Still, the club appears to be headed in the right direction with the additions they made late last month, as they’ve earned points in eight straight games before Tuesday’s loss. The tone of this week’s mailbag questions reflect that optimism.
There’s still concern about the power play and the performances of some individual players, but there’s also lots of questions about the Bruins’ chances of landing the top seed in the Eastern Conference and what hardware certain members of the club might take home at the NHL Awards Night in June.
As always, I’d like to thank all the readers who sent in questions for this edition of the mailbag, and apologize in advance if I wasn’t able to get to yours. Please keep submitting your questions and I’ll get to as many of them as I can as we head down the home stretch of the season.
1a. With the new additions and set roster, how likely do you think it is that the Bruins will overtake Philly for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference?
— Nick
1b. With the way the Bruins are playing right now do you think we have a shot at catching Philly, and if so do you think the Bruins will be too burnt out come playoff time?
— Josh from Lynn
Lots of questions about the quest for the top seed this week, and why not? Prior to Tuesday’s disappointing showing in Montreal, the Bruins had put together their best stretch of the season at the same time that the Flyers were suddenly reeling. Boston entered Tuesday with points in eight straight games, while Philadelphia had lost four straight by a combined 19-6 tally. And that wasn’t exactly against the iron of the league either, with losses to Ottawa, Toronto, Buffalo and a 7-0 humiliation at the hands of the Rangers on Sunday.
The Flyers are as deep and talented as anyone in the league up front and on the blue line. Although their defensive unit is a bit banged up of late, they remain formidable. Philly’s weakness is the same as it has been for years, as their suspect goaltending may finally be catching up to them. Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher have been playing over their heads all season, but have come back to earth of late. That weakness makes it possible for Boston, Pittsburgh or Washington to catch Philadelphia. More importantly, it gives any of those teams a chance to beat the Flyers in the playoffs, though it won’t be easy with the strength of the rest of Philly’s roster. The Bruins won’t be worrying about first place in the conference if they turn in many more efforts like they did Tuesday night in Montreal.
As for the second part of Josh’s question, I don’t see an issue with the Bruins being burned out come playoff time. I actually think they could be peaking at just the right time if the Montreal game proves an aberration. Two years ago, they played their best hockey in December and January and while they went on another late win streak and swept Montreal in the first round, they never quite recaptured that level of play down the stretch. This year, the Bruins have built up toward playing their best hockey late in the season and have a chance to go into the postseason on a high.
2. Considering the Bruins have plenty of depth in the organization, along with plenty of guys under contract for next year and the continued progress of [Tyler] Seguin, and considering we’re all hearing this year’s draft class is a crap shoot, do you think it’s worth it for them to trade down a bit in the draft this year and take a shot on a “high risk, high potential” player? Someone they can leave in juniors or over in Europe for another two or three years before bringing them over?
And quickly, how good has Darth Quaider [Adam McQuaid] been all year long? Makes the simple play every play, takes shots with a purpose and sticks up for his teammates. What a great guy to have in the B’s room?
— Sean
I don’t think any organization ever goes into a draft seeking out a “high-risk player.” The Bruins may take a chance on a player who needs time to develop if that’s the best option at that point in their eyes or they may decide to trade down if they feel they are getting good value in return and are comfortable with what will be available at the later slot.
This year’s draft may lack the true elite franchise players at the top that past drafts have produced, but is pretty balanced through the rest of the first round and into the second, so there could be value in trading down, but because of that other teams also might not be willing to pay much of a premium to move up to Boston’s spot. Even if they stay where they are with Toronto’s pick, which is looking more like it will be in the 8-12 range rather than a top-five selection, it’s unlikely they’ll land a player ready to step right into the big club’s lineup, so it will likely be a year or two before we see this year’s pick in Boston even without a move down in the draft.
As for McQuaid, he’s been maybe the most pleasant surprise on the Bruins this year, though there’s tough competition in that category with Brad Marchand‘s offensive emergence and Tim Thomas‘ return to Vezina form. I expected McQuaid to make the team as the seventh defenseman and thought he would eventually force his way into a regular role in the top six. But I certainly didn’t expect him to be leading the league in plus/minus in March and be challenging Shawn Thornton for the team lead in fights. He’s been a vital cog on the team’s defense and his development allowed the team to trade Mark Stuart to help clear cap space for Tomas Kaberle, further strengthening the blue line.
3a. Hey Doug, which of our B’s do you think has benefited the most from the addition of Kaberle to the PP?
— Bruinsfan33
3b. Everyone is talking about how great the trade was in getting Tomas Kaberle from Toronto, how he is going to help on the power play and how he is a puck moving d-man. Well I am not seeing it. He only has 3 points since he became a Bruin, all assists, and we have not scored on the power play at all. With him being a free agent at the end of this season, do you really think he was worth a number one pick in the draft AND the likes of Joe Colburne?
— Alan
That’s a convenient segue into some Kaberle talk. So far, no one has really benefited from adding Kaberle to the power play as the Bruins are just 1-for-21 on the man-advantage since he joined the team and 0-for-16 in the last seven games. While the results haven’t been there, prior to the Montreal debacle the power play had looked much better. There was much crisper puck movement, more sustained possession in the attacking zone and more scoring chances. What’s lacking so far is the finish, but the hope is that will come with time. It will also help having the other Bruins gain more familiarity with Kaberle as they play with him more. Initially, I thought Zdeno Chara would be the one to benefit most from Kaberle’s addition, and the Bruins obviously thought so as well. Peter Chiarelli mentioned after the trade that he envisioned Kaberle setting Chara up for one-timers the way he once did with Bryan McCabe in Toronto, and that’s been the first option tried on the power play since Kaberle came here. But Chara’s shot may be too hard to be truly effective in that role. It’s difficult for the forwards in front to redirect those blasts and the rebounds often ricochet all the way out of the zone.
I think the power play has actually looked better with Dennis Seidenberg teamed with Kaberle at the points. He has a more accurate, controlled shot that guys like Mark Recchi and Milan Lucic can tip in front or pounce on rebounds for second-chance goals. Seidenberg actually has the one power-play goal Boston scored with Kaberle back in Kaberle’s debut in Ottawa. Nathan Horton and David Krejci had the assists on that goal, but Kaberle helped set the play in motion. That five-man unit, the red-hot top line of Krejci, Lucic and Horton staying together with Kaberle and Seidenberg at the points, has impressed me the most over this stretch, and I’d like to see them together more, with Chara maybe on the second unit. He could still play with Kaberle, who often stays out for the full two minutes, and his powerful shot could be more effective against a goalie and penalty killers already worn down from chasing the first unit’s puck movement.
For Alan, I’m already on record as saying I think they did give up too much if Kaberle proves just a rental. They need to either win a Cup or re-sign him to make him worth the price they paid, even though either of those results would cost them an additional pick.
4. How come Johnny Boychuck doesn’t take any criticism in Boston? His stats speak for themselves. He has taken 122 shots and has 1 goal (.08%). His plus/minus is 10 which is 10th on the team. If he was half as worried about hockey as he was looking pretty he would be OK. People will say he is gritty and tough. Well I say take the visor off and show us something. I believe he is the weakest link and will cost the Bruins in the end. Hopefully [Claude] Julien will realize this and utilize the depth the B’s have and move [Steven] Kampfer up.
— We Lost Because of Wideman
I don’t think Boychuk has completely escaped criticism this season. I know I suggested back in January that he could find himself battling for playing time if he didn’t pick up his play and that came to fruition when he was a healthy scratch twice last month. While his offensive game hasn’t picked up since that visit to the press box (0-1-1 in 8 games), then the rest of his game has rounded back into form. He’s a plus-1 with 16 hits, 18 blocked shots and 24 shots on net in those eight games, with his physical presence particularly on display in last Thursday’s win over Tampa Bay with a series of big hits, none better than the textbook hip check he threw on former Bruin Nate Thompson. Boychuk could still face a challenge for a roster spot once Andrew Ference and Steven Kampfer are healthy, but he looks more ready for that challenge after the wake-up call of a couple benchings.
As for the visor being a sign of a lack of toughness, I couldn’t disagree more in this case. Boychuk only started wearing it last year after taking a puck to the face on a shot by Vancouver’s Mikael Samuelsson last February that resulted in a broken orbital bone. I strongly believe that the players should be allowed to decide whether or not to wear a visor and the shields should not be mandatory, but I have no issue with players who do decide to wear one for protection, especially when they’ve already suffered one injury that could have ended their career.
5. Tyler Seguin seems to avoid delivering a strong check on the boards, as a matter of fact, he barely makes any body contact during his shifts. Do you think they should sit him down for a few games in order to remind him that hockey requires a physical game? Also, [Milan] Lucic is touted as a goal-scorer however it’s never mentioned how many times in a game he turns the puck over. It’s frustrating. Is that the price to pay to have him on the ice, just so he can stand in front of the net and score while everyone else does the hard work?
— Sharon Beaudoin, Biddeford, Maine
Seguin is not a physical player. He’s never going to run over guys or be a power forward. Still, he does have to learn how to battle more for the puck and be willing to do some of the dirty work to create chances for himself and his teammates. That’s a message the Bruins have already tried to deliver when they scratched him last month, and it seemed to take hold a bit when he first came back. But it’s an ongoing process, and a new one at that for Seguin. When asked about it last month, what he had to say was rather illuminating.
“I think getting a little bit more involved in the corners, battling and grinding a bit more,” Seguin said when asked what he needed to do to stay in the lineup. “In juniors I was able to stay on the outside a bit more and let other guys do that where I could get the puck in the middle and go. Up here I think the good players are the guys who can do that but also get their nose dirty. … That’s something that I have to adapt to.”
It’s kind of telling that he was never asked to go into the corners or battle for pucks before turning pro, and shows just how much work his overall game needs despite his obvious skill set.
As for Lucic, he is second on the team with 38 giveaways, but that’s just 95th in the league and well under one a game. Even though he’s gotten away from his physical style at times this year, he still leads the team with 141 hits and is seventh with 22 takeaways, so he’s definitely doing his share of the “dirty work.” Add that to a career-high 29 goals and I’m don’t see a whole lot to complain about.
6. Hey Doug, at this point, with Sid [Crosby] not playing since January and with his season possibly in jeopardy, what will it take for Timmy [Thomas] to start being deemed a serious candidate for the Hart Trophy?
— Bryan in Maine
Thomas should already be a candidate, but it’s always a tough battle for a goalie to win the Hart. This could be the year for it though with a wide-open field. There’s no clear-cut favorite with Crosby hurt, Steven Stamkos suddenly slumping, the Sedins splitting the vote and Alex Ovechkin underachieving most of the season. That opens the door a bit for Thomas, but his numbers have regressed from his historic pace, and it would probably take a return to all-time marks to secure the Hart. The problem is he needs rest to stay at his best and be fresh for the playoffs, so Tuukka Rask will likely play more down the stretch than he did earlier this year. That will help Thomas maintain his percentages (league-best 1.97 GAA and .939 save percentage) but hurt his counting stats (he’s just sixth in wins with 29 and tied for second with seven shutouts), and without a clean sweep of the goalie categories it will be tough to garner enough votes to beat out the forward candidates. It’s not impossible, but Thomas will likely have to settle for another Vezina and won’t be making another trip to the podium in Vegas to accept the Hart.
To submit a question to Douglas Flynn for future mailbags, click here or contact him on twitter.
