LIVE Poke The Bear: Bruins’ trade-deadline teardown is already paying off

LIVE Poke The Bear: Bruins’ trade-deadline teardown is already paying off

[Music] Poke the bear. A live poke the bear Connor on a Wednesday at 300 p p.m. Eastern. What beats this? We got the music playing in the background. This is good. This is this it just it feels good. It feels good. And as always, we’re brought to you by Prize Pix. Use that promo code CLNS to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. And remember, go subscribe to Brewins Rankside on YouTube. We got stuff all the time. We do these all the time now. Almost every podcast is live at this point. Pucks with Hags, Bruins Beat, Poke the Bear. Uh, which is great. Subscribe over there. And if you don’t like watching us, you just like listening, make sure to go uh check us out on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Podbe, and wherever you get your podcast from, Celtics Access, Patriots Press Pass, those are humming. I’m Evan Marinowski, Connor Ryan. Connor, what’s up, Evan? I’m doing well. How you doing? Doing great. Doing great. you guys were all at the garden, so couldn’t go live after the game on Tuesday night. Shout out Robert Chmer, he text me, he’s like, “Is there a live stream tonight?” I was like, “No, man. I’m sorry.” Like, “Wish there was. Wish there was.” Um, but hell of a game. 5-3 win, two straight wins over the Leafs, seven straight wins on the season. And you can feel things turning a little bit around here. Like even myself, who has been uh I got I got someone came at me on Twitter the other day for being a big naysayer. They were like, you know, we don’t want you. We don’t want you. You know, with what you were saying before the season, all this. I was like, was I that negative? I mean, I think the the common thing was that they weren’t making the playoffs, but things are starting to turn. And last night was Last night was a good one. Last night was a good one. Yeah. I mean, vibes are high, right? I mean, this is a team that it’s not, you know, you look at where they sat on this win streak and you’re like, “All right, they’re writing the ship. They’re doing a little things here and there to kind of get back on the right track. Uh now what they’re doing is they’re like beating down teams that right now don’t look like they’re as in sync as connected as um you know locked in and bought into what they’re trying to do night in night out. Like you could still make the argument that even with you know Mitch Mana being in Vegas that Toronto still has the more talented roster, right? But like it’s not like the Bruins have been like sneaking out these wins against Toronto. they’ve like controlled play for extended stretches. Um even with Toronto kind of getting back into that game um in the later, you know, late of the second period, third period, what have you, the Bruins still, I think, controlled most of those two games. Um and it’s been impressive, right? You’re just seeing this team continue to stack wins. You’re seeing um them win in a variety of ways. Uh and you look at this last game, David Posen gets the two goals, gets goal 400 and 401. Um, and yes, you’re going to rely on guys like him, Morgan Ge, all the big guns you have to um keep you afloat, but then you look at a game where uh Tanner Jano and Mark Castle get power play points. Like you got these guys chipping in on the power play. You’ve got a power play that now is eighth in the NHL. They’re clicking at 25% right now. The PK is still at 11th um in the league even with that that rough game up in Toronto on Saturday. and you just look at the way they’re playing and I think you’re just seeing that buy in and that belief and you know we’ve said before that the way they’re scoring right now I think they’re what are they even now they’re six in the NHL in goals per game like I don’t know how I never would have ever predicted that I don’t know how sustainable that is right and maybe we’re just going to keep on talking about this until we get to December January and they’re still averaging like 3.5 uh points goals per game but Um, right now they’re they’re clicking. You’ve got all these guys pulling on the rope. If it’s not one game where it’s Fraser Minton stepping up, it’s Tanner Jano, it’s Castle, it’s Asimant, it’s all these guys that seem to be buying into what the Bruins are doing. Like, look at this game up against Ottawa. Maybe that’s the two-goal game for Victor Arbertson, right? Like, would it surprise you? It feels like every single uh game another guy stepping up. And yeah, even if you’re expecting some regression there offensively, if the Bruins are playing as dialed in defensively as they’ve been during this win streak and the power play is hovering around 15% and Jeremy Swayman is at the very least a league average goalie, you’re going to be stacking up points. That’s kind of what we said before the year started. And I think they’re overshooting those expectations because so many other guys are stepping up right now. And it’s encouraging to see and I think you just see how Micro Serum is preaching like this team and the buy in they have and you’re seeing that belief and I think also that little bit of swagger from this team now where you know they’re seeing the results and you know it almost feels like they have the answers to the test right of like hey if we play the way that Marco wants us to play we’re going to you know be a tough out every single night. We’re gonna capitalize on our chances. You know, we’re gonna have spots where maybe we’re getting outshot. We’re not generating as much offense, but we can land a punch or two and then we can defend like crazy in our own end. And, you know, that seems like there’s that buy in and that belief and it’s encouraging to see. Well, it goes back to what we were saying earlier in the season where it’s like Sturm is coaching for this roster. like the the the systems that they play, the way they play, the way they want to play is exactly like this roster needs to play. And it’s been encouraging. As you were talking, I looked it up. Bruins are eighth in the league in power play percentage. Eighth. They were cooking on Tuesday night. Cooking on the power play. And it it’s fluid. Uh the broadcast mentioned it. They move around more. They’re way more mobile. They give different pasta’s flying all over the place. and like he’s been making plays not as like the trigger man on that unit anymore, right? Like I know he he scores that goal off of that sick feed from Castle by the way. Yeah, my god. But like if he’s the guy that’s setting up post there and for the rest of the time it’s him with the puck on his stick moving around and it has the PK kind of having their heads on a swivel there. It’s a lot different what you saw last year where it’s like let’s try to get an entry. Oh [ __ ] we can’t do that. Oh, we finally get it over. Let’s feed it to pasta. Like that’s not working. So to your point, yeah, it’s night and day. It’s night and day and it’s it’s been much better. Credit to Steve spot, credit to the guys on the unit. Like they have it’s a it’s a different look and the offense was great last night again, but the other thing that really stood out to me was the PNV, the piston vinegar. It showed they out tough the Leafs and and granted they kind of always have like it’s not anything new. It’s not like they did it against the Panthers, but they pushed them around. They did. I mean, even that play where Sammy Blle takes out Makavoy’s legs, you know, after the whistle, Makavoy kind of like pitchforked someone uh you know, low W. I thought for a second like in the Frackus, I thought like it was Blade for a second. Then I saw like Zidorov beating up Sammy Blade. I’m like, “Oh, Wah just got like caught in the the frackus there of just being wrong to him.” Yeah. and and you just see it and do me with Zidorov and I think Zidorov continues to endear himself to fans around here. I mean, I’ve liked Zidorov a lot more the last couple of weeks. He has really morphed into I think what they want and what they wanted and what they signed him to be. And he looks like he’s becoming more comfortable, be it on the ice and as a leader off of it. So, you’re getting more from him. Yeah, the the comment before the game uh basically saying that he had a a Defumi kick like he was just, you know, going down the rabbit hole of the 2011 uh who hasn’t around here. Who hasn’t fallen down the rabbit hole of watching games three and four in that series? Um but I think that’s he has he’s been way better. Uh and they were just they out toughed him even when they were yapping between the benches. You got Jano on the edge of the bench, you got Castellic there, Zadorov’s yelling at BL in the box. like I don’t know that identity and look you know uh I have been notorious for saying you need speed and skill and by the way they still do this isn’t you know they they still do need that speed and skill but that’s a game where you out toughed them you out toughed him and I think it helped you on the scoreboard and they do look like they’re coming together they do and whether it’s the scoring that we’ve talked about and I’m with you Connor I don’t think that’s sustainable I don’t think you’re going to be would you say sixth in goals four. I don’t think you’re going to be sixth all season. But even if you fall to 13th or 14th like you’re still in a good spot. Your popular play is not going to be eighth all season. But as you said, if it falls to 14th or 15th, you’re in a good spot so long as your defense holds up, which it has for a while. And by the way, Lowry continues to play okay since coming back in the lineup. They’ve sheltered his minutes and it’s worked out. So for me like there’s coming together and and it was a fun product cuz pre-season you know through all the summer throughout all the summer we were like Daniel it’s going to be a long winter be a lot of nights where you’re like can I watch a different team but I you know the last couple weeks it’s like no I’m excited to watch this team I want to see what they do I want to see what new storylines emerge and that’s testament to them they’re coming together and I don’t you know I don’t think you can argue with that. No, and I think to your point, I was talking to Tai during the game and Tai mentioned like you look at this lineup where you got Zidorov, you got Castellik, you’ve got Jano, you got like Jeffrey Viel, got a lot of pretty scary dudes out there that if Toronto wanted to play that game, they weren’t they weren’t going to win it, right? And um you know it’s I think a savvy move by Zidorov for you know that stretch where Toronto’s coming back in the game and Max Doi decides to try to scrap with him and Swayman kills all momentum like Zidorov very well could have just pummeled him into the ice. Right. Yes. But like essentially I think I saw someone tweet about it. He did the uh an impression of like a refrigerator falling over. He just like fell on him. Like that’s essentially what he did. That’s great. But like, you know, Zidorov doesn’t take a penalty there. The Bruins, you know, play that whole sequence pretty smart. They get a power play out of it. Posanak scores a second goal and you can breathe a little bit easier. Like that’s also where you’re seeing like Zidorov who drove Toronto nuts that entire these entire two games, right? Like takes out a lot talking about it after the game. He’s talking about it before the game on Tuesday. Uh Austin Matthews doesn’t like that hit from Zidorov. Then he tries to hit Zidorov and gets hurt like I’m not laughing at the injury. I’m just, you know, trying. Yeah. But like he’s just a men. He’s a menace out there. He gets under people’s skin. He can uh, you know, take you out with a with a hit. He can do a lot of damage when he’s fighting, but also he’s chirping. He’s bugging the [ __ ] out of you. And like he also knows to get under your skin and when to maybe restrain himself and put the other team in a bad spot. I think you saw that with a guy like um Doi. But I think also that approach, that physicality, that way they want to play as, you know, a bunch of [ __ ] out on the ice. I think you’re seeing it be like infectious, right? You’re seeing other guys step up. You saw Morat Husendinov who is 5 foot n is the first guy in after McMahon had that hit on Hamas Lindome, right? Like Husin isn’t the guy that’s going to be scrapping, but he’s the first guy in. You’re seeing all those situations like again when you have that knee on knee hit with Makavoy, Zidorov does step up and everyone’s squaring off there in a fight and and even Geeky was sort of the first one at BL like Geeky was the first one over doing as much as as Morgan Geeky could on that and then Morgan Geeki took that anger and took to Twitter after the game. So that’s where he really really got his anger out on Kevin Majori. Yeah. And and so like I I think you look at I I thought this quote from Sterm afterwards was pretty illuminating talking about how obviously Toronto came in pretty pissed anyway. They’re already losing some games and we’ll talk more about that team and where they’re headed. But there was a great comment earlier I want to get back to but yeah, let’s see. Um but like you look at that’s a team that’s frustrated, have guys that are banged up. Uh we’re going to be physical going into it. Democ Sturm said afterwards, uh, the nice part about our team right now, if one guy says something from the other team, we have the whole bench standing up and like that’s infectious, right? When you got a whole team that is buying in that sees, you know, the fruits of their labor of being this tough, tenacious team where, you know, yeah, maybe we’re not the skilled team, but screw it. Yeah, we’re still going to outwork you. We’re still going to win some welts. We’re still going to leave the ice with wins. Like um I think you’re seeing that buy and you’re seeing that belief and it makes for a fun product. Like I think Brandon fans have been treated to a pretty entertaining product because you have a group that all fights for each other that Yeah. like they’re kind of this underdog team but doesn’t feel like it when they’re kicking the [ __ ] out of everyone, right? Like it’s it’s a it’s a fun product to watch. And I think you look at what the the goal I think going into this year regardless of what the standings were going to be and the Bruins are obviously playing better right now. It was all about, I think, resetting that culture or or, you know, building up for this next group of uh players that are coming in here. I think we mentioned this last week where there’s that the grinder award now and how that’s like part of the culture they’re trying to set. So, when James Haggins or Will Zeers or these other guys come in, you know, hey, you know, you might have like a three assist night. That’s all well and good. You’re not getting the grind award. You get in for blocking that shot, for stepping up for your teammate. like Matt Husadino is getting shouted out because he’s 5 foot n scrapping defending his teammate. I I think that is what the the Bruins are trying to build here and it’s the the cherry on top is that there’s that buy in and you’re getting results off of it. So, it’s the vibes are high right now, Evan. Like I know it’s a very long-winded response, but you’re seeing a team that is building an identity, executing it, and they’re getting rewarded for it as well. Yeah, the vibes are high and as we’ve said for the last two weeks, enjoy this. I’ll also say though like I completely I love your point about for guys like Hagens and Zeers and Will Moore and LNO coming up that you’re stepping into a room where it’s strong again. The culture seems to sort of be back and granted it’s been eight games of this so like let’s let’s take it with a grain of salt but if this continues even you know they’re going to lose some games here or there. I did see 75 and seven is still on the table so we’re hey we’re pro go 75 and seven I’m all for it. Um but at some point you will lose. That doesn’t mean the culture has to go away though. That doesn’t mean the culture is you said standing up for your teammate, you know, playing for the guy next to you and being [ __ ] The doesn’t need to go away. Like I think you have the the personnel in there. And I think you know even next season when a guy like Hagens is up here in two or three seasons when guys like Zellers, you know, Jeffrey Viel might not be here, Mark Castellic, you know, whoever might not be there, but that culture still remains of no, we’re going to stand up for one another. You don’t, you know, you’re if you talk to one of us, you talk to all of us. And I think that that’s a really encouraging thing that is starting to emerge that wasn’t there. And I think when you look at last season and what was going wrong, it’s not there anymore. Like they’re not getting blown out. We’ve talked about this a number of times, even during the losing streak, they never really got blown out. They were they were right back in games. It was one or two mistakes that would sink them. And right now, those mistakes aren’t happening. Obviously, I saw I think it was Jorge Melendez uh commented earlier about Makavoy’s turnover on the power play led to the short-hand goal. That was pretty bad. That was that was pretty careless. Uh but again, Makavoy plays great the rest of the game and they fight back and they don’t roll over and I think those are the those are huge things um that come into play for them. Um we’ll get more into the Maple Leafs uh and what their future holds cuz it ain’t looking so hot. Uh one thing I do want to touch on, Posternok gets goals 441. whole team piles onto the ice. Like, what is there to say? What is there to say? I mean, it was a nasty goal. He scores for his 400th. His impact, uh, the leadership that you see in behind the B, he just has it all. Has it all. And he’s morphing into their leader. And, you know, he’s headed to be the, you know, he’s greatest goal scorer Bruins history potentially. Like, he’s he’s that freaking good. Yeah. I mean, he’s one goal away from tying uh Rick Middleton for fifth in the uh team history. And if he has a another 40 50 goal season, he’s probably going to end the year third, right? He’s probably going to pass. I believe Marshand is uh sitting at 422 and Bertron’s right in front of him, I think, at 427. So, if he keeps on pulling on these points, uh he very well could already be third. And if he stays healthy and he keeps on doing what he’s doing, he’s going to be rising up that list even more. Um, so yeah, it’s it’s impressive. You’re seeing him uh he’s been as advertised and again like uh Sturm was awesome yesterday in terms of just I mean he’s been great I think the whole year being just very uh you know adding some good perspective uh being candid all these things but he was asked about like posture leadership. You know, it’s not always you have guys spilling out over the ice congratulating a guy off of a a situation like that. But Sturm said that he kind of reminds him like his leadership style. It’s not like Charara or Berseron, right? It’s different, but it doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s it’s, you know, he’s a guy that is humble. You want to play for him. He’s a guy that likes to have fun. Uh Sturm kind of compared him a little bit to Ovetchkin, who Sturm played with briefly of like, you know, he’s not he’s been a captain for a long time. He’s won a cup with Washington. His approach isn’t the same as Charara or Berseron, right? But doesn’t mean it doesn’t work, right? You know, so yeah. No, like Char’s a very intense guy, too. Not everybody’s not everybody’s Char, right? So, um, you know, you look at just some of these other teams that have won over the years, like all the captains, you can go down the list, they’ve all been different in terms of their personalities, their approach, all that sort of stuff. So, it’s a sign that, you know, Posanak has that respect. He’s a guy these players, you know, want to play with, play for. Um, and if we’re looking at the guy who’s stepping into a captain’s role, you know, nothing’s determined yet, but sure makes a compelling case as far as, I think, what he means to this team and I think what that approaches. And I also think like if you’re building up this this new kind of culture where you’re taking, you know, bits and pieces from the the culture of yesterday year, right, the char bers era, which I don’t think goes away, but you have a different stamp on it now where you got Posanok who has this approach. You’ve got, you know, Makavoy, you got Zidora from the swagger he brings. It’s kind of this augmented different kind of grouping where they have that ability to be um a pretty physical team, a team that has that swagger and is trying to build something moving forward. So, it’s different but interesting. I I completely agree and I think that’s the thing with him and you know it’s so funny like even when they were talking about um you know what the Bruins are going to do in the future, where the core goes, he’s always a part of it. you need him a part of it and and there’s always that false narrative too of like he’s not a big game performer someone show me stats that show that because he has been a really good big game performer um and I think the fact that he can produce offense with anyone Houston fits down the middle with him what he’s done to Morgan Geeki like there’s so much David Posternok um more so than just goal scoring we’re we’ve seen that the last couple of years but I think we’re really seeing it right now I think he’s I think I looked this morning he’s like seventh or eighth in points in the league. Like he’s right up there with all those guys. By the way, you want to see a crazy uh uh who’s leading the league in points? It’s like Leo Carlson, Celibbrini, uh Conor Bard. Yeah. Like crazy group of good young talent. And then you have someone like David Postrock who’s still kind of young. Still kind of young. Um I got a kick out of there was a comment earlier that was like is the mitten line like the Great Value Cranon Luchich line? And it’s like yes, but Mark Castelick is David Crerache. like, yeah, Gaston is the setup guy, you know, he he has to be that. So, uh, I enjoyed that one, too. Um, we’ll get into more of these things cuz there are other things we want to get to. We’re going to wallow in Toronto a little bit. We’re going to get to this going to be like a Maple Leafs, you know, this will be fun making fun of the Leafs a little bit. Uh, but first, this episode’s brought to you by Prize Picks. You and I make decisions every day, but on prize picks, being right can get you paid. Don’t miss any of the excitement this season on prize picks where it’s good to be right. Morgan Geeky keeps producing. I like him more than.5 goals and I was a winner on this on Tuesday and a prize picks I made. David Ptoark more than.5 points. That feels really good to me right now. Prize picks simple to play. Just pick more or less on two to six player stat projections and if you get your picks right, you could cash in. Priced the flex play which means you can still cash out if your lineup isn’t perfect. You can double your money even if one of your picks doesn’t hit. So download the app today and use code CLNS to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That’s code CLNS to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup prize picks. It’s good to be right. Could be right. AA I agree. Mark Castle has been incredible. Damn right. Damn right. By the way, uh Connor can’t join because he’ll be at the Patriots on Thursday night, but Thursday after the Bruins, Senators, Ty Anderson and I will be going live after the game for a live Bruins beat. So, you can look forward to that. You can make fun of Tai and get on them. Tell maybe I’ll jump in late. I I’ll be on the the field. It look like I’m in Hoth when you look at how cold it’s going to be tomorrow night at like 1:00 a.m. when that game is over. Yeah, the ones that all the football players wear. Those gigantic ones on the uh on the bench. So maybe I’ll jump in for a for a comment or two. I say it’s going to be so cold like you know Rabbel can’t just wear his vest over his shirt, right? You got to have he might he very well might. You never know. He might. He might. But yeah, you can look you can look forward to that on Thursday. Connor might be joining. Connor might jump in maybe from the podium like mid verbal press conference. Drake me. Shut the hell up. No, we got to talk about the Senate. That’s right. We gota talk about Brady Kachchuck’s new podcast, buddy. All right, Drake. Hush up. Um, there was a comment earlier when we first started. I’ll try to find it because we got so many comments. So, we we love this. We love the interaction. We do try to engage with everybody. Keith says, “Toronto looks just like the Bruins did last year. Very similar situation.” I don’t disagree. I don’t disagree. I mean, they lost Mitch Mner in the offseason. That was a huge loss. They never really replaced him. Uh, I think you look at where Toronto’s at. You have Matthews, but again, who knows how long he’s going to be out for. I haven’t seen anything new today after last night. You don’t have a legit number one defenseman like a Charlie Makavoy that you can sort of build around and you don’t have a a you know starting goalie in net like Swayman to build running and say whatever you want about is hurt too. He had a good year. He’s been bad and now he’s hurt. That’s right. That’s right. So there’s a lot of pieces there that don’t add up. You have their first round pick this year. They don’t have really any picks. Uh, I do wonder if they at some point if this continues, if they try to blow it up. I can’t imagine that they fully do what the Bruins did last year. But I think this time last year, if you told us that the Bruins are going to trade Marshian, Coyle, Carlo, Frederick, Brazo, I would have said you were insane. So, who knows? But the Leafs are not in a good spot. And you kind of have them over a barrel because you have their first. It is top five protected. But if they do end up like the Bruins last year and they finished like the fourth worst team and then pick seventh, you’ll take it. You’ll take it. So Leafs are not in a good spot. No. And I mean, you look at where the um where the Bruins and Maple Leafs were at, you know, last match, right? It felt like they were two completely different paths where um the Bruins were looking at a very very long rebuild. They’re moving off pieces and Toronto is this team that, you know, they weren’t maybe on the upswing, but they were right in the middle of their contention window, right? They’re, you know, acquiring guy like Brennan Ko to help out their team, paid a high price for them. And now look to what your point is, like where are they right now? The Bruins feel like after a one-year LOL, again, not getting ahead of ourselves, they feel like they’re accelerating their timeline. A lot of that, I think, as a byproduct of them doing that roster tear down um in March. But you look at Toronto, that is a team that has a lot of talent, has a lot of skill. Like I’m not ready to say they’re going to be a top 10 worst team in the league, but like they’re on like a slippery slope and like only need like two or three things to kind of go not go their way before it starts snowballing pretty bad, right? Like if Matthews is out for a while and the goalending doesn’t pick up, how do you how do you stop the bleeding, right? Like your best defenseman is out if you’re Toronto and it’s Chris Tanav who has dealt with injuries and he’s 35. That’s your that’s your guy right now. Your top G pair is Morgan Riley, a skilled puck mover but not the most stout guy and Brennan Ko who love Brennan Ko. He’s a great guy. He’s not your top pairing guy. And I think you you’ve seen him get exposed. He’s he’s caught some flak up in Toronto. But I also don’t think he should be your top pairing guy. nor if you’re Toronto, should you have paid that premium for him where the Bruins already have a, you know, whatever you want to say he is, 3C of the future, 3C of right now in Fraser Minton who’s only going to get better and then you could end up getting a even if like let’s say Toronto writes the ship, but they’re a wildcard team or they they just missed the playoffs and you get the 16th overall pick, you’re getting a good prospect. Th this draft is deep. Like even if you’re not getting the McKenna or the Lawren’s or the uh Stenbergs, Verhoffs, all those guys, you look at the projected players there, there’s so many like right shot D who look like they could be in the NHL in a year or two. You got a lot of talented wings. You’re going to get a good player if Toronto is just pedestrian. And if they’re worse, you know, like and and things really start uh going off the rails there. Yeah. Like does Toronto just like tank? Do they just like take everyone out of their lineup and just bring up the Ali’s to like lock in a top five pick, which there’s no guarantee that even happens, but that’s a team that if Matthews is hurt, how do you get yourself out of that that that spin that they’re going down, right? Like they can’t, you know, acquire another skilled forward like with what what picks are you trading like Cowan? Are you trading Matt? You know, like you can’t. And that’s why even if like the if the Maple Leafs have a top five uh pick in this draft, the Bruins don’t get that first round pick until 2028 because Toronto traded their 2027 first round pick for Scott Lton who’s a fourthline center who’s now hurt. Like they’re in a tough spot. So, I I I don’t know how bad it could get for Toronto, but you saw like the Bruins, you know, as bad as they were last year, they had the skeleton of a still solid team, a team that should not have been a top five pick bad team, but things the wheels fell off really quickly and they couldn’t get themselves out of it. Toronto feels like they’re in that same spot where they’ve got skill, but if an injury or two sprouts up and the goalending doesn’t bounce back, it can get ugly really quick. And if you’re the Bruins, you will take that. If you’re the Bruins and you have all sudden a great year where you’re a wild card team or better and you get like the sixth or seventh pick off of Toronto, that works pretty well. Well, I wonder what like if we if we were doing uh Poke the Bear back in 2010 after the Bruins traded Kessle to Toronto, would we be doing this, too? Like, oh my god, you might get the number one pick. Like, you’re right there. Um, yeah, Toronto’s in a bad spot. Toronto’s in a really bad spot. And to be honest, even throughout this whole reign, like really since 2016ish, uh, when, you know, Matthews, Mner, Knander, all those guys, like they’ve never been fully solidified. They were so topheavy. They were never great defensively. They’ve they really have not had a a legit number one starting goalie, and it’s hurt them every time. So, it’s like I don’t know. I think I don’t know if the window’s closing for them. And again, it’s November 12th, but like Thanksgiving’s not that far away. Thanksgiving’s not that far away. That’s usually the barometer and they’re not in a good spot. So again, like I was texting you earlier, like if Toronto is a wildcard team and they get bounced and they’re pick 15 and you are around the same area and you’re picking 20th and you have like the 15th and the 20th pick or you win the Stanley Cup, you have 15 and 32. Um, but still 15 to 20, like that’s good because you can make those picks. Those are going to be good, legit prospects, hopefully very good players down the road or you can package those picks and trade up. You can package those picks or trade one of them for an established player. Like you have options at the very least. And it hits it again the big take from I think the past two games is like it looks like they’ve won the Brandon Carlo trade. Um, and I think it kind of hits at a bigger thing whereas like if if things are not going your way as a franchise, the deadline is the time to sell off because you get massive returns like that. A first in Fraser Mitten Colorado, you got, you know, one of your top prospects in Will Zeers. You got what was it a second and you got Casey Middlestat. So it’s like that, you know, that’s a good return for Charlie Coyle who isn’t with Colorado anymore by the way. Yeah. Um, you go through you get you get Will Moore off of Trenton Frederick who has what, one goal in 17 games and and getting his ass handed to him by Matthew Olivier. So, it’s like you you you know, you you’re you got good returns and you helped build your your franchise back up. And it hits what we talked about on Bruce earlier this week, like there’s a chance that they may have avoided a full rebuild by just tearing it all down at one deadline. And that is crazy. Now, that I wouldn’t say that’s 100% gonna happen. You would not say that’s 100% gonna happen, but there’s a chance. And I think if you told us that in the offseason, I think I like you’re insane. No way. But they’re in a better spot. They’re in a much much better spot. Uh, and it hits at this. Are they legit? Are the Bruins legit? Like, are you You had them in the wild card to begin the year. I’d imagine that hasn’t changed. Do you see this Bruins team as legit? I mean, you’re seeing the way they’re playing right now, right? Like, they’re they’re such an interesting team, right? Because they’re fun to watch right now. You just want to see if they can string it together moving forward. But I think it just goes back to, you know, not to sound like a broken record, but if they can just stick to their principles, stick to the script, defend, you know, uh, relentlessly in their own end, stick to Sterm system and cash in on the power play, and your your big your big guns like Posog and Geeki are going to score. Yeah, I think they’re I think they’re a wild card team. Now, if this continues and the, you know, when they’re healthy, the Middlestat, uh, Zaka, uh, Arverson line is continuing to play well and the Minton, uh, Jano Castic line is cashing in, like, you know, if they continue to do this and keep on proving all of us wrong, then maybe they’re like the second team in the Atlantic, which they are right now, right? Like a at this point, um, this team has continued to kind of think exceed expectations as far as what we mapped out. Like I I think when we met when we went through our best case scenarios for this team in you know August and September it was that right of tough to play against stingy kind of 2-1 hockey um but if you play that way you’re going to get a lot of points win or lose right like if you you get a point out of some of these games but you you play a tough tenacious structured game you’re going to get rewarded for it. uh if all these guys keep on pulling on the rope like they are right now, I I just it feels like they’ve got the winning formula uh as far as even that that can keep you afloat even if you have some offensive regression there. And at this point, yeah, you have to feel like they’re a team that the way they’re playing, they have all the makings of a tough out, a team that can be in the playoffs. And I know like the recent standings. I know the Athletic did one where they still had them what like with the sixth worst record in the league as far as like the projected standings because I know 4% chance to make the playoffs according to the Athletic and I know like some of their underlying numbers like you look under the hood aren’t great. Like they’re still giving up a lot of expected goals, what have you. But it feels like this is a team that just keeps on buying in. You’re having guys being put in spots where they’re succeeding. They’re kind of a little bit like Washington last year where they had some big guns, right? they have some talent, but then everyone else just seems to buy in, gel correctly. Um, and and you’re seeing them really kind of buy in and produce. And you know, you looked at the Capitals roster last year, you look up and down their depth chart like how is this guy have, you know, you’d see them in like March and April, you’re like, how does this guy have like 48 points? Who the [ __ ] Like it’s and like are the Bruins that team this year? I’m not saying that all summer are going to be in April and be like, hand up. Who had Mikey Asim with 25 goals? I’m not saying that. But like if it’s like Jano with 31 points and Mikey Asimon with 25 and Minton with like 30 points and Arverson’s got 20 goals and like Middle Stats, you know, all these guys are on a pace now where they’re all pulling on the rope. Um, and you’re seeing them get rewarded for it. So, uh, and to, you know, one of the comments about like also Sturm feels like the X factor here. Like he’s mapped out the vision, he’s mapped out the identity and guys are following along with it and the points are piling up. So, are they legit? like is does it legit mean that they’re a playoff team or like a contender or or what? Because right now it feels like they’re a team that uh is making some noise and you look at also like their schedule to start the year. I think they’re 30th 31st in as far as like how difficult their schedule has been out of the gate this year. They’re like the only team that’s handed Colorado a regulation loss, right? Or one of the two teams. like they’ve been dealt a pretty tough schedule throughout the year and they’ve shown whether it’s even during their losing streak where they’re hanging tough. They’re getting back in these games like against Florida or Vegas to now like the sevename win streak, they’re tough out. They’re a competitive team that is is going to work their ass off and I think you’re seeing it so far. That’s why I disagree with the model Dom’s model has the Bruins as you said still sixth worst, you know, 81.8 projected points. They should not be that. Um, you know, am I convinced they’re a like full playoff team, second or third in the Atlantic like or definite like first wild card team? No. But they should be contending for it. They should be in and around it the way they’re playing. And and for the people who still want them to tank, who want who are rooting for them to lose, I don’t understand that because I think in hockey and and this is the the biggest thing with the Bruins is like you you just need to make your picks. doesn’t necessarily mean that they all have to be top five or top seven or top three. You just need to make them. Don’t give away your picks unless unless someone like uh Hampus Lindholm now pops up and it’s like nope, you know, got to go get that guy, sign him longterm. He’s a part of our core. Rasmus Anderson, right? Like I know he’s like 29 which is a little bit in like the starting the the slope I guess down but like if he’s a guy you sign and then you you have him long term and you got Zdorf Makavoy Lindome and like that’s pretty good. So it is and I like you know even Connor says if you take a couple of those games during the losing streak to overtime and lose the record uh and the perception wouldn’t be as bad. It’s true. Like it it wouldn’t if they got some points out of that losing streak I think we’re in a much different spot. So, I I just to me like you just need to make your picks. Just make your picks and you you might get lucky with Toronto. Who knows? You might get lucky with Florida in a year or two. Like Florida’s not really in a great spot right now. I still think that they rebound and Can you imagine Can you imagine if they had Florida’s pick this year and like I feel like Florida even is probably going to write the ship. Like Kachchuck is going to be back at some point, right? But like I think you look at Tankathon right now, it had the Bruins with the eighth pick from Toronto and let’s say the Bruins got the 26th Florida pick. I think that’s like 11 right now. Yeah. Like you know that’s again even even if Florida does write the ship unless they go on like a crazy run like they they could also be a team that is even like in the 20s you’re getting a good prospect out of that. So we’ll see where they are next year. But um I don’t know if you’re going to outright win the the Marartian trade, right, for what he did for that team. But um you’ll look at the rest of these trades and what they’ve done. They all have been looking pretty good so far. Yeah. And again, like AA says, that six game stretch sucked for sure, but I did not hate watching them and didn’t hate the product, which is what makes the difference for me winning or losing. It is true. They were in all those games. They worked their ass off. Like the one game that’s been the outlier has been that Ottawa game, which and we went live after. Yeah, we went live after. We had people in the comments being like, “Say Don Sweeney sucks. I’m gonna give you a knuckle sandwich.” Say it. Uh, but it feels like forever ago, but like I think even we said it last week where the Bruins started stacking some wins and it feels like even with that six game losing streak, that auto game was like the one outlier game that every team has two, three of those in a a season where you just get your ass kicked, you burn the tape, you’re like, “Man, [ __ ] that. That’s terrible. Uh that wasn’t the case last year where it happened every week, every 10 days it felt like, but that’s has kind of been the outlier even in the games where they’ve come up short and they’ve had some backbreaking losses like Florida, Anaheim, all that kind of stuff. Um they keep on fighting and I think you’re seeing that right now. And even Sturm mentioned that uh after the game he was he said like I’m glad we went through that now because I think it showed like what we needed to change what I needed to change and we got dealt with that adversity early on and we’re better for it now. We’ll see if they can build off of that moving forward but the results are what they are right now. They are. They are. And like roast and toast counterpoint bees are seven seven and four in regulation. Good but not impressive. I agree. And this why I I don’t like I can’t sit here and be like they are officially a playoff team. like it’s playoffs are bust. No, I think they’re I think they’re in and around it. They contend for it. I think that you know they’re last couple weeks of the season they’re in it. And look, I hate to be the bearer of bad news. They’re going to lose at some point. Like they just they just are. I’m sorry. They are going to lose at some point and it’s going to go back and forth and they’re going to win two in a row, then they’re going to lose one and then they’re going to win another. They’re going to lose two or three in a row. That’s just the way they’re going to that’s the way this team is built. That’s what’s going to happen. Um, and I think at the end of the day when it all comes out in the wash, like they’re going to be contending. They’re going to be contending for a playoff spot and it’s going to be exciting hockey throughout the winter. They’re going to be ups like right now. I mean, this is like this is like S&P 500 record, right? Like this is everyone’s up at the top. Now is when you sell. Now is when you sell a little bit of your brewing stock. Um, I know G made it. I’m sorry. Don’t ruin the 70 75 and 7 Dream. Uh, I’m trying not to. And AD even says like April will be fun. It should be fun. And like I I think this might be the first time I’m mentioning him on this show or at least in this episode. Like you bring James Hagens in at the end of the season and see what you got there. Like there’s interesting things there at the end of the season. Um that I think will be really good. And they’re in a good spot. Like the vibes are good. That’s why tomorrow night like you know if they lose that be no live thing with Tai. It’s done. No, Ty Anderson. I got it. It would be me by myself in a pocket being like, “Hello, is anyone on?” Well, remember back in the day when you uh I don’t know, your Wi-Fi went out, you were in like a Dunks parking lot. Remember that? We got to bring that back at some point. Yes. Uh get people going. I’ll be at I’ll be at uh reporting live from Mick Morgans’s for the Bruins postgame video across the street at Porter Pub. Um yeah, they’re in a good spot. They’re in a good spot. We, you know, seven in a row is legit. What is it? Is it eight of nine at this point if you include that senator’s uh loss in there? So, they’re in a good spot like which is which is booied by a regulation win over Colorado who has been filthy. Yes. No. No, Aiden. We’re not doing that. Absolutely not. The McDonald’s and North Station, too. Like, I don’t think we’re going to go I don’t think we’re going to go that far. Oh, 91 and seven. 91 and seven because I’m assuming you’re including the playoffs. So, just sweep sweep the playoffs. Um, you know what someone said earlier? They’re like, “This season is the hockey god’s redemption for 2019.” H if this the redemption would be 2023, like this is the team that goes all the way. This is the team that goes on a crazy run. Uh like the Panthers in 2023. Like that would be hilarious if this is the team that does it after we were like 20 the 2013 Red Sox. We got like the the the Patriots are now doing a 01 Patriots run here. So yeah, maybe it’s all I I was telling back then I I was saying like before, you know, this is probably more when we were looking at the team in the middle of that six game losing streak where we were talking about like are they going to get McKenna? Are they going to get one of these guys that even you look at just how much the Bruins accelerated their timeline last year by just moving all those picks, getting Hagens, getting all these guys, if you get another like blue chip talent, the Bruins are in like a good spot, right? And clearly they’ve exceeded those expectations right now where all a sudden they could potentially be a playoff team with Hagens and these guys on the way. But it’s a fun time for Boston sports, man. Like if the Celtics, who I know they’re going through a rough thing, get like a legit prospect with Tatum coming back with the Red Sox on the upswing with the Patriots how they are right now. You kind of got like a little Boston renaissance going on right now. So, it’s it’s an exciting time and that’s why I think even if you’re expecting the Bruins to take a little bit of a step back. They’re not going to win seven in a row every uh you know, multiple times this year, but have fun. It’s been a fun season so far. They’re a team that if you’re a fan, they’re easy to root for. It’s easy to buy into what they’re what they’re selling, what they’re showing out there. And uh you should enjoy it because right now it’s been a whole lot better than what we were at last year where was was Jim McGomery fired on November 12th? I forget. It was right around this time. It was right around this time. Maybe it was like November 17th, I think. But you look where we were last year where we all were expecting this team to be on a playoff run and we’re like, “What’s what’s going on here? This isn’t all that great um to to where they are now where even if this team takes a step back, even if they do uh regress a little bit, I think Bronson’s feel like this team is on the right track. You got a lot of key guys in place. You got guys that are overperforming, guys that look like they’re part of the solution moving forward with Geeky Minton, all these types of players. I I really hope not. Start five days from now. Goodbye. Yeah. Uh it was November 19th, by the way. November 19th. That’s how it um but feels like a a whole lot different from where we were just a year ago. And it does feel like even however this year ends, um it it’s kind of what we said before the stat of what’s the best case scenario for this team. It’s this team overachieves. They sure feel like they’ve got more uh room to grow. The ceiling is nowhere near uh where it is by the time this season ends. But Bruins fans are like, I can’t wait for 26 27. Let’s get the let’s get the season started wherever the season ends. Feels like they’re on that track right now. I mean, again, I imagine if you’re a fan and you were watching Tuesday night’s game, you’re like, “Oh my god, this is awesome.” like edge of your seat, your team’s beating up the Leafs on the scoreboard and literally like they’re they’re a fun product to watch. And I didn’t expect to say that this season. Like I I really didn’t. I expected a lot of what we had during that losing streak, which is like they fight. They’re the little engine that could, but they’re not enough. They don’t have enough of that that skill. But you’re seeing guys everywhere step up. The second line is working even without Casey Middlestat. Mark Castillic is like Sydney Crosby out there. And again, this isn’t all gonna last, but enjoy it right now because it’s it’s happening right now. Um, and I think that uh for Bruins fans, that’s a really positive thing. Friendly reminder, obviously, make sure to go subscribe to Burns Ringside on YouTube. We’re doing these all the time. Tomorrow night, Ty Anderson and I live Bruins beat after Bruins Senators. Uh, and then if you don’t like watching and you just want to listen and you want maybe it’s too late for you, you want to listen to it on the road to work the next morning, you can do that. Uh, Apple, Spotify, uh, Podbe where we get your podcast from and then obviously Patriots Press Pass, Altix all access, all those great things. Um, even last night like Alex Steve scoring a goal like that’s, you know, like yeah, that’s cool, man. Like against your former team, former organization, Fraser Mitten having the discuss that he’s having. Um, Jorge asks, “Who do you think starts in net tomorrow?” I would think Corposalo. Probably Corposalo. I think he’s he’s due for a start anyway. Um, he’s played well against Ottawa the last game. I think it it maps out pretty well where you get Corposalo who’s rested against a team that he wants to do well against after they kind of dealt him away for peanuts. um or or as part of like more of a a peanut, but you look at how Omar’s playing this year, but it was more of a a contract dump for what it is. So, he’s motivated. He’s playing well right now. So, I think he gets back in the lineup and then it sets up for Swayman a little bit more rest and he goes up to Montreal on Saturday, which is going to be a fascinating game. That’s going to be a fun game. And uh the league is a lot better when both the Bruins and Montreal are both good and both on the upswing. Feels like that’s what we’re getting right now at least. No question. Absolutely no question. Someone earlier asked about like trade deadline acquisitions. We’re going to save that for a future episode cuz I don’t want to dive too deep into the trade deadline on November 12th. Uh but we we talk about it, you know, a little I’m laughing at Ke’s comment about Toronto’s giving a 2031st for Corposalo. I could see it. Maybe it’ll happen. You never know. Um, this has been fun. Connor, what can the people look forward to from you over at the globe andboston.com? Yeah, you can read my stuff over at the globe andboston.com. We have you covered every step of the way in this brewing season. We got recaps, features, columns, breakdowns, got a couple of uh fun features in the works, too, that excited to share in a couple of weeks. So, looking forward to that. So, please subscribe over at Boston.com, the Boston Globe. And if you want to follow me on Twitter, X, whatever it’s called these days, you can. at Connor Ryan_93. Go do all that. That’s Conor Ryan. I’m Evan Marinowski. Poke the Bear. Listeners and viewers who tuned in live, thank you. You poke the bear listeners and viewers have a great rest of your week.

On this LIVE episode of Poke the Bear, New England Hockey Journal’s Evan Marinofsky and Boston.com’s Conor Ryan recap yesterday’s clash between the Bruins and Maple Leafs that saw the B’s win 5-3 and extended their win streak to 7 games. The guys also look back at how last years trade deadline teardown is already paying off for the team one year later!

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