Boston Bruins Risk Leaving Wins on the Table — Just Like They Did With Ken Dryden

Boston Bruins Risk Leaving Wins on the Table — Just Like They Did With Ken Dryden

Ken Dryden’s passing this weekend reminds us how Boston once undervalued a young talent and watched Montreal build a dynasty. Today, with a roster full of waiver exempt kids and veteran stop gaps, the Bruins face the same kind of choice and they can’t afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. You’re Locked on Bruins, your daily podcast on the Boston Bruins, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. What is up, Bruins fans, and welcome back to the Locked On Boston Bruins podcast. I’m your host, Ian McLaren, and this is a daily show where we discuss all things spoke to B. Today is Monday, September 8th. Thank you so much for making Lockdown Bruins your first listen every day. It’s part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day. And on today’s episode, we are going to dive into the kids versus veterans depth war and why Boston risks leaving wins, maybe even cups, maybe that’s a stretch, on the table if they lean too heavily on vets. Then we’ll look at Don Sweeny’s roster philosophy. Grit over skill, safer bets over upside. If that sounds familiar, it should because finally today’s Bruin of the day is not someone you typically think of when it comes to the black and gold. Ken Dryden, drafted by the Bruins, traded away for nothing. Symbol of what happens when you undervalue young talent. And of course, we will remember his legacy here in light of his passing over the weekend. Again, thank you so much for making Locked on Bruins part of your daily routine. Before we get into it, a quick reminder, you can find the podcast on social media, locked NHL Bruins. That’s on Blue Sky X, Instagram, threads, Tik Tok. You can find me, my hockey thoughts, and dad jokes, Ian C McLaren. I am a lifelong Boston Bruins fan and I’ve been covering this team and the NHL for various outlets for circa 20 years. So, one of the big storylines for the Boston Bruins this upcoming season is kind of the depth war on this roster and in the lineup. If Marco Sturm leans veterans over youth, Boston risks repeating history and perhaps leaving points, playoff spots, maybe even cups if everything went perfectly according to plan on the table. Now again, the Bruins missed the playoffs last year dead last in the East, and that doesn’t necessarily get fixed by doubling down on older, safer veterans. But that’s kind of exactly what Don Sweeney did in free agency. A lot of people are critical of Don Sweeney, and for very good reason. His drafting record spotty. His trade record I believe is a strength on his resume. Many of the trades that he’s made, especially, you know, dating back to this past trade, the line, even the Victor Arvitzson trade, those are pretty good. But when it comes to July one, he’s got a very spotty track record that includes, uh, David Bakis, um, you know, the triumvirate a few years ago, Nick Felino, Thomas Nosk, Eric Holla, those all kind of worked out in the end. Um, but when it comes to free agency, Don Sweeney isn’t really kind of a a master class GM at that part of the thing. Matt Belliski is the other big uh contract that did not pan out at all. And this season coming in, we have roster spots seemingly given to Tanner Jano, who got a big five-year contract that is widely seen as one of the worst contract signings of this past summer. They added Michael Essimont, Shankari. These are guys who compete hard, but whose ceilings are already set. And it’s the same with Victor Arvdson to a certain degree. Now you wanted to bring him in because of his scoring capabilities and to have some more experience in the top six. The top six is pretty much set I believe with Morgan Geeki, Elias Lindhomem, David Posnock and then Pavl Zaka, Casey Middlestat maybe swapping in and out of the left wing and center positions on the second line and Arvdson on the right wing. But after that there’s a real battle for who’s going to play in the bottom six. You have your Janos, your Essimonts, your Keralis with some younger guys like Minton, Matt Potra, Fabian Lysel, uh Mate Blumel, who was signed this past summer as well. Alex Steves, guys who scored regularly and more often than anybody last year in the AHL. Fraser Minton Fabian Lysel, Potra. These are guys that should be given a chance to play in the regular lineup this season, but because of the nature of their contracts, they are more easily variable than variable. They’re more easily reassignable than the other guys who are on one-way contracts. Potra is waiver exempt as is uh Fabian Lysel, Dan Lockmelis, Fraser Minton. Those are all guys who can be sent to Providence without having to go through waiverss. other guys that were signed like Cari, Essimont, and some other players like uh Moratudinov, John Beecher, uh Alex Steves. These are all guys who would have to go through waiverss in order to be sent to the AHL. Same with Blue Mel. So yeah, they signed some guys with upside in Steves and Blue, but that just forces out the younger guys that they already had who have shown that they deserve some consideration. I haven’t even mentioned Georgie Merculov yet, who is not waiver exempt, I should add. So, in order to be assigned to Providence, any of those guys will have to go through waiverss, and you risk uh losing them. Some guys that’s, you know, easier to swallow than others. I don’t know if you want to lose Steves or Blumel on waiverss right out of the gate before they even skate a regular season game in the organization. Essimont, Corali, those are guys that you should be able to put on waiverss and would sneak through, but that’s provided you’re going to give those guys, younger guys, a chance. What makes Minton, Lysel, Potra easy cuts from the NHL team is the fact that they can be reassigned to Providence without risk. even if they’re better bets or have higher higher upside than some veterans, it’s all about the nature of their contracts and kind of that asset management. So, if Sturm goes safe with vets, kids get buried, perhaps their long-term development stalls. Way back in 1964, the Bruins didn’t seem to see Ken Dryden’s potential. They moved him for nothing. Montreal built a dynasty and Boston left multiple cups on the table. If the Bruins don’t learn from that, undervalue their young core once again, they’re setting themselves up for another wasted year. And this is particularly relevant in net this year. The Bruins have a younger guy in Michael Dpietro. They have an older vet in Ununis Corposal to fight for the backup role when uh behind Jeremy Swayman. You might feel as though the veteran will have the upper hand. He’s 5 years older, more experienced, making $3 million. But the easiest decision here is to not try to put Michael Dpietro through waiverss because he will be scooped up. There is absolutely zero question about it. You’ve already seen a bunch of articles uh from other um other markets where they’re coveting a guy like Mug Petro. The Edmonton Oilers would be all over that if he were to be placed on waiverss. So that’s perfect prime situation there where they need to prioritize the youth over not trying to hurt a veteran’s feelings or or bury him and potentially alienate him because prioritizing DPro over Corposalo is the easiest call in the world. This isn’t just about who makes the roster though. It’s about philosophy, right? Don Sweeny’s approach to building this team keeps putting veterans ahead of skill. And let’s talk about why that’s holding Boston back here as the podcast continues. The NFL season has arrived and FanDuel is making sure you are ready for kickoff with a can’tmiss offer. Right now, new customers can bet just $5, and if your bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. FanDuel is so easy to use. They have player props. You can build the same game parlay, even jump in live as the action unfolds. Makes every game even that much more exciting. Although I don’t know how you could make last night’s Bills Ravens game more exciting, but you could have by using FanDuel at the same time. It’s quick, easy, the best way to add a little more energy to your Sundays, Thursdays, Monday nights as well. So, if you’re ready to play, download the app right now by visiting fanduel.com to get started. That’s fuel.com to place your first $5 bet. And if it wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the FanDuel app. Thanks again for making Locked on Bruins part of your day. If you haven’t already subscribed, please do so on your favorite podcast app and on YouTube so that you never miss a thing. Now, Don Sweeney this past July had some money to spend and he kind of overvalued some safe bets and repeated some mistakes that he’s made in the past. He’s got this grit first veteran approach where he again prioritized Tener Jano, Michael Esimont, Sean Carali, even Victor Arvdson. These are four vets who are four safe known quantities. Yes, he added Blumel Steves who are skilled players who led the AHL in scoring last year but no real proven NHL track records. And it also potentially blocked the uh development and promotion of guys like Fraser Minton, Matt Patra, Fabian Lysel, and their waiver exemptions make them the easiest cuts. So don’t be surprised if a couple of all three of those guys begin the season in the AHL. And this isn’t new. Boston has a history of questionable grit first signings that you would have hoped that Sweeney would have learned from. His first summer as GM, he signed Matt Belliski to a five-year $19 million deal after one good year in Anaheim. Never topped 15 goals in Boston. Bought out halfway through his contract. The next summer, David Bakis, five years, 30 million. Fantastic leader, but the game was speeding up while his foot speed declined and the contract became an albatross. Boston had to attach a first round pick just to move it. Side note on Bakus, I will forever argue that he should have been in the lineup for game seven against the St. Louis Blues. All due respect to Carson Khman who had scored a big goal in game six to get them there. But you don’t bench a guy who captained the team you’re playing against in game seven of the Stanley Cup final. I believe he would have gone out there and put out the effort of his life. Even if he didn’t score, you know he’s going to be hitting, getting under other players skid. He should have been in that lineup. That was a big mistake by Bruce Cassidy. Anyways, those deals ate up cap space and blocked younger players from opportunities. And that’s exactly the same risk with this year’s quote unquote character ads. Sweeny’s Sweeney did I say Sweeney? Sweeny’s motus operandi is to prioritize compete and physicality even if it comes at the cost of upside. That philosophy has a track record and it hasn’t aged well. I mean just think to a couple years ago when they were going through this transition they brought in James Van Remdike and Milan Luchich who clearly was at the end of his career even though the St. Louis Blues have brought him in on a PTO. um off ice issues aside, he was injured, couldn’t hang and it was a cheap deal, but still it’s like why? What’s the point? We they don’t need that kind of player right now. Around the league, elite teams lean into skill. Florida, Edmonton, Colorado, they add grit to supplement, not to define. Boston’s still kind of doing the opposite. You have these younger players. Yeah, they’re unproven, but they have higher upside certainly than Shankari, Michael Esimont, and Tanner Jano. You already have Mark Castellic there to play that role. You already have uh guys who are responsible defensively, who can throw the body. You need some scoring in this lineup right now. Daily Faceoff has a third line of Jano with Minton and Bluml. I mean that wouldn’t be bad. Fourth line, Beecher, Carali, Esimont. Now, the thing is, of course, you don’t want Fabian Lysel up playing a um fourth line role, a checking role for this team. At worst he should be on the third line in scoring role with some defensively responsible players. So perhaps Jano Minton Lysel that’s the trick right you don’t want to lean too heavily on kids and risk exposing them or exposing the team but you also have to score. You need some skill on the lineup in order to succeed. Um I expect the fourth line to be like Kerali Beecher Castillic third line of Jano Minton Patra Blumel Lysel. So there will be some opportunities there but not for everyone. And the Bruins run the risk of burying some kids and putting potential goals and offensive opportunities aside in the name of physicality, defensive responsibility, which might not make them as fun to watch. They might be able to eek out some one goal games, but long term, what is best for these kids who have, you know, Matt Potcher played in the NHL a couple years ago. He was good enough then. Um, he’s added some pounds. I think he he should be ready to to make the jump. Same with Fraser Minton. Same with Fabian Lysel. Um, who got better and better as his games with the Bruins went on last season. late last season. Yes, it was garbage time, but still still NHL games. Now, the Bruins once gave away a future Hall of Famer because they didn’t value his upside. And that mistake cost them cups in the 1970s. The modern version is filling your roster with veterans who are blocking skilled youth from reaching their potential. And until Boston learns from history, Bellisleski Bakis back in 2015 2016 tener Jano here in 2025. Sweeny’s grit first philosophy could keep capping their ceiling. And speaking of Dryden, he’s actually today’s Bruin of the day. drafted by Boston, traded to Montreal, and the ultimate cautionary tale. We’ll discuss Ken Dryden here as the podcast continues. The hockey world was hit by some very sad news over the weekend as Ken Dryden passed away at age 78. A Hall of Fame goalie who won the Stanley Cup six times with the Montreal Canadians. He was also an author, a lawyer, Leaf’s president for a bit, and a member of parliament up here in Canada. He passed away after a battle with cancer and just an immense loss for the hockey world, for the Montreal Canadians organization, for Canada even. And Commissioner Gary Bman said, “From the moment Dryden joined the Canadians as a 23-year-old rookie in 1971, he made an immediate impact on the NHL, the Canadians franchise, and the goalending position. After playing in only six regular season games during that first year, he proceeded to lead his team to a Stanley Cup while winning the K smite as the playoff’s most valuable player. incomprehensible that to believe that he accomplished all that the year prior to winning the Calder as the league’s best rookie in 1971-72. Uh it was only a harbinger of what was to come. Bman added he would lead the Canadians in only eight years to six Stanley Cups, five Vzna trophies, four consecutive and named to uh the league’s greatest 100. Just an absolute dominant run in the 1970s. Now, I wasn’t I probably knew this, but I was reminded of it over the weekend that Dryden was selected by the Boston Bruins in the third round of the 1964 NHL draft. But just a couple weeks later, the Bruins traded his rights to the Montreal Canadians. uh he put hockey on hold for a bit while pursuing a college degree at Cornell University rather than attending Canadians training camp. It’s kind of an unusual decision. Uh he was amazing at Cornell and then joined um the Canadians in 1970 and of course went on to win multiple Stanley Cups with that team. He was traded for Guy Allen and Paul Reed, neither of whom played a single game in the NHL. And again, Dryen’s resume, six cups, a Kmmith, a Calder, five Vznes, Hockey Hall of Fame, 922, safe percentage, albeit in kind of an era of lower scoring. Now, just imagine him as a member of the Boston Bruins. Yes, Boston won cups in 1970 and 1972 with Jerry Chvers, but they lost in 74 to Philadelphia and 77 to Montreal, a team that was backstopped by Dryen himself. Imagine a club with Bobby or Phyllis Bazito, Johnny Buick, Wayne Kashman, and Ken Dryden. The Bruins could have easily added two to three more cups in the 1970s. Undervaluing young skill cost Boston a dynasty once. I’m not saying it’s going to happen to that extent again, but undervaluing Fraser Minton, Matt Potra, Fabian Lysel, Mason Laurai, they risk wasting another era of they are great players now in David Poshock and Charlie Makavoy. So, they’re not comparing Dryen to the Bruins young guys now, but they need to maximize those primes. Posterno, Makavoy, Jeremy Swayman, uh, and not always take the safe route. Dragon’s passing, like rivalries aside, it’s a huge loss to hockey, to the NHL, to, you know, every team was out there paying their respects, and for good reason. It’s also a reminder that the Bruins once let greatness slip away and left multiple cups on the table. They can’t afford to make the same mistakes with their current crop of young players and their core players. [Music] At the end of the day, the Boston Bruins history is filled with decisions that shaped the trajectory of the franchise for better and for worse. You have Dryen being traded to the Canadians on one hand, the Bruins getting to Garasque from the Toronto Maple Leafs on the other, or Cam Neely from the Vancouver Conucks. Ken Dryden’s passing is a stark reminder of a pretty big misstep, undervaluing a young player’s potential, watching him turn into a Hall of Fame level goalie somewhere else and most painfully in Montreal. That mistake quite literally cost the Bruins championships and it underscores the importance of the choices Don Sweeney and Marco Sturm are making right now as this season begins. The question is simple. Will the Bruins lean on stop gap veterans? Or will they give the next generation of talent the ice time and opportunity they need and deserve? Because the lesson of Dryden, Bellisky, Bakis, countless other safe bets is clear. When the Bruins play it safe, they often lose. If this is truly a redemption year, it has to start with trusting at least some of these kids and building more than just today. Do you agree that the kids need to play? Do you want to see Shan Carali, Michael Esimont, Tanner Jano in the lineup all 82 games? Hit me up on X Instagram, Locked NHLB Bruins or ENC McLaren. Uh, also comment on the YouTube channel. Let me know what you think. And, uh, yeah, I’d always love to hear from Locked On Boston Bruins listeners. I’m so thankful for the everydayers who tune in and uh schedule their days around starting with a locked on Boston Bruins episode with their morning coffee. Uh very much means a lot. And if you’re not already on board, please do hit that subscribe button so that you never miss a thing. For your second listen, check out the Locked On NHL show. Bringing you daily leaguewide stories that matter most with local coverage you love from Locked On. Find Locked On NHL on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hope you all had a great weekend. Played a softball tournament up here. We did not advance to the final, but we did finish 2-1 in the round. Robin took a grounder off my foot, which is pretty sore today. Yesterday I assembled the desk for our middle boy. Took him to his first basketball scrimmage of the season. Feeling cool out there. Football’s back. Hockeyy’s just around the corner and uh we’re bringing you everything you need to know about the Boston Bruins on a daily basis here on the Locked On Boston Bruins podcast. Part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. Take care of yourselves, friends. Take care of each other. Have a great Monday and we’ll talk to you here on the next episode of Locked on Boston Bruins.

The Boston Bruins MUST learn from their past. With Ken Dryden’s passing this weekend, we’re reminded of how Boston once undervalued a young star and handed Montreal the backbone of a dynasty.

Now, in 2025–26, Marco Sturm and Don Sweeney face a similar choice: lean on stopgap veterans like Tanner Jeannot, Viktor Arvidsson, and Sean Kuraly — or trust Mason Lohrei, Fraser Minten, Fabian Lysell, and the next generation.

On today’s episode:

Why the Kids vs Veterans depth war will define the Bruins’ season.

How Don Sweeney’s grit-over-skill philosophy (see: Beleskey, Backes) keeps blocking Boston’s upside.

And today’s Bruin of the Day: Ken Dryden — a legend who could have backstopped Boston to multiple Cups in the ’70s.

This isn’t just about the past. The Bruins can’t afford to undervalue young talent again, or risk wasting another era of Pastrnak and McAvoy.

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