Should Bruins SELL HIGH on Jake DeBrusk? w/ Mick Colageo | Pucks with Haggs - video Dailymotion

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On today's episode of Pucks With Haggs, Joe Haggerty is joined by Mick Colageo to discuss all the things that are going right for the Bruins right now. But through all their recent success, does it still make sense for the Bruins to shop Jake Debrusk and maximize their return for him? That, and much more!     This episode of the Pucks with Haggs Podcast is brought to you by Fanduel Sportsbook. Fanduel Sportsbook is the exclusive wagering parter of the CLNS Media Network! Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED when you place a FIVE DOLLAR BET. That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS in BONUS BETS – WIN OR LOSE! Go to https://FanDuel.com/BOSTON! The app is so easy to use and there are so many different ways to bet like:   ● Live Same Game Parlays  ● Find Bets in the NEW Explore Tab  ● Make a parlay in the Parlay Hub – the best way to find popular parlays  ● And more!   DISCLAIMER: Must be 21+ and present in select states. FanDuel is offering online sports wagering in Kansas under an agreement with Kansas Star Casino, LLC. First online real money wager only. $10 first deposit required. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable bonus bets that expire 7 days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG in Colorado, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Tennessee, and Virginia. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 in Arizona, 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat in Connecticut, 1-800-9-WITH-IT in Indiana, 1-800-522-4700 or visit ksgamblinghelp.com in Kansas, 1-877-770-STOP in Louisiana, visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland, visit 1800gambler.net in West Virginia, or call 1-800-522-4700 in Wyoming. Hope is here. Visit GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY in New York.   Factor. Visit https://factormeals.com/HAGGS50 to get 50% off your first box! Factor is America’s #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit, can help you fuel up fast with ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to your door.

Transcript

00:00 This team doesn't have quite that kind of elite speed,

00:04 but they're getting in there.

00:06 They're doing it.

00:07 They're doing what I wanted to see last year's team do.

00:10 Had last year's team gotten to this kind of hockey,

00:13 I think they would have won the Stanley Cup.

00:15 This team isn't as good,

00:17 but they're doing what that team was trying,

00:19 never got to, or didn't get to of any consistency.

00:23 It's exciting to watch.

00:24 It's fun to watch.

00:25 I think that's why you blow out Montreal.

00:27 I think that's why you emerge in the third period

00:29 and beat the avalanche and beat the jet.

00:31 - Welcome to another edition of the Pucks with Hags podcast.

00:39 As always, I'm your host, Joe Hagerty.

00:41 You can find my work at joehagerty.substack.com.

00:44 Get a premium membership.

00:46 You get all of my Bruins and NHL content

00:48 sent straight directly to your inbox.

00:50 I also file columns for the Boston Sports Journal

00:53 after every Bruins game.

00:55 So check out postgame, thebostonsportsjournal.com

00:59 for my analysis, feature columns,

01:02 all kinds of things about the Bruins

01:04 after they play games, usually three or four times a week.

01:08 With me today, per usual, friend and colleague,

01:11 Mick Collagio.

01:12 Mick, please tell everybody where they can find your stuff.

01:15 - Mick Collie, that's-

01:17 - Mick Collie, I shortened it up right there.

01:19 - Mick Collage.

01:20 Yeah, there's a lot of ways we can go on that,

01:22 but in the old country, it's Collageo.

01:24 - There you go.

01:25 - So yeah, I'm on,

01:26 I got my rink rep blog back independently.

01:29 So I link to that on Twitter and Facebook,

01:32 and I do that during games.

01:35 I'm often here,

01:37 and then I write a weekly column

01:40 for the bostonhockeynow.com site.

01:43 Usually pops up on Sunday sometime,

01:47 and it's Bruins-centered, but goes around the NHL a bit.

01:50 And then I've got an appointment

01:54 with Coach Mugenel tomorrow morning

01:56 to talk about the future watch for the hockey news,

02:01 Bruins Prospects Time.

02:03 - Oh, nice.

02:04 I always enjoy conversations with the Muge.

02:06 He's actually a fun guy,

02:08 and he's pretty candid and honest

02:10 about the Bruins Prospects and what's going on with them.

02:13 So I'm sure you'll enjoy that.

02:14 Let's-

02:15 - I don't know how long they're going to be able

02:17 to keep this guy in the organization.

02:19 He's terrific.

02:20 - I agree. I agree.

02:22 He's definitely got a bright future,

02:24 and he's somebody that's done well for himself.

02:26 With developing players, too.

02:27 I think when they come up to Boston from Providence,

02:31 they're ready to go, and they've learned the right things.

02:34 And even with a guy like Lysel,

02:37 I think the way he's handled him this year,

02:39 I think Mugenel deserves a lot of credit

02:41 for where Lysel is now and sort of the development path

02:45 that he's taken this entire year.

02:46 But we'll get to more of that in a sec.

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03:23 and jump right into the NFL playoffs going on right now.

03:27 The NHL, obviously, at the midpoint, NBA 2.

03:31 Lots of stuff going on.

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04:10 All right, let's get into this, Mick.

04:13 Episode number 58 right now.

04:16 The Bruins are in a good place.

04:19 They've won five in a row.

04:20 They're averaging 4.43 goals

04:25 in the games since the Christmas break.

04:29 They've had some good wins recently.

04:32 The win against Colorado at home,

04:34 the win against Winnipeg, that revenge game, the last game,

04:37 winning four to one and snapping that long streak

04:40 since the beginning of November of Winnipeg,

04:42 only allowing three goals or less per game.

04:45 The offense has definitely taken a big uptick

04:49 over the last month or so.

04:50 It's been very noticeable with the Bruins.

04:53 Just your thoughts about where they are right now,

04:57 why we're seeing the offense that we're seeing,

05:00 and where this is all coming from,

05:03 because this, I think,

05:07 the latest three weeks to a month

05:10 of what we've seen of the Bruins

05:12 makes me start to believe that they might be capable

05:15 of maybe winning a round or two in the playoffs.

05:17 I still don't think they're Stanley Cup caliber.

05:20 I think there's a couple of spots on this team

05:22 when the playoff hockey's really physical,

05:24 nasty stuff starts,

05:26 where they're just not gonna be able to sustain that

05:28 for two months and handle that and excel in that

05:30 and thrive in that,

05:31 unless they make some moves at the trade deadline

05:33 to bring in some rough customers.

05:36 But just what I've seen offensively out of them,

05:39 the balance now when they've moved around

05:41 the third and fourth lines,

05:43 Jake DeBrus coming alive,

05:44 Morgan Geekie really developing and getting comfortable.

05:47 Now you're starting to see Trent Frederick

05:50 is a guy that can drive a line now,

05:52 and you can put him at center between two other wingers,

05:56 and he can really excel.

05:58 He doesn't need somebody else to play off of necessarily.

06:02 Just a lot of things to really like about the forward group,

06:04 and that has allowed the defensemen

06:07 to also freewheel a little bit more offensively,

06:10 join the rush, all that kinds of stuff.

06:12 So I think we're seeing what you would expect to see

06:14 from a Jim Montgomery offense over the last month,

06:17 and it's looking pretty healthy at this point

06:19 for the Bruins.

06:19 - What you just said about Trent Frederick,

06:25 using that phrase, drive a line,

06:29 is something that people would have laughed at

06:33 if you said this three years ago.

06:36 - I know.

06:36 - He was that bad,

06:38 but he hadn't connected his good stretches of hockey.

06:43 He hadn't glued them together in a manner

06:46 that inspired confidence among the masses

06:49 that this guy could be core to how this team plays

06:52 and wins hockey games.

06:53 He was always pretty good getting the puck out of the zone,

06:56 getting the puck in the zone,

06:58 and the hands that Montgomery has identified

07:00 as being very good,

07:02 those have been, yeah, the kid can play,

07:07 but to grow in his role, to find his way,

07:12 whatever line he happens to be on,

07:14 he quickly achieves that chemistry.

07:17 Just to be able to talk about him that way,

07:20 just says like, okay,

07:21 you just got another player on your team,

07:23 and he's at the core of what you're doing.

07:25 And that's terrific for the Bruins.

07:28 The geeky pickup is similar

07:30 in that he comes from the outside.

07:32 So, and as much as you've lost players from last year,

07:35 significant ones, obviously,

07:37 these two guys, their growth of Frederick's role

07:42 and the incoming of geeky and his assimilation

07:44 to what the Bruins are doing,

07:46 just been terrific.

07:50 The other guy I'm gonna throw into that mix

07:52 is Danton Heinen, and I didn't think I would.

07:55 To maybe a slightly lesser degree,

07:58 but he's coming on lately,

08:00 and he's showing much more aggression

08:04 in his instincts around puck hunting,

08:09 becoming the support guy in an aggressive way,

08:13 throwing the body,

08:14 getting his stick into those half wall battles,

08:18 and being that next guy that makes a team think that,

08:20 hey, I think we got this situation contained.

08:22 No, boom, here's Heinen now.

08:25 And the Bruins are popping pucks loose.

08:27 They're extending those cycles,

08:30 and they're now having these shifts

08:32 like they used to 12 years ago,

08:34 where they hem a team in,

08:36 and you know they're gonna start getting changes.

08:38 And you start seeing DeBruys pop over the boards.

08:41 You start seeing Zaka pop over the boards.

08:44 You say, okay, fresh legs was good sticks

08:46 are getting out there right now.

08:47 And they're either gonna score a goal,

08:49 or they're gonna force a penalty.

08:51 And this is increasing,

08:52 and this is an element of Bruins hockey

08:54 that I had not seen in a very long time.

08:58 And they needed to add this.

09:00 And I felt like last year,

09:02 there was about 10 game stretch mid season,

09:04 where their four check,

09:05 because of how many guys they had with elite speed,

09:08 could get in on the four check,

09:10 that this would, you could see the potential for that.

09:13 This team doesn't have quite that kind of elite speed,

09:17 but they're getting in there.

09:19 They're doing it.

09:20 They're doing what I wanted to see last year's team do.

09:23 Had last year's team gotten to this kind of hockey,

09:26 I think they wouldn't have Stanley Cup.

09:28 This team isn't as good,

09:30 but they're doing what that team was trying,

09:32 never got to, or didn't get to of any consistency.

09:36 It's exciting to watch.

09:37 It's fun to watch.

09:38 I think that's why you blow up Montreal.

09:40 I think that's why you emerge in the third period

09:42 and beat the Avalanche and beat the Jets.

09:45 - Yeah, I mean, I agree.

09:46 I do think like clearly last year's team

09:50 was more of a rush team than anything else.

09:53 And they wanted to rush the puck,

09:54 and they wanted to score off the rush.

09:56 And you saw that a lot with the skaters they had,

09:58 and the way that they played.

10:01 But I did see, I remember seeing last year

10:03 in the second half of the year,

10:04 there was a focus on cycling the puck more,

10:07 and pounding teams in the offensive zone,

10:09 and playing that way.

10:11 And Taylor Hall, I remember, was a guy

10:12 that they were trying to convince to sort of play that way

10:15 when he was always a rush guy.

10:16 And you definitely, I thought,

10:18 in the second half of last year, saw,

10:21 and you mentioned this, the 10 game stretch, whatever.

10:22 I definitely saw points last year in the second half

10:25 where they were trying to play that way,

10:27 'cause they knew the playoffs were coming,

10:28 and you have to play that way.

10:30 - And they didn't, but in the playoffs it was gone.

10:32 - Right, yeah, well, 'cause Florida took it away,

10:35 because Florida just choked the life out of them

10:37 with their four check.

10:38 But you saw them trying to play this way last year,

10:42 and I think you're seeing the same thing now

10:46 with the way that they're playing,

10:47 the connectivity that they have,

10:49 the puck possession in the offensive zone.

10:51 They're bigger, like Morgan Geeky's a big guy,

10:55 and Trent Frederick's a big guy.

10:56 They've got some guys.

10:57 - He's a big guy.

10:58 - They can possess the puck and win battles down low

11:01 and play that game.

11:02 They don't need the speed as much as they have the speed,

11:05 the size and the strength to win the battles

11:08 and to hold guys off.

11:09 And Charlie Coyle's the same way,

11:11 puts a guy on his hip and just rides them

11:13 all around the offensive zone.

11:14 So they have some of those guys.

11:18 And it's noticeable the way that they're playing.

11:21 And the other part of it, and you're right about Heinen too,

11:24 I didn't even notice how many shots on net he had,

11:27 how many shots he generated

11:29 until I started looking at the numbers,

11:30 and he's way up there on the Bruins.

11:32 Like he gets a lot of shots on net,

11:34 he gets a lot of chances, he gets a lot of action

11:37 based on the way that he plays.

11:39 And he's obviously a much better player,

11:40 more complete player than he was when he was here before,

11:44 just as far as the assertiveness taking the puck,

11:49 not deferring to other players,

11:51 just taking it and taking it into the zone,

11:53 taking it up the ice if he's got the time and space,

11:56 and taking the play when it's there

11:58 and being a lot more aggressive.

11:59 He was not anywhere close to that assertive

12:02 when he was with the Bruins before.

12:03 So that's been impressive to watch.

12:05 The one other thing I noticed

12:07 looking at the numbers the other day,

12:10 is that the greater puck possession time,

12:13 the greater offense that they're producing,

12:17 and as I referenced with the defenseman,

12:18 Hampus Lindholm over the last month

12:21 has been productive offensively.

12:23 I think he's got eight assists in 11 games,

12:26 something like that, playing 23 minutes high

12:28 in the plus category.

12:30 I think he more than anybody else,

12:33 when the forwards are doing their job,

12:35 when the puck is getting into the offensive zone,

12:37 it helps him become the player

12:39 that we thought that he was last year,

12:42 and looks less like the guy that was kind of struggling

12:44 in the first few months,

12:45 and basically just locked into a shutdown

12:48 sort of defenseman mode,

12:51 where he wasn't doing much of anything offensively,

12:53 and he was retreating at the first sign of trouble,

12:56 whereas now you're seeing him hang in there,

12:58 make plays, get shots on net,

13:00 doing a lot, looking more like the Hampus Lindholm

13:02 we expected to see most of this year,

13:04 and we saw all of last year.

13:06 So I think that's also a very encouraging sign

13:11 that this whole thing is allowing the defenseman

13:13 to sort of get back to where they were last year as well.

13:17 - That's a great point on Lindholm,

13:18 because I thought his game has been excellent of late.

13:21 He's been defending more aggressively at late,

13:23 he's been throwing the body more,

13:25 and Monty said that the reason

13:29 that the Bruins are cleaner,

13:33 more consistent on their zone entries,

13:36 is because they're closing off plays defensively sooner,

13:41 getting the puck back in better position

13:45 with more time and space to make plays cleanly

13:50 into the attacking zone.

13:52 So the Bruins have become a harder checking team.

13:56 That was their answer to their slump,

13:59 was to become a harder checking team all over the ice.

14:03 The result of just ratcheting up that,

14:06 and just tightening that, not just, you know,

14:09 a little more everywhere on the ice, in every little area,

14:14 they have, as collectively, become much more effective

14:18 in the game that they were trying to play.

14:20 And I think, I mean, if there's another level

14:24 for the Bruins after this that is playoff level,

14:27 then I'd love to see it, because right now,

14:30 I feel like the hockey they're playing

14:31 does win a round in the playoffs.

14:33 How far does it go after that is anyone's guess,

14:35 because like Monty said, every 10 game segments,

14:39 it gets a little more like the playoffs.

14:42 And this one here right now is the best version

14:45 we've seen of the Bruins this season, easily in my mind.

14:49 I don't care how many games in a row they won,

14:51 or whatever was going on before,

14:53 I felt like they were really relying on their goaltending.

14:56 It's really great to see them becoming a team

14:59 that funnels the opponent's attack

15:03 away from the quality scoring areas,

15:06 and closes off the situations that allow a guy

15:09 like Swainman or Allmark to make the big save

15:13 when they need to, but not be the guy

15:14 who's getting shelled for 10 minutes

15:16 before the Bruins find their legs.

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15:55 - Well, there is zero question.

15:58 This five game winning streak,

16:01 I think the current one that they're on

16:04 is the best hockey that they've played all year,

16:07 all around two-way hockey.

16:09 I think they've played their best overall brand of hockey

16:14 since the holiday break.

16:15 They've been energized in a big way.

16:18 You can see that they needed that three-day break

16:20 the way they limped into it before the holiday break,

16:23 and the way that they've come out of it afterwards.

16:26 And you're absolutely right.

16:30 The first few months of the season,

16:32 they were relying on, it was a leaky defense

16:35 that was allowing a lot of odd man rushes

16:38 and a lot of breakaways.

16:39 And they were relying on, at times,

16:41 especially early in games for Jeremy Swayman

16:44 and Linus Almark to carry them

16:45 and to be the best players on the ice

16:47 in the constantly either steal games or steal periods

16:50 that was allowing them to finally win.

16:53 And they also had to white knuckle a lot of third periods,

16:57 where it was constantly one goal games.

17:00 They could not extend the lead.

17:01 They could not run away from other teams.

17:04 And that was pushing them into situations

17:06 where they were allowing goals late in the periods,

17:08 going to overtime and losing,

17:10 going to the shootout and losing or winning.

17:13 But now we're seeing them extend the leads

17:15 in the third periods.

17:16 We're seeing them look more like last year,

17:19 where they would just blow teams away in the third period,

17:21 run away from them, and didn't have to worry about

17:25 protecting a one goal lead late in the third

17:28 when the goalie gets pulled,

17:29 or worried about getting pushed to overtime,

17:31 or worried about if their defensemen aren't stalwart enough

17:35 around the net to really hold off when things get chaotic

17:38 and guys just throw the kitchen sink at them,

17:41 trying to score that desperation goal,

17:43 which was a big problem in the first,

17:44 you know, three months of the season.

17:47 We're not seeing that as much now.

17:49 And I think it's interesting to watch

17:52 how they've corrected some of those things,

17:55 improved some of those things.

17:57 And just, you know, what Montgomery said from the beginning,

18:00 he was very vocal about not being,

18:02 not liking what he saw, them being a work in progress,

18:06 them having a lot of flaws and things

18:08 that they were trying to correct in practice

18:10 and everything else,

18:11 to the point where they bag-skated them one time,

18:14 which I hadn't seen in years.

18:15 And there were a few times Montgomery was very vocal,

18:20 you know, with his team,

18:21 challenging them earlier in the year too.

18:23 - The reason that we have our record

18:25 is because of our goaltenders.

18:26 - Yes, and we're not seeing that as much now.

18:29 - And at one point he admitted,

18:31 like when they had the 14, one and three record or whatever,

18:34 they were not a 14 and one, three, one and three team.

18:36 They knew that, you know,

18:37 they knew that the record early in the year,

18:40 the gaudy record they had put up

18:42 was not indicative of the way that they were playing.

18:44 Now they're playing more like that.

18:46 I think now they are playing a level of play

18:49 and a style of play,

18:50 and at a high enough execution level

18:52 that their execution matches the record,

18:56 matches them being, you know,

18:57 seven point leaders in the Atlantic division,

18:59 six point leaders in the Eastern Conference,

19:01 neck and neck with the Vancouver Canucks

19:03 for the best record in the league,

19:05 and being a team that other teams

19:07 don't wanna face in the playoffs.

19:08 I think they are starting to play that way.

19:10 Now the question becomes maintaining it,

19:13 being able to, you know,

19:14 harness that and keep that for the rest of the season.

19:18 But like you also pull back and look at the schedule,

19:20 and I think we've talked about this a little bit,

19:23 they're also on a stretch of 12, 14 at home

19:26 from mid-January to mid-February.

19:28 The end of this week, they're going to Ottawa and Philly.

19:32 Those are the only two games

19:34 they're gonna have on the road until like late February.

19:36 - What a weird February.

19:38 - It really is, but like--

19:38 - This is a wild Bruins schedule.

19:40 This is, the Bruins used to be home in March,

19:42 away in February.

19:43 This year it's kind of a little bit, you know.

19:46 - It is, but it's setting them up,

19:48 like to really run away from teams now.

19:50 Like, this is all--

19:51 - Well, they're taking advantage of it.

19:54 That is--

19:55 - They really are, but it's almost setting up

19:56 like the perfect sort of reverse of last year,

20:01 where they did have to grind and go through adversity

20:04 in the first half of the year,

20:06 really had to white knuckle a lot of games,

20:08 you know, find within themselves to win games, lose games,

20:12 have gut check moments

20:13 where they were challenging each other.

20:15 All that stuff was going on in the first half,

20:17 and now they're getting to a point

20:18 where they're playing their best hockey.

20:21 They're gonna be able to rest and recharge

20:22 for this entire month

20:24 and sort of get ready for the final couple of month sprint

20:27 towards the playoffs.

20:28 And really, I think are in a much better position this year

20:31 to go on a run than last year.

20:33 Now, I don't, it's all gonna depend

20:35 on what they get at the trade deadline

20:36 and what they can bring in

20:37 as far as the sort of physical, hard-nosed,

20:40 you know, tough to play against kind of guys

20:42 that I think you and I both wanna see added to this team.

20:45 And then we'll see what the full picture is

20:47 of this roster before the playoffs.

20:48 But I'm a lot more bullish and optimistic

20:52 about this team now after watching them over the last month

20:55 than I was earlier in the year,

20:57 'cause I think they're just at a whole different level now.

21:00 - Yeah, they're playing a kind of brand of hockey

21:03 that can win in the playoffs,

21:04 something we weren't seeing early on,

21:07 but we knew that was what it was gonna have to be

21:10 with this club last year.

21:12 You know, I mean, it's weird to talk about this team

21:15 given how many significant players

21:18 were on this team last year that are not.

21:20 So it's, but at the same time,

21:23 it's hard not to look at such a great record again

21:26 and not look at last year and look at the various stages.

21:30 So I totally get that.

21:31 And then last year, I thought they had a lot of close games,

21:34 but I felt like they just had so much belief and confidence

21:38 with all the skill on their team

21:40 that they were gonna be the team that scored

21:42 if anybody was gonna score.

21:43 If not, their goaltending was gonna hold up,

21:45 and they always did, you know?

21:47 And this year, they have,

21:52 it took them a while to get to their game,

21:54 to get to a game that suited

21:56 the level of talent that they have.

21:58 Charlie Coyle has been a monster.

22:00 His confidence handling the puck

22:03 and fending off would-be puck strippers

22:06 in the attacking zone especially has been immense.

22:10 And so he has certainly replaced Pavel Zaka

22:17 who was the center for a bit

22:20 between Marcian and Pasternak

22:23 when they were together earlier in the season,

22:26 which was not full-time.

22:27 So at the time when Zaka was between them

22:32 and they scored some goals, some really pretty ones,

22:35 you know, I thought of them as the confection line

22:38 because it isn't Bergeron, but it's pretty sweet.

22:41 So I think with Coyle, we have a new confection.

22:45 It's a little harder hockey,

22:48 a little more puck possession oriented,

22:50 a little more physical.

22:51 And right now, you know,

22:56 Coyle's become dominant in a manner

22:58 that's allowed Montgomery to give him his props

23:02 and call him a number one center.

23:04 - Yeah, and you know,

23:06 and part of the explanation of his higher production

23:09 is playing consistently

23:10 with better offensive finishers and players.

23:13 You play with David Pasternak and Brad Marcian

23:16 every single night.

23:17 Guess what?

23:17 You're gonna be a center

23:18 that's probably gonna pile up some points

23:20 and you're gonna get more time and space

23:23 to create and to make things happen.

23:25 And, you know, I think credit to him for running with it

23:28 and taking the ball

23:29 and taking his game to a whole different level.

23:32 And, you know, I wonder too, like,

23:34 with a guy like Charlie Coyle,

23:37 him having played beside Patrice Bergeron,

23:41 you know, for the last, you know, three, four years

23:45 and growing up kind of idolizing that player,

23:50 like how much he wanted to sort of step into that,

23:53 you know, that sort of place

23:55 and be the guy to carry the torch

23:57 and help carry the torch for Bergeron.

23:58 And maybe that's inspired him in some ways

24:00 to take his game to a different level,

24:02 to a more consistent level

24:04 than it's ever been in the past.

24:05 'Cause I do think-

24:06 - Thanks for the call.

24:08 - Well, I'm already working on that one, trust me.

24:11 - Oh!

24:12 - So like, but you know, that's something

24:15 that I think you see

24:17 and you can definitely tell that he's,

24:21 I think he feels more responsibility

24:25 in a different way than he ever had before,

24:26 as far as the fate of the team and his contributions

24:29 and, you know, what he can do

24:31 and his role and what he's capable of.

24:33 And I just think we see a very talented player

24:36 that was always had trouble with consistency in the past.

24:40 I think at his age and where he is in his career,

24:43 he's found it all.

24:44 Like, I think it's all come into place for him

24:46 at a point where he's playing his best hockey.

24:49 He's like, you know-

24:50 - I mean, he's got a baby too.

24:52 - Well, for hockey, yeah, that part too, maybe-

24:55 - Charlie Coyle has found a Quan

24:56 and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

24:58 - And I think, yes.

24:59 And I think maybe fatherhood plays into it too.

25:02 You know, maybe there's a different level of,

25:04 you know, wanting to excel or, you know, feeling this like,

25:08 you know, sometimes you are inspired by your kids

25:11 in ways you never were before you had kids, you know,

25:13 and you don't realize it until you're a parent

25:15 and you have them.

25:16 And that may be part of it with him too, you know,

25:19 is seeing that level of inspiration in him,

25:23 which has been cool to watch.

25:25 And I think, you know, certainly could play into it.

25:28 And I think all of it though, he's such a good guy.

25:30 I'm really glad to see him performing the way that he is.

25:33 But I think there is,

25:35 I'm sure that he felt some level of responsibility

25:38 when Bergeron and Crecci retired, like, hey, it's my time.

25:42 I can step into that role.

25:43 I can do that.

25:44 You know, I'm capable of that.

25:46 I want to do that.

25:47 I want to play like Bergeron did and be that kind of guy

25:50 and that kind of influence in this team,

25:52 do the right things, play the right way,

25:54 say the right things, be a leader, be a performer.

25:57 Like I think-

25:59 - Oh, and by the way, that's really inspired Frederick.

26:02 - Yes.

26:03 - Frederick sees Coyle as his mentor and his model.

26:06 - Yes.

26:07 - And he said that earlier in the season.

26:11 And so in a way we have two players

26:15 who have really found another rung in the ladder.

26:19 - Tony Maas wrote something,

26:23 or he said this on Felger and Maas, I think yesterday.

26:26 - When I recused myself.

26:28 - He started talking about-

26:29 - Ever since their comments after game one of the season,

26:31 I determined that I would never listen to them again.

26:34 - Well, you don't have to listen.

26:35 I'm not going to play the soundbite,

26:37 but I do have like what he said.

26:40 Maas was talking about Jake DeBrusque.

26:43 In the last 13 games, he has eight goals

26:45 and four assists for 12 points, and he's a plus nine.

26:47 Pretty good.

26:48 Third goal last night, excellent.

26:50 He set it up and basically got the rebound

26:52 and jammed it in there, which is totally correct.

26:54 That was a great play by DeBrusque.

26:56 A significant goal in a game like that.

26:57 It's a huge play.

26:59 He was into it and he was motivated.

27:00 I'd trade his ass tomorrow.

27:02 Actually, I would have traded his ass yesterday.

27:05 I'd take Trent Frederick over Jake DeBrusque

27:07 seven days a week, twice on Sunday.

27:10 I think, and then he goes on to say,

27:14 I know what I'm going to get every night out of Frederick.

27:18 The offense has been a pleasant surprise.

27:20 I think he's legitimately become like a 15 to 20 goal player,

27:23 maybe 20 to 25.

27:25 Let's see how that shakes out, but I'll take my chances

27:27 because I think Frederick gives you everything

27:28 he's got in the tank every night.

27:30 Every night for the most part,

27:32 they'll take a night off here or there.

27:33 DeBrusque, if you're taking the cheese on him,

27:36 oh, you're a fool, you're a fool.

27:37 If you're taking the cheese on him, Jake DeBrusque,

27:39 I would trade his ass yesterday.

27:41 Yesterday, can't do it soon enough.

27:43 - I was only able to get through this because I could,

27:47 I was imagining it as Alvin from the Chipmunks.

27:50 - DeBrusque has six goals in his last 11 games.

27:55 The Bruins are 17, three and one when he gets a point.

27:59 He has a dynamic element with his speed and skill

28:02 when he's on that most of the players

28:06 in this team do not have.

28:07 - Some of the best hand I have ever seen in my life.

28:09 - Obviously Marcian and Pasternak do,

28:11 but outside of them, he has the best offensive skill

28:14 of anybody on this team.

28:15 And when he's on like he has been since the Christmas break,

28:20 he is a huge factor and having him there and productive,

28:24 that's been a big part also of this team scoring,

28:27 averaging four and a half goals a game since Christmas.

28:32 - Finally.

28:33 - He's catching, he's playing,

28:35 he's gotten in line with everybody else and played harder.

28:38 When things were at their bottomed out,

28:40 I'm sure that, you know, let's just say hypothetically

28:43 that the Bruins coach was Mike Milbury.

28:46 Don't you know that there would have been,

28:50 you know, DeBrusque's equipment

28:51 would have been in the hallway.

28:52 - Well, I get, look Mick, I'll tell you,

28:54 I get more tweets at me from hockey coaches

28:59 and more things I see posted on social media

29:02 from hockey coaches, whether they be college,

29:04 whether they be high school, like whatever they are,

29:07 that hate Jake DeBrusque, do not like the way he plays,

29:10 don't like the style with which he plays.

29:13 And he like actually bothers them

29:16 with the way that he plays.

29:17 And some of it, like the fly-by stuff, yes, I get that.

29:20 And like the inconsistency with the effort

29:23 away from the puck, totally get that.

29:26 And I think he was very guilty of that earlier

29:28 in his career.

29:29 I don't think that's the case as much anymore though.

29:31 I think he's a much closer to complete player now,

29:35 even when he wasn't producing offensively,

29:38 he was still killing penalties.

29:39 You'd still see him, like I see him throw hits

29:42 occasionally now where you never saw that in the past.

29:44 He could go a month without getting a registered hit

29:47 on the score sheet during those days when, you know,

29:50 he was just doing fly-bys all the time

29:52 and really wasn't competitive on pucks.

29:55 But I think you see that less and less now.

29:56 And I think playing with Bergeron and Martian last year

30:00 and for maybe a year, year and a half

30:01 kind of rubbed off on him as far as the 200 foot game

30:04 and being a factor, even when the puck's not going in the net.

30:08 That being said, you know, I think there is also

30:12 an element of you gotta like listen to what Maz is saying

30:15 as far as trading him, just because of the contract

30:18 situation, because the Bruins are probably gonna have--

30:20 - I'm way ahead of Maz.

30:22 I left Maz seven exits ago.

30:24 - But the Bruins are gonna have to,

30:27 it's true that the Bruins are gonna have to decide,

30:29 you know, between guys like Dabrusk or Frederick.

30:32 At a certain point, they're gonna have to make a choice

30:35 'cause you can't pay, you know, everybody.

30:38 You know, there are certain players

30:39 that if you wanna keep them, you're gonna have to decide

30:41 you wanna keep them and pay them.

30:43 I just don't know if Dabrusk is one of those guys.

30:45 And you do have to consider, continue to consider

30:48 whether it's better off trading him

30:50 and getting some value back rather than letting him

30:52 walk away potentially at the end of the year.

30:54 - It's hard for me to talk about Jake Dabrusk

30:56 and whether should he stay or should he go.

30:59 And the reason is, is because I traded him seven times

31:03 five years ago.

31:04 And because I didn't have any confidence

31:07 that he was ever not gonna become a Bobby Ryan wannabe.

31:10 That guy, you don't see him anywhere in the hockey game

31:13 except for the 10 seconds that he changes the scoreboard

31:16 and kills you.

31:18 And that was Bobby Ryan at his best.

31:20 And that's why Brian Burke made comments

31:24 that wound up going public and wound up being,

31:27 you know, picking the Olympic team and all of that stuff

31:32 that really wound up becoming controversial

31:36 because Dabrusk has been that guy for a lot of his career,

31:43 too much of his career, to the point that he took a seat

31:47 next to Eric Haller during the 21 season.

31:50 And then would later, was it 21 or 22, 21, 22,

31:55 I can't remember anymore.

31:59 But anyway, bottom line is he got coddled by management

32:02 after that and got put with Bergeron and Marchand

32:05 and wound up being sort of rehabilitated in his confidence.

32:10 And then he comes back the year of the Winter Classic

32:14 at Fenway and his lights out and he's playing

32:17 that 200 foot game, that two-way game.

32:20 And wins the damn Fenway game, breaking his leg

32:22 in two places doing it.

32:24 And is everything, and you hope forward Dabrusk

32:27 and more to the point that I'm just like,

32:30 you know, you had me at hello.

32:31 And unfortunately I never thought he'd get back

32:35 to being that guy.

32:36 And I attributed it to the physical stuff,

32:37 although he and the team said, no, you know, he was fine.

32:42 And this year, I didn't think he had a camp.

32:44 I didn't think he had an early in October.

32:47 And I started wondering, is it in his head

32:50 because he'd got no contract?

32:52 He's just not, he's kind of like reverted.

32:54 - I think it affected him in the first half of the year.

32:56 I think the contracts definitely affected him.

32:59 - And Monty kept trying to give him props

33:01 and building him up and saying, no, he's, he watch,

33:04 watch what he's doing away from the puck.

33:06 He's really trying to do this.

33:07 He made a great, great back check the other night,

33:11 tripping Miles Wood of the puck,

33:13 who's got tremendous speed, obviously.

33:15 And DeBrusque stayed with him

33:18 and took the puck from him legally and went back.

33:20 Miles Wood was like, where's my, where are my socks?

33:23 You know, it was amazing.

33:25 And so DeBrusque, when he's good is great

33:28 because his hand-eye ability is just unbelievable.

33:32 He can knock down pucks that are coming at him,

33:34 aerial from behind in flight.

33:36 And he just has like this crazy ability.

33:40 He grew up playing tennis

33:41 and that was going to be one of his,

33:44 that might've been a sport at one point,

33:46 but he was better at hockey

33:48 and that wound up being where he went.

33:50 And his dad, he said, got him into a lot of,

33:54 Louie got him into a lot of hand-eye type stuff

33:58 to give him different experience in sports

34:00 that would help him develop skills.

34:02 And that turned out to be, you know,

34:04 just such an amazing decision by Louie DeBrusque

34:07 because Jake has got just incredible skills.

34:10 - Well, Mick, I will tell you as an aside,

34:13 like, and I've talked to a lot of NHL people

34:16 because I have a 10-year-old hockey player about like-

34:19 - Finn!

34:20 - The best, exactly, about the best, you know,

34:23 what the best things are for him just as an athlete,

34:26 as a kid, as, you know, growing up,

34:28 like what should I do with him and what's the best path?

34:31 And obviously there's tons of different pathways

34:34 and there really isn't a best path.

34:36 You can go a lot of different ways to figure out,

34:39 you know, what you want to do as an athlete,

34:40 what you want to do as a student, like all that stuff.

34:43 But like consistently, when you talk to hockey people,

34:46 consistently, scouts, executives, players,

34:50 everybody across the board, they say the same thing.

34:53 Play, especially when they're six, seven, eight, nine,

34:56 10, 11, play as many different sports as you can.

35:01 As many different sports as they want to play,

35:03 as many different sports as you can get them to.

35:05 Do not specialize in hockey.

35:07 Do not play hockey year round

35:09 where you're not doing anything else

35:10 and you're just at the rink all the time.

35:12 Play lacrosse, play soccer, play baseball, play tennis.

35:16 You know, play all--

35:17 - You know why Morgan Geeky plays hockey for a living?

35:20 Because he wasn't quite good enough to play baseball

35:22 for a living. - Yes, he loves baseball.

35:23 I know that, yeah.

35:24 - No, he didn't.

35:25 - But-- - This is what a lot of people

35:27 don't understand about hockey players,

35:29 that they are athletes.

35:30 - Yes. - Andy Brinkley played

35:32 baseball in college.

35:34 Cam Neely played basketball growing up.

35:36 Or Brad Park, baseball players.

35:39 Yvonne Conway, love baseball.

35:41 People don't understand this about hockey guys.

35:43 They're not little elves from the Arctic Circle

35:48 who come down here and have, you know,

35:51 cute little names that we enjoy their game

35:54 and what they bring.

35:55 And there's 10,000 Bruins fans

35:57 and they go to everybody, every game,

35:58 and but they're not really, that's just crazy talk.

36:02 - Yes, and--

36:03 - This is a sport, just like every other sport.

36:05 If you can't skate, please learn how, you'll love it.

36:10 Whether you wanna be a hockey player or not.

36:12 - But you see like, you see Pasta's soccer skills

36:15 at times when he's puck handling

36:17 and like he loses the puck and he kicks it back to himself

36:20 or like little things he'll do

36:21 that you can tell he can do that

36:23 because he's a soccer player.

36:24 And you can see with a lot of hockey players,

36:25 they're very comfortable using their feet

36:28 when they're at stick handling

36:29 or when they're doing things because they play soccer.

36:31 You see it with baseball where it forces them mentally

36:35 to think about what's happening before it happens,

36:37 anticipate things, watch on the bench to decide,

36:40 you know, this is what I would do

36:41 if I'm in this particular situation.

36:44 Because guess what, in baseball, when you're in the field,

36:46 you have to think to yourself,

36:47 what's gonna happen if the ball gets hit to me

36:49 in different situations.

36:51 And you're thinking on a whole different level mentally

36:53 rather than just reacting, which is what happens a lot

36:55 if you're just playing hockey,

36:56 you just be reacting all the time

36:58 instead of thinking more

36:59 and anticipating what's gonna happen.

37:01 And, you know, we always talk about Gretzky

37:03 going where the puck is gonna be, not where it is.

37:05 Like those kinds of things, I think playing other sports

37:08 and Gretzky played baseball,

37:10 doing other sports, I think helps you.

37:12 And lacrosse definitely helps you with the hand eye

37:16 and with your hands and stick handling.

37:18 Some of the best puck handlers I've seen

37:19 in Finn's age group are kids that play lacrosse

37:22 and have had constantly a cradling lacrosse stick

37:24 in their hands.

37:25 So like, even if you're selfishly,

37:28 you want your kid to be a hockey player

37:29 and you're like, that's the tunnel vision of what you want.

37:32 You're not gonna allow for anything else.

37:34 And that's just like what you're looking at.

37:37 Like, even from that perspective,

37:39 you should have your kids play

37:40 in all these different sports.

37:40 - Right, your best chance of getting them there,

37:42 that's what you really want as a parent,

37:44 but you know it'd be wrong to put that into the kid's head.

37:48 - Yeah.

37:48 - But if you want that for him secretly,

37:50 then the best thing for him is to give him an experience

37:54 that allows him to develop skills

37:56 that if it so happens that this is what he has passion for,

38:00 then this is where he'll be really great at something

38:04 if he's got the skills.

38:05 And if not, then he'll enjoy a well-rounded sports

38:09 experience that'll carry him through his life.

38:12 And God bless you if you,

38:14 'cause everybody has a favorite something, you know?

38:17 I mean, I joke with people,

38:18 they say, what's your favorite sport?

38:19 I say tennis, you know?

38:21 I mean, as a tennis ref for 25 years,

38:25 I've played a ton and still have my own stringer,

38:29 but my little under breath afterwards is,

38:32 yeah, hockey's my life, you know?

38:34 So that's the little underbelly joke there.

38:38 So, but yeah, Dennis Seidenberg,

38:41 as a teen tennis player, hockey player,

38:46 got the runaround from the German national program.

38:50 - Tuco was a big tennis player too, right?

38:52 - That's right, Zaka is, Pasta is.

38:54 I hear Zaka's good,

38:56 but here's how good Dennis Seidenberg was.

38:59 He beat a guy at age 16 in Germany,

39:02 who Dennis, another Dennis, Gremelmeyer,

39:05 who went on to become number 58 on the ATP computer.

39:09 - Right.

39:10 - That's how good he was.

39:11 So, but he threatened to go play tennis

39:15 when they was getting a runaround

39:16 from the German national team.

39:18 And they said, okay, no, okay,

39:19 we'll put you on the team, we'll put you on the team.

39:21 And that's why you saw Char and Seidenberg

39:24 together in the Stanley Cup.

39:26 - There you go, I love it, Mick.

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40:48 - Getting back to what like DeBrusque,

40:50 the original sort of what got us off in this tangent.

40:53 - Original six.

40:54 - I think, you know, I'm not gonna trade him

40:59 because I think this team has a legit chance

41:02 to make at least a run of a couple of rounds

41:04 in the playoffs.

41:05 And I think you need DeBrusque in order to do that.

41:07 I think trading him away

41:09 compromises the offensive ceiling of this team.

41:12 Unless you have a solution in house that you think

41:14 can step in and bring that kind of dynamic

41:16 offensive ability, which they don't, you know.

41:19 I don't-

41:20 - He's your deadline pickup?

41:22 - Yeah, I don't think you can move him.

41:24 Well, no, they're gonna go, look,

41:26 they're gonna get stuff at the deadline.

41:29 I have no doubt about it.

41:30 I just don't think it's gonna be a household name-

41:33 - I mean, how you handle DeBrusque,

41:35 you see him as your deadline pick.

41:36 - No, you could, I suppose.

41:38 But like, but the bottom line is if you were trading him,

41:40 you'd have to trade for somebody else to replace him.

41:42 You know, like you're not gonna have anybody-

41:45 - To me, it's a question of what's out there,

41:47 because history tells me that anybody

41:51 who's not playing a series of one-year contracts,

41:54 'cause if they're into their career

41:55 and it's a family decision,

41:57 if you're at DeBrusque stage,

41:58 you're in the prime of your career,

41:59 the young end of your prime, especially,

42:02 then in your UFA and you're in your contract year,

42:06 how many of those players have re-signed with the Bruins?

42:11 And, you know, so to me, he's gone.

42:15 And so- - And if they do re-sign,

42:16 they've re-signed very early.

42:18 They're not re-signing like, you know,

42:20 when the gun is against everybody's head

42:23 and free agency's right around the corner,

42:24 that's not how- - No, no, I don't see it.

42:27 And so if he's walking, then I'm saying, look,

42:31 even if I don't think, whether I do or think this team

42:35 has a chance to make a bit of a run here,

42:39 I would not keep DeBrusque predicated on that

42:43 if I thought I could get a player who trends my team

42:48 more to the kind I think can make a deep run

42:51 next year, if not this year.

42:53 - Well, no, if you- - I would wanna get a guy,

42:55 I would wanna get a guy with a term that I thought

42:57 would trend me in that direction,

42:59 even if he's not as talented as Jake DeBrusque.

43:02 - If you can upgrade or like get somebody in

43:06 that you really like in a trade for him, like, sure.

43:09 But I'm- - The way I get Jeff Chikren,

43:11 I'm doing it. - I'm speaking more

43:13 theoretically of trading DeBrusque

43:15 and getting like draft picks or prospects

43:18 and rebuilding some of that cupboard.

43:21 That kind of trade, I don't see making.

43:23 If the trade that you're talking about, sure.

43:25 If you can bring somebody in that you think could do the job

43:29 or would be a part of the picture

43:31 for the next couple of years.

43:32 - Jacob Chikren. (laughs)

43:34 - Who? - I called Jacob Chikren

43:36 by his dad's name. (laughs)

43:39 - Is it dad or uncle, Jeff Chikren?

43:41 - No, it's his dad. - It's his dad, okay.

43:43 - Yeah, he's a buddy of Bruce Cassidy's up in Ottawa.

43:46 But yeah, I mean, that scenario, Mick,

43:49 that you're laying out, sure.

43:51 You could trade- - If I think I can get

43:52 a player that makes me significantly more

43:55 like what I wanna be going forward

43:57 in a top four defense or in the top six,

44:00 then I'm doing it. - Sure, yes.

44:02 But like just to trade him away to recoup

44:05 some of the draft picks that you've traded away

44:07 over the years- - No, I wouldn't do it

44:08 for that reason. - Or build a prospect cupboard.

44:10 I don't think you can do that with this year's team.

44:13 I think he's too important to what they do,

44:16 and you can't replace him with the guys in Providence.

44:18 Like Fabian Lysel or Georgi Merkulov

44:21 are not gonna replace Jake Dabrowski

44:23 and what he brings to the table.

44:25 All right, Twitter of the week,

44:28 Twitter question of the week, tweet of the week,

44:29 whatever we're calling it.

44:30 We still looking for a sponsor, reach out.

44:35 MJCsenior11 on Twitter, "Nice season or chance for a cup?"

44:40 "Nice season" equals Stan Pat,

44:42 "Play for a cup" equals trade 35, 74, 48

44:47 for a top six forward and a physical presence

44:49 on the fourth line.

44:50 - I want physicality in the top six.

44:57 If I'm moving Dabrowski out of the top six,

45:00 I want the physicality there.

45:02 I don't wanna nibble around the edges of this thing.

45:05 You can get physical guys to play in the bottom

45:09 and on your fourth line or a dime a dozen.

45:12 I want my physical guy to affect my ability

45:16 to forecheck the mentors of the world

45:19 so that when there's a minute left in game seven

45:22 and you lead, he doesn't have enough left

45:24 to bring the puck up and make a great play

45:26 'cause of his all world skill.

45:29 And that's what I wanna see.

45:30 And that's what was missing on their forecheck last year.

45:33 No collective penetration,

45:36 no distraction on their retrievals.

45:40 They just didn't really have any cumulative effect

45:45 on their Ds.

45:46 That's what's gotta come with this.

45:48 I think that they get someone out

45:49 with the team they have right now, they need more.

45:51 - Let's throw out a hypothetical here, Mick.

45:54 Say you could trade Linus, Dabrowski, and Gryzlik

45:59 to Anaheim for Zygris and Gutis.

46:02 Would you do that?

46:03 - No.

46:04 - Why not?

46:05 - I don't like either player enough.

46:06 I do think Gutis had an incredible playoff last year,

46:10 but I think his body of work overall in his career

46:14 is loose cannon, bad penalty waiting to happen.

46:17 And I know Gutis isn't making as much money

46:21 as I originally thought.

46:22 I think it's only like 4 million.

46:23 - Yeah.

46:24 - Zygris, I plain old don't like.

46:26 - Yes.

46:28 - I was gonna say, in that hypothetical situation,

46:31 I'm actually okay with Gutis.

46:32 I think he addresses something they desperately need

46:36 on the back end as somebody that the other team

46:38 is gonna be worried about and is gonna be thinking about

46:40 and is kind of afraid of.

46:43 And I think that that could be a good element.

46:44 Although, like, I saw Brennan Carlo the other night

46:48 in that Winnipeg game, like, throwing around the body

46:51 and playing with a different level of sort of mean

46:53 and physicality that I don't recall seeing very often.

46:57 And it was a different level of ferocity from him.

47:00 And if he can play like that more often,

47:02 like, he could be that guy.

47:04 I just haven't seen that enough from him

47:06 in his career with the Bruins to think

47:08 that that consistently is gonna be there.

47:11 But it made me take note of-

47:11 - Probably not on the baseline, but as a regular,

47:15 and be nice to see it as a frequent accent.

47:18 - Yes, exactly.

47:19 And leaning a little bit more into that.

47:21 Like, if he does that more often,

47:23 I think it negates some of the need

47:25 for that kind of play. - And you know what else?

47:26 And just as an aside, Griz really popped this week.

47:30 He played a more aggressive game.

47:32 I thought that he just really, really was skating

47:35 aggressively and making solid plays.

47:38 And just really, everybody seemed to mean it.

47:41 They were doing it, playing like it was the last game

47:44 of their lives.

47:45 And I just, you know, we don't even talk

47:50 about Wotherspoon this week,

47:51 because this is what he brings every time he goes out there.

47:55 Because in his career stage and the desperation

47:57 that comes with it and the patience he's had to show

47:59 to get to this point.

48:01 I mean, if you had to sit down Kevin Shattenkirk

48:03 and you didn't play back to backs,

48:05 that's the first time this year that Shattenkirk

48:07 hasn't played when they weren't playing

48:09 on consecutive nights.

48:11 So this shows that they're deeper and, you know,

48:16 a four board back.

48:18 You have competition back there.

48:22 And I think the guys back there are feeling it.

48:26 - I think so too.

48:27 And I think Wotherspoon's here to stay

48:29 because I think they're going to lose him

48:30 if they put him on waivers and try to send him back.

48:32 - I agree.

48:32 He cleared in October, he's clearing now.

48:35 - He's not going anywhere.

48:37 And he's a part of this team.

48:39 And I think he should be in there.

48:40 Like, frankly, I think he's a better option

48:42 than Shattenkirk, especially if it's going to be

48:44 sort of a low scoring playoff style game,

48:47 like it was expected to be against Winnipeg.

48:50 - But I, getting back to the tweet, I'm with you.

48:53 I think Trevor Zegers is the reason

48:55 I would not make this trade.

48:57 I would not touch Trevor Zegers with a 10 foot pole

49:01 as far as putting him on my team.

49:03 Obviously he'd be good for business.

49:07 My son loves him.

49:08 The kids love him because of the skills

49:10 he can do with his hands and like the different plays

49:12 he can make that are flashy and, you know,

49:15 that make for nice like TikToks or Instagram stories.

49:18 - The last thing that throws me is another guy

49:20 who's looking for his next Michigan.

49:22 - Yeah, but like that's, you know, the kids love him

49:24 and they would come and pay good money

49:26 and tell their parents they want to come to see the Bruins

49:28 because Trevor Zegers, and they would sell a lot

49:30 of Zegers Bruins jerseys, but the actual on the ice product,

49:34 he's not going to make them better.

49:36 He's not a guy that is gritty in any way, shape or form.

49:40 He's not a guy that I think is into the team game, really.

49:43 He's not a guy that wants to play two-way hockey.

49:46 I think he's a guy that has gotten notoriety

49:49 for being a very flashy, fancy skill player.

49:52 And I think that's going to be his lot in life

49:54 for the entire time he's in the NHL.

49:56 And he's probably always from a numbers perspective,

49:58 even not going to be as good as people think he is.

50:01 Like he's been, he's put up fine numbers,

50:03 but not what you would expect when you hear the amount

50:05 of chatter about him.

50:07 - Yeah, and I hear, I mean, it's a lot.

50:09 I mean, I don't want to add to things.

50:11 I did rumors and rumors about rumors.

50:15 - And not even rumors,

50:16 but did you see the video of Getzloff

50:18 when he was still playing, watching Zgress,

50:20 and I forget who it was before the game started

50:23 with like the little shenanigans they were doing

50:25 before they went out on the ice to play the game.

50:27 And he was just like rolling his eyes and watching them,

50:30 like, what the hell am I doing here?

50:31 Probably like pushed him to retire,

50:33 watching what these kids were doing.

50:35 Have you seen that video?

50:36 - No, I mean, that's a culture that you can't stop.

50:38 I mean, and that's why, you know,

50:40 and that's what kids are now.

50:41 I mean, and some of the older players

50:43 have made these comments too,

50:44 about the skill that the young players

50:47 are bringing into pro hockey.

50:50 They have skills and things and tricks

50:52 and things they do with the puck

50:53 that nobody's even considered trying before.

50:57 They just don't develop.

50:58 They don't work hard at developing those kinds of things

51:01 because they think that they've always been taught

51:03 that no, that'll never make it into the game.

51:05 Don't even try to do it.

51:06 You know, but that's changing.

51:08 That's, and I don't know if that's a trend

51:11 and it's going to keep a roll, you know, happening

51:13 because the physical part of the game is still there.

51:15 And a guy like Zegers will, every once in a while,

51:20 embarrass a team, but every once in a while

51:24 he's going to get knocked into the seventh row too.

51:26 That's a part of life.

51:27 And yeah, my pal, you know, scouting out the ponds,

51:31 he's like 78 years old and he goes around checking the ice

51:34 and you know, like we're 14 years old and tells me,

51:36 "Hey, this one's good."

51:38 He sent me pictures in my email.

51:40 One of the kids out there on the ice, Zegers shirt.

51:42 You know, this is the one, come on.

51:45 So, but anyway, I hear a rumor that I read a story

51:49 that the senators are listening on Chikren.

51:52 And I'm like, well, let's go.

51:56 You know, I mean, I would love to complete the D that way.

52:00 So if there's an opportunity to do something

52:03 that trends me the way things are eventually going

52:05 with this hockey team and that's a building block for me,

52:08 then I'm doing it.

52:09 - Yeah, I think back end is definitely something

52:11 they should be looking at.

52:14 If there's a forward who similarly trends the team,

52:18 then I'm doing it.

52:20 - Yes, I think they should be looking up great

52:22 at the deadline, no question about it.

52:23 Mick, thank you very much.

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53:08 Mick, thank you very much for joining me.

53:10 We'll see you with the rink, bud.

53:12 Everybody else out there, thank you for listening

53:15 and I'll also see you at the rink.

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Should Bruins SELL HIGH on Jake DeBrusk? w/ Mick Colageo | Pucks with Haggs

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