We are on the document as believing the cap-crunched Bruins ought to preserve each Linus Ullmark and restricted free agent Jeremy Swayman in nearly any circumstance.
Almost.
As we wade into the too-long summer season months for the B’s, there’s one concept that we discover intriguing. Mind you, we’re simply spit-balling right here. But it might be attention-grabbing if the Seattle Kraken would entertain transport their 2022 first-round draft decide, Shane Wright, out east for one of many two Bruin goalies. The guess right here is the one which the Kraken would even think about buying and selling Wright for can be the 24-year-old Swayman versus Ullmark, who’ll flip 30 on July 31.
It could possibly be a franchise-changing take care of a robust risk of being a win-win transfer.
The Kraken signed Philipp Grubauer to a six-year take care of a $5.9 million cap hit earlier than its inaugural season two summers in the past. He had a pleasant little run within the Kraken’s playoff debut, however he’s been simply OK in any other case. In 39 video games this season, the now-31-year-old had a .895 save share and a pair of.85 GAA. The Kraken’s different goalie, Martin Jones, is an unrestricted free agent. It could possibly be an ideal spot for Swayman, who might share the online with the older veteran with an eye fixed towards taking up the No. 1 gig, just like the method he’s within the midst of right here.
Meanwhile, Wright might very nicely be the that No. 1 heart that the B’s have been attempting to develop. Long thought-about the highest decide in final yr’s draft, Wright surprisingly fell to the fourth slot, the place the Kraken scooped him up.
Though the Kraken nonetheless appear to be excessive on him, Wright had one thing of a misplaced improvement yr, bouncing from Seattle, the World Junior championships, Coachella Valley (AHL) and eventually again to juniors and the Windsor Spitfires. He performed a grand complete of 36 league video games.
While no slam dunk to excel on the NHL, Wright’s recreation does have the identical two-way DNA upon which the B’s id has been constructed with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Wright’s entry-level contract would additionally assist the B’s navigate the wage cap the following couple of years.
And wouldn’t Wright be simply the younger man to assist revive the at present dormant Bruins-Canadiens rivalry? When the Habs shocked lots of people – Wright included – by taking Juraj Slafkovsky with the No. 1 decide, Wright gave the Habs’ desk a superb, lengthy stare-down from the stage after he was ultimately picked by the Kraken.
Yes, Wright can be somebody we’d think about shifting Swayman for. It can be extra of of venture on B’s GM Don Sweeney’s aspect, just because Swayman has extra of an NHL resume. And the sensation right here is that we haven’t seen the most effective he has to supply. But given the B’s cap scenario and the paucity of draft picks the following couple of years, Sweeney could must roll these cube.
Rod’s odd take
Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour has been broadly mocked for his post-game feedback, seemingly denying the apparent, that his workforce bought swept by future’s darlings, the Florida Panthers.
“We didn’t lose four games,” Brind’Amour informed reporters in Sunrise. “We got beat but we were right there and this could have gone the other way. It could have been four games the other way.”
It might have, but it surely wasn’t. And that’s as a result of the Panthers, as they’ve finished for a month and half now, bought the massive objective after they wanted it and their opponent didn’t.
Yet after 4 one-goal losses, Brind’Amour’s frustration was comprehensible. Though a well known ref-baiter, Brind’Amour had each motive to be infuriated after the initials missed a transparent high-sticking penalty late in Game 3, which might have given the Canes a chance for a 6-on-4 with the goalie pulled and a couple of minute left on the clock.
But in the long run, his actual anger ought to have been directed towards his personal administration and possession. Before the commerce deadline, the Canes misplaced the sniper they thought was going to get them over the hump, Max Pacioretty, to a torn Achilles tendon.
Instead of utilizing Pacioretty’s $7 million in cap area to get a ahead who’d confirmed he might fill the online, the Canes settled for Jesse Puljujarvi, who had no objectives and one help in seven playoff video games. He was in road garments for the complete Florida sequence. The lack of Pacioretty was compounded when, after the commerce deadline, the Canes misplaced their finest offensive weapon, Andrei Svechnikov, to a season-ending damage. In the top, the Canes simply didn’t have sufficient firepower. They higher get some or this promising run they’re on will probably be over earlier than they understand it.
Captain crunched
Captains wouldn’t have to talk to the media after each recreation, however they do when their groups attain sure strain factors in a marketing campaign. Dallas Stars’ captain Jamie Benn flunked that Leadership 101 examination final week.
Not solely did his workforce lose Game 3 towards the Vegas Golden Knights to fall right into a 3-0 gap, Benn was mainly answerable for the loss when, simply 1:53 into the sport, he regarded down at a inclined Mark Stone and determined it was a superb time to ram his stick into the aspect of Stone’s neck. He was rightly given a five-minute main and recreation misconduct. He then took a go on explaining himself to the Stars’ fan-base through reporters after the sport.
But when he did converse the following day, Benn solely made issues worse when, requested what he’d do in a different way, he mentioned he “obviously would have liked to not fall on him and, I guess, not use my stick as a landing point.”
Whether or not that argument was used with the Department of Player Safety, the league rightly – if surprisingly, contemplating the injury Benn had already finished to his workforce – got here down with a two-game suspension.
As for talking/not talking with the media, not each participant is snug with that course of and that’s tremendous. Benn has at all times appeared to fall into this class. But organizations should think about that after they resolve to place a “C” on a participant’s chest. It’s part of the job.
Dubious about Dubas
That deposed Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas left a whole lot of loyalists behind within the entrance workplace speaks extremely of him. And now we have little doubt that given a second likelihood at a GM job – he’s reportedly interviewed for the open Penguins’ function (B’s assistant GM and capologist Evan Gold has additionally reportedly interviewed as nicely) – he might succeed the place he didn’t in Toronto.
But you do must query how he constructed these Leaf groups. He had almost half his wage cap tied up in three forwards – Auston Matthews ($11.6 million), John Tavares ($11 million) and Mitch Marner ($10.9 million – and one defenseman – Morgan Reilly ($7.5 million). Forever in want of a goaltending improve, he made the doubtful choice of selecting up many of the oft-injured Matt Murray’s ($4.687 million) contract and obtained unproven Ilya Samsonov. By the time they had been knocked out of the playoffs by Florida, each had been spectators whereas 24-year-old Joseph Woll, a veteran of 11 NHL video games, was between the pipes.
Source: www.bostonherald.com