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Post by pletchner on Aug 19, 2023 2:07:13 GMT
Well NHL.com prob hasnt seen Merk as much as the guys here telling you hes gonna be on the team at some point. But a lot depends on the Geek, cuz I cant see any of Zacha/Coyle/Merk playing fourth line C. So Geek would have to get demoted (to 4th line) opening a spot in the top 9 for Merk. I doubt they start Merkulov at centre when he comes up. I could see Freddy getting a shot at C before they turn to Merkulov just for the defensive end of the ice and not getting out-muscled on inside ice. And here's the issue for me on the eye test at the junior or AHL level in a nutshell - people thought Jack Studnicka was going to be the solution at C. I saw him play in junior; people who saw him play in the AHL raved about him. His numbers in his rookie season were fractions off of Merkulov. Both of them couldn't touch Frankie Vatrano's numbers. It is generally true that it's far better that these guys look good in development leagues than not, that they put up good numbers and get rave reviews from those who watch them play. But the jump is huge, and one of the hardest things to evaluate, in my mind, is how a player will do at the next level. Some guys just have to acclimate. Other guys can't, or can't quickly enough. I love watching the process, but I remain a skeptic on any individual player. Think about the opposite - Marchand. Came up as a 4th liner. Not that highly touted. Got to the NHL and took his game to the next level. It’s MUCH more rare than the Studnicka situation. But it’s consistent with the “you never know” philosophy.
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Post by bookboy007 on Aug 19, 2023 13:01:57 GMT
I doubt they start Merkulov at centre when he comes up. I could see Freddy getting a shot at C before they turn to Merkulov just for the defensive end of the ice and not getting out-muscled on inside ice. And here's the issue for me on the eye test at the junior or AHL level in a nutshell - people thought Jack Studnicka was going to be the solution at C. I saw him play in junior; people who saw him play in the AHL raved about him. His numbers in his rookie season were fractions off of Merkulov. Both of them couldn't touch Frankie Vatrano's numbers. It is generally true that it's far better that these guys look good in development leagues than not, that they put up good numbers and get rave reviews from those who watch them play. But the jump is huge, and one of the hardest things to evaluate, in my mind, is how a player will do at the next level. Some guys just have to acclimate. Other guys can't, or can't quickly enough. I love watching the process, but I remain a skeptic on any individual player. Think about the opposite - Marchand. Came up as a 4th liner. Not that highly touted. Got to the NHL and took his game to the next level. It’s MUCH more rare than the Studnicka situation. But it’s consistent with the “you never know” philosophy. Well...yes and no there. Marchand was a third rounder because he had a rep as a shithead with some emotional intelligence issues. But he was on Team Canada for two world junior gold medals and had 4-2-6 in 7 games in his second stint. First tour, he got himself benched by the coaching staff for something other than his play on the ice. He probably doesn't slip to the third round if he's taller and doesn't have that rep. Took him 4 full years post draft to make it. But it's true. It would have been easy to write him off as a guy who was more likely to take a stupid penalty than score a big goal. And i am all for hope; just hate the expectations and then people getting down on a prospect and the team because they mis-calculated their expectations. Lots of players in the Merkulov situation in the last 20 years who have been in that spot.
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Post by bookboy007 on Aug 19, 2023 13:25:10 GMT
An incomplete list of players the Bruins have acquired who were once in the Merk's shoes.
Bjork - Hobey candidate after a huge final year at ND. 12 points in his first 30 NHL games.
Spooner - 57 points in 59 games as a rookie in Providence.
Heinen - big success in Denver, then 44 in 64 as a rook P-Bruin.
Donato - 26 goals in 29 games at Harvard, 9 points in 12 his first taste of the NHL.
Acciari - playoff scoring hero for Providence leading them to an NCAA title
Sobotka - better than a point per game after coming over to the AHL
Fatrano - GAG in the AHL
Kuhlman - sort of...decent rookie totals in the AHL.
Czarnik, Camper, Kemppainen (huge playoff the year before he came over), it could be a long list.
Point is these are scratch tickets. Mostly low acquisition cost for a potential windfall, so why not? But they aren't a substitute for a job.
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Post by wayne on Aug 20, 2023 0:42:51 GMT
interesting as everything Ive read says Murky is closer Whats your view on Brown? He's a 31 yr old journeyman. So you know what you're getting. He'll play hard, but he gets exposed. He did in both Philky and Ottawa. Neither roster had room for him. He's the most puzzling signing this offseason. It was puzzling to me thats for sure maybe someone of Merkulov/Lysell/McLaughlin/Beecher/Steen/Poitras/Harrison will push him out or the Bruins pick up a #1 centre or another Zacha type otherwise DeBrusk-Zacha-Pastrnak Marchand-Coyle-Frederic Boqvist-Geekie-JVR Lucic-Brown-Lauko Greer
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Post by sandogbrewin on Aug 20, 2023 12:21:21 GMT
I doubt they start Merkulov at centre when he comes up. I could see Freddy getting a shot at C before they turn to Merkulov just for the defensive end of the ice and not getting out-muscled on inside ice. And here's the issue for me on the eye test at the junior or AHL level in a nutshell - people thought Jack Studnicka was going to be the solution at C. I saw him play in junior; people who saw him play in the AHL raved about him. His numbers in his rookie season were fractions off of Merkulov. Both of them couldn't touch Frankie Vatrano's numbers. It is generally true that it's far better that these guys look good in development leagues than not, that they put up good numbers and get rave reviews from those who watch them play. But the jump is huge, and one of the hardest things to evaluate, in my mind, is how a player will do at the next level. Some guys just have to acclimate. Other guys can't, or can't quickly enough. I love watching the process, but I remain a skeptic on any individual player. Sure, but your minor leagues expand your depth and a few get called up every year, even if its for a short spell. Merk was very good in his freshman/only season at Ohio State, and he was very good for the PBruins last year. Not sure if he'll start with the team (probably wont) but hes got 2 years on Lysell. If they need someone at some ponint for a top 9 role (temporarily) hes a good candidate to get the call. As I envision this happening (again , even if its just for a short spell) - I find it likely we'll see him at some point. If its a 4th line forward needed - I would guess Beecher would get that call up. I like Merkulov because he's fast, can score, and has found success everywhere he went. And most importantly - cuz Danny like him. But annointing him any kind of answer or future NHL mainstay I am not. Because I am also skeptical of em all (like you). But someone has to get called up at some point, and Merk is intriguing. Reason you might see Beecher first is because he's better than Merkulov and Lysell defensively and can play PK. Also if the 4th line centers, Sweeney signed, aren't playing. Both vets are expendable through waivers.
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Post by shuper on Aug 21, 2023 1:39:43 GMT
Seeing Toews mentioned as a good fit. I can see that working.
If that is the move to finish the fwd group I really hope they can find a top 4 def.
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Post by kelvana33 on Aug 21, 2023 4:43:15 GMT
Seeing Toews mentioned as a good fit. I can see that working. If that is the move to finish the fwd group I really hope they can find a top 4 def. I think he just announced he’s taking the year off for health reasons.
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Post by shuper on Aug 21, 2023 11:53:06 GMT
Seeing Toews mentioned as a good fit. I can see that working. If that is the move to finish the fwd group I really hope they can find a top 4 def. I think he just announced he’s taking the year off for health reasons. Not sure it’s the entire. Prohockeyrumours have Bruins interested. I trust that site more than NAS favorite hockeybuzz.
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Post by bookboy007 on Aug 21, 2023 13:34:55 GMT
I think he just announced he’s taking the year off for health reasons. Not sure it’s the entire. Prohockeyrumours have Bruins interested. I trust that site more than NAS favorite hockeybuzz. I saw something on Shitter (that's how you say it now, right? with a Spanish X like "sh") to the effect that the Bruins have reached out to express interest in both Toews and Kane. No clue how they make THAT work unless there's some kind of Kariya/Selanne thing where they both take minimal cash for one year to take a run, but if they're willing to do that, why not do it in Edmonton or Colorado? Or with the Rangers. Or hell, pick an up and coming team like Kane's hometown Sabres and try to push them over the top the way the Hawks blew off the top of the mountain in 2010. Agree that it doesn't sound like Toews is done for the year. Just, like Kane, going to take some time off and think about what's next.
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Post by dannycater on Aug 21, 2023 13:45:04 GMT
Toews and Cane ending in Chicago..and Bergeron/Krejci's end in Boston. I think I like how the B's pair felt their whole career should be with B's...The Chicago 3-Cup pair won't call it quits early. So another jersey for Kane and probably one for Toews.
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Post by bookboy007 on Aug 21, 2023 16:54:16 GMT
Toews and Cane ending in Chicago..and Bergeron/Krejci's end in Boston. I think I like how the B's pair felt their whole career should be with B's...The Chicago 3-Cup pair won't call it quits early. So another jersey for Kane and probably one for Toews. It's funny how the two franchises are intertwined in this era just because they came of age together. It was one Cup each when they met in the 2013 Final, and while it took the Bruins longer to get back to a third Final...that they didn't win..., the decade from 2010 to 2019 saw these two teams combine for 4 Cups and six trips to the Finals. Both had a #1C who was more Selke candidate than Art Ross. Both had a Norris winner on D. Both had goaltending. Both had great depth and solid coaching. In the clear light of day, it's OK to say that Chicago was the better of the two. Scoreboard alone makes it hard to disagree, and the Bruins didn't quite have the perfect alignment of the stars where Marchand was a 100 point winger at the same time as Lucic was a 30 goal scorer the way the Hawks had with Kane and Hossa...and Sharp for that matter. Imagine if you will David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand of the 2019 vintage playing with Bergeron at the same time as the Bruins rolled out prime Lucic and Horton/Iginla with Krejci. 2013 might have looked a lot different. But I've always said the one thing you have to adjust when looking at the two side by side is the age of the cores. When the Hawks won, Keith was 26, 29 and 31; Kane was 20, 23 and 25, and Toews one year older. First Cup for Sharp was when he was 27, and for Hossa at 30, so the last one put Hossa at 35. Seabrook was 24, 27, 30. Hjalmarsson started at 22. For the Bruins, in 2011, Chara was already 33, so 35 in 2013 when they went head to head, and 41 with a broken jaw in 2019. Tim Thomas won the Conn at 36. Bergeron and Horton were 25, Krejci 24. Lucic and Marchand were kids, at 22. So they weren't greybeards like the approach the Penguins are taking this year, but that 3-4 years younger for Toews and Kane vs. Bergeron and Krejci, and the 7 years for Keith vs Chara and 3-4 for Seidenberg vs Seabrook, and especially the loss of Thomas at 38.... The Bruins had more wear and tear, and they had to make more structural changes at the top of the lineup sooner than Chicago did, which is partly how Chicago rode the same core a third time through six years after their first Cup. Some of that comes from how these teams were built with Chicago doing a pretty amazing job at the draft - bolstered by some luck and a long string of DNQs - where the Bruins made some great choices at the draft in a short period of time and the supplemented with high end UFAs and savvy trades. I think the 2013 Bruins would have beaten any other team in that Finals if Chicago had faltered, but that was the year they started something like 20-0-1 in a shortened season. When we look back on that season, we remember the Bruins' close call against the Loaves, but not the Hawks's near miss against the Wings in round two. They had to fight back from 3-1 down, and then down 2-1 to start the third in game 6. They tied it in the first minute of the third, and never trailed again, winning game 7 in OT after Zetterberg tied it at 1 in the third. Bruins v Wings would have been a interesting matchup. But I'll take the Bruins.
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Post by 50belowzero on Aug 21, 2023 17:01:47 GMT
Regardless of how the season starts and who the B's top 2 C's are, there will be a few good to really good C's that shake loose from their current teams that Sweeney can take a shot at guaranteed. They could shake loose sooner rather than later as ell.
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Post by 50belowzero on Aug 21, 2023 17:03:34 GMT
I think he just announced he’s taking the year off for health reasons. Not sure it’s the entire. Prohockeyrumours have Bruins interested. I trust that site more than NAS favorite hockeybuzz. Speaking of NAS i haven't noticed him around lately, did that Panthers run do him in? Too much excitement, high blood pressure and all?
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Post by sandogbrewin on Aug 21, 2023 17:06:11 GMT
Toews and Cane ending in Chicago..and Bergeron/Krejci's end in Boston. I think I like how the B's pair felt their whole career should be with B's...The Chicago 3-Cup pair won't call it quits early. So another jersey for Kane and probably one for Toews. It's funny how the two franchises are intertwined in this era just because they came of age together. It was one Cup each when they met in the 2013 Final, and while it took the Bruins longer to get back to a third Final...that they didn't win..., the decade from 2010 to 2019 saw these two teams combine for 4 Cups and six trips to the Finals. Both had a #1C who was more Selke candidate than Art Ross. Both had a Norris winner on D. Both had goaltending. Both had great depth and solid coaching. In the clear light of day, it's OK to say that Chicago was the better of the two. Scoreboard alone makes it hard to disagree, and the Bruins didn't quite have the perfect alignment of the stars where Marchand was a 100 point winger at the same time as Lucic was a 30 goal scorer the way the Hawks had with Kane and Hossa...and Sharp for that matter. Imagine if you will David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand of the 2019 vintage playing with Bergeron at the same time as the Bruins rolled out prime Lucic and Horton/Iginla with Krejci. 2013 might have looked a lot different. But I've always said the one thing you have to adjust when looking at the two side by side is the age of the cores. When the Hawks won, Keith was 26, 29 and 31; Kane was 20, 23 and 25, and Toews one year older. First Cup for Sharp was when he was 27, and for Hossa at 30, so the last one put Hossa at 35. Seabrook was 24, 27, 30. Hjalmarsson started at 22. For the Bruins, in 2011, Chara was already 33, so 35 in 2013 when they went head to head, and 41 with a broken jaw in 2019. Tim Thomas won the Conn at 36. Bergeron and Horton were 25, Krejci 24. Lucic and Marchand were kids, at 22. So they weren't greybeards like the approach the Penguins are taking this year, but that 3-4 years younger for Toews and Kane vs. Bergeron and Krejci, and the 7 years for Keith vs Chara and 3-4 for Seidenberg vs Seabrook, and especially the loss of Thomas at 38.... The Bruins had more wear and tear, and they had to make more structural changes at the top of the lineup sooner than Chicago did, which is partly how Chicago rode the same core a third time through six years after their first Cup. Some of that comes from how these teams were built with Chicago doing a pretty amazing job at the draft - bolstered by some luck and a long string of DNQs - where the Bruins made some great choices at the draft in a short period of time and the supplemented with high end UFAs and savvy trades. I think the 2013 Bruins would have beaten any other team in that Finals if Chicago had faltered, but that was the year they started something like 20-0-1 in a shortened season. When we look back on that season, we remember the Bruins' close call against the Loaves, but not the Hawks's near miss against the Wings in round two. They had to fight back from 3-1 down, and then down 2-1 to start the third in game 6. They tied it in the first minute of the third, and never trailed again, winning game 7 in OT after Zetterberg tied it at 1 in the third. Bruins v Wings would have been a interesting matchup. But I'll take the Bruins. Daugavins and Wesley need to have a dedicated night at TD.
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Post by chappy28 on Aug 28, 2023 15:43:43 GMT
An incomplete list of players the Bruins have acquired who were once in the Merk's shoes. Bjork - Hobey candidate after a huge final year at ND. 12 points in his first 30 NHL games. Spooner - 57 points in 59 games as a rookie in Providence. Heinen - big success in Denver, then 44 in 64 as a rook P-Bruin. Donato - 26 goals in 29 games at Harvard, 9 points in 12 his first taste of the NHL. Acciari - playoff scoring hero for Providence leading them to an NCAA title Sobotka - better than a point per game after coming over to the AHL Fatrano - GAG in the AHL Kuhlman - sort of...decent rookie totals in the AHL. Czarnik, Camper, Kemppainen (huge playoff the year before he came over), it could be a long list. Point is these are scratch tickets. Mostly low acquisition cost for a potential windfall, so why not? But they aren't a substitute for a job. I think Merkulov is above a lot of those guys when we are talking about offensive ceiling. Just so happens that's what we need right now too. Of all the quotes, articles, etc that I've seen the one consistent things is that everyone who has coached or evaluated casts no doubt that the kid has high end offense and vision and the only thing holding him back is his defense. To me, that means he just needs to commit and keep working hard. If Ovi can learn how to do something other than hit people and score, then Merkulov can figure out how to backcheck and cheat a bit less. I remember reading an interview with the kid at the beginning of last year and one thing that stood out to me was him saying that he came over from Russia to play in the NHL and he's taking the fastest path there. Now sure, all prospects are essentially doing the same, but the way he talked about it make it seem like he had some serious conviction to come over here and play at the highest level and he was going to do what it takes to get there. Let's just say he didn't go to OSU for the education or the chicks, he went because he decided that was his fastest path to the show. He picked the Bruins for the same reason --- aging centers, opportunities coming. Fingers crossed the kid can back up the swagger
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Post by bookboy007 on Aug 28, 2023 17:02:45 GMT
I think Merkulov is above a lot of those guys when we are talking about offensive ceiling. Just so happens that's what we need right now too. Of all the quotes, articles, etc that I've seen the one consistent things is that everyone who has coached or evaluated casts no doubt that the kid has high end offense and vision and the only thing holding him back is his defense. To me, that means he just needs to commit and keep working hard. If Ovi can learn how to do something other than hit people and score, then Merkulov can figure out how to backcheck and cheat a bit less. I remember reading an interview with the kid at the beginning of last year and one thing that stood out to me was him saying that he came over from Russia to play in the NHL and he's taking the fastest path there. Now sure, all prospects are essentially doing the same, but the way he talked about it make it seem like he had some serious conviction to come over here and play at the highest level and he was going to do what it takes to get there. Let's just say he didn't go to OSU for the education or the chicks, he went because he decided that was his fastest path to the show. He picked the Bruins for the same reason --- aging centers, opportunities coming. Fingers crossed the kid can back up the swagger Maybe. I hope he can and it would be great for the Bruins if he does, but I don't have any expectations that he will. Part of this is that I don't put a ton of stock in a lot of what is out there for public consumption on prospects. For example, the Bruin said they were putting Senyshyn in a third and fourth line role because they knew he could score, but he needed to work on his details. He learned details; he forgot how to score apparently. But he's a lightning rod, so forget I brought him up. Objectively, I look at Merkulov's progression like this. He came over to play in the USHL because the CHL didn't offer him much of a chance to play. If your goal is the fastest path to the NHL, you don't take the path that includes a possible 4 year commitment where you can't have an agent, can't sign PTOs, can't play pro hockey even though you could by age and development path. He did great in the USHL, but it's good to remember that on his team and at the same age, Trevor Kuntar was the leading scorer for that Youngstown team, and had 20 more points and 22 more goals than Merkulov. Both the Merk and ... other guy ... went undrafted at 18. Kuntar was drafted by the Bruins at 19. Merkulov was the Phantoms' leading scorer in points/game the next year, but went undrafted again. He didn't go to OSU until he was about to turn 21. As a player who had never been drafted, he could have signed an AHL contract instead if one had been offered. I'm assuming either no one offered him a contract at that point, or no one offered a deal that gave him a realistic path to the NHL. Good for the Bruins because they got him after his good rookie year at OSU. But all of this leads me to believe that if it was clear to everyone what a gifted offensive player he is, and all he needed to learn was the defensive side of the game a) someone would have chucked a 7th rounder at him and b) someone would have signed him when he was unrestricted before he went to the NCAA. I'm also not so sure that he picked the Bruins because of the opportunities at C, but works out for him if it works out for him. I think it's much more likely that the team that took two of his teammates in the 2020 draft had more of a book on him than most NHL teams and thought he was worth a gamble. I am not aware that he had other offers. The real challenge for a player like Merkulov is to be able to translate his offensive game while also playing D. We've talked for years about how their commitment to a full 200' game cost 37 and 46 some points along the way, and what made them remarkable was how much they could create offensively while always being where they needed to be defensively. Merkulov has shown he can score at every level over here so far - that's great - and he was a passable +4 last year as the leading scorer in Providence. But that next jump is a killer, and guys who aren't point/game or better in the A don't typically go up and kill it in the NHL. It's not a curse, but a really nice first season is far from a guarantee that his production will offset some shaky learning curve stuff on D. So yeah, fingers crossed, but like that list of other guys who I had my fingers crossed for as well, Merkulov's not an NHL top 9 forward until he is.
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Post by fifthline on Aug 28, 2023 17:13:34 GMT
Which is why I have my money on Count Farinnaci - he’s modeled his game after Bergie and he’s got the Donato blood line and coaching. waaaaahhhh
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Post by bookboy007 on Aug 28, 2023 17:51:25 GMT
Which is why I have my money on Count Farinnaci - he’s modeled his game after Bergie and he’s got the Donato blood line and coaching. waaaaahhhh I generally expect maybe 1/20 undrafted college UFAs to have anything more than a journeyman career. In recent memory, the Bruins already hit with Krug, so anyone else would be a golden ticket. But you can't win if you don't play, so spend the Cryptkeeper's cash and spin the big wheel.
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Post by The OC on Aug 30, 2023 18:15:09 GMT
Which is why I have my money on Count Farinnaci - he’s modeled his game after Bergie and he’s got the Donato blood line and coaching. waaaaahhhh I generally expect maybe 1/20 undrafted college UFAs to have anything more than a journeyman career. In recent memory, the Bruins already hit with Krug, so anyone else would be a golden ticket. But you can't win if you don't play, so spend the Cryptkeeper's cash and spin the big wheel. Farinacci's not undrafted though... a third rounder to Zona in '19. So in keeping with big wheel, he's closer to Wheeler than Krug in terms of pre-signing career, though still a ways from #5 pick. I do think he immediately jumps to be among the top Bruins prospects right away as a guy who was picked 76th but has improved his stock since being drafted. I'd view him now as a first/second rounder who at 22 has had full development time and ready to shoot his shot as an NHL player.
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Post by umainebruinsfan on Aug 30, 2023 18:45:43 GMT
I would love for all of the positive prospect talk to come true. Farinacci becomes the next Bergeron. Merkulov becomes a great scorer and is able to play a good enough 2 way game to play C and not wing, Beecher becomes a top notch defensive C who can be 3C, Poitras is a future star with the most upside in the system. Any 1 of these things could be true, and I'm not going to pretend to know more than anyone else on this board.
HOWEVER... There is a reason that for 2 years in a row, we have been ranked as the worst farm system in hockey. So the likelihood that the next Bergeron or Krejci is in the system is extremely low. In contrast to the title of this thread, I don't think we need two top 6 centers because I think Zacha can be great in the middle of a line with Pasta and whichever LW fits best with those 2. But I firmly believe, Sweeney should have been spending the summer working on finding a top 6 C and the cap space to acquire said top 6 C. I'm not the Bruins GM and I don't have inside info, but I would think trading away money from the LD (Gryz, Forbort) or trading Ullmark either directly for a 2C or trading for other assets and cap space to acquire a 2C is what this franchise needs more than anything. It is franchise need/priority #1.
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Post by bookboy007 on Aug 30, 2023 20:49:04 GMT
I generally expect maybe 1/20 undrafted college UFAs to have anything more than a journeyman career. In recent memory, the Bruins already hit with Krug, so anyone else would be a golden ticket. But you can't win if you don't play, so spend the Cryptkeeper's cash and spin the big wheel. Farinacci's not undrafted though... a third rounder to Zona in '19. So in keeping with big wheel, he's closer to Wheeler than Krug in terms of pre-signing career, though still a ways from #5 pick. I do think he immediately jumps to be among the top Bruins prospects right away as a guy who was picked 76th but has improved his stock since being drafted. I'd view him now as a first/second rounder who at 22 has had full development time and ready to shoot his shot as an NHL player. Huh. Funny, I didn't pay much attention to the signing because I saw Dexter, Harvard, Donato and said f*** this, I've been down this road.... Funny, though, that the Bruins seem to really like that well in Arizona. Blake the Flake, Cliffy, Callahan and now Farinacci all guys drafted by they 'yotes and signed as NCAA UFAs by the Bruins. I don't know that I see him as a first rounder. Point/game production at Hahvahd as a 22 yr old doesn't get my hopes too high. Flip side of having had his full development time is that there my not be a lot of ceiling left to explore. But in a limited prospect pool, he may well jump to the top 3-4.
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Post by bookboy007 on Aug 30, 2023 21:32:29 GMT
I would love for all of the positive prospect talk to come true. Farinacci becomes the next Bergeron. Merkulov becomes a great scorer and is able to play a good enough 2 way game to play C and not wing, Beecher becomes a top notch defensive C who can be 3C, Poitras is a future star with the most upside in the system. Any 1 of these things could be true, and I'm not going to pretend to know more than anyone else on this board. HOWEVER... There is a reason that for 2 years in a row, we have been ranked as the worst farm system in hockey. So the likelihood that the next Bergeron or Krejci is in the system is extremely low. In contrast to the title of this thread, I don't think we need two top 6 centers because I think Zacha can be great in the middle of a line with Pasta and whichever LW fits best with those 2. But I firmly believe, Sweeney should have been spending the summer working on finding a top 6 C and the cap space to acquire said top 6 C. I'm not the Bruins GM and I don't have inside info, but I would think trading away money from the LD (Gryz, Forbort) or trading Ullmark either directly for a 2C or trading for other assets and cap space to acquire a 2C is what this franchise needs more than anything. It is franchise need/priority #1. Why do people think the Bruins have one of the worst farm systems in hockey? There's a massive difference btw a bad system or a weak system and being low on exciting prospects. I had a quick look at a recent Hockey Writers (not that I ascribe any more credibility to them than others) ranking and it was telling: 32: Tampa, 31: Colorado, 30: Vancouver, 29: Boston, 28 Pittsburgh, 27: NYI, 26: Florida, 25: Vegas, 24: Philly, 23: Washington. In the bottom 10, you have the winners of 8 of the last 9 Cups and the runner-up in the off year. Like the Bruins, the Panthers have a Presidents Trophy and a Finals appearance, while T-Bay made Finals a third time and lost. Shame to be Vancouver, the Islanders and Philly and be in this company without it being the consequence of long term and elite success. These exercises almost always focus on the players in the system and not the system. Since they lost the Finals to Chicago in 2013, the Bruins have made 9 first round picks, 3 of them in the ill-fated 2015 draft. They've been without a first rounder 4 times. With their first rounders, they have acquired Pastrnak, McAvoy, Debrusk and Frederic while Beecher and Lysell are still among their top prospects. Outside of the first round, they've added NHL players in Donato, Heinen, Carlo, Lauzon, Vladar, Lindgren, Studnicka, Swayman, and I'd say Lauko. No one in the last five drafts has made the jump yet, but only Beecher and Lysell are first rounders in the last 5 years and both only turned pro last year. So between the 2013 draft and the 2018 draft, the Bruins drafted and developed 13 NHL players. Two of the first rounders are major trophy level talents in McAvoy and Pastrnak. DeBrusk is top six, Freddy top 9. Carlo is a top 3D, Lindgren a 2-3, and Swayman is a starter quality goaltender. That's not a bad system. I'd love someone to do what I've seen done for college football where reporters have broken down the recruiting edge that well-resourced teams have because of their systems. Alabama has a perpetual motion pool for players to rehab; hot and cold tubs; physio and massage services; a state of the art gym etc, etc, etc. Southwest Left Ball State Technical and Agricultural University and Taco Vendor has a couple of old tires, some of those super heavy shipyard ropes, and a gravel parking lot with a couple old Ford Pintos they use as tackling dummies before the Head Coach drives one of them home. I want a systems ranking that looks at the following: number of full-time scouts; geographical coverage by the scouts; investment in electronic tools to support scouting; investment in analytics to support scouting (I think most of it's bullshit, but that's was true of every flight design until the day the Wright Brothers got it right); quality of the training facilities at minor league affiliates; investment in coaching for minor league affiliates; investment in skills and development coaches; investment in developing tailored offseason development plans for all prospects; supplementary medical care and support for all affiliated players. Because in the end, most teams don't f*** up at the draft. They take the kid who almost every other team would take where they took him, with a growing variability the longer the odds get deeper into the draft. That's partly why there's almost always one top 10 pick who does nothing. Chance hurts. But show me the team that is putting its money behind development in a way that helps the kids you get through the draft max out their potential. That's a system ranking. The other thing is just a wanker version of looking at who was worst in the standings in recent years.
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Post by bookboy007 on Aug 30, 2023 21:42:41 GMT
Just to fill out the "at least one in every draft"
2005 - #10 Luc Bourdon died in a motorcycle accident. Picks 13, 14 and 16 never played an NHL game. 2006 - #8 Peter Mueller had a great rookie year and then 15 great games three years later with Colorado but was out of the league after less than 300 games; picks 15 and 16 combined to play 27 games. 2007 - Two Words: Zach Hamill. But also #10 Keaton Ellerby and #15 Alex Plante. 2008 - #6 Nikita Filatov; the ill-starred Kyle Beach at 10. 2009 - #8 Scott Glennie; #9 Jared Cowen 2010 - #10 Dylan McIlrath; #13 Brandon Gormley 2011 - #11 Ducan Siemens; #12 Ryan Murphy 2012 - #1 Yakupov; #4 Reinhart, #8 Derrick Pouliot; #10 Slater Koekkoek 2013 - #11 Sam Morin. 2014 - #5 Dal Colle; #7 Hayden Fleury 2015 - None. Nevermind. let's move on.
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Post by The OC on Aug 30, 2023 23:00:08 GMT
Farinacci's not undrafted though... a third rounder to Zona in '19. So in keeping with big wheel, he's closer to Wheeler than Krug in terms of pre-signing career, though still a ways from #5 pick. I do think he immediately jumps to be among the top Bruins prospects right away as a guy who was picked 76th but has improved his stock since being drafted. I'd view him now as a first/second rounder who at 22 has had full development time and ready to shoot his shot as an NHL player. Huh. Funny, I didn't pay much attention to the signing because I saw Dexter, Harvard, Donato and said f*** this, I've been down this road.... Funny, though, that the Bruins seem to really like that well in Arizona. Blake the Flake, Cliffy, Callahan and now Farinacci all guys drafted by they 'yotes and signed as NCAA UFAs by the Bruins. I don't know that I see him as a first rounder. Point/game production at Hahvahd as a 22 yr old doesn't get my hopes too high. Flip side of having had his full development time is that there my not be a lot of ceiling left to explore. But in a limited prospect pool, he may well jump to the top 3-4. I think it's more a case of college players not wanting to play in Zona, and wanting to play in a city they already love. I think there's a little more to like with Farinacci than his last year of college. Captain of USA Under 17 and 18 teams, point/gm in both tourneys. 5G,2a for gold-winning USA team at '21 WJC. The guy's been a high level prospect for a very long time, and has delivered results. At this stage I put him at the level of Frederic, Beecher and Stunicka in terms of a guy with a lot of nice signs but hasn't blown things out of the water up until this point. That's why I say 1st-2nd round pick. One thing I will say, is unlike those other three potential new Bruins centers, he's not a 6'3" guy with a "low downside". He's 6', 185lbs with skill, speed and a good head for the game. If he makes it, it will probably be as a top-6 C because he could think the game quickly at the highest level. If not, trash heap before his ELC is up. He's the kind of high-risk, reward player a lot around here have wanted drafted. Except it didn't cost a pick.
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