Saturday, March 20, 2010

The beginning on an era; It's Tuukka's time


After Thursday's 3-0 beat down at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins a lot of Bruins fans jumped from the bandwagon; some for good.

It was the most hyped Bruins game of the season, rivaling even the Winter Classic. Tickets were being scalped for twice as much as a Celtics-Cavaliers and even Celtics-Lakers games.

With Bruins fever in the air once again, it seemed that the black and gold could save face in an otherwise disappointing season. The fans had placed a fictional bounty on the head of Matt Cooke, and were willing to pay long into the night for multiple acts of violence towards the newest Boston villain.

Cooke was the most hated cheap shot artist in Boston since Ulf Samuelsson, and Daniel Day-Lewis might as well have starred in the game as fans were expecting blood.

Things started off well enough, with Matt Cooke throwing down with Shawn Thornton. Thornton took the decision and the crowd was pumped for what they thought would be the start of something more.

Long story short, the something more with Cooke never came and the Bruins got blanked 3-0. The loss left a sour taste in people's mouths and have a lot of people tuning out the Bruins for Red Sox Spring training.

With a dozen games to go, Boston will continue to fight for a playoff spot, but at the same time will look towards their future. Tuukka Rask has been the goaltender of choice for coach, Claude Julien since February and look for that to continue down the stretch.

After last season's Vezina trophy winning season, people expected Tim Thomas to carry much of the load in the 2009-2010 campaign. Well, things change, and last season's best goaltender was being out played by a 22 (Now 23) year old goalie of the future.

Rask has been nothing short of spectacular posting the league's best goals against average (GAA) at 2.12, and second best save percentage at .928%.

While Thomas hasn't been awful carrying the 16th best GAA at 2.57 , he has been mediocre and mediocre just doesn't cut it when you're carrying a $5 million cap hit and are the reigning Vezina trophy winner. Here are how the two keepers match-up.

Goalie Min GAA W L OT SO Sv%
Tim Thomas: 2291 2.57 15 17 8 4 .914
Tuukka Rask: 1984 2.12 16 10 4 3 .928

The numbers speak for themselves and Rask gives the Bruins the best chance to win. The question has been asked, who will start for Boston if the make the playoffs? The answer is simple, it will be Rask.

With Rask being appointed the starter going forward, the Bruins have to ask what are they going to do with Tim Thomas. The answer is try and shop him this off-season.

Thomas' name was thrown around at the trade deadline to contenders like Washington and Chicago, although nothing occurred. However, in the off-season teams have a lot more room to deal with and will be more aggressive trying to nab a goalie like Thomas.

Thomas will make $6 million next season, but that goes down to $5 million in 2011-12 and then $3 million in 2012-13. It is not the worst deal in the world for a guy that still has some game left in the tank.

Teams that could possibly be interested in Thomas include, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals.

Thomas does have a no trade clause in his contract, however, and can block any trade. Thomas would likely waive his no trade to play in Detroit. Thomas of course grew up in Michigan and would love to play in hockey town.

That being said, a trade will be very difficult for the Bruins to work out. A trade, however, will likely be a priority for Peter Chiarelli seeing as how Boston will have a lot of holes to fill and cap room is limited.

It looks as if the Thomas era is over in Boston and it sure was a dandy of a ride. With the tank being out played it is time to usher in a new era for the stretch run.

It's Tuukka time, and it may be for many years to come.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Bruins and Chara to talk extension come July


The Toronto Sun has reported that the Boston Bruins are likely to talk extension with Zdeno Chara this summer. Chara is currently signed through the 2010-2011 season, but when it comes to a big time defenseman you always want to try and get him wrapped up before he hits the market.

Oh, and did I mention he is your captain in addition to your best defenseman? My advice to the Bruins is, get it done.

However, there is a lot of business to take care of before the Bruins can get to Chara. Boston has 11 players who will be due for a new deal come season end. The list includes, Mark Recchi, Steve Begin, Miroslav Satan, Shawn Thornton, Andrew Ference and Dennis Seidenberg make up the list of UFA's. Blake Wheeler, Daniel Paille, Vladimir Sobotka, Johnny Boychuk and Mark Stuart will be the RFA's.

Now players like Begin, Satan, and Ference will likely be shown the door, and then Recchi will likely retire. Seidenberg should be a guy that Boston trys to re-sign. The black and gold need another rugged defenseman and Seidenberg is that, however there will be multiple teams in on him and the B's won't have the most cap room.

Entering Monday, the Bruins will stand a lonely point ahead of the New York Rangers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston will face-off against the New Jersey Devils and the one that got away (Ilya Kovalchuk) on Monday night.

This is a big game for Boston, as they have two games in hand on the Rangers, but if they continue to drop hockey games, those games in hand will mean nothing.

So, Peter Chiarelli you thought you had a headache at the trade deadline, wait until this summer when you have to try and re-tool this flawed roster.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Savard diagnosed with Grade 2 concussion


Marc Savard was diagnosed by Dr. Peter Asnis on Monday as having suffered a Grade 2 concussion. Asnis has not determined how much time Savard will miss.

However, the NHL does require players to miss at least one week with a concussion. I have received a lot of texts asking the difference between the three grades of concussions.

Doctor P. Dean Cummings gives the following analysis of a Grade 2 concussion.

The difference between a Grade II and a Grade I concussion is the presence of post-traumatic amnesia (loss of memory after the injury). After sustaining a Grade II concussion, an athlete does not remember events following the impact and may not be able to recall events that led up to the injury.

Athletes are removed from competition for the day after suffering a Grade II concussion. A complete neurologic (nervous system) examination of the athlete is performed immediately. If there are no neurologic symptoms, the athlete may be sent home provided that friends or family members are able to frequently check on the athlete over the next 24 hours. Otherwise, the athlete may be required to stay in a hospital for a 24-hour observation period.

The injured athlete is re-evaluated the following day and again in one week by a physician. If there are no symptoms after one week and no symptoms during testing (both at rest and with exertion), the athlete may return to practice or competition. If an athlete suffers a second Grade II concussion, he or she is removed from competition for a period of one month. An injured athlete may return to play only after exertional testing reveals no symptoms. If a third Grade II concussion occurs, the athlete is removed from competition for the season.


So, after reading Dr. Cummings summary of a Grade 2 concussion things do not seem as bad as they once did. Hopefully Savard will feel strong and be able to return to the ice this month.

The bare minimum here for Savard will be an absence of three games, as Boston has three games this week. Next Monday Savard will be re examined and likely there will then be a timeline put on his return date.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Bruins lose more than a game in Pittsburgh


So, what happened this weekend? On Saturday, Michael Ryder decked Blake Comeau from behind and received a 10 minute misconduct. There has been no word on whether Ryder will be suspended as of Sunday night.

Then today, Marc Savard was blind sided by Matt Cooke in the third period. People are clamoring for a massive suspension for Cooke. However, Mike Richards laid a similar hit on David Booth earlier this season and received no suspension.

If you don't believe me, check out the video's yourself?

Richards on Booth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSILVbnofZM
Cooke on Savard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_F7LEZ78_o

Now, Cooke did hit lead with the elbow, where as Richards got a little more of the shoulder involved. However, Richards got zero games, which means Cooke may only have a few games to sit, if that.

League policy requires players who have suffered concussions to sit out at least one week, Savard will miss at least three games. This means that Savard will at least miss games against the Leafs, Flyers and Habs.

The Bruins released this update on Marc Savard Sunday evening.

Marc lost consciousness briefly on the ice after being struck in the head. He suffered a concussion from the hit. He was not transported to a hospital, but will remain at the team hotel in Pittsburgh with a member of the Bruins' medical staff tonight as a precaution.

No further update on Marc's condition is expected tonight.

Now, apart from the weekend of the dirty hit, there were points at stake. Boston split their games this weekend and currently sit in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

Finally, a lot of you were upset that the Bruins didn't add a significant piece at the trading deadline. Well according to the Ottawa Sun, that piece could come this June.

The Sun reports Tomas Kaberle has a list of three teams he would waive his no trade clause to go to. Those teams are the Rangers, Bruins & Flyers. I would bet Boston will be heavily involved in the Kaberle sweepstakes this June as they were last June when Phil Kessel was nearly moved on draft day for Kaberle.

A heavy day in the hub for its hockey fans. Monday will be a big day when a further prognosis will come out on Marc Savard. Let's all hold our collective breath.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Bruins deadline deals dissapoint


The trade deadline has come and gone, and the end result is not what Bruins fans were looking for. In fact there are likely many Bruins fans jumping off the bandwagon that got pretty full in 2009.

On trade deadline day, the Bruins made some lateral moves, here is the list.

- Boston traded Derek Morris to Phoenix a fourth round pick in 2011. The pick will be a 3rd round pick if Morris signs with Phoenix in the off season. Morris will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

- Florida traded Dennis Seidenberg and Matthew Bartkowski to Boston for Craig Weller, Byron Bitz and a second-round pick in 2010.

Trying to pick winners and losers at the trade deadline is difficult. TSN's Bob McKenzie stated that the Bruins are his biggest loser for the 2010 trade deadline and that the Boston brass knows it.

After watching Peter Chiarelli's 4:30 p.m. press conference today, you can tell that he certainly knows it. The biggest need for the black and gold was goal scoring and even though the talent level was on the low end it is still difficult to come up empty.

If you follow BruinSpace on twitter - http://twitter.com/bruinspace - you would have received the updates throughout the day on potential trades. Yesterday I noted that Marek Svatos and Dennis Seidenberg were two defensemen the Bruins were in on, and Seidenberg did end up here.

After looking at all of the team's moves around the league, I still predict Boston will make the playoffs. However, it would be difficult to expect them to escape the first round.

ESPN's Pierre LeBrun spoke with Chiarelli and the Boston GM said he tried hard to add up front but the price wasn't right.

Well, the price is wrong for now fans, but here's a glimmer of hope for everyone. The Toronto Maple Leafs sold off more players today and look like a slam dunk to obtain a top two pick for the June entry level draft. That would likely net you one of the top two forwards who have been mentioned non stop since the start of the season.

For the record, I am hoping for Taylor Hall...


UPDATE: Bob McKenzie responding to me asking about him branding the Bruins the loser of 2010 draft day ... "Loser label is just a TV device. Real point is they tried to get offensive Fwd and came up short. Sure they are disappointed."

My thanks to Bob McKenzie for getting back to me. He is one of the best.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Monday trade rumor quick hits


Hello fans, here are the rumors flying around out there as of 7 p.m. on Monday evening.

First things first, Peter Chiarelli will hold a press conference on Wednesday at the TD Garden at 4:00 p.m., regardless of whether or not the team makes a trade.

The Bruins are in on Teemu Selanne (Per the Boston Globe) and Dan Hamhuis.

It is going to take a lot to get the Finnish Flash out of Anaheim, but if there is a player out there that is being dangled to pay a high price for it is Selanne.

I was just informed that two defensemen not coming to Boston are Dan Hamhuis and Aaron Ward. Peter Chiarelli apparently doesn't want to pay the price for Hamhuis. However, other outlets say Boston is still in the mix.

As for Ward, there are reports out there that Ward will end up with a Canadien team, either Ottawa or Vancouver.

I was also told the Bruins could acquire Andy Sutton for Toronto's second round pick, (hold from Kessel trade) but the interest isn't heavy for the 6'6 defensemen.

One reason Tim Thomas will not be traded can be shown in the following headline. Hannu Toivonen (The once thought Bruins goalie of the future) was just traded to the Rockford IceHogs (Chicago's AHL affiliate.)