of

06:05where the spot is. And that to me is the biggest thing for, for him is, you know, if you can prove

06:13that you're more advanced than Patra at this stage, again, like Patra look great in his NHL

06:18time last year, we said that a million times, but coming off shoulder surgery, he's never spent any

06:23time in the American league. Like, you know, I do wonder the Bruins are usually pretty cautious

06:29with prospects. I do wonder if they look at that route with Patra this year. I think it's a

06:34viable option. Um, so I think the third line center role makes sense for, for Mark Ulof

06:39potentially, but I also wonder like you mentioned the wing, right? Like, you know, his game a lot

06:46better than I do. You've watched him in Providence way, way, way more than I have, but I do like,

06:52is there any case in which he moves? Like he, he pushes for like a top six left wing spot.

07:00Is there any way that happens? I know you mentioned board battle stuff, but like, is there,

07:04would there even be a chance that that could be in the cards? Cause we can like all along,

07:09we assume Zaka is going to the left wing. And I think that makes the most sense,

07:13but is there a world in which Merkuloff plays so well at training camp? They're like, okay,

07:17maybe he fits on the left side in the top sex. Like, is there any chance that that could happen?

07:23Well, I, I wouldn't rule, I wouldn't rule anything out, but you know,

07:30Monty, uh, Jim Montgomery and a lot of coaches, you know, talk about playing fast and, you know,

07:36that kind of game that I don't think that's really Merck's, uh, that's not his game. Uh,

07:43you know, the speed, speed, speed, push the pace, uh, type of, uh, winger. I don't think

07:50that's really him now, if he could, I don't know where, where he would find that, uh, you know,

07:57heading into his third year, uh, as a pro. So I, that would be interesting. And it would be, uh,

08:04it would be a fun if, if he were able to pull that off, but, uh, you know, you're, you mentioned

08:10Patra and I think that's a, that's a more realistic possibility, I think, than, than

08:17sticking Merck on the wing. Um, I'm curious to see, you know, in the prospects challenge last

08:26September in Buffalo, Patra was one of the, you know, the shining lights, you know, that started

08:33him on the way to winning an NHL job, his, his performance there. No one in the Bruins hierarchy

08:41that I talked to in Buffalo thought that he was going to start the year in Boston. They thought

08:46he was going to be in the OHL, but he played so well in camp and early on that, you know,

08:55they were, they were down to center. So why not try them? And they did. And it was working,

09:01uh, you know, most nights until he got hurt. So what happens now that he's been off the ice or

09:07no games for, I don't know what, eight months. Yeah. Uh, I'm curious to see if he gets invited

09:13to the prospects challenge this time. Uh, I would hope and, you know, kind of expect that he will

09:21just to get him some games. So, and get, get him a little bit of, uh,

09:27you know, comfort level coming off that injury before NHL training camp. So, you know, when the,

09:34when the roster for the prospects challenge comes out, uh, you know, the first week of September

09:40or whenever, uh, I'll be curious to see if Patra is there. Uh, and I, I hope he is because I think

09:46that would, uh, that would be good for him. And it would be an interesting storyline to, uh,

09:53to follow in Buffalo would be his performance. Yeah. And I also just think he needs, as you said,

09:58he needs games. And I think that's extra games on top of, um, preseason games. And, and I just,

10:04I think that's important. Um, will Lysell be at prospects? I don't think he will. No, I don't

10:10think. Okay. No, I, you know, I don't know. You know, I think his, I suspect his focus will be

10:21in the Bruins focus will be for him to come and to show up on day one of NHL training camp and

10:28be ready to go. No, I don't think sending him to Buffalo. He's been there twice,

10:33maybe three times, maybe three years. I can't remember for sure, but I don't think he needs

10:39to do Buffalo again. Uh, you know, so yeah, I don't expect that, but I could be surprised.

10:48Yeah, we'll see. I'm excited. You're going to be in, uh, you'll be there,

10:52which will be great. You'll be, uh, the boots on the ground in Buffalo. That's right.

10:56Next month. Um, I want to get into some, uh, Swain and stuff. We can kind of touch on Lysell

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12:43prize picks run your game. So with Fabian Lysell, you mentioned him.

12:49You know, we've talked a lot about that. It feels like in the vibe I got coming from

12:56after free agency was that that spot was sort of open for him on that second line,

13:01right wing spot. Do you think like, do you think that that's sort of where they're at

13:07at least right prior to training camp that that's that Lysell, if we were doing like

13:12odds would be the favorite for that spot. It feels that way. It feels that way. Um,

13:19you know, I think there will be PTOs, uh, you know, we don't know who they are or whether it

13:25be more than one, who knows, but, uh, you know, I think they'll, they may have their eye on somebody

13:31who could fill that spot, but geez, I think that they'd love to see Lysell come in and grab that

13:41by the neck and, uh, and, you know, really, really take really run with that. Uh,

13:51you know, um, I was, you know, you, you did a podcast with him recently and, uh,

13:58I was pleasantly surprised just by his, uh, how relaxed and, uh, you know, low key he was,

14:06because that's not always the vibe in Providence or it hasn't been, you know,

14:12maybe it's because you're close to him in age and I'm old enough to be his grandfather, but,

14:18I don't think that's the case, but, uh, you know, I've, the vibe I've gotten from him at times is

14:27that he's tense and, you know, guarded and not, you know, just a very reserved, uh, person. And

14:36the vibe when he talked with you was different. I thought that he was relaxed, confident, you know,

14:43maybe ready to go. So, you know, maybe, uh, maybe that's maturity, uh, you know, getting used to,

14:51you know, pro hockey and all the things you have to deal with besides what goes on on the ice. So

14:59I would love to show, see him show up. And, uh, he, he also mentioned having more fun,

15:05didn't he? Did he mention he was going to try to have more fun? You know, that there's been times

15:11when it certainly looked like he wasn't having a lot of fun in Providence. Uh, so it'd be great

15:19if he showed up with a smile on his face and, you know, relaxed and ready to go and, uh,

15:25and grab that job. And, you know, I think the vibe you get from, you know, management around

15:34development camp and after the, in the post season, after the season was it's there, the job

15:40is there. And, uh, you know, maybe Lysel's the first guy in line. Uh, I would, I would expect

15:47that he is, but, uh, you know, I don't know who on a PTO would come in and, and, you know,

15:54change that, that could certainly happen, but, uh, yeah, I would expect, uh, Fabian to be the

16:01number one guy there. Connor and I talked yesterday or we talked Wednesday, um, on poke the

16:07bear and it'll, it'll be out soon. Um, about PTOs, different PTO options like Blake Wheeler's

16:13available max patch ready. Those are two guys I thought, you know, given their history could

16:18potentially like, again, I don't know, you know, patch already has dealt with a lot of injuries.

16:21The last two years, Wheeler, uh, dealt with injuries last year. He's going to be, I think

16:2638. So I don't know if that's, I don't know if you'd slot those guys over a guy like Lysel,

16:31who you do really want to see what you have. And it's kind of, all right, you know, let's,

16:36let's see if you can actually be a top six winger in the NHL.

16:39This seems like a pretty good situation for it. Um, but I think those would be potentially two

16:45PTO options. It was interesting, actually Lysel, uh, cause I, I think someone tweeted at me being

16:50like, oh, I don't, you know, he sounded too relaxed, uh, talking about, you know, his mindset

16:55going into training camp. And, you know, I think people want the players to come out and say, I'm

16:59going to run through a brick wall for a spot on the team. And I don't care, but I think everyone

17:03feels that way. Um, but I do think it does matter, you know, for his own game to, to be relaxed, to,

17:12to have fun. Um, I know that sounds cliche, but I think if you go in pressuring yourself,

17:19I've got to make the team, I've got to make the team. Well, then you're not going to make the

17:22team. You're going to play bad. You're going to play timid. And I think that's sort of a sports

17:26psychology end of it, where, you know, if you go in saying, well, I'm just going to have fun,

17:30I'm going to do my best. I'm going to be who I am. I think you do have a better shot. Now we'll

17:35see if that works out. If that smile gets wiped off his face, when he gets like drilled by Zadora

17:40and a drill. Um, but I do, I do think it is. I, I, I was happy to hear that. Um, at least for his

17:48own sake, like I thought that was a good mindset to have, you know, and I think fans wanted him

17:53to be like, oh, I'm going to do whatever it takes that second line right wing line. I'm going to

17:57reach out and grab it and take it. And I don't think that, I don't think that's a practical way

18:02to approach such a big task. That's just, no, it's not, it's not. And I think, uh,

18:10you know, for the role they expect him or they would like him to take,

18:15you know, that's not, uh, I don't think that's, that's going to help him. So hopefully, you know,

18:21confidence, a smile, uh, you know, relaxed, uh, works in his favor, uh, you know, in a couple

18:29of weeks. Um, you know, I think it would be great. I've said this before, if he showed up early and

18:34was in on those captain's practices, I don't know if he's done that in the past. Has he,

18:40or does he, or does he just show, you know, he had to go to the prospects challenge last year. So,

18:46uh, but it would be great if he was there, uh, skating with the vets leading up to NHL camp. I

18:52think that would help him get a little, little comfort level. You know, I think he had told me

18:58he was coming over in early September. I forget the exact date, but he said that him and the

19:03Bruins had just figured out the, um, the time to come over. So that might be involved because

19:09captain's practices, I think, I think are typically like very early September if memory

19:16serves. Um, so I would hope I I'm with you. I think that would be a terrific kind of

19:21runway into training camp. And again, it is a big camp for him. Like it's,

19:25it's not like the top six is full and it's like, Oh man, hopefully he can, you know,

19:29potentially get a third line spot or, you know, he's done back to Providence. Like there is a

19:34spot. There is a legit spot in that top six, um, that I think, you know, he makes the most

19:39sense for at least, uh, on paper, uh, want to go to a Bruins preseason game. You want to go,

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21:20It's game time. Now back to the show. So, uh, Jeremy Swayman spoke, uh,

21:26I think over the weekend at a triathlon that he did, um, on, uh, you know, Ty Anderson was

21:33asking him about his contract, uh, or, you know, this, you know, the contract we're waiting for

21:38him to sign or waiting to, for him to agree to. Uh, and he said, quote, I do love it in Boston

21:43and that's all I can control. And I know that I have complete trust in my agent and I know that

21:47it's going to get done eventually. Um, uh, where else? There was another part. Uh, I'm getting

21:54just as much experience right now as I did last year with different ways of it all. And we know

21:59it's a business, it's unfortunate at times, but I know I'm going to be playing hockey at the end of

22:03the day. And I really hope it's with the Boston Bruins. Does that make you nervous? Is there

22:08anything in those quotes that gives you cause for concern? No, no. You know, maybe when he said,

22:16I know it's going to get done eventually. Uh, you know, if that means, I don't know,

22:22October 25th, then, uh, okay. Maybe I'd be nervous about that, but I don't know. He,

22:29I thought he said all the right things. I didn't see anything there. I, you know, I maybe not, uh,

22:35not everyone agrees with this, but I didn't see anything there to nitpick and say, aha,

22:41you know, uh, I think, you know, it's like he said, it's going to happen.

22:50So if he thinks it's going to happen, who am I to, to argue, but, uh, it would make, it would

22:56make certainly the fan base feel a lot better if it happens, say, I don't know, this afternoon,

23:02as opposed to our luck, it'll happen in like 20 minutes. Right. Right. But no, I, I didn't see

23:08anything to be nervous about there, but of all the things he could have said, I thought he said,

23:13uh, he said the right things. I agree. Clearly wants to be here. Um, as we've said, I, you know,

23:21I haven't heard anyone say that they don't think this is going to get done. Um, again,

23:26summer sort of a slow time after free agency vacations, things like that. I think it gets

23:31done. And I, I think he genuinely wants to be here. You look at, you know, he was in the schedule

23:36release video. Uh, they have him doing lots of different promotional stuff. He's a Bruin.

23:42And I, like, I think it's just, it's, it's a matter of time of when it happens. The only

23:46quote in there that made me like, Oh, it was whenever a player says it's a business.

23:50Cause I remember during the Torrey Krug stuff, that debacle, he kept saying, Oh, I know it's

23:55a business. Like that's whenever a player says it's a business, you're always like, Oh shoot.

23:59Like they're gone. I think this is different though. I think he's, I, you know, I think it's

24:04like a 99% chance that he's back. I don't, I don't foresee a way in which he's gone or how

24:10like negotiations break down. What do you, what do you think it's over? What do you think the

24:14holdup's been? Well, I think it's about the money. Uh, you know, you know, what, uh,

24:24what's the ceiling on, on what he's asking for? Is he asking, I don't know, is he asking for 9.5

24:30million a year for eight years? I don't know. Is it 8 million? Is it 8.5? Uh, you know, I think

24:37that's, that's the issue to me. And, uh, you know, I haven't talked to anyone or I have done

24:44no research or homework on this whatsoever. I'm just pulling those, pulling those numbers out.

24:49I don't know what the number is, but, uh, you know, I got to think it's, it's about the money.

24:56Isn't that always the, uh, the case in contract, uh, things like that? Yeah, it is. I think it is.

25:04I wonder though, if there's any, like, if there's anything with term, like, I wonder if they're far,

25:08like, does he want shorter term deal to then cash in again, three or four years from now? Does he

25:15want, you know, do they, are they hesitant on a longer term deal? I don't know. I'm also pulling

25:19those out. Like, I don't know, but I'm, you know, again, playing contrarian. Like I do wonder if

25:23it's term as well. Cause I think it's, I think the hundred should be eight by eight. I think

25:27that makes the most sense. I think that works. That covers his prime. I think it's a good price,

25:33one that looks cheaper down the road. So what if it was, what if it was three years with that?

25:41I mean, with the Bruins, you wonder if the Bruins would be more amenable to that.

25:44And then, you know, he's unproven as a starting goalie in the NHL right now, right? Yes. So

25:53three years will give you a window to see, you know, how good is this guy? Can he do it?

26:01All signs point to the fact that he is good enough. But three years, maybe,

26:07you know, maybe that, maybe there's a middle ground there and term wise and money wise that

26:13would get this done faster, you know? Maybe it is. I agree with you. I mean,

26:19they did that essentially with McAvoy instead of giving him the long-term deal in 2019,

26:23they handed him, I think it was a three-year deal. And then he, over that time proved he

26:28was a legit number one defense when they paid a lot more than they would have had to pay him

26:31if they did a long-term deal at the time in 2019. I think that, I think that was an extension though.

26:39So, but still, I mean, they went with a three-year deal instead of.

26:42Well, and then, you know, one other possible factor here is that if they say they went for

26:48a three-year deal, he'd be able to walk after that, right? So, you know, if that,

26:59is that something the Bruins, are they willing to roll the dice on that? You know, that a guy

27:05theoretically in the prime of his career at what, 27, 28 years old at that point could hit the

27:11market and just, you know, go wherever the money is highest. You know, maybe that's not a risk

27:19Boston wants to take, or maybe it is, maybe they're willing to roll the dice. Really, I

27:26couldn't begin to guess on that. And, but then I think you're like

27:29betting that he won't be, like then they almost wouldn't be betting, like, oh,

27:34betting that he wouldn't be a high-end goalie. Cause like, okay, we want to

27:37get you the smartest contract. And the tough part with that is like, then the Bruins are

27:41back in negotiations with them in two years where like, cause I wonder if he wants that kind of

27:46deal where it's like, oh, I want to be nasty for three years and then make a ton more money

27:51when the cap keeps going up. So I don't know. Good points. Good points. He, you know,

28:00three years instead of eight years would, you could spin that as a, as a, like you say,

28:05as a lack of confidence in him. You know, I think that a doubt that maybe he's not up to it.

28:14Or it's yeah. Or it could even be motivating him. Like, Hey, we, we, you know, it's like when

28:20Belichick used to tell Brady, he sucked. It's like that just so to make him go, you know,

28:24it's like, it's like Jeremy, we don't think you're that great, but we're gonna give you this three

28:28year, you know, $7 million deal. You do what you want with it. We don't think you're going to be

28:32that great. Swimming goes out and wins like three straight business. It's like, oh, we did it.

28:36It worked. Yeah. I mean, nothing, nothing motivates players, right? Like you said,

28:41I couldn't do it. You said, I couldn't do it. You thought I couldn't do it, you know?

28:46So I don't know. I think eight, eight years is the safe, the safe way to go.

28:53I think it is too. Speaking of contracts before we head out, you and I are doing the hockey guys.

28:58You are the new England hockey guy, uh, Maddie Benears seven times seven. I know it was sort of

29:04a down year for him this year. That seems low. That seems like a really good deal for Seattle.

29:11Yeah. I, I thought it would be more than that. Uh, I did too, but, uh,

29:19yeah, I don't know. I, I, I don't know what the thinking, uh, was on that. I don't know how many

29:24points he had last year. I, you know, I look it up. Is he going to be, I don't think he's going

29:30to be a guy that's in the top five scores every year. I don't think I agree. His games, uh,

29:36you know, an all around game, like, uh, you know, not to throw Bergey out there again,

29:42but a Bergeron type where I agree, you know, puts up good numbers, but not,

29:48not Connor McDavid numbers, not, not, uh, we have dry sidle numbers, but good numbers

29:54and does everything else that you want. Uh, so yeah, I, I guess that's a little low, but,

30:02uh, you know, still it's $56 million. It's nothing to sneeze at, you know,

30:08I'll take, I'll take that. Um, he had 37 points in 77 games last year. He had 57 points

30:14in 80 games the year before and won the Calder. Um, so in that context of what he's given you,

30:20um, I think that probably makes sense because it is a little bit of a bet. I mean, 7 million,

30:27I don't know. I can, I don't watch every cracking game. I don't, he didn't give

30:31you $7 million worth of play last year. He did the year before. So I think that is kind of a,

30:38Hey, you know, it is a little bit of a bet. Like this could look cheap down the road,

30:41but it also might be kind of where you're valued. Cause as you said, like, and I agree with you,

30:45I don't think he's going to be, you know, fighting with Kucherov McKinnon and

30:50Pasternak and McDavid and dry sidle for top 10 and top five, 10 point in points.

30:56So he's probably going to be more of a borderline second line center. You're a borderline first line

31:01center, maybe more of a second line center and 7 million lines up with what that's worth

31:07in today's NHL. Yeah. It'll be interesting to watch where the salaries go. And over the next

31:14few years, like if he gets halfway through his contract and salaries have gone for whatever

31:21reason, the salaries have gone through the roof, they've added expansion teams.

31:24They got all this money coming in and salaries have gone way, way up. Then 7 million

31:31might look like, you know, you can't say 7 million, it might look like not a lot of money,

31:38but peanuts, not a market, not a market value there. So that'll be something to keep an eye on

31:46where the salaries go from here. And what's in three or four years, that may look like

31:53an unbelievable deal for the Kraken. Yeah. I think it easily could. And I don't think like

31:59even worst case scenario, if Bunears, let's say he was a 50 point a year guy, right? Like

32:05for 7 million, that's not bad. Like, I think that's pretty good. So I think that's a smart

32:11deal for Seattle. It's also probably smart for Matty Bunears too. I mean, first of all,

32:16as you said, $56 million, that's a lot of Milton Academy tuitions in there. Not a ton, but there

32:24are a good amount. Well, I was thinking about this last night when I was at Foxborough,

32:36a couple of years ago, he was playing in that league. He was playing

32:40Wednesday nights in the summer. He was on the ice with those guys in Foxborough. So,

32:45you know, it makes you think. Time flies. And a kid like that, who's gifted, as gifted as he is,

32:54he's going to climb the mountain pretty quickly. Yeah. And now we think about the kids at Foxborough,

32:58like Will Bent and David Bosco and Cole Sabrin. And you're like, man, are we going to be sitting

33:03here in five, six years from now being like, yeah, they landed this huge deal. And remember

33:09when we used to watch him over at Foxborough, like you've had a long time of doing that.

33:15Well, I've talked about this. I've mentioned this before. I think there was one year where

33:20the pro league needed, was short on players. It was August, you know, guys were,

33:28the real pros were off doing, playing golf, whatever. And they needed players and they

33:32brought in Matty Beniers and Brett Berard. Longtime friends, teammates all through youth

33:42hockey on the South Shore Kings. They brought them in to play one night in the pro league and they put

33:48Conor Garland at center with those two. So let me tell you, they were throwing the

33:54fuck around like you wouldn't believe. Even though, you know, two of them were

33:59high school kids at that point. Like 17 years or probably younger.

34:04Yeah. Cause were they back for, it was.

34:06They weren't in the program yet. They weren't in the program. It was even before.

34:10Oh my God. So they were like 15 years old. Yeah. You never know what you're going to see

34:15in Boxborough, whether it's the pros back then or the young kids now.

34:21It's true. I agree with you. It's some weeks is nothing, but others it's like, well, that's

34:25something I'll remember for quite a long time. Always fun. You've got obviously a lot of

34:32Providence Bruins coverage coming up as the season begins. You have a cover story coming for us in

34:39hockey journal magazine. So that'll be interesting. And you and I have lots of hockey to

34:44watch this winter. It's going to, it'll be a fun year. I think there's a lot of, a lot of talent,

34:49which is good. Yeah. It'll be a lot of fun. It shall be. Mark, as always, it's a pleasure.

34:54I will see you tonight, Thursday night at Fox pro hopefully. And yeah, that's been Bruins beat.

35:01I'm Evan Maranofsky Bruins beat listeners. Have a great rest of your week.

Will Georgii Merkulov Push for a Spot in Boston? | Bruins Beat

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