It was a busy Monday morning on Toucher & Hardy, analyzing the Bruins deadline moves and pontificating on the Pats in free agency.
We’ll start with the Black and Gold and the gentleman you see in the opening clip. That’s Fluto Shinzawa, who covers the Bruins for The Athletic. He joined Fred, Hardy, and Wallach in the collective shoulder-shrug that was the common reaction to the Bruins at the NHL trade deadline last Friday. But Fluto brought up an important point. Even though the seller’s market that emerged at the deadline didn’t allow Bruins GM Don Sweeney to give the team the “bump” he was hoping for, the players still came out of the weekend with something important.
That something? A vote of confidence in the current roster. Fluto contrasted this to a year ago, when the team went into full fire sale mode, unloading expiring contracts and star players like Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle. Fluto was there in the locker room as the players were processing their teammates being shipped off to the likes of Florida and Colorado last year. It was heavy. So standing pat (for the most part) this year is not only a sharp contrast, but a morale boost. Get deeper into the few Bruins deadline moves with the Sports Hub Underground.
Patriots Free Agency
A funny thing happened on the show in the 8:00 hour. The Athletic’s Jay King was booked to talk Celtics and the return of Jayson Tatum. But poor Jay got stuck on the tarmac in Cleveland after last night’s Celts-Cavs game. So the show had to pivot, and pivot they did. The subject? Generally: NFL free agency. Specifically: Travis Kelce coming to New England. Watch the clip and let Fred walk you through the exercise. You’ll come to see that not only would Kelce be a good fit on the Patriots, but that it’s not an absurd idea.
Of course, since this morning, the news broke that Kelce is expected to return to the Kansas City Chiefs for his 14th season, as opposed to retiring or testing the waters of free agency. It’s a pity, really. Kelce at Gillette for eight home games in 2026. Taylor Swift in the owner’s box with Mr. Kraft, waxing nostalgic about playing in Foxboro in the rain years ago. The nonstop onslaught of tabloid press that would accompany each and every Patriots game for the duration of the season. OK, so I guess it’s not really a pity after all.
Keep tabs on the Pats at the trade deadline and beyond with the Patriots Offseason Hub, now available on the Sports Hub website and app. The NFL Free Agency Tracker will help you keep tabs on all the moves across the league. Alex Barth and Matt Dolloff will be pounding their laptop keyboards morning, noon, and night to give you all the latest analysis as it pertains to your New England Patriots. It’s a whole thing. Get into it.