00:00 [MUSIC]
00:07 And welcome into Poke the Bear,
00:08 Episode 156, presented by FanDuel.
00:12 My name is Connor Ryan and I am writing solo today.
00:16 I just got back from a extended trip out west to Arizona,
00:21 Utah, New Mexico.
00:24 So I got in super late last night,
00:27 got back from that extended trek, and as a result, I am writing solo today.
00:34 Evan has the day off, I'm not having him record at the crack of dawn or
00:38 anything like that.
00:39 So I am trudging through this show solo today,
00:45 fighting through a few sunburns, a few things like that.
00:48 Just to talk a little bit of brew and talk with all of you guys.
00:51 So as we usually do when it's these solo shows,
00:55 we're gonna keep it to a mailbag format.
00:57 So I reached out on Twitter to see if anyone had any brewing related questions
01:04 regarding the team as we're kind of going through this latest stretch of
01:07 kind of the second Bryce spell I guess of the off season, right?
01:12 You have really not a lot to report on from May through early June.
01:18 Then you have the draft and free agency and
01:22 dev camp and all those things all kind of compressed over a two week window.
01:25 Now we're in that kind of same stretch where we're kind of just waiting for
01:28 the other two to drop, right?
01:29 Like most of free agency is done.
01:31 At this point, the Bruins are pretty much just waiting on the decisions of
01:36 Chris Bergeron and David Krejci.
01:37 And until you find out what's kind of the next step for those guys,
01:41 you're kind of in this holding pattern, right?
01:42 Those are the two guys that normally going to determine how exactly or
01:48 what exactly the ceiling for this team is going to be.
01:51 But it also if you find out when Bergeron and Krejci come back or
01:56 if they come back, it lets the rest of your lineup fall into place.
02:00 You know where exactly a guy like Morgan Geeky is starting to line up.
02:03 Is Pavlo Zaka going to be your 2C?
02:06 Is a guy like Coyle going to be bumped into top six minutes?
02:09 Like so many other things hinge on that.
02:10 And till we get that answer, we really don't know.
02:14 So until then, we're going to field a few questions.
02:17 Again, reach out on Twitter to our loyal subscribers and readers over there.
02:24 So let's just dive into it.
02:25 So first question we have is from Chad McVean at Veener85,
02:31 who says, with roughly 5 million in cap space, how much is left for
02:36 Jeremy Swinman and Trenton Frederick while leaving 1 million for the captain?
02:40 Could one year deal for both and a handshake deal for
02:42 more next season when the cap jumps up?
02:45 Or if not, who gets moved out?
02:47 >> Yeah, I mean, it's definitely Chad, first of all, thanks for the question.
02:50 But it's tough in terms of framing out those handshake,
02:56 wink, wink, nod, nod kind of deals like that.
02:59 Just because, again, unless you're a guy like I think it was what Kevin LeBanc,
03:05 who signed that one year deal way below his market value and
03:08 really didn't pan out for him in the long term.
03:10 For as much as I think people project that there are these things where teams
03:14 are gonna do right by players, I think players and especially their agents,
03:18 probably the NHLPA, wanted to be more on the side of getting paid what you're due,
03:24 what you did this past season.
03:26 And again, that can sometimes get into a muddled area when you look at maybe a guy
03:30 like Frederick in terms of he had a breakout year to the Brunson that's
03:35 sustainable and he's due the certain amount of money that he thinks he's due.
03:39 Those are things that you sort out, but I can't see a situation where
03:45 for as much as I'm sure from team perspective, it's like, all right,
03:48 listen, bear with us.
03:50 One year deal, really cheap, below probably what your market rate is going to be for
03:55 this season, and then we'll do right by you next year.
03:57 In principle, it sounds great.
03:59 The Bruins would love to have that happen.
04:01 I'm sure fans would love to have one less cap related headache that's
04:07 already been kind of the main theme of this offseason so
04:09 far by having those guys signed one year deals at what, 1 million,
04:14 one and a half, something like that.
04:16 I just don't see that being the case.
04:18 So it is going to be really tough to see what exactly the course is going to be.
04:23 Because again, even if you look at just what the natural projections from a guy
04:27 like Swainman and Frederick are, are you looking at two and
04:31 a half million for a guy like Frederick?
04:33 More, right?
04:33 Are you looking at Swainman, is he going to get a similar deal to what a guy like
04:39 Spencer Knight got a few years ago?
04:41 So those are going to be the things that are going to determine just how much
04:44 caps we see have left.
04:45 And at that point, it's all right, if you do know that Preece Bergeron's coming back,
04:50 is it, are you moving another contract?
04:53 Are you trying to, another buyout window comes up and you're able to move on from
04:57 a guy like, I don't know, like is a guy like Derek Forward going to be a casualty
05:02 of that if you sign both Frederick and Swainman to market level deals, but
05:06 Preece Bergeron is coming back?
05:08 Like it's so tough to kind of map out what exactly the next step is, but, and
05:14 you won't really know until you find out if Bergeron's back.
05:16 Now, it remains to be seen if the Bruins already know that and
05:19 they're bracing for that or what the next move's going to be.
05:21 But it is a task easier said than done when you look at how they can kind of
05:26 balance out what's left of this remaining cap space they have and
05:30 what the next course is going to be.
05:32 Because even if these guys get paid,
05:36 what you'd expect Frederick and Swainman don't have a whole lot of money left
05:40 over after that.
05:41 And again, I think if Bergeron comes back, you're expecting a very similar type of
05:45 contract to last year, right?
05:47 Where he's going to pretty much bail this team out in terms of what his annual
05:51 payout's going to be.
05:52 But still, you need to have at least a million left over, right?
05:56 You can't have it be 400,000 or something like that.
06:01 You need to pay this guy at the very least a minimum of what he's already
06:05 going to be underpaid for this upcoming season.
06:08 So it is a tough thing to weigh, but I don't see a situation where both Swainman
06:14 and Frederick are signing for one year, 1 million, 1.5,
06:19 just to make the money work this year.
06:20 I just don't see that being feasible from the player's side,
06:23 especially their representatives.
06:24 All right, next one is from Alex @randomtask68, says,
06:30 which young players prospects are going to make it or break it 2023, 24 season?
06:36 Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of guys, Alex, first of all, thanks for the question.
06:39 But a lot of guys that stand out in that regard in terms of are going to be
06:44 in situations where they can really try to make a sustained push.
06:47 In terms of make it or break it, I can look at guys like Lauco or
06:54 maybe a guy like Lysel or Laurie.
06:56 But even Lysel or Laurie, I wouldn't say it's make it or break it,
06:59 because if those guys need more time down in Providence,
07:02 I think the Bruins are going to chart that course for them.
07:05 Again, even though there are more vacancies, at least on paper,
07:09 going into the season, I don't think they're going to rush a guy like Lysel or
07:12 Laurie just because they're the flashiest prospects or
07:16 they maybe have the higher ceiling amongst this crop of young talent the Bruins have.
07:21 I would say some guys though, it's those guys who I think have been in the system
07:24 for a little while that this is gonna be kind of more or less their last chance.
07:28 I kind of look at how a guy like Yaka Blauco was where last training camp,
07:32 seemed like he was gonna be outside looking in at regular minutes.
07:37 Had been in the system for a good while at that point.
07:40 If he didn't pop in training camp,
07:41 you kind of view that as being his kind of last run with this team.
07:44 So I look at guys like Osterstein, who could be in the mix for
07:50 a fourth line role, even though again, there's so many guys in that spot now.
07:53 You know, saying the guy like Boquist further kind of complicates that in terms
07:58 of getting those minutes, but he's a guy that has shown some potential when he's
08:01 been called up, just hasn't consistently been able to earn those minutes.
08:05 So he's a guy, Mark McGlaughlin, who again, I think is still waivers,
08:09 is exempt from waivers to be sent down.
08:11 But still, that's a guy that I think you look at him in his game,
08:16 kind of fits the profile of a fourth line guy up at the NHL level.
08:21 Really solid two way play, really underrated shot,
08:24 was known as a key piece on a couple of BC teams during his collegiate career.
08:30 Certainly helps that he's a mass native, again, right?
08:33 If you're looking for a guy who kind of fit the bill as future Bruins, but
08:37 he's a guy that I think when Lauco made the team last year,
08:42 people were kind of confused by it in terms of just how good Mark McGlaughlin was
08:46 during training camp.
08:47 He was arguably their most consistent, impactful forward throughout
08:50 that preseason slate, get sent down to Providence.
08:54 So hopefully he's able to kind of build off of his last season in Providence and
08:58 make a push there, because he's a guy that again, if you're looking at internal
09:03 candidates who can fill in roles, a guy like McGlaughlin makes plenty of sense.
09:08 And I think one guy in terms of just where his development is and
09:11 where he could project to the next level, I'll probably throw Johnny Beecher in that
09:15 mix, again, he's a guy that first run talent, hasn't,
09:18 offensively hasn't put it all together down in Providence.
09:22 But he's a guy that you look at just where he kind of fits and
09:27 what his role could be on the scene as a fourth line senator.
09:31 He's someone who you look at that skill set where he's got great speed,
09:36 big body, can play physical.
09:38 People can be upset if a fourth line staller,
09:43 that's not exactly what you want out of a guy that's a first round pick.
09:45 But if he can be your Sean Corral and play a similar role like that for
09:50 the next four or five years, there's value in that.
09:53 You just need to find out if he has what it takes to make that jump up to the NHL
09:57 level.
09:57 So whether that's making a really good impression during training camp,
10:02 if he does get sent down to Providence again this upcoming season,
10:06 does he build off of it?
10:07 Is he a guy that becomes more of a consistent offensive generator down in
10:11 Providence for the first few months and then he gets called up again later on this
10:15 year?
10:15 I think those things you have to weigh with a guy like Beecher, who again,
10:18 has the potential for what his role could be in the NHL, just needs to put it all
10:21 together.
10:22 So I think that's a guy that really sticks out to me.
10:24 It's a guy that could be in a bit of a make it or break it year.
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11:29 [MUSIC]
11:34 >> This next question is from @pocketchimpy, who says,
11:39 if we had to have one, who do we keep, Frederick or Swayman?
11:43 First of all, thanks for the question @pocketchimpy.
11:46 I think there it's gotta be Swayman in terms of, again,
11:49 you can maybe view his role as being a bit redundant with the Gali goal mark still
11:54 in place, but I still think if you look at this team and what in this,
11:58 if you wanna call it a bridge year, what their keys to success are going to be.
12:02 It's gonna be goaltending, and it's gonna be defense.
12:05 And they're not gonna have nearly as much offensive firepower,
12:07 not nearly as much depth.
12:09 But if you're able to have a situation where you have that tandem of Swayman,
12:14 O'Mark, and Nett, I think that can go a long way towards getting you in a position
12:19 where you can continue to grind out wins, remain in the playoff picture.
12:24 And having a guy like Swayman in place who was really, really good last year and
12:29 stands to be even better moving forward,
12:31 where considering where he is in his development, his age,
12:34 I think that's a guy you really covet.
12:36 And it's hard to say that Frederick's the guy that if the arbitration goes awry,
12:40 the Bruins are just gonna be like, all right, peace.
12:42 Like, Frederick, I think we've mentioned this on multiple podcasts before,
12:46 talking with Evan.
12:47 He's such a fascinating player to project, and
12:51 that we don't really know what exactly he is, right?
12:53 Is he this 17, 20 goal guy that showed flashes that last year,
12:59 who has added value off of his physicality,
13:02 his way to impact the game in that regard?
13:05 Like, even if he may not be as dynamic of a player,
13:08 you'll get whatever line he was on last year, he helped out whoever he was on,
13:12 just doing kind of the little things.
13:14 So is he more of that player or
13:16 see a player that was on a bit of a shooting heater last year?
13:19 He's more of a 10, 12 goal, kind of fringe, third line, fourth line guy.
13:24 We don't really know what exactly his spot's going to be.
13:27 That remains to be seen.
13:28 So, let's not say the Bruins are gonna give up entirely on him or
13:31 anything like that.
13:31 They still wanna sign him.
13:34 But if you had to pick just one,
13:35 I think if you're the Bruins, you're going to Swain in that regard.
13:37 So, thank you for the question, @pocketchimpie.
13:39 This next one is Frederick for MVP, you probably disagree with my last comment.
13:46 And Frederick for MVP says, or asks, who is more likely to break out next year,
13:51 Lysel or Merkulov?
13:52 If you ask me, I'm probably going to lean more on Merkulov in terms of,
13:56 I think his just overall game is probably more developed at this point.
14:01 I think Lysel, listen, you can see the talent is evident.
14:03 The skating, the offensive capabilities.
14:07 If he's able to put kind of his second half dip last season in the rear view
14:13 mirror, come into this camp healthy, motivated, committed, and makes a push.
14:18 I wouldn't put it past him making a pretty good case for
14:22 opening the year on what have you, third line, top six.
14:26 Is this gonna be a situation where he's kind of the Andrew Bjork or
14:31 Jake Dabrowski a few years ago, where he has a really good preseason.
14:35 Earns a top six spot out of the gate and kind of rolls with it.
14:38 Like he has the potential to do that, puts it all together.
14:40 But I think if you're the Bruins, you don't want to rush a guy like that,
14:43 who really did kind of hit a wall last year.
14:46 He still has a bit to work on with his conditioning or
14:52 his physicality or fighting through things, defense, getting a little bit of work.
14:56 So I think you just look at what Merkulov did last year.
15:00 And again, he's still a guy that has to work on his overall game.
15:03 Again, no one's perfect at that stage of their development.
15:05 But whether it's his defensive play or feeling on his frame as well.
15:11 But Markov, and you look at his skill set and how impressive he was in
15:15 the offensive part of his game down in the NHL ranks last year.
15:19 He's a guy that is really interesting to see where exactly he fits on this team.
15:24 Playmaking is there, good shot, good one timer.
15:27 And again, if you're the Bruins and you're looking for this state of this roster
15:32 where you don't have nearly as much scoring depth.
15:35 If a guy like Merkulov can make a good impression out of camp and
15:38 all of a sudden he's a guy that you can trust in a middle six roll out of the game
15:42 as a rookie and you're gonna ease him along.
15:45 And as the year goes on, he becomes an impact player for you.
15:48 That's the best case scenario for the Bruins, right?
15:51 If you look at this Bruins team, right, they're trying to stay competitive this
15:54 year, of course, with defense and goaltending.
15:56 But if they can do that, remain in the playoff picture, set themselves up for
16:00 a really hefty spending spree next year when the cap jumps up and
16:05 they have a lot of money coming off the books.
16:07 And also get some clarity with some younger guys,
16:09 whether it's someone like a Merkulov or Beecher or Lauko or someone like that.
16:15 If you can get out of this upcoming season while also having one or
16:19 two younger guys who have fought and carved out sustained roles for themselves.
16:23 Pretty good season for the Bruins and
16:24 I'm not sure just how daunting this offseason was.
16:28 So I do think they're going to see how a guy like Lysel Merkulov could do.
16:33 If they're gonna get I'm sure plenty of reps this preseason, but again,
16:36 it falls on the player themselves to make that push during this preseason slate.
16:41 But if you ask me, I probably put Merkulov a little bit higher in terms of maybe
16:44 just how NHL ready he is.
16:47 Talking ceiling, I probably lean more Lysel, but
16:49 I think he has a little bit more ways to go.
16:53 >> This is a nice question.
16:54 This is from loyal listener, Ty Anderson, @_tyanderson,
16:59 who asks, why do you, a native of Orlando,
17:03 Florida, pick your Boston accent for TikTok?
17:07 >> No comment, Ty.
17:10 >> No comment.
17:13 Moving right along, we got one from Robbie Fineman @thefinestman,
17:18 who asks, what makes sense for JD, Jake DeBrusque?
17:22 Trade well his value, is that a high, or
17:23 hope to negotiate an extension at season's end?
17:25 Great question, Robbie, and it's gonna be a really fascinating kind of
17:31 situation to see how the Bruins tackle this.
17:33 Because I think ideally, you look at Jake DeBrusque and what he brings.
17:38 And for his talent, for where he's been in the lineup,
17:43 you look at the last couple years ever since he got slotted to the top six.
17:46 He's been pretty much a dirty goal guy, he stays healthy.
17:49 If he didn't break his leg with a Hornet Classic last year,
17:50 you're looking at a guy who scored 35 goals, right?
17:55 And for what his value is, and as a guy who has been kind of homegrown to
18:00 the Bruins system, I think ideally you wanna keep him.
18:02 It just depends on what exactly that money's going to be, right?
18:06 That's gonna be the biggest hurdle, right?
18:08 Because I don't think, as much as he was rumored as a potential trade chip this
18:14 offseason, you look at what his cap hit is, plus the expected production you're
18:19 gonna get out of him, even if Bridge Run's not there,
18:21 wherever you put DeBrusque in the top six, he's gonna do some damage this year.
18:25 He's gonna give you at least, I think, 25 goals, if not more,
18:28 if he stays healthy.
18:30 So if you're the Bruins and you're trying to remain competitive and
18:34 try to keep some more of that scoring capabilities there,
18:38 I don't think you're moving on from a guy like DeBrusque,
18:39 especially at that price range.
18:41 But by that same token,
18:43 you have to figure out what are you gonna do with this upcoming offseason?
18:46 Because let's say DeBrusque is a 30 goal scorer.
18:49 He's doing a pretty nice raise, right?
18:51 Do you wanna be the team that gives him six years at six and a half,
18:57 seven million, right?
18:58 If anything, DeBrusque is probably due for an even heftier pay raise,
19:02 because a lot of these players hitting for
19:04 agency this upcoming summer are gonna benefit from the cap jumping up.
19:07 And again, the Bruins are in a good spot where they are going to have a whole bunch
19:12 of cap space available this upcoming summer.
19:15 But are you gonna divert a pretty hefty piece of that to re-signing a guy like
19:21 DeBrusque or would you rather use that for other players like Elias Lindholm or
19:26 Noah Hannafin or what have you?
19:28 Like maybe the Bruins have the ability to spend inside two or three of those guys.
19:33 But it is something that if you're gonna have all this money available when you're
19:38 Don Sweeney, you wanna spend it wisely, right?
19:40 Because you already have a pretty solid foundation in place.
19:43 But the last thing you wanna do is kind of stunt this next kind of contention
19:47 window or this next generation of talent you have there with a few Albatross
19:52 contracts or deals that aren't gonna age very well.
19:55 That's not to say that DeBrusque won't age well, but
19:57 they have to make that determination of whether or
20:00 not he's a guy that's gonna be worth six year deal at seven, seven and a half
20:03 million, cuz that is gonna be really interesting to see how it works out.
20:08 I still think the Bruins are inclined to keep him, but
20:10 it's something definitely worth monitoring.
20:11 And this one is actually kind of going off that.
20:15 This is Thornsfan19, he says,
20:18 any chance they play DeBrusque at left wing opposite Pasta?
20:21 That is actually gonna be a really interesting case this year, Thornsfan,
20:26 because again, he's been really good on his weak side at right wing
20:32 the last couple of years, put on with a line with Marchion and Bergeron.
20:36 Great to be seen and Bergeron's gonna be back.
20:38 So again, he's one of the many other guys who you kind of weigh those options as to
20:42 what this line is gonna look like when you don't have or
20:46 do have a guy like Chris Bergeron in that lineup.
20:49 But it is a fascinating case in terms of, let's say,
20:51 a younger player like a Lysel does pop during the preseason.
20:58 You do have the luxury then of slotting DeBrusque back to his natural spot at
21:02 left wing and slotting him next to guy like Pavel Zaka and David Pasternak.
21:07 And again, you look at just the offense capabilities that line,
21:13 there's a lot to like about, right?
21:14 I think DeBrusque is still a guy you can pencil in for 20, 25 goals.
21:18 But putting him with guy like David Pasternak and Pavel Zaka,
21:20 who I think really made impressive strides last year.
21:23 What's to say that he can't continue to put those numbers in that similar role?
21:28 If that opens up a spot on the top line for a guy like Lysel or
21:33 could a guy like a Morgan Geeky make a sustained push and
21:37 fight for a role in the top six or what have you?
21:40 I think you look at just where the Bruins have prioritized this season in terms of
21:45 how they're gonna handle their fuller core.
21:47 They all relies on flexibility, right?
21:49 And having the ability to switch guys out, kind of tinkier to line up around kind of
21:53 the guys you know where they're gonna fall into the lineup.
21:55 But whether it's guys like Geeky, whether it's you look at this really
22:00 crowded fourth line grouping where you've got the opportunity for
22:03 younger guys like a Bischer or a Lauko or McLaughlin to fight for minutes.
22:08 But if they don't pan out, they're not at that stage of their development yet.
22:11 You have plenty of guys like Boquist or Patrick Brown or
22:15 what have you that can step into those roles, Milan Lucic obviously.
22:19 I think for the Bruins, it's just they have a lot of guys in place already
22:23 that remains to be seen how it's all gonna sort out.
22:25 But very least giving themselves options and having the brush and
22:29 having that ability to swat him back over to left wing.
22:32 I think fits in line with what the Bruins are thinking there where
22:36 you can help drive play in the top six on the right side.
22:40 But if he needs to go back to his natural spot because the guy pushes and
22:43 we have a room there on the right side, to rest and move back to left wing.
22:47 And I think we'll be pretty happy if he's playing regular minutes with guys like
22:51 David Pashunak and Pavel Zakha.
22:53 So that's definitely something to keep tabs on as well.
22:56 So I think those are all the questions we have for today.
22:59 We're gonna wrap this up now.
23:01 But again, we'll be back to our regular programming next week, Evan and I.
23:06 So expect more Bruins beat and poke the bears.
23:09 We kind of continue to navigate through these kind of slower stretches of
23:13 the Bruins offseason.
23:14 Again, we'll see what happens when Fischberger and
23:16 David Creechie do make their decisions.
23:18 Cuz then it will ramp up again quite a bit.
23:20 But until then, thank you guys for listening to episode 156 of Poke the Bear.
23:25 I'm Conor Ryan.
23:26 Thank you guys for listening.
23:27 [MUSIC]
23:37 (upbeat music)
23:40 (upbeat music)
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