The Bruins New Season Begins...in Kafka-esque Fashion

The Bruins' new season began yesterday, and with it, the chance to erase the memories of last year's terrible collapse.

In all honesty, you could say that about nearly every new season for the B's.

But this year, the promise and expectations are pretty high for the Bruins, and most insiders and fans expect them to be a solid contender in the East.

After yesterday's listless and lethargic 5-2 loss to a very quick and determined Coyotes team, the B's looked solid, alright, as solid and mobile as Prague Castle.

Today, however, the Bruins came out with more energy and edge and looked like the team they need to be to find success this year.

A start in net for a white-helmeted Tim Thomas gave the club a different feel than they had yesterday, but the biggest difference was that the Bruins were skating with the Coyotes' players, whereas yesterday they looked at pains to merely keep up.

Today's game was a complete turnaround. The Bruins came out faster than they had yesterday (or in any pre-season game I saw), and pretty much dictated the play through the game.

The result was a 3-0 shutout win for Thomas, featuring a great wrist-shot from (an energized) Milan Lucic, a beeeeautiful breakaway goal by young wunderkind Tyler Seguin (see photo above, just before the Aliens finished designing Seguin).

The B's now have roughly a week to get back to North America and de-Euro-fy themselves, which means no coalition governments or accepting topless women in public.

Of Note: I still don't understand why Danielle Paille is on the Bruins, and the blatant giveaway that led to a goal in yesterday's game just confirms my confusion; very strange to see a number 11 wheeling around on the penalty kill - it's Gregory Campbell wearing number 11, but I will always associate 11 with PJ Axelsson; I really like Tuukka Rask and think he's a great goalie, but I also think Thomas is the better, more reliable goalie (and he's far better handling the puck);

Bruins Drop 10th Straight Game - Aim for 11 Today

Not only have the Bruins lost 10 straight games, they've lost their last two games in the shootout after surrendering a 2 goal lead.

People talk about teams being "fragile" when they go on losing streaks, but I honestly can't imagine how damaged the Bruins players must be feeling right now.

And my response?

I do not care.

The Bruins are playing well enough to win these games - at least the defensemen and goalies are. The reality is that all the chances that guys like Marco Sturm, David Krejci and Blake Wheeler are getting down low have to be buried. If you are a top six forward, it is not enough to be 'contributing' unless your contributions are goals. The Bruins do not need multimillion dollar backchecking forwards - just ask PJ Axelsson (if you can find him....I think he's somewhere in Sweden).

When a 42 year old Mark Recchi is out-hustling guys TWO DECADES his junior, then something needs to happen to shake things up.

One more point: can someone explain the idea of doing chip & chase (or dump & chase) on the powerplay? Like, you already have possession of the puck, and you have one more player than your opposition. What is the logic behind consistently throwing the puck away into the corner, to then go to try to retrieve it? It is not working, and it is a ridiculous idea to begin with. You already have the puck! Jeez, skate the damned puck in, curl back and set it up. Obviously. Just look at any team with a successful powerplay for examples of how it is done. Man.

The Bruins enter this afternoon's game against the Canadiens one game short of their all-time losing streak record of 11 games. Unless they improve some fundamental things right away, they're going to lose today as well. It pains me to say - especially against the Canadiens - but I can't expect the Bruins to win if their last two games are any indication of where the team is headed.

An absolutely brutal streak will be on the line this afternoon.

bruins sign steve begin, re-up bitz, recchi, boychuk

Two years ago the Bruins made major headlines during the Free Agency period by signing Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard.

At the time, the Bruins club had been eviscerated by a dismal managerial gamble going into the lock-out year (ie: allowing pretty much everyone to walk away on the ill-conceived belief that suitable replacements could be found cheaply and easily in a salary-capped NHL), and the team were left searching for an identity after missing the playoffs in successive seasons. Hence, the signing of two big, splashy players who could both contribute right away and establish the character for the club.

Since that time, the Bruins have largely tried to improve their fortunes by successfully stewarding their younger players, and bolstering them with veteran talent (largely playing specific roles).

The Bruins decided to allow Stephane Yelle to leave via free agency, and in his place comes former-Hab Steve Begin. I make no bones about my dislike of Begin, who once blindsided Savard with a cross check 20 metres away from the play that ended Savard's season, but he is the kind of player the team can use in a variety of situations. He adds grit, some PK ability (which I guess is why he differs from fan-fave Shawn Thornton), and had his best season under Coach Julien in Montreal. Frankly, he's the kind of player that most would rather have as a team-mate than an opponent. Hopefully he stays out of the box and doesn't hurt the team from the inside out.

In other news, the B's also re-upped Mark Recchi, who proved his value throughout the playoffs, chipping in timely goals and leading by example. I am a big fan of Recchi, who, while he has aged, has been rejuvenated by his recent tenures in youth-heavy Pittsburgh and Boston, and provides some guidance for the aforementioned younger players to follow. Welcome back, Mark.

Additionally, the Bruins re-upped Byron Bitz to a multi-year contract (which is very good news, especially in light of Steve Montador leaving via Free Agency), and also came to terms with prospect Johnny Boychuk. I don't know much about Boychuk, but he is one of those players that Bruins faithful have been hearing about for a few years - named the AHL's Defenseman of the Year last season - but remains in the minors. Is this his year to play with the Bigs?

Finally, it looks as though PJ Axelsson will explore the Free Agent market after all, but true to his classiness as a person and a player, will keep the Bruins in consideration as he searches for a potential fit for his services.

bruins free agents, salary cap and next year's plans

This weekend's NHL Draft (taking place just a few minutes away from my house, in fact) has brought a spotlight on the Bruins' players who are not locked to long-term contracts.

In particular, a rumour was circling yesterday involving Phil Kessel, who becomes a Restricted Free Agent as of July 1st, that would see him go to Toronto for Tomas Kaberle. The deal seems to have broken down due to nobody really understanding whether it was Kessel and draft picks for Kaberle, or Kaberle and draft picks for Kessel.

Ridiculous.

This reminds me of how, a few years ago, the Bruins announced they had signed Jonas Hoglund only to have the deal annulled due to a faulty fax machine, or how Ray Shero agreed to become GM only to then change it up and sign with Pittsburgh while the Bruins were organizing the press conference to announce his arrival (on the other side of that, while Shero has the Cup, I think Chiarelli has done the better work as GM).

Regardless, what this all suggests is that the Bruins will probably try to move Kessel rather than ink him to a long-term deal. The money that Kessel will probably demand on the open market (somewhere around $5 million, when he's probably at a stage of his development that should garner $2.75 - $3.5 million) was better spent by the B's on David Krejci - who, while less explosive than Kessel, is a more consistent player in both ends of the ice and is at a different stage of development.

Kessel reminds me of a young Marian Hossa, who entered the league as a legitimate offensive threat but would disappear for long stretches of games. While Kessel had a far better season than last year, and has shown a tremendous amount of character in both his professional and personal life, he does seem to be one of those players that simply needs more experience to fully bloom into a well-rounded NHL player. I have no doubt it will come, but the reality of today's NHL is that the Bruins only have a certain amount of time and cap room to wait for Kessel to become the player he can be.

Having said that, Chiarelli has stated he'll match any offer put forward for Kessel, but given the team's salary cap concerns, I would expect that Kessel will be moved shortly thereafter, regardless of how much they want to retain Kessel.

When the season ended, the B's had several important pieces remaining unsigned - including the aforementioned Krejci and Kessel, but most importantly, Vezina Trophy winning goalie, Tim Thomas. The Bruins made the right move and ensured Thomas will remain with the club for the next four years by inking him to a $20 million contract. Props to Chiarelli for getting this deal done.

This means that backup Manny Fernandez will be allowed to walk (or, more reasonably, hobble) into free agency, and that Tuuka Rask will probably be brought up for NHL seasoning. It should make for an interesting and emotionally explosive goaltending tandem. Hopefully, the Bruins have maintained their stick sponsors through next season.

Matt Hunwick and Byron Bitz are also RFAs this year, and both are young enough and played well enough in the playoffs to warrant contracts. I expect the Bruins will find a way to bring both these guys into the fold. These two are the Bruins' primary concerns after Kessel as they represent high quality prospects with tremendous size and desire to get dirty.

Coming up on Unrestricted Free Agency are defensive stalwarts PJ Axelsson and Stephane Yelle, and ironically, the less-defensively-sound Steve Montador. I believe Axelsson is the longest-serving Bruin but I doubt the B's will be able to retain him with the other players they have to bring under contract. In fact, I would be surprised if, after money is allocated to Bitz and Hunwick, the Bruins have any budget room for another big-ticket UFA, so I suspect they'll all be set free (including Shane Hnidy and the handsome Mark Recchi).

If the Bruins lose / set free Hnidy and Montador, but are able to bring Hunwick under contract, that will mean that he and Mark Stuart will see increased responsibilities next season. I would suspect that Chiarelli will also try to bring in another veteran with a mean streak, as that would retain the identity of the team and offer some mentorship to younger defenders without over-burdening Chara with yet another responsibility.

Prospects Wacey Rabbit, Carl Soderberg and Martin St. Pierre are also Restricted Free Agents with Soderberg being the priority signing. Should those kids all come on board they could serve with the Big Club in limited roles, potentially replacing Yelle and, through group-effort, Axelsson.

I sort of feel like the Bruins can reel in Hunwick and Bitz, give them a bigger role, and try to sign Kessel in order to deal him for other young guns. If they can do the above, and let the other UFAs they have coming up walk away, then they will experience a drop in team depth, but they could get lucky and have some kids fill in admirably (it happened this year with nearly every young kid on the team, with Krejci, Wheeler and Stuart having wonderful years), and still be a very competitive team next year, while building toward the seasons that follow.

On that score, the bigger concern for the future is what to do at the end of next season when Wheeler, Lucic, Mark Stuart and Marc Savard all come up as Free Agents. Ugh. Headacheville.

bruins 4 - senators 3 (SO)

The B's squandered a 2 goal lead in last night's game against the Senators, and actually ended up trailing the Ottawa club until the final few minutes of the match.

Chuck Kobasew got the Bruins 3rd goal deep in the third period, which tied the game and sent the two teams into a scoreless overtime. Ultimately it was a shoot-out goal by PJ Axelsson that secured the win for the Bruins, but it was a wild ride getting there.

Axelsson, despite getting the shoot-out winner, had a really rough game. I noticed that he was playing big minutes for the club, playing on the top line through the first two periods, and on every powerplay, as well as his usual spot on the penalty kill. Maybe he was filling a roster spot left open by Lucic, but the increased minutes did not serve the long-time Bruin well: Axelsson was responsible for two brutal give-aways that led to two Senators goals, and basically looked shaky all night.

Here's hoping that Axelsson retains his place in the shoot-out lineup, but returns to his usual spot on the third line, for the next game.

Tim Thomas did more than keep his team in the game, stopping a few unbelievable chances, including an unreal double-pad-stack in overtime, shutting down a clear breakaway chance.

The Senators looked far more like the club everyone expected them to be this year, rather than the basement dwellers that they have become. However, the Bruins should not have had as much trouble retaining the two-goal lead, and will have to tighten up their game if they expect to beat stronger clubs in this, the run toward the playoffs.

bruins 4 - penguins 2

The Bruins continued their winning ways last night, beating the Penguins in the second half of a home-and-home series, and pushing their current win-streak to 10 games. This is the Bruins longest streak since 1973 (the '73 Bruins featuring Bruins greats Orr, Esposito, and Bucyk).

Manny Fernandez got the start in nets, remaining undefeated at home, and the win gave the Bruins possession of first-place overall in the League.

Bruins goals were scored by Krejci, Alexsson, Lucic and Savard, and despite a more than tw0-minute period where the Bruins were pinned in their own zone, the team came out skating and hitting hard. One notable moment came when 5'9" Vladmir Sobotka leveled 6'3" Jordan Staal at the Bruins blueline -- perhaps a tangible example of every Bruin playing larger than his frame suggests.

I am a little surprised that this Bruins club, despite nightly lip-service about how "hot" or "surprising" they are, still largely remains under the radar of the media and most sports fans. In the hockey-obsessed country I live in, it is far easier to find detailed information about several teams that are under-500 (Senators, Leafs, Oilers), or playing in a baseball stadium.

But perhaps this is a good thing; it is far easier for the Bruins to retain some underdog element of surprise if the media continues to ignore them. I just hope when the hardware is passed out at the end of the season, the efforts of Bruins like Chara, Kessel, Savard, Wheeler, Fernandez, Thomas, Wideman and, most importantly, Claude Julien, are recognized with individual awards -- and the most coveted team-wide award the League can offer.

The Bruins' next game is an afternoon match on Saturday against the Sabres.

bruins 2 - blackhawks 1 (SO)

The Bruins collected another 2 points last night, in a spirited affair against the Blackhawks. The two teams entered the game with the same record, and a similar trajectory of being clubs on the rebound after several seasons of ineffectual play. Both clubs have a mix of bright young stars, a few grizzled veterans and, in Khabibulin and Thomas, goaltending that is often spectacular.

Early in the game, Colin Fraser decided to tangle with Zdeno Chara after a crease-side shoving match, and was knocked unconscious by the Bruins captain, with a single, gloved punch. Ouch. Chara went on to have a solid game, keeping forwards to the outside in his own zone, and setting up Marco Sturm's goal for the Bruins lead.

Jonathan Toews scored for the 'Hawks, and the game remained deadlocked (despite some craaaazy chances) through regulation and overtime.

In the shootout, Bruins defensive-expert PJ Alexsson tallied the game winner, in a surprising inside-out-to-top-shelf-backhand that showed an offensive upside seldom seen in this potential Selke Award candidate.

With the win, the Bruins improve to 7-1-0 in their last 8 games. They also retain first place in the Northeast Division, and jump to second overall in the Eastern Conference.

Good times. Now, don't get cocky.