Sports book reviews by John Marsinelli

Hello all, I would like to introduce to you all a very good friend of mine.

John Marsinelli is a coworker, friend and a sports-a-holic such as myself. He is into reading and reviewing sports books. I've known John for a little while now and he continually tells me about the books he has read. So when I decided to reopen this, I figured I would ask him to join so that he can put his reviews out to the masses.

A little known fact about John is that he is a great kid, he constantly is doing things for charity, and is also training to run in the Christie Clinic marathon (which was cancelled this year due to the coronavirus).
John has aspirations to be a police officer and LOVES White Claws!

Lets all give John a warm welcome and I hope you all enjoy his reviews.

Thank you

What now?

As I mentioned in my last post, there is no NBA, MLB, NFL, or NHL. So what is there to do for a sports lover such as myself?
Well, I am constantly seeing that both the NBA and NHL are trying to find common areas where all teams can play, which might make the games play into the late dog days of summer forcing them to make the start of next season later into the year. I for one would welcome the NHL to be playing into the late into the summer, because the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs have to be one of the most exciting playoffs out there. It seems that its the only sport in which a 7th seed team can get hot at the right time and take it all the way to a championship. For me that is the most exciting thing that the NHL provides.

The NFL is stating that they aren't going to be changing anything that they do (schedule wise). I have to say that for the first time in a  long time, I actually paid attention the NFL draft this year. It has to be one of the most entertaining drafts I have seen in a long time. Ones I've watched in the past I have fallen asleep on the couch within an hour, that's mainly due to the drawn out process of the picks, introducing and pop and circumstance that comes along with it.
This years draft moved quicker, gave us a glimpse into these soon to be pro bowl athletes world and even the commissioner seemed human and to enjoy it. The commentary was good and it had very little hiccups (well at least not to my knowledge.)

MLB is, well MLB. They haven't done much, the cheating scandal hasn't been talked about for a while, The Red Sox traded Mookie and Price, but what else is there?... Go on, I'll wait.
Exactly, nothing! I have lost so much interest in MLB that I don't have much to talk about. The players salaries are so high, their replay system isn't working too well, and their product just seems long winded and over saturated.

The NBA is trying to get back to business as usual, but are having a hard time getting teams on board and finding specific areas where they can play. They constantly toss back and forth the idea of playing in empty stadiums, but most players aren't on board with that, and honestly... who can blame them? They deserve to play in front of their fans, just as much as the other leagues. I'm not a NBA expert (nor am I an expert at any sports), but they will figure it out and continue on.

As much as I want sports to come back so I can spend my Saturday and Sunday nights with a ice cold beer and being stressed out watching my beloved Bruins, I'd much rather have a vaccine made and for this to stop taking our loved ones away.
Sports is a a healer, sports unites people. Sports allows strangers to have something in common, makes dinner with extended families more enjoyable. But now is the time to follow the restrictions, stay inside when your supposed too. Thank the Dr's, EMT's, Police and Fire associates.Thank a nursing home associate and all health care workers. Thank a dispatcher, a grocery worker, a retail worker. Thank the Dunkin Donuts worker that's there at 5am to make sure you have you medium regular coffee.

Thank you to all.

Rick Nash, Bobby Ryan Not Headed to B’s

I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news (or good news) to some of you Bruins fans, but you shouldn’t be expecting Rick Nash or Bobby Ryan to join the B’s this season.  According to media outlets including ESPN Boston, Peter Chiarelli has told Anaheim and Columbus that David Krejci and Milan Lucic are absolutely unavailable for trade.  In addition to this, 20-year-old star Tyler Seguin and top prospect Dougie Hamilton are ‘untouchable’ for the Bruins. 

According to ESPN, the Bruins and Ducks had ‘exploratory talks’ regarding Bobby Ryan, but without throwing Krejci in the mix it is extremely unlikely that any sort of deal will be reached.  There had been speculative talks last season before Krejci signed his contract extension that he might get traded to Anaheim in a package for Ryan.  However, Chiarelli has made it clear that the 25-year-old Czech is not going anywhere anytime soon. 

Nash, on the other hand, costs way too much.  The Columbus Blue Jackets’ asking price has been way too high for all of the teams on Nash’s list this offseason.  His list of teams includes the Bruins, Rangers, Flyers, Sharks, Red Wings and Penguins. Columbus has reportedly requested any combination of Krejci, Lucic, Seguin or Hamilton from the Bruins for Nash.  Peter Chiarelli would never let this will never happen.

Seeing as the Flyers are out of the Nash race (they just signed Shea Weber to a 14 year, $100M sheet) and the Bruins are out, that leaves the Sharks, Rangers, Red Wings and Penguins.  The Red Wings and the Rangers both have ample cap space to sign the 5-time all-star, but any trade for Nash will require a costly package. 

We’ll see what happens, but we can all say with a high degree of certainty that neither Nash nor Ryan will be in Bruins’ black and gold next season.

P.J. Axelsson Back to NHL?

Former Bruins forward P.J. Axelsson wants back into the NHL.  Axelsson’s agent confirmed to New England media outlets that Axelsson is currently talking with two NHL teams about returning to the NHL.  The 37-year-old Swedish forward was a career Bruin, spending 12 years with the organization before leaving after the 2008-2009 season.  Since then, he has been playing in the Swedish Elite League for his hometown team, Frolunda. 

The 6’1”, 190-pound winger was always a reliable depth scorer for the Bruins organization.  Spending most of his time on the third offensive line, Axelsson scored 103 goals and had 184 assists in 797 career games for the B’s.  While Axelsson’s agent did not explicitly confirm that he was engaging in talks with the Bruins, it would not be surprising considering the fact that the Bruins organization was the only NHL organization he has ever been a part of. 

Could the Bruins use a player like Axelsson?  Hell yes!  While Axelsson isn’t the grittiest player in the world, he still brings that “Recchi-esque” leadership and grit to the B’s dressing room.  The Bruins have expressed that finding a player to step up as the Mark Recchi from 2010-2012 this season is crucial to the club’s success moving forward.  As we all saw last year, without that presence the Bruins were much less successful and often looked sluggish during the second half of the season.  Axelsson brings grit, attitude and intelligence to the game.  In addition, P.J. would bring good skating and two-way play to the Bruins as well.  And, (I know I keep harping on this), Chris Kelly has the ability to unlock scoring ability in older players on the third line.  Look at the contributions Brian Rolston made to the Bruins after last years trade deadline.  He was nearly a point-per-game player, and proved to be one of the Bruin’s most consistent offensive forwards. 

I think that acquiring Axelsson would be a fantastic move for the Bruins.  I remember when I used to go to games as a kid, my favorite players were Guerin, Axelsson, Stock and Samsonov.  This guy is one of my favorite Bruins of all time! He loves Boston, and Boston loves him.  He brings veteran leadership and grit to the locker room.  And he could also prove to put up some decent numbers on the Bruins third line.  I’m guessing that acquiring P.J. wouldn’t cost too much, seeing as he just wants to end his career in the NHL regardless of how much he might be making. It would be great to see Axelsson carry out and finish his hockey career with the B’s.   Chiarelli, get on it!

Bruins Make Best Offseason Move Yet (Kind of)

You’ve all seen Slap Shot right?  It’s easily one of the greatest hockey movies ever. And if you’re from the Boston area and love hockey, you’ve got to know about the ‘Charlestown Chiefs’ of the Federal League!  Well, the Boston Bruins just picked up Christian Hanson off of free agency. 

You must be thinking, “Wait… Hanson, Slap Shot, is this what I think it is!?”

Yes, the Boston Bruins signed the son of Dave Hanson, who was one of the Hanson Brothers in the movie, Slap Shot. EPIC MOVE CHIARELLI! EPIC MOVE!

Not really though, the 26 year old Hanson has yet to play a full season in the NHL… but he has been able to have 20-30 point seasons in the AHL.  The 228 lb, 6’4” Hanson will probably stay on the Providence Bruins for the entire 2012-2013 season but we’ll see where this goes.  I just think if this guy ever gets called up to the big squad, he’s going to a cult hero.  Bostonian hockey fans love the movie Slap Shot. This kid is practically Boston royalty even if he doesn’t score a single goal with the B’s this year.  Hanson’s contract is worth $600,000 for one year. 

Making Moves! Sort of…

But hey! Chiarelli did something! At least we know that Peter Chiarelli is still alive…  Now it’s time to buckle down and sign a difference-maker or two.  C’mon Petey Boy!

NHL Transaction Madness Through 7/9

I’m just going to go over a few of the key free agent signings in the past week or so and talk about the relative impact for their teams.  I’ll also talk about some the big names that are still out there that could be good for our Boston Bruins.  Since the North East division has been kind of beefed up this offseason, I expect Chiarelli to make some kind of move for a forward or two.  Let’s get into the free agent madness though:

C Olli Jokinen – 2 years, $9M, from Calgary to Winnipeg

The 33-year-old Jokinen will be entering his 13^th NHL season this year with the Jets.  This is a pretty devastating loss for Calgary in my opinion because of the impact it will have on Jarome Iginla.  The Jokinen-Iginla 1-2 punch in Calgary had always been a great scoring combination, but once again Jokinen will be playing somewhere else.  The Jets have been having a pretty good offseason now after signing crafty center Ponikarovsky from the Devils and now Jokinen.  I predict Winnipeg’s first line consisting of the 20 year old Evander Kane (who had a breakout 57 point season last year), Jokinen and Blake Wheeler (who had 64 points last season).  I think that Jokinen will definitely bring Kane’s game up with him in Winnipeg next year, and there’s no doubt that the members of this line will all exceed 60 points next season.  Great move for the Jets, they’re going to have tremendous offensive depth next season.

LW Jiri Hudler – 4 years, $16M, from Detroit to Calgary

Nasty

Calgary lost Jokinen, but acquired Hudler who is coming off of a 50-point season in Detroit.  The 28-year-old has a great two-way game and can score, pass, play on the power play and penalty kill.  He also has some nasty dangles… check out his shootout videos on YouTube! When it comes down to it, he's a utility guy who will do whatever Calgary asks him to do.  I expect that he’ll stay behind Alex Tanguay on the depth chart only because of Jarome Iginla’s chemistry value with Tanguay, but he should be able to have a 40-50 point season with Calgary.  Despite being a little pricy, the 4-year contract will ensure strength at left wing for the Flames.

RW Jaromir Jagr – 1 year, $4.55M, from Philadelphia to Dallas

The Salute!

Yay! I can stop hating Jagr now that he’s no longer on the Flyers! Awesome move by Dallas, Jagr is well worth the price. Dallas has been having an incredible offseason so far with acquisitions including Derek Roy, Ray Whitney and now Jaromir Jagr. Jagr gives you physical play with added scoring and veteran experience.  Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson, Michael Ryder and Ray Whitney are all 60+ point scorers for the Dallas Stars. Then you throw Derek Roy (44 points) and Jagr (54 points) in the mix and you’ve got yourself 2 exceptional lines of offensive production.  If Kari Lehtonen plays at the same level he did last season I believe the Stars have a good chance of making the playoffs.  Watch out for Dallas, they’ve got a lot of talent on the offensive end and two new old guys who will make everyone else look silly!

LW Steve Sullivan – 1 year, $1.85M, from Pittsburgh to Phoenix

This was definitely an attempt to fill the void left by Ray Whitney in Phoenix. The 38-year-old utility forward will be going into his 16^th season next year and brings a veteran presence plus leadership to Phoenix.  Phoenix had an incredible run last year, making it to the Western Conference Finals and giving the LA Kings a bit of a scare after winning two straight to come back 3-2 in the series.  However, with the loss of the Coyotes leading goal scorer, Ray Whitney, I’m not sure they will be the same team they were last year.  While Steve Sullivan is a guy who can put up between 40 and 50 points a season, he’s no Ray Whitney.  However, the Coyotes are a fairly young team (average age of 27 years old, not including goalies) and maybe Sullivan will have a bigger impact than I think in Phoenix.  He also knows how to play with superstar players like Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.  This is a more important intangible than most people think.  All in all, however, I don’t see Phoenix having the same success that they did last year.

D Jason Garrison – 6 years, $27.6M, from Florida to Vancouver

Why the Canucks, Jason… Why?!

Curse you Canucks! Why do you take away the guy that I wanted to join the Bruins? So the ‘Nucks drop Aaron Rome and pick up Jason Garrison.  Not bad… but worth a $4.6M cap hit every year? No way! I think Garrison was way overpaid for.  While the 27-year-old Garrison did score 16G and 17A last year, I don’t think he’ll continue to put up those numbers for the next 6 years.  Maybe I’m wrong though… he did have a fantastic year last year running the Panthers power play and had the third most goals as a defenseman in the NHL last year.  He can also hit and play solid defense. He’s a physical defenseman with a wicked slap shot and a high hockey IQ.  Will he continue to score like he did last year though? Doubtful. Maybe I’m just bitter that the Canucks got him instead of us… At least they overpaid him and lost that cap space, I guess?

I also wanted to include that the Nashville ‘Messiah,’ Alexander Radulov, is headed back to the KHL for another 4 years.  The kid can score, there’s no doubt about that, but the lack of effort and poor attitude landed him back in the KHL.  He applied no defensive pressure whatsoever and had a terrible playoff run with the Preds.  Hopefully more time in Russia will help his two-way game.

Radulov's Defense…

By the way, if you're reading this wondering, "Where the hell is the Parise/Suter coverage?!" read a little further back in the blog and you'll find it.  Follow me at @bearbluni and follow the blog on @SportsBlaggah for more NHL transaction news.

Parise and Suter Join Minnesota Wild

#PariseWatch and #SuterWatch are over.  Americans Zach Parise and Ryan Suter have signed with the Minnesota Wild.  They both signed to 13 year, $98M contracts today.

The dynamic left-wing Parise and premier offensive defenseman Suter are both 27 years old and have the best days of their NHL careers ahead of them.  I had a hunch that Parise would end up signing with his hometown team in Minnesota, but I honestly did not see Suter following him there.  Both players bring a dynamic offensive game, playoff experience and locker-room presence to the club. Last season the Wild started off strong but could not keep it together after December.


These two additions will undoubtedly make the Minnesota Wild a playoff bound team next season.

Congratulations to the Minnesota franchise and Parise and Suter.  Minnesota will have one of the most, if not the most, highest powered offenses next year.

I will have blogs regarding other big free agent signings including Jaromir Jagr and Jason Garrison in the near future. Follow me on twitter @bearbluni for NHL signing news and updates.

NHL Transaction Madness Through July 1st

Before we get into everything happening in the NHL, let's quickly recap what's been happening with out Boston Bruins

Bostonians Resigning:

G Tuukka Rask – 1 year, $3.5M

C Chris Kelly – 4 years, $12M

C Gregory Campbell – 3 years, $4.8M

LW Daniel Paille – 3 years, $3.9M

New Bostonians:

LW Chris Borque – 2 years, $1.1M from Washington

Bostonians Moving On:

D Greg Zanon – 2 year, $4.5M to Colorado

LW Benoit Pouliot – 1 year, $1.8M to Tampa Bay

D Joe Corvo – 1 year, $2M to Carolina (THANK GOD!)

OK.  Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s go over some of the key signings from the past few days.  I don’t really want to talk about teams resigning players because it’s not nearly as exciting to me – so all of these transactions that I’ll be discussing are big players moving to a new team.  And, again, these are just going to be little tidbits about the big moves happening right now. I’m actually on vacation – and if I were to go in depth about all of these moves I would be missing out on a life.  Yes, contrary to popular belief I actually have a life.

 

G Tomas Vokoun – 2 years, $4M, from Washington to Pittsburgh

As we all saw in last year’s playoffs, Fleury’s play can be a little inconsistent.  The signing of Vokoun is huge for the Pens who will have added depth in between the pipes and will always have Fleury forced to prove himself as a starter.  This pressure may force Fleury to step up his game and play better and more consistently down the stretch.  Great move for the Penguins, at an affordable price.

D Dennis Wideman – 5 years, 26.25M, from Washington to Calgary

Good for Wideman! That’s a pretty hefty contract!  Glad to see a Boston guy do well elsewhere.  The guy had a great season with Washington and was voted to his first All-Star game.  Last season he had 8G, 35A, 46P while averaging nearly 24 minutes of ice time per game.  I wonder if he’ll end up pairing with Bouwmeester? That’d be fun to watch!

RW Brandon Prust - 4 years, $10M, from NYR to Montreal

Man oh man; this is going to spice up the Boston-Montreal rivalry for sure. Prust is a grinding enforcer who will bring energy and veteran leadership to the Habs.  Ranger fans have been crying on twitter all day about him leaving.  Last year he had 5G, 12A, 17P and 156PIM in 82 games.  He will bring some fourth line production and major enforcement.  His tough and gritty play style is exactly what Montreal needs after a soft season.  Also, $2.5M a year ain’t bad for a 4^th liner eh?!

RW Pierre Parenteau – 4 years, $16M, from New York Islanders to Colorado

Damn, this upset me.  I wanted Chiarelli to go after PA, but Colorado got to him first.  We’ll see what kind of damage he can do alongside Matt Duchene this year in Colorado.  The Avalanche top line just got a lot scarier.  I keep saying that Parenteau is an underrated top 6 forward who can bring scoring and power play success and quite frankly I think he earned his contract after his last two seasons on Long Island.  The 1-2 punch from Parenteau to Duchene will be beautiful to watch next year.  You heard it first from me.

LW Ray Whitney – 2 years, $9M, from Phoenix to Dallas

Here’s a little confession, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Dallas Stars because of my love for Mike Modano.  Seeing a great player like the Wizard shipping off to Dallas made me smile.  He’s 40 years old but shows no signs of slowing down.  Last season he had 24G, 53A, 77P and a +26 rating for the Coyotes.  Yeah, he’s 40 years old!  Good move by Dallas to pick him up for 2 years. While expensive, Whitney will bring leadership and top 6 scoring to Dallas.  I’d really like to see him play with former Bruin forward Michael Ryder next season.  Hopefully he can help Ryder develop into a premier sniper in the NHL.

 

D Filip Kuba – 2 years, $8M, from Ottawa to Florida

All of my friends from Ottawa are really upset about losing Kuba.  I think Florida picked him up to fill Jason Garrison’s skates, which means he won’t be signing back with the Panthers. Chiarelli, pick him up!!! Last season Kuba had 6G, 24A for 32P with the Senators in 73 games.  4 million a year is a whole lot, can’t blame the guy for leaving.  He’ll bring 13 years of experience to the up-and-coming Panthers team as well. 

RW Arron Asham – 2 years, $2M, from Pittsburgh to NY Rangers

Not that big of a deal, just thought I should include it because this was clearly in response to losing Prust to Montreal.  Asham had 5G, 11A for 16P last year with the Penguin’s fourth line.  He also had 76 PIM.  Asham is a cheap, and smart, solution to losing Prust.  He will do well in Tortorella’s gritty system.

There is MUCH more to come in the next few days. Parise, Suter, Nash, they’re all on the move to somewhere.  I’ve heard from several NHL sources that Parise and Sutter are fielding offers from 20+ teams right now, and are expected to have answers in the next day or so.  Will the Bruins be one of those teams?  No, they will not. Chiarelli has repeatedly claimed that he intends to keep quiet during this free-agent frenzy because he believes the B’s have all of the necessary parts to win the Cup already.  I’m not sure I 100% agree with that, but he’s the GM not me.  I expect tomorrow to be an insane day in the NHL.  I’ll keep you all posted. 

B's Offseason Needs

Note* I accidentally deleted the blog I wrote today… so now I’m rewriting it from memory. #BloggerProblems

There are 3 areas of concern on the Bruins roster heading into the 2012-2013.  The B’s need a top 6 forward, an offensively minded defenseman and a veteran presence for next year.  If the Bruins pursue and acquire players that fill those voids, I think they will have a very good chance of being Stanley Cup contenders for the upcoming season.  Here are 3 players that I think would be best for the job.

Throughout this blog, keep in mind that the Bruins have about $3.9M in available cap space.  In addition to this, placing Marc Savard on the long-term injury reserve could potentially free up $4M in cap space.  If Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli were also to find a way to trade away Tim Thomas’ contract, that would also free up another $5M in cap space.  So, for this blog, let’s hypothetically assume we have $12.9M in cap space to work with. 

Top 6 Forward - PA Parenteau

Coming off of an 18G/49A/67P season last year, Parenteau is one of the top playmaking free agents this offseason.  Unfortunately for him, the Islanders are going nowhere and have not actively tried to establish any sort of contract extension with him.  The 29-year-old right-winger could step up in Nathan Horton’s position if there are any lingering health issues (which, there will be).  Parenteau comes relatively cheap, probably no more than $1.75M.  After his 67-point season earning a measly $1.25M, he definitely deserves a better deal.  Parenteau is attractive for the Bruins because his best years are still ahead of him, and he wants to sign a multi-year deal with a successful team.  I think Parenteau would be a fantastic pick for the Chiarelli and the B’s.

PA Parenteau looking goofy as hell

Offensively Minded Defenseman - Jason Garrison

You read that right.  Jason Garrison of the Florida Panthers would be the best pick for the Bruins to fill this void.  Last season Garrison had an outstanding 16G, 17A and 33P.  9 of his 16 goals came on the power play, where he was also able to tally 3 power play assists.  After the Joe Corvo experiment, I can understand any concerns with “puck moving defensemen,” but I think Garrison is different. The 28 year old is bigger and stronger than Corvo, and has a more solid defensive game.  In addition to this, he comes relatively cheap.  His 2-year contract with the Panthers was only worth $1.35M, Chiarelli could easily lock him up at an affordable price, no more than $1.25M a year.

Nice shot by Jason Garrison

Veteran Presence - Jamie Langenbrunner

Although he’s not the gifted goal scorer he once was, we’re talking about the Captain for the USA Olympic team here.  A two-time Stanley Cup champion and Olympic Silver Medalist, Langenbrunner brings that veteran experience to the team similar to what Mark Recchi brought in 2011.  Although his goal scoring ability has significantly tapered off at age 36, (6G, 18A, 24P in 70GP last season) he’s a leader who can energize on and off the ice. We should also take into account what happened when Brian Rolston joined the Bruins last year.  The 39 year old had a renaissance with the Bruins, becoming a consistent point-per-game player on the third line.  Perhaps the Bruins could energize Langenbrunner as well?  Langenbrunner is a bit more expensive, costing a $2.75M cap hit, but it is not unreasonable for him to be expecting less in the future.  I could see him going for $2.25M to a team that would promise him a starting job and a chance to play out the rest of his career on a winning team. 

Captain America beating Canada's Marty Brodeur

Hypothetically speaking, these 3 acquisitions would cost around $5.25M, give or take.  This is within the Bruins spending threshold and can be done given that Marc Savard is placed on the long-term IR, and Chiarelli finds a way to get rid of the Tim Thomas cap hit.  With any luck, we’ll see one, two or hopefully all three of these players in Bruins black and gold come the beginning of the season.  

PouliOUT, Caron In

The time has come for the 20 year old Jordan Caron to prove himself as a depth player for the Boston Bruins.  Despite Benoit Pouliot having a NHL career high season in points last year (16G, 16A, 32P) on the Bruin’s third line with Chris Kelly, he was blocking a starting job from Caron for most of the season.  Chiarelli made the right move in trading him to Tampa Bay for picks.  Last season, despite playing about half of the Bruins regular season games, Caron proved his worth with 7 goals and 8 assists for 15 points. These are all career high numbers for the 20-year-old winger, who played consistently well down the final stretch of the season.  Despite Pouliot being a fan-favorite with his flashy goals and dangles, he was oftentimes guilty of costly mistakes including bad penalties and giveaways. Caron could prove to be high scoring power-forward for the B's at a young age.  He is absolutely a key piece of the Bruin's future franchise.  

The potential for Caron to have a breakout season alongside Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley is absolutely there.  Last season Chris Kelly had an outstanding season, with the third best +/- in the league of +33 along with 20G and 19A.  Rich Peverley has also proven that he could play a first or second line winger anywhere else in the NHL.  With the injury to Nathan Horton, he was called upon to play for the Lucic and Krejci line and responded well.  In 57 games (due to a knee injury) Pevs had 11G 31A and 42P.  Both Peverley and Kelly also provide veteran experience and leadership to their game.  A lot of Boston hype focuses on rising superstar, Tyler Seguin, but down the final 20 game stretch of the regular season we all saw how depth scoring solidified the Bruins success. 

Love seeing the puck behind Carey Price

There has been a lot of talk regarding adding a ‘Mark Recchi-esque’ player to the 2012-2013 squad.  I don’t think this will be Brian Rolston.  Although Rolston was nearly a point-per-game player in his tenure with the Bruins last season, he’s not of the same caliber as Recchi.  Rex was a consistent 40-60 point scorer for the last 10 years of his career and a winner of 3 Stanley Cups.  In his Stanley Cup winning season with the Bruins he had 48 points and 35PIM.  He was clearly much more of an impact player than Rolston could be in Boston.  We’ll see what Chiarelli decided to do in this situation, but with a healthy return of Nathan Horton next season there is no doubt in my mind that Pevs, Kells and Caron will be the starting third line for the Boston Bruins.

By the way… Who else can’t wait for hockey season?! 

Wait… We Drafted A Subban?

I’d first like to apologize for my recent absence from the blog.  I was entertaining a few guests this weekend at my home.  Yes, I do have a life.

So – let’s talk hockey!  This weekend was the NHL draft, and while it’s not as exciting or talked about as the NFL draft, this season’s draft will proved to be exceptionally exciting for the B’s.  This year was widely regarded as one of the weakest drafts in recent memory.  Despite this, the Bruins made some good moves. 

With their first pick in the draft, the 24^th pick overall, the Bruins selected netminder Malcolm Subban from the Belleville Bulls.  That name should sound familiar.  Subban.  Malcolm is the younger brother of PK Subban, the infamous blue-liner for the Montreal Canadiens.  Last year with Belleville, he posted a 25-14 record with a 2.50 GAA and a .923 save percentage.  The kid is good, for sure.  He is a Subban though… and I strongly dislike PK. Malcolm will have plenty of time to work on his game in the upcoming Canada/Russia junior series, where he will be starting. 

A Tale of Two Subbans

The goaltender pick also further solidifies the fact that Tim Thomas will not be returning to the Boston Bruins this year… and most likely won’t return the year after. 

After I asked him what he thought about a Subban on the B's

In the third round, the Bruins selected Charlestown native, Matthew Grzelcyk.  I am absolutely pumped about this guy.  The kid is set to play for Boston University in the fall, and has already played for the United States Team Development Program.  In time he could prove to be an elite offensive defender.

Grzelcyk’s father actually worked at the TD Garden for 35 years.  The kid is a young local hero, who plays a great two-way game and has superior playmaking vision.  After further development and growth, I have no doubt that Grzelcyk could be a player like Drew Doughty for the Bruins.  A reliable offensive defenseman who can contribute on the power play is dire need for the Bruins organization.  

Charleston's Grzelcyk

The Bruins traded Benoit Pouliot away to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a fifth round pick.  With that pick, the Bruins selected Seth Griffith from the London Knights.  He’s a highly productive forward who proves time and time again that he can be in the right place at the right time.  He was absolutely a solid pick in the fifth round.  He was second in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) with 47 goals last season.  His strong hockey IQ and quick release will provide the Bruins with better scoring depth. 

Later on in the fifth round the Bruins picked up Cody Payne.  The 6’2, 201 pound Payne is a gritty, strong enforcer who is not afraid to drop the gloves.  His 13 fighting majors with the Plymouth Whalers last year led his team. While he’s not necessarily a gifted goal scorer, he’s a third or fourth line forward who can provide energy for the Boston Bruins.  Beantown hockey has always emphasized willingness to drop the gloves and defend your teammates.  Payne will certainly fit in well with that play style. 

All in all, the Bruins had a successful draft and I think Subban and Grzelcyk will be solid in the future of the Bruins organization.  I am still curious to see how the rest of this off-season pans out though… with free agents like Nash and Parise, more excitement is yet to come.