5 Biggest Storylines in Bruins Training Camp | Bruins Beat
With Bruins training camp set to start, Evan Marinofsky and Conor Ryan sit down to discuss the biggest thing to watch for as roster spots are up for grabs. Plus, rumors around Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins are gaining traction. Will he be at training camp? And when will brad Marchand take the ice? All that, and much more!
- More Jeremy Swayman news!
- Could Swayman miss part of training camp?
- Who will be the second line right wing?
- The battle for third line center
- Brad Marchand’s health
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- More Jeremy Swayman news!
- Could Swayman miss part of training camp?
- Who will be the second line right wing?
- The battle for third line center
- Brad Marchand’s health
************************
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00:00BruinsBeat brought to you by PrizePix and the GameTime app.
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00:24I'm Evan Maranofsky. That is Connor Ryan. Connor, what is up?
00:28Evan, doing well. How you doing?
00:30Doing great. Doing great. It's training camp week.
00:33The season's upon us. Prospects Challenge is in the rear view.
00:37And we are full steam ahead. And I want to get to Bruins training camp stuff in a bit.
00:43But first, there is some new information on Jeremy Swayman.
00:48Elliott Friedman did a written 32 thoughts. And I think it was like .5 and 6.
00:56So early. You know it's big when it's in like the first 10. Like it's like, alright, that's legit.
01:01I wonder like when he does 32 thoughts, there have to be times when like 20 through 32.
01:07It's like, what the hell am I writing this week?
01:10That's usually like my favorite part of those ones though.
01:13Because it's like you get to like 28 and he's like, I saw a cover band that did Rush songs.
01:19What a great time. It's like something random like that.
01:22That I always enjoy at the end of those 32 thoughts.
01:25I feel like that's like the odds and ends. The nice little tidbits that usually have nothing.
01:30I feel like if your team is getting in those spots on 32 thoughts, it means like you're not really having any drama.
01:36You don't have any contract talks or anything like that.
01:39If you're like 1 through like 5, 1 through 10, you have developments that are worth Elliott focusing in on.
01:48Don't really necessarily always want that to be the case.
01:50Maybe like the start of free agency.
01:53Where he'll like, I think he always drops one like a day before the start of free agency.
01:57Like, here's where I think everyone's gonna go.
01:59And I think he did this one and it was like, yeah, I think when Toman Zidorov are like locked in, I'm going to Boston.
02:03I was like, oh, okay.
02:05It's happening. I agree.
02:07And I just imagine though like writing that every week, those final couple slots.
02:10He's like, alright, what am I gonna, what am I thinking for this?
02:12But ironically, as you said, they are his best thoughts.
02:14And it is a perfect name for it.
02:1732 thoughts because a lot of them are just thoughts.
02:20There's obviously news sprinkled in.
02:23But I always enjoy it.
02:25But so he did have some stuff on Swayman.
02:27Mentioned that things are quiet as they work out of the physiological.
02:32What did he say?
02:33I think it was physiological differences or philosophical differences.
02:37Yeah.
02:39Physiological differences.
02:41Philosophical differences.
02:43Excuse me.
02:44And then also said that he mentioned that this is a good example of why you don't want to take your star player to arbitration.
02:57My brain is not working today.
02:59Clearly.
03:00Working to arbitration.
03:03For the record, Swayman took the Bruins to arbitration.
03:06But then he also mentioned that Swayman still wants to sign long term.
03:11So nothing really crazy with this.
03:14But I think hearing that things are quiet is not the best thing with training camp about to start.
03:19Yeah, it's not ideal.
03:21Again, you get to this point of the year and a lot can happen between now and Wednesday is when I think camp officially starts.
03:29There's going to be a lot of off ice testing, stuff like that.
03:32We'll probably hear from Montgomery and Sweeney that day.
03:36So we might be able to get at least some more clarity, hopefully, of where talks stand and what they're expecting before practices and skates really start ramping up on Thursday.
03:47That being said, you're still hitting a point here where into crunch time.
03:51Right.
03:52And if there is radio silence and it's waiting for one group or the other to budge, things can get interesting.
03:58Right. This is a kind of a tough contract to map out where I think you know, we've talked about this the entire summer where we're looking at.
04:07Oh, I just eight by eight. Easy to get it done.
04:10But when you look at from both sides, right.
04:13Swayman, who, you know, wants to set the new floor, I think, for upcoming goalies.
04:19And that's something that matters to him.
04:21A guy that I think wants to get paid after the performance he had in the playoffs.
04:26We're also probably banking on future performance as well, which is always kind of a risky thing in terms of a player asking for that versus what they're actually going to get.
04:36And then from the Bruins perspective, right, you've got a team that has like a 25 year old potential.
04:42Number one, there's a lot of reason why you want to sign this guy long term.
04:45But there are question marks about this is a guy who's only played 44 total games in the season.
04:50That's his highest workload. Like, I think it's easy just to paint it with a broad brush and mention that, you know, you want this to be a made and be done with it.
04:59But I'm sure the Bruins, you know, there has to be some hesitancy.
05:02You have to look ahead at the market and what you're able to sign.
05:06And not to say I think they're like, I don't think we can afford this guy.
05:09But I think it's more of keeping cap flexibility for years ahead.
05:13Right. You don't want to commit eight and a half, nine and a half million to a guy that you're still not 100 percent sure on.
05:19Right. And I think this probably Bruins fans will push back and be like, listen, he's your best option.
05:24You saw what he did in the playoffs. Maybe this is just the start, which would be a great scenario to happen.
05:29But again, like goalies are kind of a volatile kind of asset in terms of you.
05:35It's very rare. You have guys that consistently replicated year in and year out.
05:39I'm not saying that swimming can't do that.
05:41Everything we've seen from him shows a guy that's hyper focused, that has a commitment to getting better, is very confident in his abilities.
05:48And I think it's probably a worthwhile investment. But what does worthwhile investment mean?
05:52Right. For the Bruins, is that eight by eight? Is it, hey, we'll give you seven, which is probably more than we want to pay.
05:59But it's four or five years. And, you know, we see how it is.
06:02Like, again, I think I've mentioned this time and time again, but whenever that fucking, I almost said whenever that fucking contract.
06:09Whenever that contract is over. Whenever this is over. Whenever that fucking contract is over.
06:16Whenever we're ready to move on from this.
06:18I'm sure all parties, both Jeremy Strayman's camp and the Bruins are happy to have this done with.
06:24I have no idea what it's going to look like because you could map out 10 different scenarios.
06:29It's like it's like Doctor Strange and all the different variants.
06:33Like I have no idea what the actual one is going to be.
06:36It's all going to come down to, I think, what side kind of wins out.
06:40And as is usually the case when it comes to these prolonged negotiations, when do both sides, you know, settle and find kind of the common ground?
06:49Maybe both sides don't like it. Right. Maybe it's you get it done.
06:53But Strayman wanted more term. He wanted more of a payout.
06:56The Bruins probably want to sign him long term, but probably not at whatever they're probably paying in terms of the annual value.
07:02It all comes down to what are both sides willing to concede and what are both sides willing to finally settle on to get this freaking contract done?
07:10Because I think everyone's ready to move on. I don't know about you, Evan. I'm ready to stop talking about Jeremy Strayman.
07:14Let me tell you, I'm ready to talk about Jeremy Strayman stopping pucks in October through hopefully June.
07:21I'm done talking about the contract.
07:23I'm with you. I'm with you. This was this was this was the storyline throughout the summer.
07:28And I think everybody wants this in the rear view.
07:31I wonder like when camp starts and he's like the SpongeBob meme kind of looking at his friends having fun and him not.
07:37I wonder if that is like, all right, we need to get something done. I can't I can't keep doing this.
07:41I do find it interesting that he says or reportedly still wants to sign long term.
07:49If he's asking for what he's reportedly asking for, which is a lot of money, a McAvoy deal was thrown out there.
07:55And the Bruins have reportedly offered, you know, four times 6.25.
08:00Is Swayman going to get a long term deal that's worth, you know, like, is that money going to be seven, seven and a half for seven, eight years?
08:10Like, that's where I wonder, like, if he still wants to sign long term.
08:14What's that money going to look like?
08:16Because obviously you're going to have to, you know, the Bruins going to give a little bit more than they're probably willing to just because it's a long term.
08:23But it also probably, you know, let's face it, isn't going to be what Swayman is worth.
08:28It's going to be less than what Swayman's worth if everything goes right in four to five years.
08:32So, like, if they weren't fine with that through the summer months and they aren't fine with that now,
08:38is Swayman and the Bruins going to be fine with that like a week from now, two weeks from now?
08:44I mean, as they negotiate heavier, maybe.
08:47But I just wonder if Swayman wants to sign long term, is he okay with getting probably a little bit less than he wanted?
08:56I mean, that is the art of negotiation.
08:58I just, I don't know if they're there yet.
09:00Yeah, I mean, again, it all comes down to what are you willing to concede in that spot, right?
09:04Because if, you know, what is long term? Are we talking seven or eight years, which I could see from Swayman's camp?
09:09That's what I would think it is.
09:10Right. But if we're talking from, you know, Swayman's camp, right?
09:13If you're going to lock yourself in that long and you want to stay here,
09:16you're operating with the assumption that you're going to probably get paid more up front right now because you're expecting the cap to jump out.
09:24Like that's just that's not Swayman trying to, you know, jump ahead of the market or being greed or anything like that.
09:30That's reading how the market is going. Right.
09:32And this is a business. And you look at how much probably guys that are a tier below him are going to make by the end of his contract.
09:39You know, I mentioned, I think, on Poke the Bear with Ty Anderson, like in a couple of years,
09:45a guy that's like a steady 20 gold score is going to be making like nine, nine and a half million a year.
09:52The market's going to get really weird in a couple of years.
09:54So, yeah, if if Swayman is committed to a long term deal, I could see like the concession or the ask from the Bruins is all right.
10:01You have to pay a little bit ahead of time now so that he falls within market value,
10:05knowing full well that if he's lives up to his potential, right, if he's a top five goalie and he's got a business,
10:12he won his resume and he wins a cup or something over an eight year deal by the end of it.
10:17And he's, you know, 33, 34, and he's still making nine and a half is probably five, six, seven, eight goalies,
10:23probably making at least that, if not more. Right. Like, hell, what what's just going to sign for in a couple of years?
10:28Right. So I think I could see from Swayman's camp that even if he wants to sign long term,
10:32you have to ask for a higher annual payout as a result of the Bruins ready to kind of meet that, though.
10:38Right. There is a risk, I think, from their perspective in terms of, you know, giving nine and a half,
10:45eight and a half, even for a guy that, again, has only played 44 games.
10:50Highest in the finish was seventh overall. And again, like, it's a lot to like about a guy that's 25 years old,
10:56who's gotten better and better every year coming off this playoff run.
10:59And again, the Bruins could look really, really dumb if they sign him to a bridge deal where he gets free agency in a couple of years
11:05and he goes out and has a 924 save percentage and he's lights out in the playoffs.
11:10And this team goes to the conference finals or later. And I'll start, you know, like, well, this is great.
11:14This guy is a legit shit. We didn't sign him. But there's pros and cons.
11:18Whoever you want to map it out, just because as promising as, you know, swimming is.
11:23And that's not to say that he's like this prospect or something like that. Right.
11:26But his ceiling is still kind of you haven't mapped it out yet. It still remains to be seen.
11:32It just makes her such a tough negotiation in terms of what the final term and the final payout is going to be.
11:39Well, he is 25, so long term might feel like two, three, four years.
11:44So, right. Yeah, that's maybe that's what it means.
11:48Anyways, I want to get into storylines and camp, things like that.
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13:48Now, back to the show.
13:50Before we get into training camp stuff, a little big news item actually came out, I think it was Friday.
13:56Ryan Johnston, next radio voice of the Bruins.
14:00Easy pick, great pick, the right pick.
14:04Chad Finn did a story on him over the weekend.
14:08I saw Ryan Johnston talking on Toucher & Rich, Fred Toucher,
14:12mentioning just how far Ryan Johnston's had to go for this job and for his dream.
14:19And it's really inspiring. It is a great story.
14:23They picked the right guy. I don't think there's any debate about that.
14:26Yeah, no, absolutely. I mean, this is a guy that Ryan has kind of seen it all.
14:31He's got so much experience calling games with like the Lowell Lockmonsters way back when.
14:37A guy that has paid his dues time and time again and has kind of been gearing up for this role.
14:42I know he's mentioned that it's the job of a lifetime, something that he's long sought after and wanted to do.
14:49And it's good in this industry when you have people who do the job the right way,
14:55are gracious, are passionate about their craft, want to keep getting better,
15:00and aspire for these kind of higher goals to finally reach it.
15:03It's always great to see. It's always great to see someone like Ryan,
15:06who has done such a great job for so long, get to this point to call games.
15:11So very excited. Well deserved, obviously, for Ryan.
15:15Can't wait to hear him on the radio moving forward this year and the years beyond.
15:19Yeah, great hire, fun hire, and I'm really happy for Ryan.
15:23Because again, I don't know if people realize, the play-by-play route is a crazy one.
15:30It takes years in the minor leagues. It is rare for someone to do three, four years in the minors or college
15:38and then immediately go pro. But for 98% of people, it is a long road and it's a brutal road.
15:47That a lot of people just say, you know what, I'd rather a stable life with a consistent paycheck.
15:52I'd rather that. And there's nothing wrong with that.
15:55But Ryan has stuck it out and gotten his dream job. So I think it's an amazing thing.
16:02Biggest storylines in camp. Swayman, obviously, is number one.
16:05We've discussed Swayman. I'm not going to dive too deep.
16:08I will say, though, one storyline branch off of that is how long is he out of camp?
16:15And does that impact him starting the season?
16:19Not to say he's not going to be there on night one.
16:22Massive story if he's not there for game one.
16:26But more so, you know, is he little less ready for the start of the season?
16:32He's been training all offseason. He was at captain's practices.
16:35So that is all, you know, I mean, he's been training and everything.
16:38But I just wonder if I think the only storyline with that is, you know, is he missing out on time during camp?
16:45And does that hurt him when the season starts?
16:47But we've discussed that a number of times, so I don't feel the need to continue to hash that one out.
16:52I'm done talking about this, Evan.
16:54I want to be, too.
16:55Every time I look at the Bruins Ringside YouTube channel, every title has Swayman somewhere in the title.
17:02All of a sudden, though, Evan, we talk about golfing and having transfusions,
17:08and all the comments are like, skip ahead to eight minutes.
17:11Was that? I didn't look at that.
17:13I didn't look.
17:14God forbid, over the course of this offseason, we've had not that much to talk about, guys.
17:19God forbid a couple of boys talking about golfing and lovely transfusions.
17:24God forbid, everyone.
17:25What episode was that?
17:27I forget. Was that last week?
17:29It was a very memorable episode talking about how we both suck at golf.
17:33That's amazing.
17:36Yeah, I'm not surprised that they were pissed about that.
17:42Was it the Bruins rookies to keep an eye on?
17:44Probably.
17:45Yeah.
17:46The one where we don't have Swayman's face on it.
17:49That's the one without Swayman.
17:51Sorry, sorry, sorry.
17:52We'll keep on talking about Jeremy Swayman over and over again.
17:55Tune in. Tune in next time.
17:56You're going to lose your number one goalie.
17:58He's going to be playing for the Montreal Canadiens before you know it.
18:01Exactly.
18:02Yeah, I'd do a whole podcast on transfusions.
18:04I'll do it just to piss people off.
18:07To me, the second biggest storyline is actually Jim Montgomery's future.
18:12I know second line right wing we'll get into in a bit,
18:15but what happens with Montgomery this season I think is interesting.
18:19Now, I know this Wednesday, as you said,
18:22Sweeney and Montgomery usually speak on the first day,
18:26and I would assume that it continues in that light this year.
18:30But again, going into the final year of the three-year contract he signed back in 2022,
18:36we have not heard any word yet on an extension,
18:40so I do wonder if and when we hear about this, if there is one.
18:44Yeah, it's definitely something where you don't want a lame duck coach going into,
18:50especially this team with the expectations on them,
18:54the excitement of the guys they've added in the offseason.
18:57It's not a good spot to put your coach in.
19:00And again, it raises a bigger question of the Bruins are,
19:04kind of like with Swayman, hesitant about handing him a contract
19:07because they don't know what exactly they're getting.
19:09But again, for a coach, right, like it's not the ideal spot to be in.
19:14I'm sure people can be like, oh, like this guy, no, ramp the pressure up,
19:17have him playing for his job.
19:18But what happens when you get to the final days of training camp
19:22and probably the right thing to do is to give a guy like Lysell a look
19:27and have him roll with the punches,
19:29knowing that it's not always going to be pretty, right?
19:31There's going to be times he messes up.
19:33Same with a guy like Mark Gillob, maybe a guy like Patra,
19:35who depending on what he does during the preseason,
19:39maybe he could start there in the NHL
19:42or maybe they want to push him down to Providence.
19:45But if you're a Montgomery and you're coaching for your job
19:47and you want the results immediately, do you go with a guy like Lysell?
19:51Or maybe you feel better and a little safer with a guy like Tyler Johnson.
19:55And that's not to say that if Tyler Johnson isn't light,
19:58if he's lightened up in the preseason, then yeah,
20:01I think he's earned a spot, right?
20:03But in terms of the long-term future of this team, right,
20:08I think you need a coach that's willing to work with some of these younger players.
20:11And this is what we talk about with why guys like Lysell are so important.
20:15Yes, you want the quick fix in the top six role.
20:18You want a guy that could give you 20 goals,
20:20but you need young, affordable talent that can really supplement what you have,
20:24which is a pretty strong foundation right now.
20:27And it just feels like the patience required for that
20:32can kind of get lost on any coach.
20:34It doesn't matter if they're one that's really tough on the players,
20:38one that's known for developing players.
20:40When you've got a year left on your deal
20:42and you're trying to play for your future and coach for your job,
20:46you want the immediate results.
20:48It doesn't matter what happens three years down the road
20:50if you're on a one-year deal.
20:51So finding out whatever that clarity is moving forward with Montgomery's contract
20:56is going to be huge in terms of setting, I think, kind of the tone for the year.
21:00I think the tone and the expectations are what they are.
21:02I don't expect those to change, barring injury or what have you.
21:06But from the guy who's running the ship in Montgomery,
21:09where his standing is and what his future is,
21:12it's going to be key in terms of what his choices are
21:15as he tries to put this team right now in the best position to succeed later on this year.
21:20Yeah, I mean, you need sort of that rope, as you alluded to,
21:23to have guys make mistakes and not immediately be out of the lineup.
21:29You see it with any team.
21:31If there's a coach who's really hard on guys and benches players immediately
21:36for making one mistake, they're going to play rigid.
21:38They're going to do safe things.
21:40And a safe thing would be putting Frederick on that second line or Tyler Johnson.
21:44And there's nothing wrong with that.
21:45Because as you said, if those guys are kicking ass up there,
21:47then yeah, leave them.
21:48Oh, my God.
21:49Like, do not take them off that.
21:51But the better move long-term, both if it works and if it doesn't,
21:55is Fabian Lysel.
21:56Because if it doesn't work over the course of 30 games, 35 games,
22:00well, okay, you know what you don't have.
22:03And you know what you do have in him.
22:05Whereas if it does work and there is that seed planted of,
22:09oh, this is a legit top-six player in the NHL, then you know it.
22:12And that's going to bear fruits not just this year, but years down the road.
22:16So I agree with you.
22:18I think they need to figure something out.
22:20Now, again, if they don't want to re-sign him,
22:23are they just going to fire him?
22:24Like, I doubt it.
22:26That would have been done in the offseason.
22:28So I don't think that's going to be it.
22:30So that's my thing.
22:31And we've talked about it before of like, you know,
22:33the one thing left on Montgomery's Bruins resume that is just glaring is the
22:37playoff success.
22:38That's sort of his one thing that people look towards and go, okay,
22:42that's not good enough.
22:43And I think that 23 season hangs over him like a gray cloud in terms of just,
22:48you know, a horrible experience.
22:53So I don't know.
22:54I mean,
22:55are they going to hand him a contract extension in May when they make the
22:58conference final?
22:59Are they going to do it in November when the team is,
23:02you know, looking really good?
23:04Are they going to do it at the deadline?
23:06Like, that's my thing.
23:07And I think, you know, you get a better coach if you say, hey,
23:10we're going to give you a two or three year extension, whatever it is.
23:13And, you know, win in that time period, but we're going to give you time.
23:16I think it also just, and we've talked about this before too,
23:19it goes to show just the volatility of NHL head coaches and why I I've
23:24always said it.
23:25I would way rather be a college head coach than like a really good college
23:30head coach than a really good NHL head coach,
23:32because even really good NHL head coaches don't last a long time in one spot.
23:37And that's like, that's the thing.
23:40And like Bruce Cassidy was great with the Bruins lasted five years.
23:43Like that's not a very long time.
23:46You know, it's relatively a long time compared to other NHL head coaches.
23:49So, um, yeah, I, I, this is a.
23:53Isn't like Marty St.
23:54Louis, like one of the, like the longest tenure coaches.
23:57And he's been there for like two years now.
23:59I know like Jared Bednar is there like probably the longest or a Cooper.
24:02Like those two, those two are far and away, but like,
24:04isn't like St.
24:05Louis like seventh or eighth longest tenure.
24:08It happened like a year and a half ago.
24:11Yeah.
24:12And that's what, I mean, you know, there's so much pressure to win.
24:14Immediately.
24:15And there's so much, and you even look at St.
24:17Louis, like, you know,
24:18if those prospects start to have trouble developing or,
24:21you know,
24:22when they're supposed to make that next jump into being a wildcard team,
24:25if they don't, he's gone.
24:26And that's, that's sort of the thing.
24:28And I think across all professional sports, it's a problem.
24:31And I think it's why I think it's good to hold onto your coaches,
24:34let them develop.
24:35Now, if the, if the room tunes them out,
24:37then that's a whole nother thing.
24:38Um, sort of like we saw with Bruce Cassidy, but I, you know,
24:41with Montgomery, like you've given him two years.
24:43This is year three.
24:44I mean, you know, I don't know.
24:47I don't know when the right time is.
24:49I think the safe bet is just hand him the extension and,
24:52you know,
24:53see what he gives you over the next year or two, because,
24:55you know, it comes down to who else is out there.
24:59That's really what it comes down to.
25:01I think mostly, um,
25:03I want to get to more second line right wing stuff,
25:05Patra and Merkuloff.
25:07And that is another one.
25:09I think that we've talked about a little bit,
25:10but I think we can talk about some more.
25:12Uh, but first quick word from our friends over at game time.
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26:47Now back to the show.
26:49So we did talk a little second line right wing when we're talking about
26:52Montgomery, because I do think that those impact each other quite a bit.
26:57There hasn't really been anything new talked about quite yet with that second
27:01line. I mean,
27:02you had Martians comments you had Montgomery's comments at the golf
27:05tournament.
27:06We really won't get a good view of who's on that second line or who's
27:09getting looks there until on ice stuff starts at training camp.
27:14Again, I still hold that. I think Lysel is probably,
27:17I want to see Lysel get the shot there, see what you have, but you know,
27:22Frederick's in a contract year, Tyler Johnson's on a PTO.
27:24He's shown a history of being in top sixes.
27:26So like I do think there are some other options as well.
27:30Yeah, no, it's going to be fascinating for such a key part of the lineup.
27:33And again,
27:34I think all the focus probably is on Lysel and what he can provide there.
27:38The skill is there.
27:40He's a different kind of prospect from other guys we've seen get called up in
27:44terms of just that high end ability, the ability to, you know,
27:48dangle the puck through a couple of skaters if he hits right.
27:52And he becomes a guy that looks like a everyday top six player.
27:57You know,
27:58I think that's probably some of the appeal is that you want that to be the
28:00case. You want this guy who has 20 goal potential, has, you know,
28:04that highlight reel capabilities in that spot and to have him thrive.
28:09Everyone wants,
28:10everyone wants their their prospect that's been kind of marinating for a
28:13couple of years to make that big step forward.
28:16I think the Bruins are going to give him every opportunity to do that.
28:18But as you said, whether it's from Montgomery,
28:22what he thinks is best for that line, whether it's how the Bruins want to,
28:25you know, shape that line, right. Where it's Coyle and Martian,
28:29you can make the case that, you know,
28:31maybe it's Lysell's more on like a third line with other younger players,
28:35like a, a Potra or like a geeky or someone like that, you know,
28:39maybe like one NHL or established guy with those guys, because, you know,
28:44Coyle, Martian and Frederick,
28:46that has all the makings of like a shutdown line if that's what you want as
28:49well. So again, a lot of it comes down to the players themselves, right?
28:53If Lysell runs away with the job and it's dynamic in the preseason and looks
28:58like an everyday NHL or it's probably going to get the spot,
29:01but if he can't kind of hold his end of the bargain during this kind of make a
29:05break camp, then it falls on the Bruins to kind of change their approach.
29:09I think,
29:10I think Lysell should be the guy that they want in that spot,
29:13but they're also not just going to hand it to them.
29:14This is what the Bruins do every camp in terms of not setting anything in
29:18stone for some of these younger players and having you earn it.
29:22And whether it's Frederick, Geeky, Tyler Johnson, someone like that,
29:26they do have options. It just, in terms of fit, you know,
29:30potential cost, especially with that rookie contract, Lysell makes,
29:35would be the best case scenario, I think from the Bruins,
29:37but it's nowhere near set in stone.
29:39No, not even close. And that's the thing.
29:41I think that the onus is completely on him and he's got, he has to like,
29:46and I, and I also wonder like, you know,
29:49if Frederick sort of steals the job or Tyler Johnson or Morgan Geeky,
29:54like what are the chances Frederick can get, can, you know, shimmy back in?
29:57Like you mentioned the third line, you know,
30:01if that third line center spot is between, you know,
30:03potentially Patra or Georgie Merkuloff,
30:06like are they going to feel comfortable putting Lysell on the right side of
30:10that? That's the other end of it too, where it's like,
30:12is the spot for him on the third line? I don't know.
30:16I think I would rather Lysell be with veteran NHL players.
30:19The question is do veteran NHL players want someone like Lysell on that line
30:24with them? That's the other end of it. So I think that's, I think that's,
30:28you know, the most fascinating on ice thing that they have going.
30:31That's their big hole right now. Everywhere else.
30:34I mean the top lines seems pretty set to start at least.
30:39And the third, you know, the third and fourth line,
30:41we know who those guys are.
30:43It just kind of comes down to how they're going to fit in.
30:45Second line's the one area where you do look at and say, huh,
30:49wonder who's going to be on that right side. I mentioned there just a little bit,
30:53that third line. And I think this is where another big storyline comes in.
30:56Matt Patra and Georgie Merkuloff.
30:59I don't know if there's room for both on this roster right now.
31:03Fourth line seems to have a certain identity.
31:05I don't foresee them being on the second line.
31:08I don't think you're putting like Merkuloff on the second line,
31:11like right wing spot.
31:13So I just,
31:14I wonder how they both look in training camp and who gets the edge.
31:18I mean, we've said it before.
31:19Merkuloff's played a lot more professional hockey over the last couple of years
31:23than Matt Patra has. Matt Patra's coming off shoulder surgery.
31:27So I, you know,
31:28I think people might not realize like Merkuloff might actually have the inside
31:31edge to that just off experience.
31:34But we've seen what Matt Patra can do at the NHL level.
31:36And I think that's what people remember most.
31:38And I think that's what makes it such a, an interesting clash for camp.
31:41Yeah.
31:42And again,
31:43like you,
31:44you mentioned people have already done like their line of projections.
31:47And there's been a couple that have Patra starting the year in Providence
31:50are just not in the lineup.
31:52And we're like, what are you talking about?
31:54This guy was,
31:55you know,
31:56surprised everyone last year had a lot of promise.
31:59Yeah.
32:00But also the Bruins didn't have the option of sending him to Providence.
32:02Right.
32:03Like that is the one thing when he's a younger player who's still 20 years
32:06old,
32:07who's,
32:08you know,
32:09coming off of major shoulder surgery,
32:10again,
32:11sending myself,
32:12he plays at a high level in the preseason that answers that,
32:15right?
32:16Like you don't have to worry about it.
32:17And then he will probably be your third line center.
32:19If that's the case.
32:20And if Mark you'll have can't play at a high level,
32:22but if he looks,
32:23you know,
32:25like he needs more time to develop out of the gate,
32:28which is not out of the realm of reason,
32:30right.
32:31In terms of just the injury,
32:32his age,
32:33there's nothing wrong with sending him down to Providence,
32:35Matt Potra to get him rolling there,
32:37have him play top line minutes,
32:39power play minutes and have him kind of get into a groove and feeling
32:43confident.
32:44Like I'd rather him,
32:45if you don't think he's quite ready,
32:46go down there and play 10 games and have seven points feeling good.
32:51And then maybe he's back up here a little bit later on.
32:53I don't think there's anything wrong with that at all.
32:55But also like,
32:56it falls on both him and Merkel off to prove what they have.
32:59Same,
33:00you know,
33:01we learned absolutely nothing about,
33:03you know,
33:04him last year.
33:05Yeah.
33:06It's three,
33:07four games playing eight minutes a night in the fourth line,
33:09not exactly where his kind of skillset is best utilized.
33:13So I want to see him in a couple of these preseason games with NHL
33:17talent,
33:18right?
33:19Like there's guys who are going to be on this camp roster who are
33:21probably just set to go down to Providence or their veterans that will
33:25have a lot of value down in the AHL level.
33:28I want to see Mark,
33:29you'll play with a geeky or,
33:31you know,
33:32a guy like that and see if he can build some chemistry and what Mark
33:34you'll have can do in that role.
33:37So those two guys are obviously really a lot of intrigue there,
33:40but it's kind of the same or same with how the second line wing spot
33:44is.
33:45Bruins do have options.
33:46Like if they don't like either of those guys,
33:48they're not pulling their weight.
33:49You can put Tyler Johnson.
33:50Who's a natural sentiment in that spot as well.
33:52Don't forget that last year,
33:54who was the Bruins top line center at the very end of the Panthers
33:57series was Morgan geeky.
33:59Like they can put Morgan geeky in that role just as well,
34:01too.
34:02If they don't think either of those guys are ready.
34:03So again,
34:05like if you're the Bruins and you're leaning into this young talent and
34:09like,
34:10you know,
34:11hoping you're banking on ceiling,
34:12there's a lot to like about Lysel second line spot and like a guy like
34:17Potcher or Merkulov in the third line,
34:18but they can develop and have some of that higher ceiling.
34:22But if they're not going to be,
34:24if they're not able to showcase that the Bruins do have options and I don't
34:27see it.
34:28Like, all right.
34:29If,
34:30if Lysel and Merkulov are good in the preseason,
34:32I think the Bruins are going to give them a shot,
34:35but it's not a whole lot of rope.
34:36Right.
34:37In terms of where these guys are,
34:38especially if Jim Montgomery is coaching for his job,
34:41like that patients that sometimes required may not necessarily be there.
34:45And this is still going to be stuck on a one year deal.
34:47I,
34:48yeah.
34:49Yeah.
34:50I wonder if this roster has,
34:51is big enough to even house two of those guys.
34:55Like are that,
34:56you know,
34:57cause you do again on that third line,
34:58you've got Brazil,
34:59you've got geeky,
35:00you've got Frederick,
35:01you've got Tyler Johnson.
35:02The second line,
35:04you got potentially Frederick geeky,
35:05Tyler Johnson,
35:06like,
35:07you know,
35:08they have high expectations this year.
35:09We've talked about this before.
35:10They're Stanley cup contenders.
35:11They should be competing for the cup.
35:13I mean,
35:14the conference final should be the goal at the very least.
35:17Can you afford to,
35:19you know,
35:20have some mistakes made from the third line center?
35:23Can you,
35:24at the same time as the mistakes made by the second line,
35:26right?
35:27Winger combined with the regular mistakes that happen in any NHL hockey game.
35:30We're not saying better.
35:31It's don't make mistakes.
35:32So I just wonder if they're going to be open to having two spots in the lineup
35:37devoted to guys that they're looking to develop down the road.
35:41This isn't,
35:42you know,
35:432017,
35:4418,
35:45where it's like,
35:46Oh,
35:47we'll see what we got,
35:48you know,
35:49and then they end up being really good.
35:50Like they're still,
35:51I mean,
35:52they just spent,
35:53you know,
35:54a lot on a number one center.
35:55They just spent a lot on a big top four defenseman.
35:57So I do wonder if,
35:59you know,
36:00we,
36:01you know,
36:02we wonder like Patra versus Murkulov,
36:03you know,
36:04is it just one of.
36:05Patra,
36:06Murkulov and Lysel that make it,
36:07is it too?
36:08So I think that's going to be another storyline to watch.
36:11And then at the end,
36:12like I,
36:13I think Brad Marcian's health is interesting.
36:15We still don't know if he's going to start training camp.
36:18He says he he's likely not going to,
36:20you know,
36:21miss any actual games or miss any regular season games.
36:25And as we know,
36:26Marcian is bullish and,
36:28you know,
36:29always headstrong and wanting to come back for sure.
36:31I just wonder about his health throughout camp and the season.
36:35Cause again,
36:36you need Marcian at a hundred percent.
36:38And I think that's going to be a quite the,
36:40quite the,
36:41quite the thing throughout the year.
36:43Yeah,
36:44no,
36:45absolutely.
36:46I mean,
36:47this is a guy that has built a,
36:48you know,
36:49potential hall of fame career off of proving people wrong,
36:51but also father time is undefeated,
36:53even for the guys that are the most dogged in terms of extending their
36:57careers.
36:58And again,
36:59like we've talked about this before,
37:00I don't expect him to all of a sudden plummet and be a 20 goal,
37:0421 assist guy over 82 games or something like that.
37:07But I think you saw last year where the,
37:10he had that kind of extended kind of cold stretch where he wasn't
37:13producing.
37:14I just,
37:15you know,
37:16I think if you're a Bruins fan,
37:17you can't expect him to be the point per game guy he was in the
37:19past.
37:20So it can be a very good player still is kind of your on ice
37:23spark plug that gets the emotion,
37:25you know,
37:26can change the momentum of a game with a hit or can do those
37:29things.
37:30But yeah,
37:31like where his trajectory is worth monitoring,
37:35right.
37:36Is he more of a 60 points still very good,
37:39excellent two way top six player on the wing.
37:42You know,
37:43is that where you're still getting from him?
37:44I think that's going to be worth monitoring knowing full well that
37:48again,
37:49you've got younger talent around him now that are supplementing
37:52some of that expected decline.
37:54But that is definitely something that you have to keep tabs on
37:57that.
37:58One of these guys,
37:59that's been kind of your go-to players.
38:01You have to kind of ease.
38:02I think maybe some of those expectations off him just a little
38:04bit moving forward.
38:06A hundred percent.
38:07And I think that's wow.
38:11Nice voice crack for me,
38:12you know,
38:13geez.
38:14Yeah,
38:15I think I agree with you on Martian.
38:17And again,
38:18I think it's something to monitor as camp goes along.
38:22Those are the sort of the big storylines.
38:23I don't think we missed anything major.
38:25I mean,
38:26things will obviously pop up,
38:27you know,
38:28Tyler Johnson is definitely one as a PTO,
38:31you know,
38:32what is Corpus Allo look like,
38:33you know,
38:34Corpus Allo versus bussy.
38:35I think we're all legitimate,
38:37but those are sort of the five.
38:38I think that are big ticket items on defense.
38:41As we've said before,
38:42the six seem pretty set in stone.
38:44Your seventh seems pretty set in stone.
38:46So yeah,
38:47I think that those are sort of the big things to watch in training
38:50camp,
38:51barring of course,
38:52any unforeseen circumstances,
38:53which hopefully there are not many of or any of for that matter.
38:57Connor,
38:58what can the people look forward to from you over Boston Globe and
39:01Boston.com?
39:02Yeah,
39:03well,
39:04I've covered every step of the way,
39:05starting with training camp and the preseason.
39:07It's finally here,
39:08Evan,
39:09thank God.
39:10So whether that is a swimming contract,
39:12hopefully a lineup battles,
39:14a roster projections,
39:16preseason takeaways,
39:17all that good stuff.
39:18You can find all of it over at Boston.com and the Boston Globe.
39:22So you can read my stuff over there.
39:23If you want to follow me on Twitter,
39:25X,
39:26whatever the hell it's called,
39:27you can at Connor Ryan underscore 93.
39:29Go do all that.
39:31That has been Bruins beat.
39:33That's Connor Ryan.
39:34I'm Evan Marinovsky,
39:35Bruins beat listeners.
39:36Have a great rest of your week.