Brad Marchand talks about his approach to contracts | Pucks with Haggs
Pucks with Haggs podcast host Joe Haggerty and NEHJ's Evan Marinovsky discuss Brad Marchand's comments to open the preseason and if they are linked to Jeremy Swayman's contract negotiations.
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Welcome to the #CLNS Media Network’s YouTube channel for Boston #Bruins hockey. CLNS Media is the leading online provider of audio/video coverage for the Boston sports. Get complete inside access to the Bruins at TD Garden, the game day skates at Warrior, and everywhere on the road. CLNS #NHLBruins' credentialed insiders Mike "Trags" Petraglia, Evan Marinofski, Conor Ryan, and Joe "Haggs" Haggerty. Providing instantaneous news and analysis all in real time, as well as full access to complete videos from the players, coaches, ownership and everyone else on Causeway Street.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Pucks with Hags is brought to you by Price Picks and the Game Time app.
00:07Welcome to another edition of the Pucks with Hags podcast powered by Price Picks, the exclusive
00:11daily fantasy partner of the CLNS Media Network.
00:14I believe it's the 121st episode of the Pucks with Hags podcast.
00:19Welcome to the show.
00:20I am your host, Joe Hagerty.
00:21You can find my work at joehagerty.substack.com.
00:25Subscribe for a premium membership.
00:26Get all of my NHL and Bruins running scents straight directly to your inbox.
00:29You can also find my work at Boston Sports Journal.
00:32Go to bostonsportsjournal.com.
00:33I write columns there on the Bruins three times a week.
00:37And now that we're getting into the nitty-gritty of captain's practices and training camp,
00:41the stuff will be getting really interesting over there.
00:43So I do recommend that you check it out with me today.
00:46Friend and colleague Evan Maronofsky from the New England Hockey Journal.
00:49Also you may see his smiling face on Nessun on the New England Hockey Journal show as
00:54well.
00:55Evan, welcome to the show, my friend.
00:57Thank you for having me.
00:58When you said that you might see his smiling face as you're saying it, I was like, where
01:01would you see it?
01:02I was thinking like, what's he going to say?
01:05But yeah, so it's the start of the year, Hags, all hockey is starting.
01:10So it's just a lot of weekends spent in rinks.
01:14You know what that's like.
01:15And yes, captain's practice is beginning.
01:17It's nice.
01:18I like this time of year.
01:19It's fun.
01:20I'm going to a rink right after this recording with Finn.
01:22His first season practice this season with the Greater Boston Vipers.
01:27So that should be a good time.
01:28Oh, I was a Viper.
01:29I was a Viper back in the day.
01:30Were you really?
01:31I was a Viper.
01:32Is it still out of Revere?
01:33Yeah.
01:34Cronin, that's where we're going.
01:35Yes.
01:36Yes.
01:37Those are the days.
01:38Which like where we're going from Newton, it's like 25 minutes at rush hour.
01:43It's awesome.
01:44I don't know what kind of magic door I go through, what kind of portal I'm going through
01:49to get from Newton to Revere in 25 minutes at like five, 36 o'clock at night, but I will
01:55take it.
01:56It's fantastic.
01:57As you mentioned, we are on the precipice of rinks all the time.
02:01Hockey all the time.
02:02Like we're, we're right about to like on the surfboard, right about to go in and take on
02:06that wave.
02:07Like you could see it and you're like, am I going to do it again this year?
02:10And you're like, hell yeah.
02:11Hell yeah.
02:12I am that way.
02:13And that wave is going to last about six, seven months.
02:15So that way we're not falling.
02:17I don't think we're falling off that wave.
02:19Yeah.
02:20It, uh, that's this time of year.
02:21It all just kicks into gear.
02:23I like it.
02:24What are we?
02:25Four days into September now.
02:26So it's good.
02:27This is nice.
02:28As soon as you get, uh, past labor day, your whole like sort of a mindset, I think shifts
02:33and goes back to hockey, youth hockey, high school, like the midget, uh, they're doing
02:38the midget leagues, the high school kids, uh, college hockey's ramping up.
02:41The captain's practices are happening like everywhere.
02:45Everybody that plays hockey is now sort of getting into hockey mode, which is like, awesome.
02:49I love it.
02:50That and back to school.
02:51When you start feeling that in September, it's just like instinctual.
02:54You know what I mean?
02:55It's like, I still feel it and it's, I hate, I hate that feeling like the back to school
03:01feeling I never liked, but the hockey, like the back to hockey feeling I loved, I still
03:06love it.
03:07Um, it's, and I can imagine with kids, it's just, you know, Oh, we got to hit Walmart
03:11to get all the supplies or, Oh, we got to hit target to hit all the supplies.
03:15So, um, yeah, it's fun.
03:16It's a fun time of year.
03:17It's fun time.
03:18Yeah.
03:19Instead I get the, uh, dad, the new trigger, uh, pro nine is out.
03:22Can we go to the store and get that for like $250 and I'm like, no, we're not getting that
03:27sticks are insane now.
03:28It's trigger eight is on sale last year's model.
03:31So we're just going to get another trigger eight and I guarantee it's the same goddamn
03:35stick with the same shooting action and flex and everything else.
03:38So I believe it now.
03:39I didn't believe it when I was that age, when I wanted that stick, there's the difference.
03:43See what kids I'm like, I like it like Bauer the last two years has released older sticks.
03:50They did the Eastern synergy last year and I actually got one for men's league.
03:55It's yellow.
03:56It was, it's awesome.
03:57Yeah.
03:58And this year they re-released the Easton S 17, which was big in like 2009, 2010.
04:02And it was a good stick.
04:04I never, I don't think I ever had it, but they are releasing, it's like 200 bucks and
04:09that's a top of the line stick.
04:11But from 15 years ago, and I think there was like one or two kids in college who might
04:15have used the synergy last year.
04:17And I like, if I had a kid, I'd be like, you're using that stick.
04:20Like that's a high end stick.
04:22That's cool.
04:23It's a throwback kids.
04:24Your age don't get it, but you're going to use that stick because it's cheaper and it's
04:28cool.
04:29I think it's way cooler, but kids want to use the newest age.
04:32I'll want the stupid all white Proto custom stick.
04:36Like that's, that's all of them want that they wear the Proto hats.
04:40They want the Proto stick.
04:41Like they want that frigging all white stick out on the ice, which, Hey, I guess, I don't
04:46know.
04:47I don't get it.
04:48Yeah.
04:49I remember when I was like, I was a little older than Finn Easton Mako came out.
04:52I don't know if anybody remembers that, but it was this all white stick that Easton put
04:56out.
04:57And I remember watching the videos was the first real high end stick I wanted.
05:00Cause just getting to that age and in the video, they're like, you know, they say black
05:05tape hides the puck, but what if the goalie can't see the stick?
05:08And I remember thinking like, Holy shit, I am going to score 50 goals this year because
05:13I am going to break hockey because they're not, the goalies won't be able to see my stick.
05:18And the blade was destroyed after like two months.
05:22I don't think I scored any goals.
05:23I was a defenseman and yeah, but it still sits in my parents' garage.
05:28And every time I go past it, I get a little chuckle out of it.
05:31So that's like, that is actually usually the fate of Finn sticks after five or six months,
05:37the blade is frigging all chipped up and like peeling away and just dead.
05:42Like it's gross.
05:43He's like an absolute savage in there, like digging out pucks and like slamming people
05:47and you know, digging and puck stick, puck battles with the sticks and stuff.
05:52He did, he carves those sticks up like no time at all.
05:55They're just like, absolutely.
05:57You can't even use them.
05:58Like there's the, the chip, the ends of the blade are all like hanging off and falling
06:02off.
06:03Oh yeah.
06:04Or you run your hand along it when you're taking the tape off and you get like fiberglass
06:06in your finger.
06:07The thing, here's the thing, I will say Bauer sticks for me, historically never had those
06:13problems or at least not to the level that like other sticks did.
06:16Like I still have my Bauer stick that I have as a backup from like high school.
06:20And I use that for an entire season of high school hockey as a defenseman.
06:23So a lot of stick battles and things like that, the blade is fine.
06:27Whereas like my, the Easton Synergy, which Bauer re-released, but still it's an Easton
06:32stick.
06:33And I love Easton.
06:34They don't really do hockey anymore.
06:35That, that's even just from men's league is all chipped and the blade is like kind of
06:41messed up and it's like, you know, how does that happen?
06:44So I don't know, but I know everyone loves warrior now, but Bauer, their sticks always
06:49were fine with me.
06:50Okay.
06:51Well, that's good.
06:52I'm going to keep that one in the memory bank.
06:53I like that.
06:54Yeah.
06:55Hopefully they'll like that advertisement for Bauer right there, Evan.
06:57Please sponsor us.
06:58Please.
06:59Yes.
07:00We're saying nice things about you Bauer.
07:01Return the love.
07:02All right.
07:04All right.
07:05Brad Marsh and Evan talked the other day.
07:08Let's start with that.
07:09The captain after captain's practice on Tuesday, you were there.
07:12I was there.
07:13I talked for 20 minutes.
07:16Very enlightening stuff.
07:17Very interesting.
07:19Couple different things.
07:20The first was like, obviously the injury stuff when he, as soon as he, he said, yeah, I had
07:24three surgeries this summer.
07:26Everybody's like record scratch, like we're like, what?
07:30He had a torn ligament in his left elbow.
07:34He had groin and sports hernia surgeries.
07:37So he basically said he didn't work out all summer.
07:40His whole summer usual workout routine was paused, shelved, stopped.
07:45He just started working out a couple of weeks ago.
07:47It sounded like he hadn't been on the ice too many times before Tuesday.
07:52And he's basically said he's going to take the entire, you know, preseason training camp
07:56to sort of treat it like the summertime and ramp himself up conditioning wise and get
08:00ready for the season.
08:01He did not guarantee that he's going to be full go at the start of training camp.
08:05And why should he be?
08:06At 36 years old, there's no reason for him to be like busting it on the first day of
08:10training camp.
08:11Let him like ramp up and get ready for like a couple of preseason games at the end of
08:15preseason and be ready for the regular season.
08:19But I mean, it also sort of, it's a reminder that he's 36 and that, you know, he's going
08:26to get banged up more.
08:27He plays a very physical style.
08:29There's no holds barred when he's out there.
08:32And as he gets older, he's probably going to get dinged up a little bit more.
08:34But to his credit, he played all 82 games last year.
08:36I think he played through that bum ligament in his elbow all season long or close to it.
08:41He said he played through that and he got the sports hernia and the groin stuff towards
08:45the end of the year.
08:46So he's playing with that too, but that was towards the end.
08:49But I think as you get older, wear and tear, especially if you throw yourself into the
08:54frenzy, you're going to get banged up and you're going to have injuries.
08:57And I think this is just kind of a reality check that, you know, this is him going forward.
09:02There's going to be, you know, stuff that bangs him up and, you know, maybe surgeries
09:06that he's going to have to do just because his body is aging and he's had a lot of miles
09:09on those tires.
09:11That's the biggest thing.
09:12And I think, you know, on one side of that, you have the reality, as you said, of him
09:16being 36.
09:17He had the three surgeries this summer.
09:19He had the double hip surgery two years ago and, you know, his style of play does not
09:25lend itself to longevity in any sport, someone who plays like that.
09:30And it doesn't, you know, he is undersized.
09:32So you have that all kind of, you have to take into consideration.
09:36So you do have to expect that.
09:38I don't think his production is going to be, you know, going forward what it was two, three
09:42years ago.
09:43Like, I think you have to kind of be okay with that.
09:44And I think where his, you know, standing in the lineup is, and you asked this next
09:48to coil, I don't think you they're necessarily expecting him to put up 80 points.
09:52I don't think he's going to do that for you.
09:54The other side of it though, like what he did last year, 29 goals, 70 points, somewhere
09:59in there, like 20, mid 20 goals, 60, 70 points.
10:02I think that's reasonable.
10:03You take that from him.
10:05Yes, I agree.
10:07And so this is the other thing, but there's the other side of it where I don't know if
10:10it was right before he mentioned this or after.
10:12I don't know if it was you or someone asked about sort of, you know, how do you, you know,
10:20do you, do you view training camp differently as an older player?
10:23And he mentioned, you know, having to still make the team and young guys want to take
10:26his spot.
10:27Yeah.
10:28And he mentioned an interesting point.
10:29Yeah.
10:30And he mentioned a very interesting point about why some guys sort of tail off in, in
10:35sort of the last couple of years, the careers it's because they have kids and they get involved
10:40with their kids and, and going to their stuff and, you know, and that's totally noble by
10:44the way.
10:45Like I, you know, that's a, that's part of life.
10:48Whereas he kind of said, no, look, I really am focused on this.
10:50This is what I want.
10:51You know, and I, he still has things he wants to do.
10:53Obviously the Olympics is one of those things, Stanley cups, all that stuff.
10:59And so to me, I mean, you know, I don't think you're going to see that drop off.
11:03I also don't think you're going to see him retire at 39.
11:06Like he seems to me going off of those comments and comments he's made before, it seems like
11:11someone who's going to play, you know, as long as he possibly can.
11:14Yeah.
11:15And you know, I don't know what he's going to look like at 40.
11:18I believe the phrase he's used is they're going to have to tear the shirt, tear the
11:21jersey off my back for me to retire.
11:25So I, but I do think that, you know, this season I don't think fans should be alarmed.
11:31As you said, 60 points, like, I don't think people should be alarmed at that.
11:35I think that's sort of what you have to expect and it's on other guys going forward to pick
11:41up a lot of that slack or not slack, but you know, some of that offense that he's produced
11:47in years past.
11:48So, you know, I don't think he's going to be, he's not going to stink like nothing.
11:53Like I don't think you're gonna see like some crazy drop off, but I do think that Pete fans
11:57should understand that he's getting older now and, and that's sort of the reality of
12:02it.
12:03Hasn't lost a step with the, with the, the comments hasn't lost a step with the leadership
12:07or anything like that.
12:09But I do think, you know, it's, he's getting older.
12:11That's five big, pretty big surgeries in three years.
12:14So I think it's something to obviously, you know, monitor and watch.
12:18Yeah.
12:19A hundred percent.
12:20And the thing is though, that like, we don't need the Brad, the Brad Marsh and think pieces
12:25like what is wrong with Brad Marsh and he's not on the case for 40 goals and 85 points.
12:30It's like, no crap.
12:31He's 36.
12:32Like he's, he's, he's in a different stage of his career now.
12:37And I think the expectations have to be considered there as to what he, they're not the perfection
12:43line anymore.
12:44I mean, you have Bergeron and Marcian and Pasternak running around and having these
12:47massive offensive seasons where they're all like ganging up on all these other teams and
12:51piling up the points.
12:52Like, it's just not the role that he's in anymore, but he's still a dynamic offensive
12:57player.
12:58He's one of those guys that, you know, for a wing has the puck on a stick a lot.
13:02And you know, Patrick Kane style, like he's a guy that drives a line from the wing position
13:08on the line that he's on.
13:09And he's able to do that even now.
13:12Even if the numbers aren't as huge as they are, he's still a big driver when he's on
13:16the ice and he's doing his thing.
13:18And that's when you can tell how effective he is, is the offensive chances he's generating
13:22for himself, the time that he has the puck on his stick, all of that stuff.
13:27But it is interesting though, that like the sort of decrease in production that we're
13:31talking about, the realistic decrease in production and the age and the surgeries and all this
13:37other stuff, it lends itself into what he also talked about, which was his contract.
13:42And he's entering the last year of an eight year deal where he's getting paid $6.125 million,
13:48which is an absolute steal for Brad Marshand and was a great team friendly contract when
13:53he signed it.
13:55And you know, we kind of pestered him a little bit on the contract and it was interesting
13:58what he said.
13:59I'll read it here.
14:00He goes, I'll say this now and kind of leave it at that.
14:03I won't ever talk about contract stuff in the media.
14:07Whatever happens, we'll stay internal between Sweeney's and our group.
14:09I'll leave it at that.
14:10There's enough respect between the two sides to just deal with it.
14:14And we're going to get to that specific comment and that like paragraph in a little bit, because
14:19I have some thoughts on that.
14:21But he went on to say, I don't feel like that because I'm going to a contract year.
14:25I just feel like you need every year to look to not get comfortable.
14:29And this is kind of what you were talking about, Evan.
14:31It's very easy, especially as you get older, when you've been around a long time and you've
14:34accomplished a lot of things you want to accomplish and you feel comfortable in your
14:37financial situation to want to be around the house more with the kids, to be involved with
14:41their sports and activities and not be at the rink or gym as often.
14:45And that's where guys slip.
14:46The biggest factor is understanding that every year guys are coming in and gunning for jobs.
14:51It doesn't matter who you are.
14:52They're just as happy to take my spot as anyone else's.
14:56And I think that's great, his insight there, because that's the truth.
15:00That is exactly what players think.
15:02That's exactly what's on their mind.
15:03He is giving you not the apple pie, gee willikers, I'm glad to be in an NHL camp, like fighting
15:08for my spot.
15:10He's giving you the actual like what a veteran player is thinking in his head and what his
15:15real observation is of what he sees as sort of that circle of life in the NHL of veterans
15:21eventually sort of losing that fire and getting pushed out by hungry rookies that don't have
15:26families, don't have kids and don't have a lot of responsibilities.
15:29And it's just hockey, hockey, hockey all the time.
15:32And, you know, they're more skilled than they've ever been.
15:34And they're coming in trying to take jobs and sign big contracts and be on the cover
15:39of V.A. Sports and all that other stuff.
15:42But you know, and it goes in line with what he was talking about last year during the
15:45playoffs when he was mentioning, like, you're out there trying to hurt guys.
15:48I was going to say, you know, he's got that great veteran presence and he doesn't have
15:52any problem articulating it.
15:54Well, he tells you the truth, like he tells you what they're actually thinking.
15:59More than almost anybody else in the NHL, Brad Martian will tell you exactly what all
16:03of those guys are thinking, and he's not afraid to do it.
16:06And I think it speaks to his just his courageousness, like he just doesn't care.
16:10He's going to tell it like it is.
16:11But I think it also speaks to like he is.
16:14You can tell he was a massive hockey fan when he was a kid.
16:17And then he got to look behind the curtain with the Wizard of Oz and he's like seen it
16:21all now.
16:22And he like loves to sort of talk to his man.
16:25Yeah, and let everybody else know, like what's actually going on there and and provide that
16:29insight because he knows there are other people, other kids out there just like he was that
16:33are dying to have this information and want to know and want to know what it's really
16:36like. So all that stuff is just always gold from him.
16:40Like he's he's one of the few guys in the NHL that will sit there and hold court for
16:4320 minutes. And it's super interesting.
16:45Almost everything he says.
16:46And he really gives you truth as opposed to like just like, you know, verbal diarrhea
16:52or get pucks deep, get pucks to the net.
16:54Yeah, he's not like all that stuff.
16:56And even like yesterday, you know, I mean, it's again, it's day one of its captain's
17:00practice, not even really official.
17:02And he stood there, you know, I left his scrum for a bit to, you know, see what McAvoy was
17:07saying. But he stood there, as you said, for 20 minutes.
17:10Yeah, they don't he like again, it's not a lot to ask, but him standing there and
17:15answering every question and giving, you know, long, good answers and insightful
17:20answers that he actually had to think about.
17:22Like, I think that's a good that's a really good thing.
17:25You want that. And when you see younger guys, you know, dip from their stall the minute
17:30they can after five minutes of questions, it's like, come on.
17:35Like and we've had this conversation before.
17:38And I just I think how Marcian handles media and I think and I can't speak to this
17:42because I was not around for it, but you can like Marcian does come from that time when
17:46you could just walk up to a guy in the locker room a little more easily and just say, hey,
17:49do you have a couple of minutes?
17:51Yeah. And it was just better that way.
17:53Now it's things have gotten muddied and there's different factors.
17:56We're not going to get in all that.
17:57But I think that, you know, he is a good example of that and just being open.
18:02And he's to me like I, you know, I don't know the rest of the NHL.
18:06I don't know, you know, the ins and outs of every guy in the NHL in terms of the
18:09interviewing. But to me, he's the most interesting guy in the NHL.
18:12I don't think there's any question about that.
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19:25No, I think he is.
19:26I think he's he's got the most personality and he's definitely the most quotable.
19:31And you see it like with the TNT guys, right?
19:33They always want to have him on mic'd up before the games and have him on the ice
19:37where, you know, business like chit chatting with them and stuff because he's got the
19:40most personality. He's the funniest.
19:41He's the most interesting. Like he's actually the one that I think is most likely to
19:45be a TV guy and probably like get scooped up by TNT like as soon as his career is
19:51over. Yeah, I never thought of that in that sense.
19:53But that's a good point.
19:54You know, I think he's he's the kind of guy that TV people will be all over him and
19:58they'll throw all kinds of money at him to want him to do stuff with them.
20:02And, you know, maybe Nesson finds a way to get him on there instead and keep him
20:07around selfishly for like the Bruins instead.
20:10But like he could be a national media star like if he wanted to be.
20:14And he could be one of these guys.
20:15I would wonder if he would go more towards sort of his brand like hunting and things
20:20like that. I wonder if he'd do that.
20:22But I like I would love to see him on TNT.
20:24I always said about Bruce Cassidy that if he ever got let go by the Bruins, he would
20:28be the perfect person for a panel like for TNT.
20:31He would make the most sense for it.
20:33And I still think if things go south in Vegas and he, you know, kind of wants to chill
20:37for a year or two or whatever, I think that like, you know, the broadcast booth or that
20:42TNT panel makes the absolute most sense.
20:44So, yeah. But you're right.
20:46March and would be that's a good one.
20:48We're already planning his retirement.
20:50See, he's done. He's he's he's toast.
20:52All right. We're setting up his his post.
20:54Yeah. Sometimes you don't know that.
20:56I mean, you're right to like think about the hunting and the March Milko and all the
21:00other stuff. And, you know, maybe it's that he's made enough money where he's just
21:03going to like disappear somewhere.
21:06Like you used to say, he's going to go to a hut and Bora Bora somewhere and you're
21:08never going to see him again.
21:11You know, maybe maybe he ends up going and doing that because he's got the money to
21:15do it. And he just doesn't have anything to do with it.
21:18We used to say the same thing about Sean Thornton, though, that he was going to do TV
21:21and all that stuff when he retired.
21:22And he ended up going to work for the Panthers instead.
21:25So, you know, sometimes sometimes you don't know.
21:28Well, I guarantee you this.
21:29I don't know who's going to do it.
21:31It won't be me. But someone will write a really good book on the life of
21:35Brad Marsh. And I don't know who it's going to be.
21:37I don't know when it's going to be.
21:39But to me, that seems like an obvious contender for a book.
21:42Yes. And I hope he reaches out to me to write it when he's ready, because that
21:45would I don't want to like say that.
21:47But yeah, you're a lot of thought of it would that would tell us.
21:51Yes. Yes. And we would have a lot of fun going over old stories in order to write
21:55it. So put that in your memory bank.
21:57If you're listening to this podcast, Brad Marsh, and I will write your book someday
22:01and I will let you take all the profits if you want.
22:03I will just write. You got to negotiate that.
22:05You got to take like 20 percent or whatever.
22:07You got to take a little bit.
22:09But all I ask is that like I get a free copy.
22:11That's all I want. There you go.
22:13You will. No questions asked.
22:15All right. Let's go back to that first quote that I talked about.
22:18I'll say this now and kind of leave it at that talking about his contract.
22:21I won't ever talk about contract stuff in the stuff in the media.
22:24Whatever happens will stay internal between Sweeney's and our group.
22:28I'll leave it at that.
22:29There's enough respect between the two sides to just deal with it.
22:34He's talking about something.
22:36Do you have any thought whatsoever?
22:40Any inclination after hearing that, after seeing that, after seeing the message
22:44that's being sent out there, if Brad Marsh and is sending some kind of message
22:48out there to a certain player that has not come to an agreement with the Bruins
22:53on a contract and has been kind of vocal about, you know, things going back to
22:57arbitration last year and the contract this year.
23:01Do you feel like maybe this is leadership?
23:03This is some leadership coming from him, like, hey, like, let's that's not how we
23:07do it with the Bruins. Let's not, you know, air our dirty laundry contract wise.
23:11Let's keep it behind closed doors and let them deal with it kind of thing.
23:15Do you get that sense that there was any kind of subtext or message in what
23:19Marcian said about his contract?
23:21Yeah, I mean, I have no inside information on this or anything like that on this.
23:26It comes at an interesting time.
23:28I mean, it comes right after Swayman made those comments on that podcast.
23:32It comes after, you know, the last year of him being open about talking about it.
23:36And that's his decision to do that.
23:38And I guess to add a little context, context, he was saying this after I think
23:45it was Ken Campbell in the hockey news had written something about Marcian and
23:51his contract. And maybe I didn't even read the piece, so I don't know.
23:55But it seemed to me the way Marcian was talking about, like Campbell had either
23:59thrown out like details or numbers, contract numbers or something that he thought
24:04he might know about negotiations between the Bruins and Brad Marcian.
24:07And Brad's like, that didn't come from us.
24:10He doesn't know what he's talking about, like whatever.
24:13So I'm sure some of that what he was saying there was about that and addressing
24:17that. Yes, it feels to me like there was also like this is how things should be
24:23approached. You know, this is 36 year old Brad Marcian, the team captain, sort of
24:28like setting the tone for everybody else.
24:30I it's an interesting theory.
24:32And it was something that came to my mind of like, huh, this comes at an interesting
24:36time. I mean, he's obviously asked about his own contract, but it comes after the
24:40Swayman stuff comes in the middle of the Swayman stuff.
24:43Yeah. I wonder, though, like if that would be, you know, keeping to his word of stuff
24:49like that being internal, would something that is also internal be him going to
24:54Swayman on his own and saying, hey, could you stop talking about this stuff?
24:59I'm not saying he has not.
25:00I don't know that he's done this.
25:01I'm just saying, like, what I think his leadership style and you might be able to
25:05speak on this better than I have because you've covered him for a lot longer.
25:08Yeah, I would think his leadership style would be a little bit more like talking to
25:13that guy on his own in the room, not so much veiled shots in the media.
25:19But I mean, again, like you can read the tea leaves.
25:24So that's the other end of it, where it's like I get why someone would come to that
25:27conclusion. But I also wonder if that would be his leadership style.
25:31Yeah. I mean, certainly I don't think he's somebody that's afraid to address things
25:36with his teammates if he feels like it needs to be addressed.
25:39But I would say there's also like kind of a weird sort of thing about when it comes
25:43to contract stuff about players talking about other players and their contract dealings
25:48and like, you know, that there is kind of like unwritten rules about like sort of
25:52staying out of that. And that might prohibit like that kind of a conversation from
25:57happening is like, that's certain things you will talk about with your teammates and
26:01there's certain other things you're like, respect their like sort of privacy of not
26:06talking about it and not really addressing it or not dwelling on it.
26:09And, you know, that might be one of those ones where it's kind of a gray area.
26:13Like, is that something that, you know, somebody's individual contract situation, am
26:19I going to go and tell them this is what you should be doing?
26:22Like, am I going to say that to somebody else when it's business like that one?
26:27Like he might have. And, you know, who knows?
26:29This is all theoretical. This is all stuff we're kicking around.
26:32But I think the way what he said, I think, is an effective way to sort of lead by
26:39example of saying, like, this is how we do it.
26:42This is how I do it. This is how it should be done.
26:45Instead of preaching to somebody like, hey, you shouldn't be doing it that way.
26:48That's not the right way to do it.
26:50You know, this is a different way to lead without like getting in somebody's face and
26:54really like making it uncomfortable or crossing a line that maybe you shouldn't as
27:00far as like, you know, fellow players and getting involved in their business and stuff
27:04like that. So it's it's kind of a murky area and it's a gray area for sure.
27:10But it's an interesting point that you bring up about that and whether like, you
27:14know, you would just address it head on.
27:16But I feel like at a certain point, I feel like all any players that or any captain,
27:24any leader in a pro sports dressing room, there's a limit to how much stuff you want
27:29about like contracts, about like me stuff, like about all that, you know, like it's
27:34a it's not a great road to go down when you continue to like talk about that stuff
27:38or harken back to it or dwell on it.
27:41And, you know, I like Sway a lot.
27:44I really do.
27:45But like he's shown in the last couple of years a little propensity to, you know,
27:50sort of dwell on the contract stuff and dwell on the feelings, the hard feelings it
27:54might have caused or, you know, the sort of like what he was feeling and how it made
27:59him feel like all that stuff.
28:01And like it's a good sign that he's moved sort of pivoted to like it's a business.
28:06This is all business stuff.
28:08Like there's not feelings and emotions here.
28:09It's more just like getting educated and it being a business.
28:12I think that's the right way to handle it.
28:14But I think at a certain point, too, like you almost see every Bruins player say the
28:19same thing.
28:20Like I'm letting my agent handle that.
28:22I'm letting the GM handle that.
28:23They'll let me know when a deal is done.
28:25And, you know, I'll I'll find out that stuff.
28:28And you almost see uniformly like Pasternak has definitely done that the last few
28:32times he's had a contract.
28:34And Marcian's always done that.
28:35And most of the players have done that.
28:37And it's kind of a learning experience.
28:39But maybe this is Brad Marcian's way of sort of like helping trying to nudge Swayman a
28:45little bit like, hey, let's let's let the agent and the GM do this stuff.
28:50And, you know, let's like just kind of give a vanilla answer and then not address it and
28:55move on and not create a bigger firestorm than it needs to be.
29:01Because I think if Swayman continues to talk about it, it's going to it's going to
29:04become a bigger thing.
29:06Like the more he talks.
29:07Yeah, I mean, him talking about it on that podcast, giving meaty answers gave us like
29:13a week's worth of podcasts.
29:14And so this is the thing, right?
29:15Like from a media perspective, I like that Swayman is open about this stuff.
29:19But of course, why would I not?
29:21Because it's it gives us, you know, something to talk about.
29:25It gives us insight into things.
29:26It's the absolute deadest of the dead season for hockey news, for Bruins news, for
29:31NHL news. Jeremy Swayman went on.
29:34Mark is cool. Mark Lewis is cool.
29:35Podcast, whatever the hell that is.
29:37And shut up, Mark.
29:38That's the shut up, Mark.
29:40Podcast. Whatever.
29:41Shut up, Mark. Mark Lewis is cool.
29:43I listen every day, Hags.
29:45All right. My favorite podcast.
29:47Well, I can't stop listening.
29:49Bottom line is Mark Lewis is cool.
29:51Shut up, Mark Lewis.
29:52Whatever. Mark Lewis.
29:53Mark Lewis can't lose whatever it's called.
29:56That was absolute, like, you know, logs on the fire at the deadest time of year for hockey
30:03news and for hockey, anything's pouring.
30:05It's like gasoline.
30:06Thank you, Jeremy Swayman, for giving us something to talk about the last two.
30:10No, I that's I appreciate that.
30:12So you have that end of it.
30:13Right.
30:13And like, that's why, like, I enjoy that he's open about that stuff.
30:16Yes.
30:17I also think the Martian Swayman juxtaposition is interesting because both come from a different
30:22generation of Bruins.
30:23You have Martian comes from this generation where, you know, guys signed team friendly
30:29deals.
30:29Every every deal was team friendly.
30:32Let's let's create cap space.
30:34This and that.
30:35Now you have this next gen where you had McAvoy's contract, which was not super team friendly.
30:41And, you know, you've got these other deals that are much bigger and much more than the
30:46past.
30:46It was closer to market value to this.
30:48Yes.
30:49Yeah, exactly.
30:50And so I think, you know, you have that shift in perception and neither is right or wrong,
30:54by the way, because, you know, you have the team friendly stuff.
30:57And the reality is they won that whole time, but they didn't win a cup after 2011.
31:02And I'm not I'm not trying to trash it.
31:04And then you have the other end of it where, you know, you're getting the most money, but
31:07you are losing out on, you know, potentially some extra talent on the roster.
31:11So, like, you it's just I think it's also a shift in sort of how they view things contractually
31:17and that.
31:18Like, I just it's such a different generation of one generation wants, you know, less so
31:23they can win more.
31:24The other just wants the most amount of money or at least market value.
31:28So, you know, and I'm not saying one side doesn't want to win and one side doesn't want
31:31money.
31:32I'm just saying, like, that's how it's played out.
31:34So.
31:36Yes, I agree.
31:37And you're right.
31:38That is a very different way of thinking.
31:41And generally, generationally, they're different, right?
31:44Like Brad Marcian is 36.
31:46Jeremy Swayman's like 25.
31:48They're literally from kind of different generations.
31:50You know, they're.
31:51Yeah, their mindsets are very different.
31:54Just like how they grew up, what what the NHL was like when they grew up, sort of, you
31:58know, what they're in now, just the general way of thinking, I think, is very different.
32:04Didn't Marcian also mention on Tuesday his financial security?
32:08And there's someone, again, who's been on a relatively cheaper deal or at least less
32:12than what he would be valued at on the market, who I forget what quote it was, but mentioned
32:17his own financial security.
32:19And like, you also have to realize, like, you know, he and he understands that.
32:22And so I think I just yeah, I think it's sort of that veteran presence.
32:27And I just think that two different ways of thinking.
32:30I mean, he would never admit to like, oh, yeah, that was a shot at Sway.
32:34Yeah, of course.
32:35So, like, all we can do is sit here and think it's a shot.
32:38Like, I wouldn't say it's a shot.
32:39I would just say it's leadership.
32:41I would just say it's like, hey, I don't mean I don't mean like a shot.
32:44I mean, that's how we do things here.
32:46You know what I mean?
32:47It's more of like that, like being captain saying, hey, like, that's not kind of how
32:51it's been done here.
32:52And, you know, that's we should keep that stuff sort of like in house and not, you know,
32:58not not go public with a lot of that stuff.
33:00And sort of like, that's not how the business has been done here.
33:03That sort of thing.
33:04It's more of a leadership thing and kind of a veteran sort of advice thing, too, I think
33:09more than anything else, because I think a lot of these guys have seen that have been
33:13around for a while, have seen like different strategies or different ways to do it, not
33:19work or blow up in your face.
33:20And, you know, Brad Marcian's done plenty of stuff that's blown up in his face.
33:24So I think sometimes he's trying to, you know, help other players, younger players, avoid
33:29those traps and avoid some of that stuff when he says these things.
33:33So I think it's all interesting, but I don't I don't think he's taking shots necessarily.
33:37No, I don't take shots.
33:39That's a little negative, but I mean, more so along the lines of what you said, where
33:42it's, you know, that, hey, don't like don't do that.
33:46Yeah, like that's not typically how it's been done here.
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35:10All right.
35:11One other thing about Marshan that I just want to say quick before we move on.
35:15Like I also wonder, and I wrote this at one point, I can't remember one of the columns
35:19I wrote recently.
35:21I wondered if he's at 36 entering sort of that phase now as we approach his new contract,
35:30his final year of his contract.
35:31Is he entering that phase where he's going to start signing one-year deals with incentives
35:38like Crecce and Bergeron did towards the end of their careers?
35:41Is this not going to be a multi-year deal, like a three-year deal that he's going to
35:46sign with the Bruins, kind of like the one Stamco signed with Nashville.
35:50But is this instead going to be like one-year deals that are cap friendly, that are incentive
35:54laden, but don't necessarily always come out to be cap friendly.
35:57It's just, you're passing off the cap problems to the year afterwards.
36:02But like now that he's over 35, a lot of times when players hit that level, they start getting
36:07those one-year deals that are structured a little differently.
36:11And you wonder if that is also like something that might be happening here too.
36:16And that might be what ends up being his contract.
36:19And like, you know, he's the kind of guy I think that would accept that kind of a deal
36:24or accept that kind of thing rather than going for every last dollar.
36:28And I think that's sort of within the messaging of what he's saying here as well.
36:33He could.
36:34I could see it.
36:35It would fall in line with him and sort of his mindset and mentality on contracts.
36:41I do wonder though, you know, again, like we've said, you know, he wants to play forever.
36:46So, you know, does he not even want the option of retirement or something after one year?
36:51You know, like, does he just want to be stable for two or three year, you know,
36:55two or three year deal, set that and then do one year deals or figure out your career from there?
37:01So I don't know.
37:01I mean, I'm fascinated to see what route they take, what the money is,
37:06like what the number is on that, what would the incentives be?
37:10Because again, like, you know, the incentive end of it, you don't know
37:15if you're gonna get injured during a year, especially getting older.
37:17Like you have all those unknowns too.
37:19Um, so I would think like top of my mind was like a three year deal.
37:25Um, but again, one year deal.
37:27I could see, I could easily say.
37:30Yeah.
37:30I think it'd be either or, but I think that's going to be fascinating because a lot of players
37:34in Marcian situation, and maybe this is what Tampa wanted to do with Stamkos and why he said,
37:39adios, I'm out of here.
37:40I'm going to sign with Nashville is they want him to start doing the one year contract thing.
37:45Like Bergeron and other players have done and go year to year.
37:48While, you know, you're our guy, you, you, you're never going to play anywhere else,
37:51but like, this is what we're going to do moving forward.
37:54And he was like, screw you.
37:55I'm not doing that.
37:56I'm going to Nashville instead.
37:57Like, who knows if that's actually what happened, but maybe that is, you know, the, the backstory
38:02or that is what was going on.
38:03Who knows.
38:04Um, and maybe, you know, that approaching it that way could, you know, have the same
38:12kind of reaction here.
38:13I don't think so with Marcian.
38:14I think he'd be more open to it.
38:16And I think he'd understand having a scene that Bergie did that, that he wouldn't have
38:20a problem with it.
38:21Just understand that they're sort of in a different, you know, they have the security
38:24they have, they want to win.
38:26They're sort of in a different place than they might've been when they were, you know,
38:30going for the big money multi-year deals and he'd be okay with that.
38:33So it'll be interesting to see how that plays out.
38:35Um, let's, let's ask one more question here before we go.
38:38Hi, Joe.
38:39The question I had was there seems to be a lot of speculation about where Merkel of
38:43Lysel and now Tyler Johnson could fit on the roster.
38:46And I haven't talked to you about Tyler Johnson.
38:47Um, Evan, let's assume that either Lysel or Johnson snagged the second right-wing position
38:53since Merkel has never played right wing.
38:55If, and this is a big if in my book and one I really don't see happening, but what if
38:58Merkel wins the third center job over Patra and Patra is sent to Providence?
39:03How do you see this shaking out long-term?
39:05That would leave Patra stuck in Providence for the foreseeable future with all the center
39:09positions locked up.
39:10Even if he plays his ass off, they won't have space for him as a center.
39:14And I'm afraid that would really hurt his development and confidence as he's proven
39:17he's an NHL player.
39:19Has he really proven he's an NHL player?
39:20He played like 30 something games, uh, and then got hurt and his production tailed off
39:26towards the end of the 30 something.
39:28Like, I think he's shown he can play in the league, but I wouldn't say he's proven he's
39:32an NHL player yet long-term yet that that would be my side, but let me finish.
39:37Okay, uh, would they trade him since I do think he's a valuable asset and has proven
39:43unlike my seller Merkel of at this point.
39:45So the Bruins would get something back in return.
39:47He's a popular player in Boston, so I'm not sure how well burying him in Providence or
39:50trading him would sit with the fans or players for that matter.
39:54Thanks, Joe.
39:54Love the podcast.
39:55And that's from Kim K on Facebook.
39:59And I think this is going pretty extreme far down like one road as to how it could go this
40:05year, um, that you would stick, uh, Matt Potter and Providence to start the year that
40:10he would be buried there all year that it would become pissed and want to be traded.
40:13And, you know, that would be hilarious.
40:15It's like, I'm out, I'm out.
40:17Goodbye.
40:17Send me anywhere else.
40:18I hate this place.
40:22I don't see, I still don't see him going to Providence as a permanent thing.
40:27If you go starts the year there, or like something that's going to be damaging or hurt his development.
40:32Like, I think if they put him down there, it's going to be because it's good for his
40:36development because you saw, he kind of hit a wall when he was in Boston with the NHL
40:40at a certain point where the production really slowed down, where he seemed to lose confidence
40:45offensively, where frankly, his skating is not as good as it needs to be for him to be
40:50consistently effective at the NHL level.
40:53Like, and then he got hurt too.
40:55Like, you know, the physicality at his age, uh, where he needs to get stronger, like became
41:00an issue as well, a hurdle he couldn't get over.
41:02So if he goes down to Providence, I think it's a positive thing.
41:05It's not a stagnant thing.
41:06Like it's not the, you know, Matt Patra has scored 30 goals and a hundred points at the
41:11NHL.
41:11He's got nothing left to prove in Providence.
41:13So putting them down there would be stagnating him and hurting him.
41:16Like, he's not that, that's not the situation we're looking at right now.
41:19Like he got some, he was really good at the start of the year.
41:23He had a good month, maybe two months, but that does not make him an established everyday
41:28NHL player to, in my mind yet, especially like an established everyday, like top nine
41:32center.
41:33No.
41:34And the thing is like, I think it's, I don't want to say likely, but there's a good chance
41:39that that exact thing happens.
41:41Murkuloff is the third line center and Patra's in Providence.
41:44And I agree with you.
41:44Like, you know, I'll pose this to the listeners.
41:47Would you rather Patra be the number one center in Providence play in every situation?
41:52Or would you rather him be up here as the third line center and playing in, you know,
41:58sparing situations.
41:59And you also have to consider the Georgie Murkuloff.
42:02He fits more of that description of what is there left to prove or do or develop in doing
42:09so in being down in Providence.
42:11Like that's the other end of it too.
42:13So Murkuloff, I think is three years older than Patra as well.
42:16So like, you know, he's played a lot more pro games over the last couple of years.
42:20So I, I'm not, I would not be surprised about that at all.
42:25I don't think Patra is going to be asking for a trade.
42:27If he is, things must have went horribly wrong.
42:31You must hate Providence if that's the case.
42:34The other part though, the first part, I want to mention another Marchand comment that I
42:39noticed yesterday.
42:41So someone asked him, I thought it was you, maybe because you were right in front of me.
42:45So I thought you were asking every question, but I don't think it was, I forget who asked
42:49it.
42:51Someone asked about, you know, the second line right wing spot.
42:54Yeah, I think that was Scott McLaughlin.
42:57I believe it was Scott.
42:58It was Scott.
42:58Yeah, it was Scott.
43:00And, and, and Marchand basically said, you know, we're looking for someone who's going
43:05to be responsible, not trying to do too much.
43:07We don't care if you can dangle through three people.
43:10Didn't sound like Fabian Lysel.
43:12Now, again, if Lysel comes in and has a kick-ass training camp, they're going to have no choice
43:16but to put Lysel on that right side.
43:18But I think, you know, one of these things, and like, I want to see Lysel on the second
43:22line.
43:22I want to see what Fabian Lysel can do.
43:24I think now is the time, but does Brad Marchand, 36-year-old captain, veteran, does he want
43:30to play on the second line with someone who's going to have those deficiencies?
43:35Does he want to play with someone in a contract year that plays like that?
43:38It didn't sound like it.
43:39So like, that's where I do wonder, you know, could he call his own shot where it's like,
43:45no, I'd rather someone like a Morgan Geeky, a Trent Frederick start in that spot rather
43:50than a rookie?
43:52Like, and again, that comes down to the coaches.
43:55But I, you know, like I've said all along, I think I want to see Lysel there, give him
44:00first dibs, whatever.
44:02But is Brad Marchand going to be on board with that?
44:04I think that's the other end of it.
44:06Yeah, I think that Brad Marchand is going to have a very vocal say in who's going to
44:13end up playing there.
44:14And I think Charlie Coyle will too, frankly.
44:16But I think that you see that that's kind of Jim Montgomery's MO, is to talk to his
44:23players and his veteran guys and get their feedback, especially the ones that have been
44:28around like as long as Marchand have, the future Hall of Fame type guys and, you know,
44:33the guys that you really respect and trust their opinion.
44:36And like, that used to happen.
44:37David Krejci used to like pick his line mates or have very strong feedback and strong say
44:42into who he was going to play with.
44:43And, you know, I think David Pasternak certainly has that kind of thing now with that
44:49understanding now with Jim Montgomery as well.
44:52And I think that just comes with them having been around for a long time and sort of like
44:57the respect factor that Montgomery has for those players.
45:00So I do think that will factor in.
45:04And I think that's a good thing.
45:05Like, I think that will put young players on notice that they have to play a certain
45:10way and to a certain level and have, you know, a certain standard that they have to
45:16play up to if they're going to play with those guys in a top six role.
45:18Because like he said, he mentioned, he's like, we're going to be playing against the other
45:22team's best lines.
45:23We have to play at both ends.
45:24Like, you're going to need somebody that pays attention to detail and like as a good two
45:28way player and plays hard at both ends and doesn't have a lot of weaknesses just by virtue
45:35of the guys they're playing against and has to sort of like be able to keep up with Coyle
45:40and Marchand offensively, you know, and what they're able to do and how they think the
45:43game and the experience level that they have.
45:46So like, I think you look at all that stuff and it's certainly part of it and it's going
45:52to have an impact on who ends up playing there long term.
45:54There's no doubt about it.
45:57But the, you know, Brad Marchand was also a guy that really loved the way Matt Potra
46:02played at the beginning of last year and wanted to play with him.
46:05And if he likes the young player and if he thinks the players got it, he'll request that
46:10the player be there and he'll want to get looks with that player and he'll want to like,
46:14you know, see what it looks like.
46:15So, and he'll encourage that.
46:17And I think he's always been like that.
46:18Like, I think those guys want, if there's a young player that's going to make Coyle
46:22and Brad Marchand better and more productive, they're going to want that guy playing with
46:26them, you know?
46:27Oh yeah.
46:28But I mean, if Lysel brings speed and skill and an offensive spark to that line, they
46:35would definitely want to play with him.
46:36Which I think he easily could do.
46:38He easily could do that.
46:39For sure.
46:41For sure.
46:42But I don't see though, I will getting back to the question.
46:47I don't see if Potra ends up in Providence, I don't see it being an issue.
46:52I don't see it being something where it's going to disenchant somebody to the point
46:55that they need to be traded or they want to be traded.
46:58I don't think any of that is going to happen.
46:59I think if he goes down there, he's probably going to go down there for a short, a relatively
47:04short period of time, build up his confidence, build up his game, develop things a little
47:09bit.
47:09Maybe some of the details will get developed that he didn't have a chance to because he
47:13jumped straight to the NHL last year.
47:16People forget, he really didn't have much AHL time last year.
47:20Like it's not something, you know, he probably could have benefited from that last year and
47:27he would benefit from it some this year, just like Mason Lowry benefited from being
47:31in the NHL a bit last year.
47:32All of those young players, I think benefit from that, especially if he goes down there
47:37and he plays top line minutes, he's playing in all situations, like he's in a much bigger
47:41role, that's going to help him as well at the NHL level when he goes back there.
47:46So like, I think it's a no lose situation.
47:50I think if he's good enough and he flashes in camp and he has a camp like last year and
47:54he ends up as your third line center to start the year, great, fantastic.
47:57I agree.
47:58You know, he jumped over those hurdles, he worked hard all summer, clearly, he came in
48:04on a mission, he won the job, like he's ready to go.
48:07And he's going to start really establishing himself as an NHL player.
48:11Like him going through a full season, putting up pretty good numbers, that's when you're
48:15an established NHL player.
48:16He's not all the way there yet.
48:18No.
48:18But even if he has to go down to Providence and sort of work on his craft and develop
48:22a little bit, that is perfectly fine too.
48:24Like, no issues there.
48:25I think that will be a development where he'll be up with the team within a month or two
48:30and, you know, we'll see him in the second half of the year come in there and be like
48:34a third line center and be a playmaker and be what we've seen, which is he's one of the
48:38better offensively skilled Bruins forwards that they have in the organization.
48:42I mean, last year, people forget, last year's training camp was such a special situation
48:47and that like, he could not go to Providence.
48:49It was either juniors or in the NHL.
48:52And they were desperate for a center at the beginning of the year.
48:55Yes.
48:55They were desperate for a center and everyone thought he was going back initially.
49:00And then he lit the world on fire in training camp and in preseason games.
49:05And he legitimately wouldn't allow them to send him back because he was so good.
49:10And as you said, they needed centers.
49:12So it was like, holy crap, Bergeron and Creechie leave.
49:15And this guy pops up out of the ground.
49:17So like that, you know, again, last year was a special situation.
49:20Now I think you can really develop him.
49:22You get your hands on him.
49:24You've got him in the AHL.
49:25If this is how it goes, if he lights the world on fire again in training camp,
49:29then you got to keep him here.
49:30Like, I don't think you don't stuff them in Providence just to do it.
49:35But again, if there are signs that, you know, because he had shoulder surgery.
49:39So if there are signs that he needs, you know, some seasoning down in Providence, that's fine.
49:44And I think it gives you a great opportunity to see what you have in Georgie Merculoff,
49:48who like, again, as I said earlier, has played, I think a combined like
49:52over a hundred games the last two years or well over a hundred games the last two years in the
49:57AHL. I think he has over a hundred points as well. So like, I just, to me, I think, you know,
50:04I don't think people should be alarmed if Lysel starts the year in Providence.
50:08It's not a bad thing.
50:09And if he stinks in preseason games, you can, you know, take away, take that away.
50:13But I don't think that's going to happen. And I still think he could be okay and still be
50:17down in Providence to start the year. Yeah. I don't think they should be,
50:20fans should be alarmed if Lysel, Patra and Merculoff all end up in Providence and Tyler
50:25Johnson ends up on the NHL team because I think he's a guy that like could help the Bruins.
50:30Frankly, I think he's a guy that still got something a little bit in the tank,
50:34right shot, versatile center, could play center or right wing. And that's the kind of guy,
50:38maybe you put them in and, you know, guys like Coyle and Marchand really like vibe well with him
50:44and like playing with him. And he's got tons of playoff experience, two times Stanley cup winner.
50:49Like, you know, he's not the guy that he wasn't when he was on the triplet line with Kucherov
50:53and Andre Pallott, obviously when he was with Tampa, but he's still a guy that I think could
50:58be a fairly effective player for them. So it's a really interesting dynamic to add to the mix of
51:05all those young players that are going to compete for that spot. But bottom line,
51:09I don't think it's a bad thing at all. If they all end up down in Providence,
51:12all the young guys to start the year. All right, Evan, thank you very much for joining us.
51:16Of course. Thanks for having me, Hags.
51:17You've got it, my friend. Thank you everybody else out there for listening. We'll see you at the ring.