Puck Talk

Well, as predicted, it’s certainly been a topsy-turvy couple of weeks for the NHL since last we spoke. Free agents continue to sign with teams on a daily basis. News trickles in by the hour. Rumors are constantly flying. By the time you sit down and try to capture everything that’s going on there’s another change to absorb. With apologies for anything we miss by the time this goes to print, Puck Talk attempts to assess the state of the Bruins as we move into the second week of August.

Two weeks ago the Bruins roster consisted of Patrice Bergeron, Ian Moran and Tom Fitzgerald at a combined price of about $1.5 million. Now we’re up to 11 players at a price of over $15 million. (The exact amount is unknown as a couple of the deals haven’t been fully disclosed yet) The big moves were re-signing Glen Murray and the addition of unrestricted free agents Brian Leetch and Alexi Zhamnov. They also added Dave Scatchard, Brad Isbister, Shawn McEachern and Jonathan Girard to the roster.

Of all the signings, Murray’s the one I like best. Easily. $4 million a year sounds about right. He’s 32 years old so he’s still got some good years in him. He’s a proven 30-goal man that’s probably a little undervalued. Plays hard. Doesn’t complain. Gives you an honest effort in the defensive end. Apparently good friends with Joe Thornton for what that’s worth. I like it. I’m glad we’re hanging on to Muzz.

Leetch? Well, the age factor is obviously the biggest concern. He’s 37 years old I believe and at times looked every bit his age playing with the Leafs. Having Brian Leetch in 2005 is a lot different than having him in 1994. But it’s only a one-year contract. I don’t think it’s that big a deal. If it doesn’t work out everyone can part ways. If the extra rest he got as a result of the lockout and moving back to Boston can rejuvenate him into something closer to the player he was in his prime so much the better.

I’m a little bit more lukewarm on Alexi Zhamnov. Zhamnov strikes me as the kind of guy who looks three times better when he plays for Russia in an international event as he does when he plays in the NHL. He’s certainly got plenty of talent. He’s put up some decent numbers in the past. Nothing too eye-popping. But decent. I don’t know. I just can’t shake the feeling that they could’ve done better with whatever money they’re going to pay him.

I’ve heard people say, according to O’Connell, it came down to a choice between Zhamnov and Leetch or Forsberg and Mattieu Dandenault. I don’t know what truth there is to that rumor but, if it is true, I’m not too happy about it. I’d much rather Forsberg and Dandenault. Heck, I’d take Forsberg and a puck bag over Zhamnov and Leetch. Not because those guys are worthless but because Forsberg, when he’s healthy, is the kind of game-changing guy who can put a team on his back.

There’s always a tendency to lump guys together but let’s quickly run through Scatchard, Isbister and McEachern, the other new faces, as well. Scatchard’s a big forward (6’3”, 200 lbs.) that’s never put up more than 45 points in his 7-year career. You’re looking at maybe 15 goals, 30-something points and 100 PIMs there. Doesn’t sound overly appealing. Isbister’s an even bigger forward at 6’4”, 231. His numbers are slightly worse than Scatchard’s, albeit with less penalties, although he’s been injury-prone too so he hasn’t played in as many games. I’m not sure what you gain by having both guys on your roster. They seem awfully similar to me. McEachern’s well-known in these parts and should give them some veteran depth. If you’re counting on him to play a lot on one of your top two lines I think you may be asking a lot. I don’t know he can handle that role anymore at this stage of his career. But as a 3rd or 4th line wing and a penalty killer I think he’s a good guy to have around.

OK, so that’s what we’ve got so far. What else can we say about the last two weeks and where do we go from here?

Well, one thing I have to address is the perception that the Bruins didn’t do enough to go after some of the big unrestricted free agents on the market and settled, once again, for lesser players. It’s a sentiment I’ve heard quite a bit in the wake of Forsberg going to Philly, Gonchar going to Pittsburgh, Roenick going to LA, etc. And, to be frank, I think it’s a valid concern.

I know, from what I read and hear, that they made a legitimate run at Mike Modano before he re-signed with Dallas. And I’ve heard that Sergei Gonchar wouldn’t even talk to them despite the Bruins having every intention of making a competitive offer. Fine. I’ll grant that they have no control over a guy that simply has his mind made up to play somewhere else. I can’t fault them there.

But when you see big names going all over the place, and even solid role players like Cory Stillman and Martin Gelinas, you can’t help but wish the Bruins weren’t a little more active with the money they had to spend under the new cap. Yes, they have their own guys to worry about. The Penguins hit the Crosby jackpot and Palffy, Recchi and Gonchar. All of sudden, that’s got the makings of a decent little team there. You didn’t see that dynamic move from the Bruins. Maybe it’s still to come. It’s definitely been a bit underwhelming so far though.

Now, that said, I think it’s more imperative than ever to take care of Thornton, Samsonov and Boynton. Especially Thornton. If you’re saying that’s your nucleus, along with Bergeron and Raycroft, that’s fine. Go ahead and take care of them. At this point, what are options do you have?

Questions? Comments? Please send feedback to Michael James at feedback@barstoolsports.com