BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL PREDICTIONS for Boston Bruins Training Camp

BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL PREDICTIONS for Boston Bruins Training Camp

The Boston Bruins training camp roster and schedule is set. And today we’re going with some big, bold, beautiful predictions, including Nikita Zadorov being named next captain of this team. 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 B. Today is Tuesday, September 16th. Thank you so much for making Locked On Bruins your first listen every day. It’s part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day. And today we’re doing some bold predictions on the eve of Boston Bruins training camp. And that’s going to include Nikita Zadorov being named captain, Tanner Jano becoming a fan favorite, maybe even Pavl Zaka being traded. We’ll also break down some perhaps more realistic camp battle predictions focusing on Fabian Lysel Fraser Minton Ununis Corpalo and the Bruin of the day is going to be the aforementioned Lysel. Before we get into all that, a quick reminder you can find the podcast on social media locked NHL Bruins. That’s on X Blue Sky Instagram threads, Tik Tok. You can find me, my hockey thoughts, dad jokes at Ian C McLaren. I’m a lifelong Boston Bruins fan and I’ve been covering this team and the NHL for various outlets for 20 years. Like I said off the top, we’re going bold here with some training camp predictions. Could Nikita Zidorov actually be named captain? Could Tanner Jano become a TD Garden cult hero? And could the Bruins really trade Pavl Zaka to the Montreal Canadians? Then we’ll bring it back down to earth a little bit with perhaps some more realistic camp predictions. Fabian Lysel finally sticking Fraser Minton leading the Bruins in scoring in the preseason. Uniscal being waved. And finally, we’ll spotlight Fabian Lysel as our Bruin of the day. All that and more on today’s episode of Locked On Boston Bruins. Thank you again for joining me and making the podcast part of your day. All right, let’s start with the chaos. Some bold possible scenarios that could come out of training camp. The first one I’m going with Nikita Zidorov being named captain. Look, there’s a reason why neither David Post nor Charlie Makavoy have been awarded, I don’t want to say awarded, but have been promoted to captain. Both of them have A’s on their jerseys as revealed in the uh jersey video that we saw over the summer. And both of them have strong cases to be named captain. They are both long tenur Bruins. They have become core members of this team along with Jeremy Swayman, two of the three most important players on the team. Um both have been molded, shaped, influenced, taught by Zedo Charara, Patrice Berseron, Brad Marshon, but neither one has really been able to take the mantle of leadership and kind of be the no-brainer choice for next captain of this team. Now, a lot of it has to do with Marco Sturm not yet having run a practice and not having time to get to know these guys too in depth on or off the ice. But I think what we are going to see here as camp begins is that as the Bruins try to reset the culture, they might pinpoint a guy who was pretty vocal down the stretch last season who is clearly a strong personality vocally, physically. He embodies toughness, accountability, and leadership. And this would probably shock everyone, but Sturm and Sweeney might reset the culture with a new voice. It would be a a real shift as you know the previous captains were. Well, not in the case of Charara really. He came in, was named captain, held that role for over a decade. It immediately went to Berseron naturally. Marshall was a bit off the board. Zidorov would be kind of resetting that big Z mentality, right? He’s not Zadochara, but it would be kind of a more recent signing, a uh stalwart on the blue line and somebody who you can just look at this guy and see that he has natural leadership abilities. It would take some of the pressure off both Posternok and Makavoy. So, that’s my first big bold prediction for the Bruins. Nikita Zadorov being named captain. What do you think? Fans might be split. Could kick off a bit of a media storm, but it would allow Makavoy Posternok to thrive in their roles and allow a relative newcomer who was clearly not happy with not making the playoffs last season. Uh face the media day in and day out. uh tougher skin and really kind of usher in this new hopefully successful era of Boston Bruins hockey. My second bowl prediction is that Tanner Jano becomes a fan favorite. asked for some of your big questions heading into training camp and one of them was still the headscratching decision to sign Tanner Jano to five years for a three plus million AAV uh 3.4 to be exact for at best a third line winger. Do they see him as something more? Maybe trying to catch some of the magic of his rookie season where he scored 20 goals. Look, the Bruins and their fans love grinders. Uh Sean Thornton, PJ Stock, Milan Luchich back in the day, Jano hits, he fights, he plays hard, and a couple greasy goals in the preseason, and the criticism of that signing is going to start to change. Now, I’m not out here to say that this signing is going to look like uh, you know, a steal in this off seasonason because as Cam Stewart said last week on the podcast, like who was Don Sweeney bidding against when he gave him five years, 3.4 million? You could see him maybe going long on term, keeping the AAV down or going 3.4 afford to sign him for a couple years, but to give them both a little insane, but this guy could become a glue guy, cult hero for the Boston Bruins. And you know, we already have Mark Castillic who kind of fills that role. I think Jano has a bit more um to prove certainly after hearing all the talk this past off season about why did they sign this guy? What were they thinking? Uh, he did he does have a 24 goal season back in 21-22, 130 penalty minutes. If he can bring both that scoring pop and the physicality, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s going to become a Bruins fan favorite. All right, third bowl prediction. Pavle Zaka trade chatter gets real. There’s increasing reports that uh and this is from you know Jimmy Murphyrg.org or whatever his website is. The Montreal Canadians are hot after Pavle Zaka as are the Calgary Flames. And that kind of ties into our discussion yesterday. Every day will remember my uh thinking behind perhaps trading Zaka for Rasmus Anderson. Um, this would be the first roster player trade with the HAB since 2001. Names linked include Joshua Roy, Oliver Kain, Jaden Strubal. Not imminent, but if the Bruins, if somebody pops in training camp, like a Fraser Minton or a Fabian Lysel, we’ll discuss both of those guys here coming up. Perhaps you see a situation where um they decide, well, maybe let’s cash in on Zaka. Both Kanin and Roy would be fantastic additions from the Montreal Canadiens. Both can play center. Kaanin was a second round pick in 2021. Joshua Roy was a fifth round pick, but his status has really elevated. This isn’t imminent, but again, could heat up as training camp begins. Trading him to Montreal would supercharge this rivalry. Um, and it would help them save some cap space to maybe add later or um yeah, just have that flexibility for going on in the season while adding some younger players. Trading him to Montreal would be pretty shocking. They’re in line for a second line center. I’m personally hoping Kirby Doc pops there because I have him on my keeper fantasy team, but that would be a pretty big swing for uh both the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins. And it would be uh prompted by some surprises in training camp. And look, even if none of these happen, the fact we’re even talking about them tells you how unpredictable this camp could be. Uh, coming up, we’re going to bring it back down to earth a little bit. Some realistic training camp predictions, battles that could actually shape Boston’s roster. We’ll touch on that here as the podcast continues. The NFL season is well underway and FanDuel is giving you an incredible opportunity to get in on the action. Right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if that bet wins, you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. People love using FanDuel because it fits however you like to bet. player props, same game parlays, jumping in live as action unfolds makes every game more exciting, whether you’re watching your team or just keeping an eye on your fantasy lineup. It’s quick, it’s easy, and the best way to add a little more energy to your Sundays. So, if you’re ready to play, download the FanDuel app now by visiting FanDuel.com to get started. Hit on your first $5 bet and you’ll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. That’s fanduel.com to get in on the action. Thank you again for making Lockdown Bruins part of your daily routine. Everydayers know it’s free and available in your uh podcast app and on YouTube. Please do hit that subscribe button if you have not already. All right, let’s dial it back a bit from the bold chaos and focus on the story lines that are actually most likely to play out at Bruins camp. Although the Zidorov for Captain one, I’m increasingly becoming not convinced, but you know, it’s definitely possible. These are battles and performances that will shape the opening night lineup. For me, Ununice Corposal getting waved is going to happen. Jeremy Swayman we all know is the clear number one and I expect him to come out as strong as ever to prove to all of us that he is the number one option for this team. Behind him there’s Ununis Corbasalo Michael Dpietro Corbasalo stepped up a bit last season when SuMo was struggling but he also struggled in his own right. carries a cap hit. The Bruins may not want to keep up, especially if it’s means having to try to put Michael DPro through waiverss. If Corbos looks even remotely shaky in camp, it’s going to be decision time pretty quick. Michael D. Petra is 26, coming off a solid AHL season where he was named goalender of the year and he’s hungry for a real NHL shot. Waving Corposalo would send a strong message that it’s Swayman’s team, Swayman’s crease, and also that DPro has earned his shot to be an NHL backup and to get some regular NHL starts. Look, we already see Corbasalo as a bit of a weak link, as a bit of a um cap overspend. Still no idea why they really felt the need to a trademark and b have to bring Corbasalo back even at just 75% with Ottawa retaining 25. cutting bait now. It’ll cost the Bruins a bit in terms of the cap, but it would be a popular move because most of us want to see DPro get a shot. We do not want to see DPro scooped off waiverss for nothing. Uh so that’s kind of a bold move to just try to bury a veteran goalender making three million. But consider the alternative. You’re either carrying three goalies or and Corbosella was already not content with the amount of starts he got or you’re risking waving DPro and he would certainly be scooped. Uh, and that’s just not going to happen. Second prediction, Fraser Minton will lead the team in pre-season scoring. He’s known for his maturity, responsible game. He’s not super flashy, but he’s smart, strong on the puck, and can chip in offensively. You saw him at the prospects challenge. He was clearly the best or more mature looking Bruins prospect on that roster. Uh he’s going to put up some points in scrimmages, the preseason, and it will force Boston’s hand to give him a fairly prominent role. There’s competition at center where seemingly Elias Lindholm, Casey Middlestat are locked in one two. Zaka still here for now but the trade chatter does linger and that could be a move they make. Uh John Beecher, Georgie Murculov, John Fonaci, Morat Hus Nudinov all battling for bottom six spots as are Shan Carelli, Michael Esimont. Minton leading the team in scoring will make him too valuable to cut. Even if he’s waiver exempt, even if Boston doesn’t want to rush him, he’s going to prove that he belongs in the opening night lineup. whether it’s uh on the third line center position playing with Hudinov and well perhaps Fabian Lel if they want to go young or Tanner Jano if Minton pops and I believe he will Boston suddenly looks a little deeper down the middle maybe they trade Pavle Zaka and go with Middlestat Minton Arvdson on the second line to give them a bit of flexibility there as Mintton and Middlestack can both play center or wing. You go with Lindhome, Middlestat, Minton throw Matt Potra in the mix as well. I think that’s to a certain degree Minton has kind of uh jumped over him on the depth chart. So, I’m assuming Potra will start the season in the AHL, but who knows? I’m giving the edge to Minton who’s going to lead the Bruins in preseason scoring. And my final bold prediction is that Fabian Lysel is finally going to stick with this team. The Bruins badly need more speed and skill on the wing. David Poshog just cannot be the only high-end creator. why Lysel fits. He’s got the wheels, the hands, the offensive instincts that few players in the system can match. Look, we all know he’s been inconsistent in Providence, sometimes floating on the perimeter. He’s also battled some injuries that have slowed his development, but this year is different. He’s had a full healthy summer and he’s coming off a confidencebuilding run to end the season with the Boston Bruins which culminated in him getting like three points in four games to end the season and scoring his first NHL goal. Marco Sturm, Don Sweeney emphasizing competition and earning your spot and that’s going to motivate Lysel more than a safety net in Providence. If he gets sent down to Providence, you might as well just package him or say, “Okay, this probably isn’t going to happen.” The roster has open competition for middle six roles. Mate Bluml, Alex Steves, Michael Esimont. Who Lysel plays with in scrimmage and preseason games will kind of dictate this. If he’s paired with Middlestat or Lindholm, the Bruins may be testing him in a real top nine scenario. Maybe you go Lysel on the second line with Middlestat and Arvdson so that he’s got some um more established veterans. Although maybe you don’t want to put Lysel with Middlestat who’s not the best 200 foot game. So maybe you go uh experiment with Lysel playing with Lindholm, get some of that Swedish magic going. All I know is that this is Fabian Lysel’s final chance to impress at Boston Bruins training camp. And I truly believe uh he is going to stick. And that’s why I’m actually making him the Bruin of the day. We’ll get to that here in a moment. But these are the some of the stories that will actually shape Boston’s opening night lineup. Does Lysel finally make it? Does Mintton pop enough to stick around? Is Corposal waved? These may not grab headlines like Zaka being traded to the Canadians, Nikita Zadorov being named captain, Tanner Jano becoming a fan favorite, but they’ll go a long way in telling us what kind of team the Bruins will ice this season. And uh let’s talk a bit more about Fabian Lysel here as today’s Bruin of the Day when the podcast continues. Are you a business owner who just realized you need to hire someone like yesterday? The best way to find amazing candidates fast is Indeed. When it comes to hiring, Indeed is all you need. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other sites. Indeed’s sponsored jobs put your post at the top of the page and help you reach the right candidates faster. I’ve actually been in that spot myself, working for a company that needed to hire ASAP. The pressure was on. Every day without the right person was a setback. And that’s where Indeed’s sponsored job came in handy. They make sure your post is seen by the right candidates right away. Now you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 sponsored job credit. Go to indeed.com/lockedon right now. Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. But if you’re hiring, Indeed is all you need. All right, the brewin of the day today and this is a segment we are doing new this season beginning last week is Fabian Lysel. And Fabian Lysel is a huge name to watch in training camp because it’s a pivotal opportunity or a pivotal time in his life if he does not stick. And the reasons why he hasn’t stuck so far are uh you know injuries, inconsistency, um the fact that there just hasn’t been really a spot for him. Those are all concerns for his ability to finally crack this team. and we all know his history and his profile. Uh he’s a guy that of course was drafted in uh 2021 first round pick for the Boston Bruins. And he’s a guy who brings blazing speed to this lineup. He brings creativity and he brings the potential for scoring. The Bruins pledged this a off seasonason that they wanted to evolve offensively and he’s the kind of next era player that could do that. Blazing speed, slick hands, offensive creativity. Drafted in the first round and once seen as the future of Boston’s top six, he’s had concussions, nagging issues that have slowed his development. He too often disappeared in Providence games, especially outside of his own or outside of the offensive zone, drifting to the outside instead of driving play, failing to get back to help the defense. The Bruins have also had a preference for veterans in middle six roles. That was proven once again this July when they went out and signed Shan Crowley, Michael Esimont, Tanner Jano. A full summer of training has given him a chance to come in at 100%. As well as that confidence boost that he got from playing for the Bruins down the stretch. The Bruins have real roster battles on the wing and nobody’s locked in behind really David Postnock, Morgan Geeki, Victor Arvitzson probably, but he too could fall down to like a third line role if he doesn’t come in optimal health. Marco Sturm is stressing competition and if Lysel shows he can impact games, Sturm has no loyalty to pass decisions. He’s coming in with fresh eyes. And let’s say Lysel skates with Middlestat, Lindhol, maybe even gets a look on the top line. It’s a sign Boston wants to give him a fair shot. He should stand out as one of the fastest, most skilled guys on the ice in practices and scrimmages once the preseason starts. If he’s putting up points and generating scoring chances while not being too easy to play against in the neutral and defensive zones, he’s going to be a tough cut. And if he sticks, the Bruins instantly add a top nine winger who brings speed, creativity to a forward group that badly needs it. He doesn’t have to be a star right away, just an everyday NHLer who can push play and drive things offensively. In a best case scenario, Lysel is a breakout candidate in the NHL and makes Don Sweeny’s job a lot easier when perhaps some pressure builds or when it comes to, hey, your draft record, this was a miss. Well, let’s turn it into a hit. Fabian Lysel is the perfect swing player for this training camp. If he pops, the Bruins have a higher ceiling than people think. If he doesn’t, it’s another year of waiting and hoping and also questioning management’s previous decisions and especially their draft record. For a team that finished last in the East and hit on James Higgins, they can’t afford to go into this draft with people questioning their previous draft decisions. They also can’t afford to continue to waste David Posnock, Charlie Makavoy, and Jeremy Swayman’s prime years. And that’s why a guy like Nikita Zidorov could be the perfect fit for captain because he could really push some buttons and get the most out of this team. All right, that’s it for today’s big, bold, beautiful prediction episode for training camp. It all begins tomorrow. You’re going to want to subscribe on your favorite podcast app and on YouTube so that you do not miss a single episode. Check out the Locked On NHL podcast next. News from all over the league from our local experts. It’s all part of the Locked On podcast network, your favorite team every single day. Please do take care of yourselves, friends. Take care of each other. And we’ll talk to you again here on the next episode of Locked On Boston Bruins.

Locked On Boston Bruins host Ian McLaren dives into bold training camp predictions that could shake up the B’s: Nikita Zadorov wearing the ‘C,’ Tanner Jeannot becoming a TD Garden fan favorite, and the latest chatter on Pavel Zacha trade interest — including from the rival Montreal Canadiens.

Then we zoom in on the realistic battles that will shape Boston’s opening night roster: Fabian Lysell’s chance to finally stick, Fraser Minten’s breakout potential, and whether Joonas Korpisalo survives camp.

Plus, Fabian Lysell also gets the spotlight as today’s Bruin of the Day.

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