• last month
In a Live episode of Bruins Beat, Evan Marinofsky and Conor Ryan sit down following the Boston Bruins' announcement that head coach Jim Montgomery has been terminated, and Joe Sacco will take over the head coaching duties. Where do the Bruins go from here? Will there be meaningful change on the ice following the coaching change? All that, and much more!





0:00 Montgomery Fired

3:09 - Roster Underperformance

5:02 - Tough Situation Ahead

8:44 - Roster Concerns

12:41 - Coaching Changes

15:36 - Leadership Questions

18:03 - Team Fortitude Issues

19:49 - Rebuild vs. Retool

22:40 - Leadership Vacuum

25:08 - Veteran Impact

27:09 - Missing Leadership

29:00 - Roster Construction Issues

31:00 - Slow Team Performance

33:05 - Future of Joe Sacco

39:02 - Player for Player Swaps

41:01 - Underperforming Players

42:38 - Player Accountability

44:36 - Leadership Concerns

49:28 - Joe Sacco's Future

52:25 - Bruins' Roster Concerns

56:34 - Coaching Changes Discussion



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Transcript
00:00Bruins Beat is brought to you by PrizePix and the GameTime app.
00:07We are live.
00:08This is a true live Bruins Beat.
00:12That's Connor Ryan.
00:13I'm Evan Maronofsky.
00:15We're presented by PrizePix.
00:16Go use that promo code CLNS to get $50 off that first purchase.
00:20Terms apply.
00:21We're also presented by GameTime.
00:22Go use that promo code CLNS to get $20 off your first purchase.
00:28Connor, what is up?
00:31Evan, I'm here.
00:33How are you doing?
00:36Interesting times.
00:37Interesting times.
00:39But can't say surprising times either.
00:43You look at Jim Montgomery fired by the Bruins this afternoon.
00:48Came out around 420-ish.
00:53Bruins fired Jim Montgomery.
00:55Joe Sacco promoted as the interim head coach.
00:58He was the associate head coach.
00:59He was given that title over the summer.
01:02Been with the organization since 2014.
01:07Just sort of your initial thoughts.
01:08Yeah, I mean, as you said, I think it was all but inevitable when you look at that result
01:14on Monday against the Blue Jackets.
01:16Felt like a new low and there's been a lot of lows this year in terms of these games
01:21where it feels like this team has completely bottomed out and hasn't really shown much
01:25of anything.
01:27But to lose in that manner to a team like Columbus that entered the game with one win
01:32in November, the same low event, listless hockey, a lot of lack of skill, which we all
01:41I think are well aware of now in terms of roster construction and we'll obviously discuss
01:45that later on.
01:46But lack of will as well in terms of not doing enough, not making simple plays, fumbling
01:53the puck, all the things that you've seen from the Bruins throughout the year.
01:59It feels like something had to give, right?
02:01And I think you look at where the blame goes.
02:04I think some of it falls on Montgomery, obviously, in terms of not getting this team ready to
02:09go.
02:11This is the first step in terms of what you got to do to try to give your team a kick
02:16in the ass.
02:17And you can't fire the players, right?
02:19You can't trade out six guys or something like that.
02:21So what has to be the result?
02:25It's moving on from Montgomery, a guy that's accomplished a lot here, but you look at the
02:29options available to the Bruins and the lack of results that you've seen there.
02:35I do think it's something where this is the first step.
02:38But again, that being said, now the pressure ramps up on Don Sweeney and Kim Neely, right?
02:43Like Jim Montgomery was the first guy up in terms of who's going to take the blame and
02:48pay the consequences for it.
02:50Now it falls on the guys that have assembled this roster that is underachieved to an extreme
02:55degree.
02:56They're the next ones up and it's going to fall on them in terms of their next moves
03:01and especially the players themselves to dig the team out of this, because right now it
03:05cost a good head coach a job in the NHL.
03:08Yeah, I obviously was it the right move?
03:12Yes.
03:13I mean, they needed a change.
03:14There's no doubt about that.
03:16I mean, it's kind of been obvious for the last couple of weeks, but it's not all his
03:21fault and ultimately this lies on the players.
03:24I mean this roster and this is another thing we've said for weeks.
03:28This is sort of an extension of what we've said for weeks is, is this roster just bad?
03:33And the answer is probably, yeah.
03:36Like it looks like it, doesn't it?
03:38I mean the amount of guys underperforming and you know, coaches don't just get fired
03:42out of the blue.
03:43Obviously eight, nine and three start for Montgomery.
03:45He's also a lame duck coach.
03:47They didn't re up him before the start of the year, but the Ross, I mean just the sheer
03:52number of guys underperforming through the first month and not just underperforming,
03:57but like completely missing the mark.
03:59I mean, Jay fresh just tweeted out some of the, the player cards of guys like Beecher
04:03and Lynn Tolman, Coyle and Zaka, and they are embarrassingly bad.
04:09And again, like the, just the sheer number of guys that are not coming close to doing
04:15their job.
04:16I mean, again, they got booed off the ice Monday night, five, one loss to Columbus.
04:21And you know, again, it goes deeper than just the head coach.
04:24And that's kind of what I want to talk to you about is this runs deeper than the head
04:28coach.
04:30I do feel, I mean, happy for Joe Sacco, obviously he's a local guy from Medford, went to BU,
04:35played at Medford high, like has been here for 10 years now, like has obviously earned
04:39another shot at being a head coach.
04:41Yes, that's right.
04:42A terrier, a big day for the terriers for you.
04:47But again, I like, I don't think this is going to be the turnaround you saw when Bruce Cassidy
04:52took over and it was like, all right, he just kind of lit a fire under the roster.
04:55I mean, they seem helpless and, and, and that's where like, I almost, I do feel for
05:02Joe Sacco a little bit in terms of like, this is a hard situation to try to take control
05:07of because, you know, you've heard the elite Friedman reports about, you know, the Swayman
05:11contract kind of looming large and they were behind after training camp and all these different
05:16things and you got to step into that.
05:19I mean, and Diver was saying this to me last week on, on this podcast of like, like what
05:25difference is a new guy going to make?
05:29And I, you know, I just, they had to do this obviously, but it's, this is not a, Oh, you
05:36know, they're 10 and 0 in their next 10 games and they're in second place and they're in
05:40a good spot.
05:41Like this is, I think this could be much, this is much deeper in my opinion.
05:46Yeah.
05:47I mean, as you said, you look at the turnaround they had under Cassidy.
05:50Yes, that was a team that was underperforming and you could make the case that the time
05:55had come at that point for a guy that had been there for a long time and Claude Julien.
05:59And again, it's kind of a, it's branching off from what we've seen in the last couple
06:02years in the NHL where guys have such a short shelf life.
06:05Um, felt like probably time had come there, but with Bruce Cassidy coming in, a guy who's,
06:10you know, gets put up to the, to the Bruins, uh, coaching staff that year.
06:15Um, a guy that, um, had a little bit of a different approach from especially a guy like
06:19Claude Julien.
06:21You can make the case that him jumping in, changing things around with that group, um,
06:26and taking over Ross, but as you said, like they had really kind of, I think plateaued
06:30under Julien, but still had Bergeron, you had Crecci, you had David Postner, who was
06:34a budding superstar.
06:36You had guys, uh, you know, in the pipeline, at least of, you know, you, that was before
06:42like 2015 really took hold, but you had like the breast was a guy that was coming up.
06:46You had McAvoy.
06:47I felt like that was a team that again, was at the tail end, York was a big prospect back
06:52then.
06:53Exactly.
06:54So, I mean, you look at that team there, were they underperforming?
06:55Yes.
06:56Do they need a change in voice?
06:57Yes.
06:58But that felt like they were at the end of that kind of really arduous retool that they
07:03overran as opposed to a full on rebuild.
07:05This team, again, as you said, a lot tougher because you look at this team and beyond the
07:10fact you've got, you know, your team is missing a lot of depth.
07:13You guys, you have a lot of guys that aren't pulling their weight.
07:16Um, it's not like there's just one issue with this team, right?
07:19It's not like you look at the power plane, like, ah, the power play is killing them,
07:22which it is.
07:23Right.
07:24But, oh boy, that's not the only one, but that's not the only thing, right?
07:29Is that going to fix like the, the lazy passes going into the middle of the ice that are
07:33getting picked off?
07:34Uh, are you looking at a situation here where the, the, the Bruins are trying to, you know,
07:42find a spark or anything like that?
07:44Yeah.
07:45Like maybe that helps them get, uh, you know, the kick in the ass that you're looking for,
07:48but is it enough in terms of just the personnel in place that these players where the onus
07:54is going to fall on them, that they're going to dig themselves out of it?
07:58Like maybe, you know, the Bruins I think are banking on the fact that a new voice kind
08:02of steps in and takes over, but I don't know if that's necessarily going to be the case
08:06with the, the talent or maybe lack thereof that is on this current team.
08:10You don't have four or five guys waiting, the wings ready to break through.
08:14You have guys who have a track record, right?
08:17Of a Pasternak and a McAvoy, and they've all underperformed, Lyce Lindholm's underperformed,
08:21Jeremy Swainman's underperformed, but you still have way too many guys across the roster
08:26that are either in elevated spots where they probably should be a line or two below where
08:30they are.
08:31Are guys that are so lost in their own game that they're not, you know, like, look at
08:36Elias Lindholm, like, is, can he be a better player?
08:39Yeah, of course.
08:40But like, are you expecting just because Joe Sacco's in there, he's going to be like, I'm
08:44going to go back to not even the 42 goal Lindholm, but the guy that was a, you hope going into
08:50the year, what did we say?
08:51Like 60 point two way forward.
08:53That's kind of what you're banking on.
08:55I also think they're teetering with this roster because as you said, like, you, you know,
09:00you have so many guys, you know, you have your Fredericks and your geekies and your
09:02Martians that are, you know, a year on the last year of their deal, but then you've got
09:08a lot of money tied up in Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zdorov and Jeremy Swainman.
09:12And again, Swainman, I think miss training camp, which we can get into in a bit on sort
09:17of how bad that was all handled at the time, which we, again, talked a lot about at the
09:22time.
09:23Um, but you have a lot of money tied up in guys for a long time.
09:27And that's why I see some people saying, blow this whole thing up.
09:30I don't think it's that easy.
09:31You have, you, you, you are littered with no movement clauses.
09:35You have the hand you're dealt.
09:36Like you can't do it.
09:38People need to stop.
09:39You can't, you can't.
09:40That's the other part.
09:41I don't know if you want to hear that because that sounds even worse, but that's the hand
09:44you're dealt.
09:45So people can stop with saying, you just trade the whole roster because it ain't that easy.
09:49You can't, it is impossible to do so.
09:51As you said, because of the no moves and the no trades and, and things like that.
09:55Um, and that's why you will get into trades in a little bit.
09:57You kind of have to work with what you have.
10:00And I think that the other thing is like, uh, for Sweeney and Neely, I mean, you know,
10:06Montgomery's gone now.
10:07The first, you know, the, the first ax has come down, um, you know, they have to turn
10:13this around because as everybody knows, once the Bruins start missing the playoffs, like
10:18I see a lot of people saying they need to fire Sweeney, they need to fire Sweeney.
10:20And clearly the roster moves this off season in the direction of let's out Panther.
10:25The Panthers isn't working.
10:27It's not working.
10:28I know.
10:29I know there's still time left in the year, but it isn't working.
10:30I get that.
10:31And Elias Lindholm, by the way, we were all on board with that signing.
10:34And again, it has only been a month, so, you know, little leeway, but if they start missing
10:39the playoffs, like that's when that, the Sweeney and Neely stuff would come down.
10:43Like, and I, again, I see it, uh, and I, people were saying, stop defending Sweeney.
10:48Ryan's really got a hair across his ass, Ryan's pissed, Ryan's pissed, but what I will
10:53say, and we're replying to see, we're replying to comments today.
10:56Um, ownership gave Sweeney and Neely like five out of five stars at the, at the preseason
11:02press conference.
11:03So they love them.
11:04Neely and Sweeney, by the way, our best friends, they, you know, so like, again, I don't think
11:08Neely's gonna, you know, just come out and fire Sweeney, um, after this start.
11:13And they also have a lot of money tied up in this roster.
11:15That's the other part too.
11:17So that's why, like, if they're firing Sweeney and Neely, that's at the, that's, you know,
11:21if they completely missed the playoffs or maybe it's not even just one missed playoffs,
11:26maybe it's two.
11:27And I'm not saying that's right.
11:28By the way, I'm saying that that's what I think will happen if they miss the playoffs.
11:32Um, even just after this year, like, I don't think it happens immediately.
11:36I think it's, it's longer down the road.
11:39What did Charlie Jacobs say before he, we even spoke during the, the end of the season
11:44availability last year.
11:45He literally went out and said he had full support of Cam Neely and Don Sweeney before
11:49we even asked, like looking at the team.
11:52And we're not saying that's right.
11:54We're also not saying that that's like the right thing.
11:55I'm just saying what happened, saying what the ownership said, that was a mandate dictated
12:01from ownership in terms of what the, our expectations were.
12:04That was before we even asked.
12:05So people asking why the Bruins aren't firing Sweeney and Neely it's from ownership.
12:10They've given them a seal of approval before we even asked them questions last year.
12:16So if you want to talk about why that hasn't happened, that's where it is guys.
12:19Like that is where it's all coming from going into last year or this upcoming season.
12:25We were looking at Montgomery and you looked at the fact that he didn't have an extension.
12:28We saw that was the obvious one where it's like, what are you going to do there?
12:31We thought that was going to be most of the questions, but Jacobs to come out and pretty
12:34much say like, Hey, we, we're sticking with, we have full faith in Sweeney and Neely.
12:40That's where their mindset is right now.
12:42Now, will that change if they don't make the playoffs?
12:45Will that change?
12:46If the product that's on the ice, which has been terrible all season long, is that going
12:52to stay in place?
12:54If this team misses the playoffs?
12:56Probably not.
12:57That's when the consequences are going to come.
12:58But I don't think you're going to see that until you get to the end of the year.
13:01I don't see the ownership group making those kinds of seismic moves before then.
13:07It's just, that's just their approach going into this year.
13:10No, they won't.
13:11And again, the coach is the easiest one to do.
13:13And that's what was that.
13:14That's what happened here.
13:15And, and I think that, you know, something else that should be noted is I remember when
13:18Bruce Cassidy got fired, we, I think it wasn't understood how much he had lost the locker
13:23room.
13:24We can get into kind of the players and their response, because that's obviously a major
13:28storyline with this, but we don't know the inner workings of what happened with Montgomery
13:33there.
13:34We don't yet.
13:35I'm curious if stuff comes out.
13:36I'm curious if things leak out or whatever, but I, you know, we don't quite know.
13:42Um, how players felt and this and that, which again, we will get into, um, because I think
13:48that that, why don't we do it now?
13:49Why don't we do it now?
13:50Connor, let's do it now.
13:51We'll do it live.
13:52We'll do it live.
13:53Connor.
13:54Um, obviously there's a lot of blame to be passed around and I think the players are
13:58number one in terms of who you're going to blame, but I don't think it's just for the
14:01play on the ice.
14:03This is two coaches in three years and they've been two extremely successful coaches.
14:08I mean, the, the, everyone's tweeting the records.
14:11I don't have it right in front of me, but like, uh, Jim Montgomery's had an incredible
14:15record here.
14:16Um, one of Jack Adams, Bruce Cassidy had an incredible record here.
14:20One of Jack Adams.
14:21And yes, coaches are hired to be fired, but Bruce Cassidy was, I think five seasons and
14:25Montgomery didn't even hit halfway through, um, halfway through his third.
14:30So again, this core, right?
14:33Like we talk and, and we, we hear it all the time.
14:36You've heard it for two decades now, this Bruins culture.
14:40Oh, everybody wants to come here.
14:42Every player, they want to be a part of, we know what's going on in Boston, that culture
14:46dead.
14:47Cause I gotta be honest, Connor, like, you know, okay.
14:51So they, they, they send out, they send Cassidy packing cause he's too tough on them.
14:54All right.
14:55They bring in Montgomery who brings us positive, you know, different approach or a little bit
14:58different.
14:59They kick him out after two, not even two and a half years.
15:03And again, I go back to like, you know, this leadership group, Pasternak, McAvoy, Coyle,
15:10throw Carlo in there.
15:11Um, I think there's legitimate questions about those guys.
15:15I'm not saying trade them, which again, we can get into coil and Carlo, but like, that's
15:20the other part of it where it's like the leadership element continuing this culture.
15:24I, I don't know how it exists.
15:28If you're turning over coaches, like the stable organizations don't do this and they're
15:33doing this.
15:34Yeah, I know.
15:35There's a legitimate question to be asked about just like the, the fortitude of this
15:40team and the, and the way they're playing.
15:41Cause as you said, the whole, uh, you know, narrative around Bruce Cassidy is that message
15:47had gone stale.
15:49Wasn't doing enough to encourage the players.
15:51Wasn't getting enough out of the younger players.
15:53All these, it was way too hard on them.
15:55All right.
15:56They're looking for a different voice there in Montgomery and the results speak for themselves.
15:59And then you get to a point where, Oh, like Jim Montgomery at the tail end of it is taking
16:05his team to task, holding them accountable.
16:07Like a head coach should have, like calling up pride Martian who committed a shitty turnover
16:12in Utah and got called out for it for benching David Pasternak, who's had multiple games
16:16where he's not done anything at all in terms of generating offense.
16:21Like, and you look at just the, the lack of respect team, like that game on Monday
16:28against Columbus watching from up top, like there's multiple times where you're, you're
16:34seeing it play out.
16:35And I'm thinking to myself, like, are they trying to get him fired?
16:37Are they trying to get their head coach fired?
16:39Because whether it's like the cost, the needless turnovers, David Pasternak, your offensive
16:45conduit, the guy you're trusting to drag you along, getting zero shots on goal.
16:49Like so many guys just not pulling on the rope and responding in defense of their head
16:54coach, the guy that again, they wanted in terms of a guy that was going to bring a lighter
16:58tone and a different mindset from big, bad Bruce Cassidy, who now has a cup in Las Vegas.
17:04Right?
17:05So I just think you look at the way the Bruins have approached the players and the lack of
17:11response and just how awful the product has been on the ice, the lack of response, the
17:16lack of accountability.
17:17And that's something even Brad Martian mentioned after the game on Monday, he was talking about
17:20the power play in particular, but said that guys need to be more accountable and people
17:24have to be held accountable there.
17:25Like, are you talking about like, that's not when you look at a guy like Morgan geeky or
17:31Trent Frederick or these guys that have to be much better, like obviously, but when you're
17:36looking at guys that need to be held accountable on the power play, are you looking at David
17:40Pasternak?
17:41Are you looking at Charlie McAvoy who has not done much of anything up top on that power
17:46play unit?
17:47I think that's something where, yeah, there's, there's definite concerns about just the makeup
17:52of this team and the fortitude they have because the Bruins have kind of let the players dictate
17:57a lot of what's going on and they've leaned on that culture that has been instilled since
18:02Chara and Ricky and Bergeron, but those guys aren't there anymore.
18:07And like, again, Martian tries to, I think, do what he can, but if he's the only guy listening,
18:10the only guy setting the tone, you're going to have a pretty rudderless team.
18:14What do you know?
18:15The team looks pretty frigging rudderless right now.
18:17That's the thing.
18:18And I think you look at some of the comments made, you know, Montgomery Monday night saying,
18:22you know, Oh, it's, you know, for Swayman missing training camp, it doesn't help when
18:25you miss training camp.
18:27And just, you know, you mentioned Martian's comments.
18:31I just, I wonder about that, that next core that we talk about all the time.
18:36And again, like I, I still believe that Pasternak, McAvoy, Swayman are too talented to trade.
18:42I know, you know, like people are, are advocating trade them, blow it all up.
18:48That's impossible.
18:49That is really hard to do.
18:50And you know what you, I get, I understand that people are frustrated right now and I
18:56don't want to sound like I'm just, you know, I got my Bruins colored glasses on, but this
19:01sucks, right?
19:02This is unwatchable.
19:03This is not fun.
19:05Think about if they completely bottomed out, think about for a second, if they completely
19:09bottomed out.
19:10If someone would say like, we need a five-year rebuild.
19:13You have fun with your five-year rebuild.
19:16Now retool, you want to retool.
19:19I think that's what you go for.
19:21I think that's what you go for on this.
19:22I think that this rest of the season, yup, you can spend the next month or two trying
19:26to get back on track.
19:27But when push comes to shove, if you can trade someone and get a bunch of picks back or whatever,
19:33like I'm for it, I'm for it.
19:36I mean, you look at it, Evan, right?
19:38For people that want the full retool and get, you know, the top five picks and all
19:41that stuff, like you worry that it's going to be a prolonged stretch of futility and
19:47miserable seasons where you only have one or two positives to build off of.
19:51But listen, it is the Bruins.
19:53They've got money.
19:54They're a proud original six franchise like that won't happen to them when they've got
19:58a committed ownership group, committed fans, it doesn't happen just like how it hasn't
20:04happened with the Montreal Canadiens or the Detroit Red Wings who have been dogshit.
20:08So if you want a full retool, you want to look at James Hagen highlights and hope that
20:13he falls to you.
20:14This is your fault, by the way, Evan.
20:15I know.
20:16Look at what I did.
20:17I've done all this.
20:18You want to look at McKenna next year or someone like that?
20:22Go for it.
20:23Like maybe that works out, but it's a lot of teams that are pretty friggin motivated
20:27to get back into contention that are treading water or straight up drowning right now if
20:31you want to retool.
20:33Have fun.
20:34If that's what you want.
20:35The Bruins, it's not a Ford.
20:36It's not going to be an option for them.
20:37That's why I this town.
20:39I mean, like I'm with you.
20:41I go nuts.
20:42I in Chicago.
20:43Yeah.
20:44Sorry.
20:45Someone else mentions the Blackhawks as well.
20:46The Blackhawks.
20:47And I was without working out for them exactly where it doesn't matter.
20:51Like that's again, like Buffalo doing Buffalo, San Jose, Anaheim.
20:58You want to be Anaheim?
20:59Do you want to be an Ohio man?
21:03You see what Zagros does?
21:04He does his little lacrosse goals on NHL.
21:06He's like, I didn't.
21:07I didn't.
21:08Imagine that in Boston.
21:09I, you know, well, Hags has been pushing for forever.
21:12I have.
21:13I have.
21:14I've been seeing all these clips on Twitter of Zagros just like completely, completely
21:18just like depressed in Anaheim about how much he hates it because the fun has been drained
21:22out or whatever.
21:23Like this, this town and this is why we love Bruins fans and you guys are awesome.
21:28You're passionate.
21:29When the team loses one game or two games in a row, imagine where you are at the bottom
21:35for years.
21:36That is so unwatchable.
21:38Like it sucks.
21:40It is.
21:41It's not fun.
21:42And yeah, maybe 10 years down the road, you land a couple high end guys.
21:47That's years.
21:48You have to go through years of that crap.
21:50So again, like I just, you'll retool sure.
21:53And we'll get into trades and stuff because I think that that's very legitimate and Marsh
21:56and and all that stuff.
21:58But we've been saying that for a few weeks of Frederick.
22:01Frederick's a perfect example.
22:02Do you think about Marsh and like all these different things?
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23:03And again, keeping it hockey, if you feel that Joe Sacco is what this team needs and
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23:42So back to this.
23:44So I was going through and you think about this Bruins roster and we mentioned guys like
23:50McAvoy having to step up and be a leader and Pasternak and Coyle and Carlo.
23:54And they they just haven't been since 2023.
23:59I went I went back and looked.
24:00These are the veteran leaders slash just vets on the roster that they have lost since swiping
24:09to give up.
24:10I'm cracking up at Kevin's comment.
24:12Yeah, I get it.
24:13Watch the Bruins will lose 4-1 to Utah.
24:15I get it.
24:17It's coming.
24:18It is absolutely happening.
24:20But so since 2023, on a more serious note, since 2023, Kevin, you got us all off track
24:25since 2023.
24:27These are the veterans slash veteran leaders.
24:29The Bruins have lost Patrice Bergeron, Nick Foligno, Taylor Hall, David Crecci, Craig
24:35Smith, Tomasz Nosek, Chris Wagner.
24:38I threw Jake Dabrowski in there for multiple reasons.
24:42Pat Maroon, Kevin Shattenkirk, Lena Solmark, James Van Riemsdijk.
24:46Now, I'm not saying James Van Riemsdijk is your captain, but these are guys who take
24:51some of the leadership.
24:52I mean, Kevin Shattenkirk in that series, I think against the Leafs last year, stepped
24:55up, made a big speech, and they ended up winning game seven.
24:58Like there are these little things.
25:00Who do they have now outside of Marchand that that has that?
25:04Like I, I think it's a real leadership vacuum and it can't all fall on Brad Marchand.
25:12Yeah, no, exactly.
25:14As you were mentioning there, like you look at a guy like Shattenkirk, like third pairing
25:18D was like in and out of the lineup, even in the playoffs, but made an impact in terms
25:22of that speech ahead of game seven against Toronto.
25:25You look at like Pat Maroon, who like barely played during the regular season coming back
25:30from that back injury, but dude like spoke after, before and after like almost every
25:35game in the playoffs.
25:36Why?
25:37Because it's a guy that's won three cups, that has been through a whole bunch of battles,
25:40knows what to expect.
25:41And that's a guy that when the going gets tough, whether it's an extended, I wouldn't
25:46say lull because the pros right now don't look, they're coming out of a lull, but whatever
25:50this awful stretches, that's a guy you turn to in terms of accountability, especially
25:55within your own room.
25:56Pat Maroon's a guy you talk to when the Panthers are beating the crap out of you in a playoff
26:01game, you look to for a response or to steady kind of your, your overall game.
26:06That's why like a guy like Foligno you know, has had a lot of value over the last couple
26:10of years.
26:11That's why he was such a dependable guy in the room, even if he had kind of a lost year
26:16due to injury.
26:17So yeah, as you said, like beyond like Marchand, who's still like in this role where, you know,
26:23he's obviously been tenured, he's, you know, played under or alongside Char and Berger
26:28on these guys.
26:29But after that, where does it fall?
26:31Like you've got veterans, you guys who have been here for a while, you've got the coils
26:34and the Carlos, but it's almost feels like, yeah, you need like a guy that is, you know,
26:40been outside of the organization who's been through a lot of battles that, you know, maybe
26:44isn't a, doesn't fix your scoring issues per se.
26:47Right.
26:48But like, you look at like the Panthers getting like Kyle, like Poso, who I obviously I know
26:52is retired, but those are the guys that teams that, you know, that are prioritized and are
26:57valued in the room.
26:58Like I feel like they're missing two or three of those guys, which is not good when, again,
27:02I don't know who you're signing on the free agent market that has that kind of profile
27:06of that seniority and that experience, but, but yeah, I do think that's been missing and
27:13that's something that maybe we all took for granted last year is we looked at the Bruins
27:16and yes, they were the money ball Bruins.
27:18They were a whole bunch of just plugging in guys with little money available, but you
27:23could see why these guys had value, even if maybe it didn't translate on the score sheet,
27:28that accountability, that intensity, that steadying presence during the ups and downs
27:32of a game, a series, a week of regular season action, a month, what have you, that is something
27:39that is valued.
27:40And right now it feels like there's not a lot of that steadying presence on, on the
27:45Bruins right now, whether it's the play on the ice or what you're hearing afterwards
27:48after every game, it's been a lot of the same kind of script in there.
27:52They're saying the right things they're saying there's no excuse for it, but you need like
27:56someone like Pat Maroon or Nick Foligno come in and, and, you know, rattle some cages.
28:00You're not getting any of that right now from anyone in that room.
28:05You aren't.
28:06And, and I think that's the biggest thing of, you know, you can say this over and over
28:09again and you can say, we, you know, Charlie Coyle, uh, Monday night, we need to be more
28:13vocal and step up and say things.
28:15They still are not winning board battles.
28:18They're still not hustling to far posts.
28:19They're still not covering guys.
28:21I mean, um, the game over the weekend, uh, blanking on who they played Saturday, the
28:26games are so boring.
28:27Um, it all comes together now.
28:29Who was it?
28:30I don't know.
28:31Who was blues?
28:32Yes.
28:33Um, the goals in front, like just not covering guys, you know, like, and that's it.
28:37And just the lack of discipline, the lack, and you know, you even see like there was
28:40a play a Monday night against the blue jackets where Pekin's door off for passing back and
28:45forth to each other in front of their own net, kind of just slowly moving into their
28:48own zone.
28:49And Columbus is like, Oh hell yeah, we're just going to intercept this and get a scoring
28:52chance out of it.
28:53It's, it just continued.
28:55And I, I, you know, you look at some of the off season signings and they, they obviously
28:59lost a lot of vets and that, you know, that yes, they got better with Elias Lindholm on
29:04paper.
29:05They got better on paper with Nikita Zdorov who has been horrific through one month.
29:09I mean that like him and Lindholm, but Zdorov stuff has been bad and I think a little, very
29:16concerning.
29:17Um, but again, like Max Jones, like again, they tried to be the Panthers, uh, Riley Tufti.
29:23Um, I know I'm forgetting people, um, but just, you know, size and veteran leadership
29:31and stuff didn't really matter.
29:32And I just, it's coming back to bite them because, uh, you know, again, the swayman
29:36stuff happens.
29:37They've been behind the eight ball since day one of camp when they didn't have swayman.
29:41He didn't, you know, he didn't participate in training camp.
29:44You I texted you and Ty Anderson this, this morning, like it's almost like, you know,
29:49the swayman stuff, plus the fact they let their coach go in the season as a lame duck
29:54didn't end well.
29:55I mean, you know, either give Monte Montgomery an extension or don't or fire him, which they
30:00fired him.
30:01Um, but to enter the year and with no deal for him, I don't like, what was the end game
30:07with Montgomery?
30:08That was the other part.
30:09Like, yeah.
30:10Yeah.
30:11I mean, that's the whole thing is like maybe the, you know, his fate was sealed already
30:16going into the year in terms of not giving him a contract, but even going back to what
30:19you said about like the construction of this roster and yeah, they, they got bigger, stronger,
30:24meaner, whatever you want to say.
30:25It hasn't led to any results in the regular season and you can't build a team for the
30:29playoffs if they're not even going to make the playoffs.
30:31Right.
30:32But you also look at what they, they all said during the end of season availability in terms
30:37of what this team needed.
30:39And it's stuff that makes you think, all right, they want to be like the Panthers, but the
30:43Panthers also like, aren't a group of like hulking six, five guys, right?
30:49Like what Sweeney, uh, and Neely both said, Neely mentioned they needed to get faster.
30:55That was he on is quoted that they needed to get faster.
30:58And Sweeney mentioned secondary scoring and what did they do?
31:02They got a whole lot slower and they let all their secondary scoring leave and free agency.
31:07And again, rolled the dice on a lot of guys on the team coming up for career years that
31:12we're banking on that being the norm.
31:14And that's a whole lot of risk to invite in terms of a team that, again, when you add
31:17in the fact that they're losing board battles, they're not a quick on the puck.
31:22Like I feel like, like the Panthers have just broken this team in terms of like what lately
31:26you prioritize, how you approach things because like, yeah, you've got like Chuck, who's a
31:31big body and is a shit stir.
31:34You've got a few bigger guys on that blue line, but like, you know, I think that you
31:39look at being, uh, you know, better equipped for the playoffs and it's like, oh yeah, it's
31:43a door off six, six hits like a freight train.
31:45When you look at like the highlight reels, but like, I don't know, you go to the playoffs
31:49is Sam Bennett, the most intimidating dude.
31:51So you have a big guy or anything like that?
31:54No, no.
31:55But how does he play?
31:56How does he play?
31:57It's hard.
31:58Yeah.
31:59And that's what you're seeing.
32:00And they have so many guys that even if they aren't fitting the profile of six, three,
32:06you know, a bunch of Pat Maroons or anything like that, they have a whole bunch of guys
32:09that skate hard, close in on the puck carriers, make things happen, cause chaos.
32:14Like why is it, is it a surprise that, um, the only group of forwards this whole year
32:20that have been skating hard, closing in, forcing turnovers, the Kepke castle and Beecher line,
32:25it shouldn't be any surprise.
32:26They're the one line that has been pretty solid, at least for a stretch this year.
32:30It like, it comes down to guys that are going to play hard, skate hard and cause chaos.
32:37And that's what you need in the regular season.
32:38That's what you especially need in the playoffs when a lot of the skill and open ice is really
32:42negated.
32:43Um, and the Bruins again, said all the right things in May when you're like, all right,
32:46this team's got a lot of money.
32:48They, they seem to, they know what this team needs in terms of remaining competitive, uh,
32:53moving forward and then kind of shifted gears into a group that is slow to win battles as
32:58slow to puck races.
33:00All those things that have them now is this product that I don't even know what to make
33:04of it.
33:05It's really frigging ugly.
33:06Evan.
33:07It is ugly.
33:08I want to get into sort of what they should do from here.
33:12Um, the future of Joe Sacco and sort of what that is going to look like, you know, things
33:17like that.
33:18Uh, but first game time.
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34:29What time is it?
34:30Uh, game time.
34:33It is in fact game time.
34:35I'm sure there were some many comments saying how much fans are excited to go to Bruins
34:40games from now on.
34:41I think people are really pumped to go see the local boys play hard to see the local
34:47black and gold.
34:48Why not?
34:49Nice revenue game against Utah.
34:51Yeah.
34:52I see a lot of stuff happening in the comments, which is fun.
34:55A lot of fighting going on.
34:56I feel like everybody, calm down.
35:00It's one day.
35:01All right.
35:02It's one bad start to a season.
35:03This isn't permanent.
35:05To quote Ilya Brizgov, it's just a game where you have to be mad.
35:09Yeah.
35:10There's worse things.
35:11But you know what?
35:12Sometimes you got to get your anger out.
35:15What to do from here.
35:17So we mentioned trades.
35:19A lot of friends text me being like the Bruins or the blues, the 2019 blues.
35:25The worst thing that ever could have happened is that that blues team going on that run
35:28beyond the fact that they crushed the Bruins best chance of winning another cup.
35:33Them coming back and making that run is now, I think, dispel the illusion that you can
35:39just suck ass for the first three months and be good to go.
35:43No.
35:44It's not great.
35:45If you're the Bruins and you somehow get your act in gear here and start piling on points,
35:50you're still going to be in match if all these other teams are playing well, looking
35:54at games in hand, all this stuff, because you've been playing like shit for over a month
35:58now.
35:59It's not great.
36:00NHL stuff is throwing around a lot of comments.
36:06I did not get him fired.
36:08That is not true.
36:09That is untrue.
36:13It's funny because there is that part of you, I think everybody has this, where it's like,
36:18oh, they could turn around.
36:19Joe Sacco could.
36:20He was a Jack Adams finalist in 2010.
36:25Again, I see a lot of Joe Sacco hate out there, so just giving you the other side, but we
36:32talked about this the other day.
36:34You only have a certain window to do a retool before you go over the cliff and you have
36:39to do a full rebuild.
36:40The Penguins right now, by the way, are that team.
36:43Penguins are fucked.
36:44That team is really rude.
36:47That team is in a horrible position.
36:48You are not them.
36:50You are not them.
36:52I don't think you're really even close because their core is like 39 years old.
36:57Your core is not.
36:58You're in a better spot there.
37:02In terms of a retool, you look at trade candidates.
37:04I think it was Elliott Friedman who mentioned Sweeney's trying to work the market, trying
37:08to bring in, guys, please do not trade your first round pick.
37:12Don't be trading your prospects.
37:15Don't trade your high picks.
37:18You look at the roster, right?
37:19Frederick's the easy one.
37:21Last year of his deal has value.
37:24That to me is an obvious, we've mentioned the Tanner Jeneau package.
37:28Here's a question for you.
37:31It's still an insane return.
37:34Now that the rumors have sprouted up, I think, over Frederick, I keep on looking at that
37:39Jeneau trading.
37:40How the shit did that happen?
37:42I don't know how.
37:43It's big and tough.
37:46People get so horny over big and tough guys.
37:49They watch the clips of the hits.
37:51They don't watch the five seconds of them skating before said hit.
37:55Exactly.
37:56Exactly.
37:57I look at Frederick and potentially dealing that.
38:03Here's the question though.
38:06We mentioned giving up guys for picks to try and retool or prospects to try and bolster
38:11the farm system to also retool.
38:13Would you do a player for player swap?
38:16Like if there was like when Jake DuBras was on the block years ago, it was like, oh, Jake
38:20DuBras for Mason Appleton, which I never am a fan of, but like it worked in your favor
38:25to an extent.
38:26It doesn't look great now, but like Eric Hollow with Pavel Zaka, um, that made sense.
38:31Would you look for roster players in return or would you go for picks?
38:35I would go for, I think I would go for picks.
38:38I would look for, I mean, right now, what do I think the Bruins are going to do?
38:41Because I think what the Bruins are going to do, they're not going to go for picks.
38:44I think they've invested too much money in this team and that's going to lead to a lot
38:47of people being really pissed off, but the Bruins and ownership committed a lot of money.
38:50They're going to do what they can at least this year.
38:53And again, they don't make the playoffs.
38:55All bets are off in terms of this off season, in terms of, I think guys like Sweeney and
38:59Neely being taken to task in terms of the direction of this team and where they kind
39:03of charted things.
39:04But, um, from what the Bruins are probably looking at, yeah, I think you look at what
39:10the issue with this team is and shit, there's a lot.
39:13But if you're Sweeney and Neely and you're trying to get things started here, yeah, I
39:18think the most obvious thing is you look at player for player swaps and see if you can
39:21just shake things up.
39:22You know, does that mean like you're trading?
39:25I think Ty Anderson mentioned this yesterday, like a geeky for like an Anthony Beauvillier,
39:30who's also a guy that's underperformed, like just putting a new body in or something like
39:33that.
39:34Doesn't steal the headline, doesn't do anything like that.
39:37But is that someone who just putting a new body in there, shipping a guy out since kind
39:43of a shot across the bow, like, Hey, we got to get our shit in order.
39:45It's like, we know the code is going to get canceled.
39:47That happens to every team.
39:48Oh shit.
39:49The trading geeky or they're moving Frederick or someone like that.
39:52Maybe that's when it raises the stakes and the consequences of what playing like shit
39:56hockey can do to this team.
39:58So, um, yeah, I don't think the Bruins are going to, unless things completely bottom
40:04out and keep on getting worse and we're in January and they're 10 games under 500.
40:09Maybe then they adjust their strategy and try to make the most of a lost year and try
40:13to do maybe like what the caps have done this year, where it's like two or three years of
40:18regression selling off guys when needed.
40:20And what do you know?
40:21They're kind of back.
40:22I don't know.
40:23I don't know how they're back the caps this year on there, but that's a sign of a team
40:27that identified when things were going south or opportunistic in terms of selling off pieces
40:32and they're kind of back in the mix.
40:33Now they got Ryan Leonard and a few other guys in the mix coming up like there.
40:38You like where they are, even if maybe they're not going to be a powerhouse, they're going
40:41to be in the mix again, which is what you want.
40:43If they continue to tread water or downright struggle like they have the Bruins, that is.
40:49Maybe then they adjust their strategy.
40:51But for now, I still think it's something where they're going to look more for player
40:55for player moves.
40:56If they have to continue to shake things up, which again, maybe Sacco gives them a little
41:01bit of a jolt, but you look at this team, look at how they've underperformed the players
41:05themselves that aren't pulling their weight.
41:07It feels like another shoe has to drop in terms of sending the message that what's gone
41:11on these last six plus weeks.
41:14Completely unacceptable.
41:15Yeah, I, you, you can't just do the coach.
41:19You can't.
41:20And Fred, so Fred, we've talked a lot about Frederick, but like two others I think are
41:23interesting.
41:24Like Charlie Coyle's name has been kind of tossed around, uh, Pavel, Zaka, Zaka, I can't
41:29see them dealing because that is Pasternak's guy and Pasternak's here a lot, but he's playing
41:35like shit.
41:36So he is, he is playing like shit.
41:38I agree.
41:39But I also think like Pasternak does have some leverage in terms of his contract and
41:43all that stuff.
41:45I just wonder if, you know, like, again, like I would, I would completely, I'd be open to
41:49trading anybody on this roster right now, other than your three pillar guys.
41:55I know a lot of people aren't going to like to hear this, but McAvoy, Pasternak and Swayman,
42:00I know a lot of people want to trade Swayman now because they're blaming him for this whole
42:02season.
42:03And yeah, that, that stuff was completely bungled, but like, I still think like Swayman
42:08will even out it, you know, he's going to, he's going to go back to the middle or better.
42:14I mean, he's playing like crap right now.
42:17There's no denying that.
42:18Um, but anybody else, like I would listen on anybody else.
42:22Um, I just, I would, and I, you know, I don't know what they're getting you.
42:27I think Zaka and Coyle, you could get, you know, players like definitely solid players
42:33in return, a player or players in return.
42:35Um, and I also just wonder, you know, in terms of like in my ideal world, if you're retooling
42:41things, you could get like around the deadline, like you get a first for Zaka, you kidding
42:47me?
42:48That's a top six center or left wing.
42:50Like I know he's playing like garbage right now, but he, what he can be, I mean, people
42:56forget how big, how much teams pay for mediocre talent around trade deadlines.
43:03Like if you really wanted to retool and you wanted to deal Zaka and Frederick and, and,
43:08you know, even geeky, like around the deadline or even a coil, like you would get legitimate
43:13things back in return for those guys.
43:16I think.
43:17Yeah, no, no, exactly.
43:19So I think it just falls on again.
43:20I think the roster has to be the next thing that people have to hone in on.
43:25And then again, like people that are looking for Sweeney and Neely's next guys up, well,
43:29the shield is gone now in terms of Montgomery, that the criticism is going to fall on them
43:33if they continues to scuttle, uh, going on this year.
43:37But for right now, in terms of what needs to happen to, to pull this, uh, you know,
43:41to write the ship and get this team rolling, it falls on the players.
43:45Like, you know, you can look at this roster and how it's flawed and, you know, not accounting
43:50for the regression.
43:51I think even accounting for like regression or guys, you know, shooting percentages, dropping
43:56stuff like that, that means they drop into like a third place in the Atlantic one wild
44:02card.
44:03And like, I get, Oh, they're still in the playoffs as of last night, but like that regression
44:08shouldn't equate to what we've seen.
44:10Like this is top five pick like rudderless shit hockey, their third and goal differential
44:17in the league.
44:18Yeah.
44:19The penguins and the shocks, like, yeah, not two teams you want to be in.
44:24So like the right now, at least, at least right now we can talk about Sweeney kneeling,
44:28all that stuff.
44:29And I think that will get pushed until April and may it might just be April.
44:33This team's not in the playoffs, uh, in terms of where the accountability goes.
44:37But I think for right now, in terms of the next step falls on the players, like Sacco,
44:43I think can get provide a new voice, can do those things to try to get this team rolling.
44:47But Sacco is not going to be the guy that is, uh, holding onto the puck from when the
44:52pocket, the blue line on a power play, Sacco's not the guy taking a shitty high stick in
44:57the offensive zone.
44:58So that goes, not the guy that's doing a D to D passes in front of the net that hit
45:02off Swayman and lead to a grade, a chance for a noted powerhouse team, the Columbus
45:07blue jackets, uh, like Sacco and the coaching staff can only do so much.
45:11Yes.
45:13on Sweeney and Neely.
45:15And that, you know, will be addressed.
45:17I think if this team continues to bottom out, but for right now, this team has any hope
45:21of clawing back.
45:22That's going to be the players themselves.
45:23Got to look themselves in the mirror being like, well, we just fired Jim Montgomery with
45:27our play.
45:28Like what's next.
45:29Cause if they continue to play like this, it's going to be a lot of other guys in that
45:33room that aren't going to be here in a couple of months.
45:35No, they won't.
45:36And, and again, like, you know, I get their desire to want to keep continue, continue
45:41to compete because obviously they've put a ton of money into this team.
45:45They're spending near the cap.
45:46They just signed a bunch of guys in the off season, uh, for a big money, but like you've
45:51said it before you want to be like Detroit and just keep extending the, Oh, we're getting
45:56in the first round.
45:57Oh, we're getting those playoff tickets.
45:58Like it, it, it always crashes.
46:01It always, always crashes.
46:04And if you have to take this year and next, um, where you're, you know, middle of the
46:09pack, just outside the playoffs, but your mate, you're, you know, you're drafting a
46:13good amount of guys.
46:14People are getting on me about saying like Zaka could get you a first round pick.
46:19I think people forget how desperate teams are around the deadline.
46:23You know, trade you like go look at the freaking past bunch of trade deadlines.
46:28Like Pavel Zaka.
46:30I know he is not doing well right now, but there are teams who would give a lot for that
46:36around the deadline who just want a shot at the cup.
46:39Okay.
46:40So like, is Zaka a first rounder in the middle of the summer?
46:42No, probably not.
46:44But the market dictates it and around the deadline it gets crazy.
46:49So that's my response on that.
46:50Um, Brad Martian Martians in the final year of his deal, obviously has not signed a new
46:55one yet.
46:56Um, the captain, all that stuff.
46:59Um, again, I exactly, but who's got a first round pick Evans, right?
47:07I appreciate you.
47:08I appreciate you.
47:09Um, but I, you know, Marsh and to me obviously would get you a lot around the deadline, but
47:14I also look at like the leadership vacuum that would create if he, if he left, right?
47:18Like if, if they traded Marsh and just the amount of, uh, like our, our McAvoy imposter
47:26knock ready to be potentially be captains.
47:29I don't think so.
47:30I don't think so.
47:31They're not there yet.
47:32Clearly they are not there yet.
47:33I mean, this is their second head coach that I'm not saying they themselves have gotten
47:37fired, but they have been main guys on the team of coaches that have gotten fired to
47:42really good coaches, by the way, you can say what you want about your Montgomery, really
47:46good head coach.
47:47Who's going to land on his feet somewhere, get a really good job either this year or
47:50in the off season and probably going to win a cup, uh, given how things went with, with
47:56Cassidy.
47:57Um, but I, you know, again, like, do you want a chance poisoning the culture even more?
48:04By dealing a guy like Marshad.
48:05Yeah.
48:06I mean, it probably depends on just if things really bottomed out and you're looking at
48:11really blowing things up, which I, again, I don't think they're going to do, but if
48:14it really does hit that point, yeah.
48:16Like if Martian's gone, like your next captain, I don't know, assume that they would give
48:24it to McAvoy, but like, I don't think, I don't know.
48:29I don't know about that.
48:31So like, I think, I think that is a legitimate question as to what exactly this next leadership
48:37void is.
48:38Um, if you do move on from our shame again, maybe if you're accepting your, your rebuilding
48:43five years down the road, maybe that's something that you are addressing, but, um, yeah, I
48:49do think that's a legitimate question.
48:50If you're looking for a retool and you know, you're going through a few lean years, um,
48:55you keep a Martian around for that transition period.
48:59But, uh, yeah, I think the bigger question isn't like, Oh, like just hold on to Martian
49:03the whole rest of the way.
49:04Like who cares if you get a draft pick or anything like that?
49:07No.
49:08But I do think if you're trying to foster that next, you know, wave of young talent,
49:12when you've got guys like, you know, Patra coming up or what have you, um, I think having
49:17a guy that will get on players like Martian, I'd rather have him here.
49:21And what is the, the second wave of that leadership group?
49:25Cause right now, not really that impressed.
49:28No, I, I agree with you.
49:30Um, and then I think my, the final thing I want to kind of discuss is just sort of Joe
49:34Sacco.
49:35Um, and, uh, getting into Joe Sacco here, uh, the next head coach, um, uh, pure LeBron
49:44came out with a tweet right before we came on, uh, saying that, you know, they're, they're
49:49prepared to give Sacco the full season is not just going to be, you know, a month or
49:53two, and then they'll bring someone else in.
49:55Looks like this is going to be his shot.
49:57He's going to have, you know, a chance to be the full-time head coach past this season.
50:01Um, do you think that's the right move or does this team need a kick in the ass from
50:07the outside?
50:08I mean, again, I think it probably goes and depends on where this team is at, like by
50:13end of December, past the new year, uh, in terms of if they respond to, uh, Sacco and
50:20again, like you can look at the roster and how underwhelming they've been, how poorly
50:24constructed the roster has been in terms of just the outright production, but like they
50:28still should be better.
50:29Like, even if you think like this team is, is not that great or they're far from what
50:33shit we predicted, I had, I'm not going to like just completely burn my, my boat predictions
50:39from where they were.
50:40I had them in the conference finals, which is not that great looking at it now, but um,
50:46it's going to fall on the players, as I said earlier, like who's going to be, who's going
50:49to be writing the ship.
50:50It's the players executing on the ice or maybe they aren't.
50:53And that's where I think if the scene continues to, uh, take a step back or stay where they
50:58are of winning a game, dropping another one, like if they go and beat Utah on Thursday,
51:06nice like four, one win, be like, we're back, baby, and then lose on Saturday in Detroit,
51:11like three, nothing like, Oh, you right back where you were Detroit, who just got smoked
51:15on the California trip, which there's ever a, an easy stretch.
51:19It's that California trip.
51:21Um, so I, I think you look at, um, just where this team is at.
51:26I could see them sticking with sack or giving him some rope.
51:29But if, if the players aren't responding again, one, I think it's going to lead to a lot of
51:33trades on the roster.
51:35And then it's going to see where exactly they are, who's finding an outside voice.
51:39It also depends on maybe who's out there.
51:41Like, you know, if, if the penguins fire, Mike Sullivan, does that change where they
51:44are in terms of a guy that's out there?
51:47So we'll see how it all kind of plays out.
51:49Yeah.
51:50I, uh, someone just asked if we read the comments and my answer is yes.
51:53And I sure do.
51:54They're right in my face.
51:55They're right in my face.
51:56I read them as I'm saying what I'm saying.
51:59So then I get sidetracked and forget what I'm saying.
52:02And I just start getting distracted by the comments.
52:05Someone did say, Pierre Leclerc says the Bruins, their reign is over.
52:07It wasn't the coach, the problem, but the lack of pure talent right before we came on
52:13Domino's isn't that the athletic published this really long story, um, questioning are
52:17the Bruins done?
52:18Like are the Bruins fine?
52:19Is this every year people predict that the Bruins are not going to be in it.
52:23They end up being in it being really good.
52:25Um, and I, I do think it is a legitimate question.
52:28Like, is this the year that things really did catch up to them?
52:31The roster catches up to them.
52:32I mean, again, you know, we are just over a month into the season.
52:36So like there is a world in which Joe Sacco comes in and they are a different team and
52:43they are great from here on out and they're in the playoffs and we like, great, there
52:49is that world.
52:50Um, but I think from you, for you and I sitting here on November 19th, how do you believe
52:56that that's in this team after watching them for the past month?
53:00So like the reason we talk about retooling and outside coaches needing to come in and,
53:06and Sweeney and Neely and all this stuff is because we're going off what has happened.
53:11We're going off what they've shown us and what they've shown us sucks.
53:15And I just, I can't get over that.
53:18So again, if the Bruins going to win the cup this year, you know, yeah, you can use this
53:22as motivation.
53:23All they, they were so against the Bruins, but so was the Bruins post some hype video
53:27in frigging June in my like articles saying like, oh, the Bruins bad.
53:32If that's on the front, that's totally fine.
53:34Cause you don't think we're bad.
53:35I'll give you full credit if you write the ship, but right now it's not looking great.
53:40No, it's not.
53:42You know, who's still out there.
53:44Kevin Shattenkirk is still out there.
53:45I wonder if they, I mean that people would be pissed by the way, if that was like the
53:49big roster move, but like good dude, good locker room guy.
53:53I don't know.
53:54Another vet, like BU terrier as well.
53:58A BU terrier.
53:59Everybody's in the comments saying they should bring back the, the Bruins that are on the
54:02Blackhawks Corrali no like, it's like the portal scene from, uh, from, uh, Avengers
54:09end game and just all of them joining the team back.
54:12They all come back.
54:14They all come back.
54:15Um, quite the episode.
54:17I think we hit on everything.
54:18We need Joakim Nordstrom going through the portal.
54:20Yes.
54:21Yes.
54:22Yes.
54:23Joakim Nordstrom is going to be what, uh, what saves this team.
54:26Yeah.
54:27Bergeron and Chara coming off unobstructed views, uh, just suiting up again.
54:31I do.
54:32I did love their reactions to all the bad stuff that was happening Monday night.
54:35Um, I got a kick out of that.
54:37That was, uh, that was great.
54:40Um, I, again, I'm looking like, I, I, I think we hit on everything.
54:42Montgomery.
54:43I mean, again, like Montgomery is going to land somewhere.
54:45There's going to be a team that, uh, that goes and hires them.
54:48The comment section is now becoming like when you're with your buddies after a few beers
54:52at the bar and you're just naming random players.
54:54Yes.
54:55Yes.
54:56Doing that.
54:57So I was like, Chuck Kobusu.
54:58Did someone say Kobusu?
54:59No.
55:00That's my girl.
55:01And so.
55:02I like that.
55:03I like that.
55:04I'll say, uh, bring back Manny Fernandez in that.
55:05Yeah.
55:06Replace your trade.
55:07Jeremy Swayman, Manny Fernandez, Jonas Corpus, solo tandem.
55:11I think they, uh, they are set.
55:12They'll be cooking, uh, as the kids say.
55:15Um, but I, I do think, yeah, McQuaid, Ference, uh, you know, James asked an interesting question.
55:23Would Gerard Galant be a good choice?
55:25You like Gerard Galant, um, in terms of a guy to come in.
55:29Uh, I do think that an outside guy, if, if Sacco does not work, I think an outside kind
55:34of tough guy like that is going to come in and rattle some cages, probably the worst
55:38thing that happened to this team.
55:39He's like the prime drink equivalent of like Bruce Cassidy.
55:42It's like just a, a shorter fuse, but it kind of does the same results in terms of prime.
55:47Like the Jake Paul drink, it's a little burst of energy in terms of he's kind of just jumps
55:55in somewhere and like he gets actually gets results, but he has a very short shelf life,
55:59which if you're the Bruins and you're like looking at more of a retool and you're trying
56:03just to write the ship right now, as you're trying to bridge through a couple of years
56:07and you want to remain in the mix of being competitive, maybe that's the guy you look
56:11to.
56:12So I wouldn't be surprised if that's a guy they do assess moving forward.
56:16Yeah.
56:17There's this new thing going around tick tock.
56:19It's like a smelling salt and a thing and you put it up your nose and you like it's
56:23an energy boost.
56:24Um, and uh, I, I, that's like Gerard Galant that could be an equivalent to Gerard Galant,
56:29just a little energy boost, um, on that.
56:32Uh, so yeah, I, I think that, you know, it, they're not in a good spot.
56:37They clearly are not in a good spot, especially the imagination.
56:40Um, but, uh, I, it's, it's a tough time.
56:44It's a weird time.
56:45Uh, it'll be interesting to see sort of what they do.
56:47Uh, again, Jim Montgomery, hell of a, you know, run I, he had, Jim Montgomery's tenure
56:52is going to be weird.
56:53I think when you look back on it, because there were such big highs and there were such
56:56low lows.
56:57I mean, obviously the end of his time here was a big low.
57:02The 2023 playoffs was a low, but like the 23 regular season was a high last year's a
57:09regular season.
57:10I thought it was his best coaching job overall.
57:12Um, so yeah, I mean, he'll, he'll be with another team.
57:17Another team will pick them up.
57:19Um, his son plays prep school hockey in new England.
57:22Maybe he'll be a prep school coach for a little bit.
57:24Probably not, but, um, it'll be a interesting to see, uh, Connor, thank you for doing.
57:29Yeah.
57:30Bring back close.
57:31Yes.
57:32That would be great.
57:33Or, or, uh, that would be, uh, bring back clode, the clode Bruce, just put everybody
57:39that was there.
57:40Uh, Rick bonus, put him behind the bench.
57:43So just the whole, bring them all back.
57:45Um, Connor, what can the people look forward to from you at the globe and boston.com?
57:49Yeah.
57:50We're going to have you covered every step of the way this brewing season, uh, be it
57:53a coaching change, maybe trades down the line, uh, features, recaps, columns, all that good
57:59stuff.
58:00You can read over it.
58:01Boston.com.
58:02Yeah.
58:03Dave Lewis on the bench.
58:04I think it sounds already like bring back Jim Montgomery.
58:08So we're doing well, but yeah, so you can read my stuff, Evan over at boston.com and
58:13the Boston globe.
58:14And if you want to follow me on Twitter, you can at Connor Ryan underscore 93.
58:19Go do all that.
58:20We thank you for those who tuned in live for those who watch it later.
58:24Thank you as well.
58:25Uh, and that's been Bruins beat.
58:26That's Connor Ryan.
58:27I'm Evan Marinovsky.
58:28Thank you to all of our listeners.
58:29Have a great rest of your week.

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