Tag: Chara

Bruins Make the Right Move and Name Bruce Cassidy Head Coach

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In yet another season that could have easily gone down the tubes real quick, the Bruins finally ripped off the band-aid and axed Claude Julien in February. Enter The Boss, Bruce Cassidy. Say what you will about Claude, good coach, awful coach, whatever. One thing was clear, he had lost the ability to jolt the team. Or he just refused to make the necessary changes in style. But if the Bruins stand pat and don’t fire Julien, the Bruins 100% miss the playoffs for the third year in a row. That shit is unacceptable in a city like Boston, especially with the core they have now with Bergeron, Marchand, Pastrnak, Tuuka, Chara and Krug. Too many good players to not at least find your way into a Wild Card berth.

Under Cassidy the Bruins went 18-8-1 and they looked like an entirely different team. Cassidy had the team playing a much more up tempo game, had the defense jumping into plays and helping create offense rather than cycling it around and slowly lugging the puck up the ice as they had under Claude. Obviously guys like Krug thrived under the renewed style that offered them a lot more freedom, which is when you started to see 4 and 5 goal outbursts.

Cassidy was the Providence Bruins head coach for 5 years and acted as Don Sweeney’s go-to guy when Don was Director of Player Development. So Cassidy has worked closely with the young players in the Bruins system and has an intimate knowledge of whats coming through the pipeline and how to best take advantage of these players skill sets. I’m excited to see what he can do with a full offseason of working with Charlie McAvoy because that kid looks like a bonafide stud who will fit Cassidy’s style perfectly.

So the Bruins made the right move in removing the interim tag from Bruce Cassidy’s head coach name tag.

Bruins in Free Fall; Reportedly Discussing Trading Rookie Defenseman Brandon Carlo

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CSNNE – “The entire Bruins management group should be fired on the spot if they trade a 20-year-old, top pairing shutdown defenseman on an entry level contract like [Brandon] Carlo unless they are getting a bona fide superstar in return…[Gabriel] Landeskog is not a bona fide superstar. He’s a good player that’s topped out at 26 goals and 65 points in the NHL…If the price were right for Landeskog it would make all the sense in the world for the Bruins to deal him, but it’s a giant honking red flag that Colorado is looking to unload a player like him that’s signed for a reasonable $5.5 million price tag over the next four seasons. Teams don’t trade young players like that with term unless there’s more to the story, and that’s something the Bruins would do well to consider before giving up a player that could be a top-4 shutdown defenseman in Boston for the next 10 years.“

It’s that time of year again; the annual Bruins make a panic trade and move key assets just to maybe try and get the No. 8 seed. They’ve done it the last two years, trading away prospects and draft picks for guys like John Michael Lyles. I mean to be fair the Bruins haven’t traded away a really good young player in like 3 years.

Coming into the year, the Bruins defense core was supposed to be a disaster and would ultimately be what sank the team. Except Chara has played very well (and stayed healthy), Krug’s been solid, even McQuaid has made an impact this year with his physicality (when the linesmen aren’t holding his arms down). But, the emergence of Brandon Carlo as a top pairing defenseman has been the lone bright spot to this so far shitty season. Guy is a 20 year old rookie who has been playing like a future centerpiece.

Now if the rumors from Bleacher Report are true, then the Bruins are looking to make a deal for Colorado’s winger Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog is 24, was a former No. 2 overall pick and has four 20 goal seasons. So why are the Avalanche looking to get rid of him?

Sounds like a pretty good player to get back, but I’m skeptical. I’m with Haggs on this one; red flag city. This team is a dumpster fire that is probably going to miss the playoffs again. I don’t want to see the Bruins burn the prime of guys like Bergeron, Rask and Marchand, but I also don’t want to see young guys getting dealt in panic moves just to get the No. 8 seed.

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Or who knows, maybe this is our version of the Dallas Tyler Seguin trade. Maybe we’re getting a steal because the other team is run by morons for a change.

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