What will the Bruins Do in Free Agency? | Bruins Beat

What will the Bruins Do in Free Agency? | Bruins Beat

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and welcome into the Bruins Beat presented by Prize Pix go use that promo code CLNS to get $50 back when you play just $5 and we’re presented by CLS Media make sure to go subscribe to Bruins Ringside on YouTube lots of great podcasts Poke the Bear Pucks with Hags Bruins Beat uh throughout the summer and the season six in total per week which is pretty incredible when you think about it uh or if you don’t like to look at us you don’t want to see us make sure to subscribe uh on Apple Podcast Spotify or wherever you get your podcast from um I’m Evan Marinowski that’s Connor Ryan connor what is up
Evan uh I’m feeling pretty good i think as should you considering I don’t know what other people are predicting for months on end but I think the Bruins might be listening to our to our podcast because they’re all like “Oh man.” Like looking ahead of time like you know once we inevitably get the number seven pick what are they gonna what are we going to do guys and someone probably listen to our podcast and like “Everyone hold your horses here let’s listen.”
It was Don Sweeney
he’s like “I need everyone to shut the hell up listen to these two really smart guys you guys heard of this guy Jimmy Hagens
jimmy Hagens you heard him everyone’s like “Who who are you talking about who who is this guy?” Luke Dump they’re like
down the road if we happen to have uh if he’s in our crosshairs where’s We’re getting this guy and what do you know they listen to us Evan we’re pretty smart i would say not not to not to not to uh you know be too arrogant here but we’re kind of the [ __ ] when you think about
kind of know what we’re talking about yeah that’s what you get when you guys listen to us you get the who the Bruins are going to pick months and months and months and months in advance um I was stunned i mean I I was I said to you I said it a number of times on here like I don’t think he’s falling to seven that’s why I didn’t predict him that’s why I I I you know you to your credit did you were like no I’m sticking to my guns i think they take James Hagen
fully expecting to be wrong by the way let me show you behind the behind the stage of of what was going on i was like I fully expect this not to happen but
well what’s so funny to me is like I was obviously live with Carl for the pick and I went back and watched and Carl like freaks out when it’s Porter Martone at six and I’m like oh my god they can get James Higgins and he goes you know what this means right and I’m like it means they ain’t going to take him um and I really was like they’re they can’t take him they’re not going to take him like I just I can’t imagine that’s what they do it’s unlike them um I just I was preparing to be let down because I think everybody knew who we both wanted um badly in this draft and then you know whenever you hear Adam Sandler/Happy Gilmore say like from Boston College I’m like oh my god they actually took him and I was looking back I’m like did was I like too crazy on the on the live stream did I go too nuts but then I was like when you think about the the months of talking about it that you and I went through of like no this is your the guy you want but he’s never going to be there so I you know what are we even what are we doing and then he falls to you like you know again and I I’ll say this it’s the most unified I’ve seen Bruins fans in a long time it felt like the first good thing to happen to them in a relatively long time like it it worked out they got boned by the the draft uh lottery and then you get Hagens at seven like that’s a franchise altering move that you get James Hagens at number seven i can’t I that I can’t get over that and it’s not just I think Bruins fans where you look at a tangible guy with his pedigree with his track record with his skill set i think Bruins fans who have been longing for a blue chip prospect that especially fits an area of need you have that in Hagens but even just I think national riders right i think Elite Prospects gave the Bruins an A for the draft a lot of uh other outlets gave them a minus B+ that’s factoring in like they took some like reaches slash projects in the draft as well they’re clearly banking on kind of high upside types of players but even with those kinds of swings on some of those types of prospects they had having someone like James Hagens at where you got him changes the whole complexion and I I I think you look at just what he brings and that skill set um to have him there at seven and especially when you just look at what he can bring this team he kind of I I was mentioning this on uh Poke the Bear with Ty Anderson of it’s not the best comparison because it’s going to put unnecessary or you know a bad comparison as to who the players are but like when Jason Tatum dropped
I was saying the other day
and I’m not saying that James Hayden is going to be a top five player in the league but like Tatum entered Duke right as like a top a fivestar unreal guy and he was really good at Duke but he didn’t have like a you know a 25 point per game type of like elite season and so you’re like all right well this guy he’s still gonna be really good but like maybe just gonna be like a 20 and seven guy in the NBA and like he can drop a little bit there’s a bunch of small forward wings that can do that spot right like let him drop a little bit and then after one year at at uh with the Celtics I think a lot of people are like “Oh I can’t believe he fell a three.” And I think you look at like the the flaws with Hagen’s game right and like listen there’s I don’t even call them red flags there are concerns right like
there are weaknesses yeah you know he’s not going to be the biggest guy even though he’s already 190 at 5’11 but he’s not going to be the most imposing player right so that’s valid did you want him to have a more productive year PC sure of course i think everyone when you look at just his body of work at the development program at you know some of these international competitions I think a lot of people were expecting a 50point season probably and when he didn’t do that oh that’s that’s disappointing I guess and I think that maybe starts the snowball effect of like well what went wrong with him you know maybe well he is 5’11 like there’s that knock against him and like he was kind of passing a lot and deferring to guys like does he got the it fact like it starts kind of the opening the door of the criticism but like I feel like same with how like Tatum I think immediately showed what he could be in his first year with the Celtics like I feel like Hagen’s gonna go back to BC be a 50-point guy be a Hobie Baker finalist most likely barring injury or something else and immediately the six teams in front of you and a lot of the rest of the NHL is going to be like how the hell did that guy fall to seven and I’m not saying that he’s going to be like the Tatum equivalent he’s going to be an 80 point guy as a rookie in the NHL and he’s going to be a top five center but I think he’s you have your Logan Culie Clayton Keller type of player and that’s just like setting like the standard expectations for what he could be maybe he’s more like at the end of the day you got a damn good player who for years was viewed as the top player in this class who has had multiple seasons of shredding opponents on the ice and now you got him at seven the Bruins got a legitimate topline transformative type of player there and kind of fell into that type of talent and if you’re the Bruins you had to be thrilled and off of to your point Evan where they were on draft lottery of not getting the breaks there to what was a shitty ass year and I’m not saying like would you go through that shitty ass year again knowing that you get James Hagens but
horrendous for Hagens
yeah sure makes it if you pitch someone back in like September like hey the Bruins are going to suck this year they’re gonna have a fifth worst record in the league but they’ll get James Hagens you’d be like oh he’s going number one like that’s not happening like so I’m just gonna be [ __ ] miserable not saying you go through the whole thing again but to come out of this year where everything’s gone wrong injuries you lose Brad Marsh and a lot of players wasn’t fun we didn’t have fun this year on the podcast I would say
no we didn’t have any fun
but to come out of it with a guy like Hagens lightens the like maybe eases the sting a little bit off of this year if you’re able to if this is your one bottomout year and instead of taking a project or you finish and you get like a a winger or someone like that that helps you out but you know isn’t maybe a foundational piece you have that potential there with a guy like Hagens it’s it’s the best case scenario for the Bruins for where they were on the draft
100% and it can’t be said enough i I want to raise another interesting point i wish I could say this was my own point but it isn’t um Casey Mutin made this point to me on Saturday i was at uh Teddy Mutron’s house uh for his draft and to see what it was like behind the scenes he got picked in the third round congratulations to him 95th overall by the Sharks and other mass guys going to San Jose um but Casey made a great point to me casey is a rising kid on the U8 NTDP team next year BC commit and likely a first round pick next year um but Casey made a great point to me saying that uh you know everybody compares Hagens to like Will Smith’s year will Smith had like 80s something points it was absurd but not to take anything away from Will Smith will Smith wasn’t really their top center it was Cutter Goceier cutter Goier’s line got all the hard matchups cutter Goier’s was their number one line and it allowed that freshman line of Perau Leonard and Smith
it was a It was a cheat code line essentially
it was a cheat code but to cook against other teams sometimes second line centers second pairing D all those things and of course those guys are going to cook those guys and so the whole point is like Hagens was their number one center this year there was no insulating James Hagens yes he had phenomenal linemates in Perau and Leonard but he also was getting every team’s toughest matchup every single night as a kid who began the year as a 17-y old
17-year-old yeah so like to me that’s one of the biggest things is like I do think there’s context to add when people are like “Well he he didn’t have the same year as Celabbrini or or Smith or Leonard or Fanty a couple years ago.” So I keep going back to that with Hagens and I said this um on the live stream the other night i’ll repeat it for those who haven’t heard it um I’m not comparing them at all but like Kale Mar was not this fantastic defenseman his freshman year at UMass i think he had 21 points in 34 or 37 games he was good but not like not a world champ yeah
yeah but like he became allw world Hobie Baker like the Kale Mar that you all know now in his second year like two years of college does people a ton of good and so I I do think you know obviously you know James Hagen’s going to be Kale Mar this year that’s an unfair thing to put on a kid but I would expect a similar type impact a jump in production and all those different things um this year and and I think the it’s kind of unclear because you know draft night Hagens was kind of saying you know oh you know whatever they think I’ll talk with coaching staff blah blah blah he’s I think
I think I think he’s going to BC again next year
he’s going back to BC like I and that’s what he should do and that’s the right thing um there’s no rush there is absolutely no rush he’s already playing against older kids right now give it another year um and I think you’re probably going to get him sooner like is that at the end of next year is it the year after like does he spend any time in Providence i don’t know but I think what can be uh looked at with pretty good certainty is that he is going to have a really good season this year in college and I you said it like I think NHL teams are going to be like damn like we overthought this and I think that’s why that seventh pick was so perfect though Connor is like you know if you were third or fourth would people have said oh that’s a reach you know this kid’s stock is falling blah blah blah and I don’t think it would have been a reach i think a lot of draft experts had Hagens ranked third or fourth
but I but at seven it’s like oh it’s perfect cuz even if this Hagens pick doesn’t work out like down the road obviously yes we’ll second guess it like if Jake O’Brien has an incredible career or Roger McQueen we’ll sit here and be like yeah of course like you should have picked those guys but I also think there’s an acknowledgement of like well Higgins was widely agreed as like the best guy available at seven and every you could go back to every draft grade thing and it’s not going to be like 2015 where it’s like oh my god Matt Barzal was sitting right there and Kyle Connor was sitting right there it’s like no you took the best guy like you not to say you’re you’re um you know not going to get criticized you will if it doesn’t work out and you should
but it’s not to that extent if this doesn’t hit because he was the best available
yeah i feel like that’s also why I think you’re seeing a lot of not just Bruins fans excited about the pick but I think a lot of the national uh you know prospect uh guys looking at how the Bruins did because like the way the the draft board fell it you you insulated yourself from a lot of criticism in terms of just how it how it was there right you didn’t pass on one of the guys who was considered kind of in that tier below Misa like the Denoier or um or Fondell right they went three and four so you didn’t have to worry about like overlooking those types of players brady Martin was a guy that was a high riser that like let’s say he had a pick between those two players you’d have that conversation right of like floor ceiling that we’ve had multiple times between those types of players he was off the board they didn’t have to worry about that and then you could make the case that like if Martone and Hagens were both there for the Bruins like Marton has been a really highly rated player but he’s also a wing but you could have that case too of did you take the best player available or the guy you really like that fits the area of need you didn’t have that conversation as well either so it ends up being like do you take Hagens who even with his weaknesses whatever you want to call it was widely considered to be in that group with like the Denier and Fondels right that maybe tier below Misa if you want to say that’s what it was do you take that guy or you take Jake O’Brien who really good player i really like Jake O’Brien but was not I think in the same tier as Hagens or McQueen who’s got the injury risk like
agreed
you take Hagens right i feel like it’s almost like the you know what else is the best option there as opposed to let’s say if Mottton or Martone or one of the Denas or or Fondell’s was there like it was on a silver platter for the Bruins in terms of best player available right there for the need that they needed well I got nervous when the pick when it when the clock was ticking down and I was like maybe they’re listening to offers from the Islanders but like are they having a real debate about this like this shouldn’t be a debate like should be Hagens uh and obviously they end up uh they end up taking James Hagens uh other parts of the draft they so the rest of the draft they take Will Moore with the 51st pick in the second round they take defenseman Liam Patterson uh 61 in the second round they take Cooper Simpson 79th in the third round mashek Blenar I hope I’m saying that right 100th pick in the fourth round
no one knows who that man is
i say like no one could figure out who that was
even Even Don Sweeney was cracking jokes yesterday he was like “Yeah you guys couldn’t find him an elite prospect.” I’m like “Yeah we couldn’t.”
It took me a second
he’s got two names Don
yeah it doesn’t come up um Cole Chandler in the fifth round 133rd and then Kil Yamalanov I hope I’m saying that right 165th in the sixth round um I’m not going to pretend I know a lot about a lot of those guys um but Will Moore is an interesting one bc two-way center coming out of the national program that seems like a good pick i know it’s another BC guy so like now they have like six guys on that BC team which is crazy that sucks for you um when they get to BEu and get their ass kicked I’ll I’ll go watch them
you’ll feel good you’ll feel good bu’s got eight draft Was it eight draft picks by eight draft picks yep
that’s craziness crazy that decor is terrifying oh my god
that’s That’s our BEu minute that’s the I am very sad i am very sad that uh not to go off on a tangent here but it was unfortunate they weren’t able to get one of those there was a a run on those big bodied right shot defenseman like right before they picked that I really liked Mo it’s funny a lot of people were telling me that he was going to be a third round pick wrong i didn’t watch enough footage but good job everyone check your tape but um
but yeah the fact they weren’t able to get one of those guys um like someone like Amo was unfortunate but does feel like they’ve uh they were leaning heavily on high upside this year and it’s even something that Ryan Nato said right where in years past they were looking more at high floor whereas I think now where you’re just trying to get as much talent as possible you you might run the risk of these guys not developing like I think Person’s a project i think especially uh Blenar is a a project of what he could be but I think you look at where he is like a 6’4 left shot playmaking D that could really fill out too like a big body um there’s upside there that you see what you have i’d rather you flame out on a guy like that that you hope could be a top four defenseman as opposed to a guy you’re like well he’s a safe pick but he’s a fourthline player
so I do like that they kind of changed that approach this year of you got to take some swings you got all this draft capital you’re keeping some of it see what you have with those types of players
even like Simpson like lit up Minnesota high school hockey last year but then like and this is what scouts love went to Tri City scored seven goals in nine games all right he can he can do that at a higher level we’ll take him so again like Cooper Simpson’s another one that I that that um all these national experts are like “Oh that’s a good pick.” Um so yeah draft was certainly interesting i think it Corey Prman wrote this i agree with it this draft class will come down to what does Hagen’s turn into how good does he end up being and if he’s fantastic then it’s like oh that 2025 class was crazy i think as of right now they get they get an A for this draft i do like I I it’s an A minus like and you could say it’s it’s you know it was them or it was just luck that they stumbled upon Hagens but they still got James Higgins either way they got James Hagens at seven um and then the rest you know we’ll see what uh ends up being uh with those guys first though before we get into free agency which is Tuesday Tuesday i feel like we’ve been so focused on the draft that free agency has sort of fallen by the wayside our friends who never fall by the wayside prize picks prize Pick is the best way to get action on sports in more than 30 states including California Texas and Georgia on Prize Pick you can mix and match player projections from different sports combine your favorite basketball players with players from baseball hockey esports and much much more baseball is the thing right now i keep saying it make it interesting make it fun prize picks helps you do that with player projections the app is so easy to use to create a lineup all you have to do is pick more or less on a few player stats for your shot to win up to 2,000 times your money so download the app today and use code CLNS to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup again that is code CLNS to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 prize picks run your game run your game over at prize pickics free agency you know where I want to start Connor with free agency
what’s that
say “Oh you want to start with um you want to start with Eers you want to start with Besser Eblad?” No I don’t I don’t want to start there we’ll get there at some point what I want to get to is Brad Marshian who I kind of wrote off i was like you know he’s not coming back he’s he ain’t coming back and I still don’t think he actually comes back but Pierre Lebron tweeted on Sunday morning as we wait to see Brad Marshian’s decision with Florida several teams including Boston and Toronto hope to talk to him come Tuesday when the market opens if he doesn’t resign with the Cup champs the Bruins would certainly be open to bringing him back but again perhaps Marian resigns in Florida now I don’t know what they end up doing they still have Ecklad to pay they did just pay the the Panthers did just pay Sam bet at 8 time 8 i’m still a no on Marshand and I know that that’s heartbreaking to hear and and and yes it would be nice to see him come back but I just think there’s so many things there i think he’s more of a great middle six guy at this point in his career and coming back here he’s your top or second line left wing and you’re relying on him quite a bit but I also think there’s the whole like are you giving him the C back like he did just go win a cup with Florida which like good for him that’s terrific but I just think it’s a new era it’s a new era it’s time to move on leave it there uh he’ll always be a Bruin retire number 63 all those different things but I just don’t think it’s a fit what about you yeah I mean I think it all comes down to what what does Marian want at this stage of his career is now that he’s won a cup is he just wants to come back and has the security of being back here where you know obviously his family is for right now and and all that kind of stuff um but is he going to make a concession because I feel like to your point like I think the Bruins would love to have him back everyone would love to have Marshian back he’s a great dude great player
but like if he’s doing that I have to imagine he’s making a concession of literally the same exact thing that prompted the Bruins to trade him which is taking a probably a below market deal like I don’t feel like you’re going to see a scenario barring
the Bruins being desperate to having a scoring wing and they whiff on Eers and Besser and even the next wave of guys like Bonji Aani and these guys and they can’t get a trade you know like
yeah if they can’t get any one of those types of players maybe they like circle back but like I can’t see the Bruins being the team that gives him 4 by8 right you know do I think should you give that player that to again be
a topline player and that’s not what he should be like I mentioned this to Tai like in a in a perfect world it’s like you have a left wing that you’re able to sign or acquire if you trade him for Jason Robertson or you sign Nikolai Eers and you have a guy like that in place and you got Morgan Geeky on the left side on a line and Marian’s like your third line winger and he wants to just come back and you sign up by a 3×3 deal that’d be awesome that’d be perfect he would feast in that role but also I’m not in fantasy land like
correct
that’s not what you have right now so if the if the Bruins uh are a you know if Marartian I think is one I think the Bruins would love to have Marartian back if Marartian wants to make the concessions with that contract I think the doors open but after taking all these below market value deals and bumping his salary up to an an insane level off that playoff run i’m not going to begr the guy for going get in the bag somewhere else because a lot of teams would want him so it all comes down to I think what Martian wants and I I don’t know i feel like unless he really wants to take a below market value deal I don’t see the Bruins being like “All right please bear with us but like six million a year.” Like I still don’t want to give like six million to a player when you’re still looking at like the long-term sustainability of this team barring you just can’t sign anyone so I don’t know like would it surprise me if on Tuesday Evan if we were at Warrior and all a sudden at 1201 we got a little like GIF of Marian like with a little winky face like the Bruins tweeted out
no like we’re screwed because we’ve all been saying for months like nah I don’t have him back like he would he would not forget that
right um but yeah dude I wrote like a nice like column like what a what a career Marian’s had i got to delete that [ __ ] if that was to happen but um it would be very funny but I just I think barring Marshian taking less money I just don’t see it being a fit in terms of the Bruins long-term vision it’ be great having him back but if he’s two years down the road and you’ve got James Hagen’s here and you’re trying to build around him and by that point with the salary cap like all these other contracts you signed long term are looking better and better do you still want Marshian making eight million two years down the road right like that’s where it comes down if he wants to sign for 3×3 or something like that hell yeah especially if you’re able to add more talent he can be in a better spot for where he is at the stage of his career but
I don’t know if the Bruins can one pull it off and whether or not Marian wants to take that after being more than due to get paid especially after what he did this playoff run
yeah dude deserves to get paid the other thing is like so the athletics contract projection had him at like two years 5.093 AAV but then they write in their latest free agent big board expect his next deal to land in the $8 million range on a 4-year term according to league sources so if he’s four times 8.1 that that’s not that isn’t where you’re at
that’s where the Maple Leafs are at where it’s like we need to win now this guy’s going to help us we’re going to pay whatever took a a team friendly deal let’s go let’s send the house to Marian’s the kind of guy
Jaru just resigned with Ottawa too so all these veteran guys are Yeah
or maybe Marian says I want to stay in Florida which like that would not shock me in the slightest so I just I don’t think the Bruins thing is reasonable my guess is that they probably have a a meet a cordial meeting to just kind of discuss it because they have such a long history but to actually make that happen I don’t see it happening and I don’t think it’s the right move for the Bruins i don’t I know fans want him back i to I completely get it like I It’s a It’s a fun story and Marian’s fun to root for but it’s not where they’re at where they’re at is
Yeah
yeah well where they’re at is they have they have their core um they’re drafting around it they’re not Oh the other thing is Mar does Marshian care about cup contention they’re not a cup contender right now they They’re contending for a playoff spot but I wouldn’t be like “Oh the Bruins are like the seventh best odds for the cup next year.” Like that’s just not the case and does he want to go through that so I I don’t I don’t see it i just don’t I don’t think it’s the right move
um in terms of other free agents obviously there are still some big fish out there marner seems like he’s headed to Vegas that see and that seems like a mess that that situation like Toronto being like give us someone or we are gonna report you um is pretty they’re gonna call the police it’s like that it’s like that uh that have you seen Gibby from I Carly it’s like him turn around be like what are you a cop
no I have not but
do you even ever watch Carly
that’s that’s a generation of two after me
so I I only I didn’t even make it to like the Drake and Josh days man i was like Spongebob and then like season one of Drake and Josh and then went right from that to the Sopranos so
you jumped out went from that to like Frank Sabodka fighting with like the the dock workers in Baltimore and immediately jumped up from there yeah
you saw Frank Sabodka like you know uh pop up in a river dead like at one year after watching like you know Josh get sprayed with like the soda gun at the movie theater yes
you miss out Drake and Josh I Carly like Sweet Life that was a goated era cinema honest to god like cinema era of children’s television my mom even still like if Drake and Josh is on TV like she’ll watch she’s like I genuinely love that show
i think it’s like it’s like Spongebob man it’s like people appreciate it yeah
tough history but didn’t age great for other reasons but great show great show
um
this is our this is our Nickelodeon minute
that’s right sorry guys not there’s nothing going on so you know why why not take Nickelodeon um there are other big fish obviously with the free agency um you know Sam Bennett’s off the board but like Aaron Ecklad on the right on the right like what is he getting nikolai Eers’s at left wing Brock Besser at right wing i would say those are probably the three that like I wouldn’t be shocked if the Bruins got one of them um they’re all going to be costly again the Athletic has Eblad at 7 time 7.8 you can probably up that to eight year uh to eight million
feel like he’s gonna get like nine million
maybe he does so again like do you wanna do you want to pay him nine million a year for seven years he is 29 so then you have Nikolai Eers their contract projection for him is 6 time 8.1 but like he feels like he’s going to be like nine especially with the cap going up and stuff and then Besser their projection 6 years time 8.4 could that be nine like so okay let’s just say like are you giving 9 million
i think all three of those guys could get 9 million
it’s safe to assume that
would you give any of them 9 million a year and I keep coming back to like I don’t know eers you do need help at left wing you don’t have a lot of people on that left side so like I could probably get down with that eklad that seems like a lot of money
and he’s had some injury history too right so like
yeah he’s ripped too so
he’s he’s ripped
jacked i know yeah [Laughter] i I would say like I out of those three I think the one you would be most comfortable giving 9 million to is Eers but I just don’t think he’s going to come here i think especially if Mner’s off the board he’s already got his gigantic couch in Henderson that he’s going to be loaded up for also good to see a team like Vegas finally get a star or two have something go their way
they never do they never do
yeah but if he’s Yeah he’s never leaving i feel like people should just stop that now um
just what it’s gonna be guys i’m sorry uh I I think if Elish is the top dog like someone’s probably going to give him like 10 million at that point some team’s going to be desperate for it there’s all these teams that want Marner and he’s probably the next best option um I would give him 9 million if I’m the Bruins but I just don’t know if you’re going to win that bidding war i think it’s going to get pretty wacky there and then it comes down to either Eblad or Besser
if I’m giving one of those guys 9 million I’m giving it to Eblad because like that’s a lot of money i get it but like like let’s say what is a standard year for both those players at this time of their careers like Besser you hope he could be a 30- goal guy but I’m going to say like a reasonable year for him is like 24 goals and 51 points which like agreed he could use the 24 goals and he’d help you out in the power play probably but not for 9 million right whereas what’s like a reasonable year now for Eblad uh not the 24minute guy he was in his prime years with Florida but let’s he’s a 20 minute guy with 25 to 30 points on the blue line and locks up your top four i’ I’d sign that guy and I think like
and he and he helps us strength like if you’re going to be a defense and goalending team the these next couple years that bolsters that
and especially where like the Bruins have also talked about having like more vocal leadership and having that that’s something that they missed this past year after bringing all these veteran guys a guy who’s been part of the leadership group in Florida he’s been to three straight Stanley Cup finals played his ass off this past year too he was a beast in that playoff run um I I think that the money would go further there and I think Bruins have to accept there’s gonna be a lot of sticker shock but I also think the Bruins have to be aggressive this off season not just for the fact that you’re trying to add talent you’re trying to get back in being a somewhat competitive group this year but also like I’d rather give up money now because the money is going to get better and better and better moving forward like even you look at uh Elias Lindholm and Zidorov like in two three years if the cap’s jumping up to like 120 million in two years what Elias Lindome’s costing you now the equivalent to that in like two three years is like 4.5 million
which is nuts
like Niko Zadorov signed for a long time but he’s going to make the equivalent like a $3 million contract
like in a couple years so like if you sign Eblad right now to like 8 and a half 9 million not saying it’s going to be a great contract but the burden of it lessens like that’s why like I think the Burns have to be aggressive whether it’s bringing in a guy like that if you’re looking on the trade market and you’re trying to get Rasmus Anderson as your right shot D and you give him a contract sign him now because it’s going to get better over time if uh if Vegas is trying to free up money to bring in Minor and Hurdles out there and like Hurdles a great top six player 31 signed for another four years at 8.1 million uh I don’t know but in two three years if he’s 33 and he’s your second line center and he’s all a sudden his contract the equivalent is 6 million okay i think right now you have to find ways not saying you have to spend to the cap because I think you want flexibility especially when the cap jumps up to be in that spot to take advantage of whatever opportunities do present themselves but I think you need to find two or three guys that you can bring in that you can sign to contracts that you think can help you out in the next couple years because if you give the money to them now it’s going to look better and better moving forward so I think that also has to be a factor in it of just taking advantage of the cap as it’s jumping up now because where it is right now it’s already going to be a lot of sticker shock but look two three years down the road of where you’re going to be it’s going to be nuts
it’s going to be insane and that’s thing and like I mean I even wrote down like Lindol Makavoy Zidorovlad Lorai Peak in front of Swayman like that’s not bad that’s not bad
but what would be is a second pairing guy like and again he’s not the 24-minute guy but if he’s 20 minutes and does his job that way I can see it I think is how I would
yeah I’m not like stoked but I can get behind it besser to me feels like a guy who’s getting overpaid and that worries me in terms of what he’s going to be now you can make the case if Hagens comes up at the end of next year and let’s say you can pencil Hagens in for like 26 27 you do want to put him with good wings is there you know Lindholm’s probably moving down or like you know Lindol’s moving it moving to a different line with different linemates whether you want to say Higgins is a first line guy or what it’s still crazy to say like James Higgins is on this team insane um but like you do want to have good wingers around them I I still think you probably wait maybe it’s a trade Maybe it’s development i don’t know who that would be maybe it’s next year’s free agency class i don’t know but Besser I I I’m worried about giving 9 million to i am i just am and And you’re right in that now that Marner’s off the board there are teams way more desperate utah Anaheim who have way more cap space Columbus who can just chuck it out there give a ton of money and have them come uh to them so and then you also have Sweeney the other day kind of alluding to the trade market more than free agency now they do have needs on this roster like they they only have a few guys actually under contract but like I I do wonder if they look more at the trading market than they do free agency and on July one and in the days after it’s more small signings uh filling out your third line or an extra D than it is you know a top guy it it does feel like there’s going to be another shoe that’s that hasn’t dropped and I usually like before free agency I try to like do like a story of um like value ads or like guys they can target but I feel I’m not going to do it this year because I like I know they want to add talent but how are they going to do it or what’s the best way forward i couldn’t tell you like I feel like they’re going to look at the trades first and if you’re able to bring in like you know you trade one of your future first that you have from Toronto or Florida for like Raspus Anderson you’re going to need more than that like if you shore up the right side of your defense that way starts falling into place if you try to find a wing that’s out there or a center if it’s like hurdle or someone else equivalent to that things start falling into place where we all a sudden you don’t have to you know it’s not Besser or Eers or Bust where you’re like well we have to give this $9 million a year to this type of player and instead if you’re able to bring in a guy that way and you then try to find like a third line winger or someone else like that um to fill up the roster makes a little bit more sense but it feels like there is another shooter to drop there and it feels like trade is the a trade is going to be what sets the tone as to what they want to do this off seasonason but who is that player and what they’re doing it feels like they’re leaving no stone unturned in that regard you know would be a good little uh value ad in free agency that I wouldn’t hate nick Pervix right shot defenseman from Tampa i think he’s like 26 um
big dude 6’4
big dude yes yes 6’4 um like he’s I like him like I I I liked him in college uh but I I’ve also just liked what he brought in the NHL maybe he sticks maybe he doesn’t i don’t know but like I don’t think he’s going to break the bank so like that would to me would be like a value ad a guy you’re adding to your decor seeing what you can get he’s younger um I do I agree with you i think there probably is something else felt like Zaka might get dealt at this at the draft like the way that
as soon as soon as Ekan dropped
I was like are they going to trade 15 for Ekan which like I I really like Zaka and I would not just trade him for the sake of trading him i think he’s a really valuable piece but I was like
I might give him up for Ekkund if he’s right there ekan I think is a great player i I as much as people as much as people crapped on them for like not being able to being telling everyone they told every single person in Los Angeles they went from Mahalland Drive down to Santa Monica telling every single person they wanted to trade for James Hagens which then ruined their leverage but even though they weren’t able to get him which was very funny they they crushed like their picks like getting him and HSN back to back with 16 and 17 on top of Schaefer who like I feel like everyone in the NHL is rooting for great player great kid um they’re they they got like a transformative draft in terms of how much value they add especially even further down islanders crushed it which is too bad because I think that’s a boring ass team they’re like the the Kraken of the East they are they’re a boring ass team i I I agree with you but I was very happy Schaefer getting drafted was an incredible moment um for his mom like kissing the ribbon and stuff and getting emotional that was a really really incredible moment um so again I everyone it feels like everyone’s kind of in agreement the Islanders like killed it in the NHL draft like
especially with their first round picks i can’t speak to the rest of their draft but uh so yeah I mean free agency in general
I don’t expect the Bruins to be like heavy getting like getting the big guys but getting one of Eer’s Besser Eklad I wouldn’t be shocked with eers probably makes the most sense ekblad I’m okay with besser is where you start to lose me it’s like
I feel like Besser is the most likely guy to sign
i know i know i know so that
it feels like it feels like something’s gonna feels like there’s a shoe to drop whether it’s a trade or something else like I think that’s
it’ll be it’ll be Marshan that’ll be the shoe um before we touch on Dev Camp real quick uh make sure to go subscribe to Bruins Ringside on YouTube um for all our great content uh coming this week next week coming weeks um subscribe to us on Apple Podcast Spotify wherever you get your podcast and make sure to go check out all CLNS’s great stuff um Patriots Press Pass Celtics All Access subscribe to their YouTubes as well and if you want to leave us a nice review like the video maybe subscribe to the to the Bruins Ringside YouTube channel wouldn’t kill us and it wouldn’t kill you either so it would be nice uh if you could do all of that um dev camp real quick um it’s a tougher dev camp because it always falls the week of free agency so one day always gets completely overshadowed um all eyes will be on Hagens i don’t think that’s like a We’ve touched on Hagens enough i’m not going to break down what he needs to do in dev camp or anything um I think a lot of lies a lot of eyes will be on LNO a good one to watch though Zeers like Will Zeers had a phenomenal year in the USHL um came to the Charlie Coyle trade which looks better and better by the day coyle got traded to Columbus um who are you watching this week who are you curious about
yeah I mean obviously beyond the obvious like the Hagens Laterernos i agree that Zeers is a guy that um if for a Bruins team that is so desperate to have high-end skill and finishing talent you saw what Zeers did in the USHL that’s a guy that I think Bruins fans will be uh keenly watching moving forward especially if that guy like has like a 20 goal season at UND you feel like he really got something there um so I think he’s definitely got to watch for uh and then also like I think some of these guys from these last two three drafts that you know second third round fourth round picks that maybe fly under the radar um just seeing what their ceiling could be or what their projections are on the NHL so I look at like Elliot Grronwald uh Chris Pelosu had a good year at Quinnipak some of these guys that now that I feel like Hagens is there everyone kind of gets pushed down a little bit as to who they’re looking like more
but I feel like you know if one of those guys can hit right like if like Pelosi can be like a third line wing down the road or something like that keeping tabs on those types of players as well and if you can find some value with these last couple of drafts I think um be watching some of those players because I feel like they are going to go under the radar moving forward pelosi and Grenald are great ones because those guy like those Grenald to me is always projected as a very stable left shot defenseman in the NHL of a guy who like is he your like number one left shot defenseman no but he’s two or three killing penalties eating minutes like ranging
like like a Lozison kind of like maybe not but yeah yes better stick like I could absolutely see it um and Pelosi is another awesome one like
is he a good depth center for you at some point like and that’s the other thing now that you have Hagens and even like a Will Moore
you said you nailed it everybody gets pushed down a little bit there’s not as much stress on a guy like Pelosi to pan out um and to be you know every day
or LNO that’s the other big one and that’s gonna he’s going to be the focus i think a big focus of this weekend there’s not as much pressure on him now um there’s still pressure don’t get me wrong um Bruins have like every BC center it’s crazy
it’s crazy it’s not insane
i’m dying over here Evan
i know they got to get a couple BU guys used to be the place for BEu
i know if only they got if they got like a Miko out of it I would be I’d be thrilled but alas Philly actually got it philly got Philly got a crap everyone they drafted was like six4 or above
what a crop and also they they picked Amo and was it Myrtto like right after they’re getting all the NTDP kids and just putting them on flyers so um that was pretty funny too uh Connor what can the people look forward to from you over at the globe andboston.com yeah you can read my stuff over the globeandboston.com we have you covered every step of the way this week whether it’s dev camp free agency trades office sheets all that stuff we have covered every step of the way uh this season this week this offseason all that stuff so please read my stuff over at boston.com on the Boston Globe and if you want to follow me on Twi Twitter X whatever you want to call it these days you can connory_93 go do all that that’s Connor Ryan i’m Ev Marinowski you Bruinsby listeners have a great rest of your week [Music]

On this episode of Bruins Beat, Evan Marinofsky and Conor Ryan get into their James Hagens prophecy being fulfilled. They dive into whether or not the Bruins should bring Brad Marchand back and dissect each potential big free agent target. 

⏰️0:00 – EPISODE TIMELINE⏰️
1:30 – Reaction to Bruins Selecting James Hagens with 7th overall Pick
14:26 – Reaction to Rest of Bruins Draft
17:23 – Grading Bruins Draft Class
18:00 – Prizepicks
18:55 – Should Bruins bring back Brad Marchand?
25:45 – TV Shows guys grew up watching
27:16 – Potential Bruins Free Agent Targets
28:53 – Potential Bruins Free Agent Targets: Nikolaj Ehlers
29:37 – Potential Bruins Free Agent Targets: Aaron Ekblad
32:02 – Potential Bruins Free Agent Targets
36:00 – Potential Bruins Free Agent Targets: Nick Perbix
36:36 – Potential Bruins Free Agent Targets
38:31 – Subscribe to the podcast!
39:03 – Previewing Bruins Development Camp
42:00 – Wrapping up

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Welcome to the #CLNS Media Network’s YouTube channel for Boston #Bruins hockey. CLNS Media is the leading online provider of audio/video coverage for the Boston sports. Get complete inside access to the Bruins at TD Garden, the game day skates at Warrior, and everywhere on the road. CLNS #NHLBruins’ credentialed insiders Mike “Trags” Petraglia, Evan Marinofski, Conor Ryan, and Joe “Haggs” Haggerty. Providing instantaneous news and analysis all in real time, as well as full access to complete videos from the players, coaches, ownership and everyone else on Causeway Street.

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