John Moore

Getty

Bruins coach Cassidy has some harsh words for his defense

By Adam GretzJan 19, 2020, 5:08 PM EST

PITTSBURGH — For the third time this season and the second time this week the Boston Bruins lost a game after holding a three-goal lead. On Sunday, it was a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After scoring three first period goals, the Bruins allowed the Penguins to climb back into the game and eventually tie it on a Jack Johnson shorthanded goal early in the third period. That set the stage for Bryan Rust to score the game-winner with just over seven minutes remaining.

That goal is the one that really seemed to draw the ire of Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy after the game. Especially since it is the type of thing he has been seeing too much of lately. He used that goal as an opportunity to criticize the play of his defensemen and the type of hockey they are playing.

It all started with Penguins center Evgeni Malkin forcing a turnover on the forecheck thanks to a heavy check on Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy. McAvoy gave up the puck to Malkin, Malkin found Rust wide open inside the faceoff dot, and Rust deposited in the net before Bruins goalie Jaroslav Halak could figure out what happened.

This game had to be especially frustrating for the Bruins after losing a three-goal lead in Philadelphia earlier this week.

“We saw some poor defending, poor goaltending I think in Philly. Tonight I thought it was more the same to be honest with you,” said Cassidy on Sunday. “Not so much on the goalie, they were good goals. But we get beat off the wall on the first one. The last one I can’t tell you what happened to be honest with you. It’s a rimmed puck goalie needs to get out and stop. The D need to communicate.

“You need to make a play. You can’t turn the puck over there. There’s too much of that going on. Guys that have offensive ability have to start playing to their strength a little more on our back end, or we have to seriously consider what type of D corps do we want? We are supposed to be mobile, we are supposed to be able to move the puck, break pucks out and add to our offense. Right now that is a challenge for us.”

Cassidy never mentioned anyone by name there, but it’s not hard to figure out who he is talking about.

McAvoy is the one that was guilty of the turnover on the game-winning goal, and it is probably fair to say that he is one of the players Cassidy wants to see playing to their strength more offensively. McAvoy spoke to the media after the game and admitted he needed to be stronger on that puck.

Aside from the turnover, McAvoy has been having an underwhelming season based on the standard he set for himself over his first two seasons. His possession numbers are down, and as of Sunday he has yet to score a goal in 46 games. He scored seven goals in 54 games a year ago, after scoring seven in 63 games during his rookie season.

It should also be noted that veteran John Moore was the one that got beat on the first goal that Cassidy mentioned. Moore, normally a 17-18 minute per game defenseman, was pretty much benched after that play. He finished the game with just 10 minutes of ice-time, only six of which came in the second and third periods after that goal was scored.

Cassidy was asked if he thought the team let up a little bit after getting the early lead. He did not see it that way, instead focussing on the type of goals they allowed.

“We got out-chanced in the second, but I don’t think it was to the point where they were bombarding us,” said Cassidy. “They were better, but we lose a battle low on the second goal, and our forward swings away. These are correctible mistakes, but the goals we are giving up against this good team like tonight. What is it? Is it lack of focus? Did we lose our urgency? Because they are gifts a little bit. Little bit of gifts. You can get out played, you will by good teams in stretches, but they were gifts.”

This Bruins team — and especially their defense — had their toughness questioned by the Boston media in the wake of their response to the hit that sidelined starting goalie Tuukka Rask.

Now they are facing public criticism from the person whose opinion matters most — their own coach — for a far bigger problem.

Their actual play on the ice.

—

Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.

WATCH LIVE: Penguins host Bruins on NBC

By Sean LeahyJan 19, 2020, 11:45 AM EST

Krejci may miss Bruins opener; Bergeron expected to be ready

Associated PressOct 2, 2019, 8:25 AM EDT

BOSTON — A major part of the Boston Bruins’ success the past several years has been their depth at center.

That depth might be tested early this season, with center David Krejci questionable for the Bruins’ regular-season opener at the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

Krejci, who suffered a lower-body injury and played just two shifts in a preseason game on Sept. 23, practiced Tuesday. But he didn’t take contact and general manager Don Sweeney left open the possibility that the Bruins won’t have Krejci against the Stars.

”It’s to be determined still,” Sweeney said. ”He worked his way back up there for sake of a practice, and he’ll continue to do the same. So we’ll re-evaluate every day. He’s possible.”

Krejci said he’s making progress.

”It was a good day today, for sure,” he said.

Fellow center Patrice Bergeron was slow in returning from a groin injury during training camp. But he made his preseason debut in Boston’s last exhibition game and is expected to be ready against Dallas. When healthy, the Bruins’ center quartet of Bergeron, Krejci, Charlie Coyle and Sean Kuraly is one of the best in the league and was important in the Bruins reaching Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season.

The Bruins got by last season without Bergeron for 16 games and Kuraly for 10, in addition to tens of man games lost by their defensemen, and finished tied for second in the NHL overall standings with 107 points.

Bergeron had 79 points (32 goals, 47 assists) in 65 games. Krejci had 73 points (20 goals, 52 assists) in 81 games, Kuraly had 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 71 games and Coyle had six points (two goals, four assists) in 21 games after joining Boston in a February trade from the Minnesota Wild. But Coyle showed more of his abilities in the postseason, getting 16 points (nine goals, seven assists) in 24 games.

”I think it was a factor last year for our hockey club, the success we had,” Sweeney said. ”All those guys can help drive a line. . Charlie Coyle is the same way, Sean Kuraly is the same way. They have roles, they have responsibilities and standards that (coach) Bruce (Cassidy) holds them to each and every night.”

Bruins president Cam Neely said: ”I really like the fact that when we’re on the road, Butch (Cassidy) (doesn’t) worry as much about matchups based on what Kuraly can do, when he plays against top lines. That line is pretty solid for us. So I think it gives Butch a lot more flexibility because of the depth we have down the middle.”

As expected, defensemen John Moore (shoulder) and Kevan Miller (knee) won’t be healthy to start the season. Forward Joakim Nordstrom (foot) had a setback during training and probably will also start the season on the sideline. The only two new faces expected on the roster Thursday will be forwards Brett Ritchie and Par Lindholm.

”Well I thought we were a successful team last year and we have a motivated group,” Sweeney said. ”We did feel like our depth and organizationally we’re going to continue to get stronger, so we feel that we have internal competition, we have players that can come up and do the job. We’ve been testing that over the last few years and had some success but also had some failures as well, and trying to learn from it.”

NOTES: Nothing has changed as far as the way the Bruins are being run since the Boston Globe reported last month that owner Jeremy Jacobs had passed on control of the team to his six children, team officials stressed Tuesday during a news conference. ”It’s been magnified and maybe misrepresented,” Jacobs said. ”There was a trust made recently that put the Bruin asset into a beneficiary so when I croak, it will be the next generation. Nothing has changed as far as positions and authority and responsibility. I still will be in the same position.” Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs, the youngest of the six children, confirmed that it’s been business as usual for the team. Two brothers, Louis and Jerry, are the only other offspring currently involved in the family business. ”But as for a decision-making process, most of our decisions are collaborative, unless of course our chairman has a thought, and of course we do what he tells us to do,” Charlie Jacobs said.

John Moore could miss start of Bruins season

Getty

By Joey AlfieriSep 9, 2019, 10:42 AM EDT

There are plenty of question marks surrounding the future of the Boston Bruins defense. When will restricted free agents Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy re-sign with the team? Will Torey Krug sign a long-term extension with the team? One thing we do know is that John Moore won’t be able to shoulder the load early on in the season.

According to NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty, Moore won’t be ready for the start of camp and it appears as though he won’t be ready for the start of the regular season either.

Moore underwent surgery on his injured shoulder on June 26. At that time, doctors believed his recovery would take anywhere between four and six months. From a financial point of view, this could help the Bruins, as they’d be able to put his $2.75 million cap hit on injured reserve until he’s ready to return to the lineup.

The 28-year-old is entering the second year of his five-year, $13.75 million contract he signed with the Bruins in July of 2018. Moore ended up playing in 61 games and he recorded four goals and 13 points in his first year in Boston. The former first-rounder also suited up in 10 playoff games during the Bruins’ run to the Stanley Cup Final.

Last week, captain Zdeno Chara also mentioned that he might not be ready for the regular-season opener next month. He had surgery to repair a broken jaw.

MORE: Bruins face salary cap juggling act with McAvoy, Carlo

—

Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.

Bruins face plenty of salary cap pressure

By James O'BrienAug 3, 2019, 2:49 PM EDT

6 Comments

Each day in the month of August we’ll be examining a different NHL team — from looking back at last season to discussing a player under pressure to identifying X-factors to asking questions about the future. Today we look at the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins have been a contender for quite some time in the NHL. Inevitably, that comes with the price tag of salary cap headaches.

On the bright side, they’re in a better spot than many of their peers. Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, and Brad Marchand don’t just comprise arguably the best all-around line in the NHL; they’re also all getting paid far less than market value. Those values are the headliners, yet they also have other team-friendly deals with Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, and Charlie Coyle.

Yet, as fair as it is that Don Sweeney won GM of the Year, he faces some tough work ahead — during the rest of this offseason, and also through the next one.

[MORE: 2018-19 in review | X-factor] | Three questions]

By Cap Friendly’s estimates, the Bruins have approximately $7.294M in cap space heading into 2019-20, but that number is misleading, because key RFA defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo still need to get paid.

Bruins legend and exec Cam Neely spoke of what Sweeney and the team are currently going through in an interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty.

“Across the league, [negotiations with RFAs] has been like sweeping mud. Unfortunately, it’s still status quo [with Carlo and McAvoy],” Neely said. “The history since Don [Sweeney] has been here is that when we negotiate, we do it from a position of fairness. We do a lot of work at comps around the league and try to get a deal done that’s fair. We start with initial offers that are fair and that’s been no different with Brandon and Charlie.”

One can debate McAvoy’s value – he’s a star in my opinion, while the Bruins argue that injuries hurt his case – but the bottom line is that a defenseman of his caliber could eat up close to $7M alone, even without the (dubious) threat of offer sheets.

Recent history shows that the Bruins have deftly found ways to use their own limitations and leverage to get bargains. The dream is probably for McAvoy to sign the sort of relatively cheap bridge deal Torey Krug did, as Krug signed for just $5.25M per year when things were tight in 2016.

The downside of bridge deals is that they only buy you so much time, and the bill is coming for Krug, as he’s entering a contract year. So, beyond finding immediate answers for McAvoy and Carlo, the Bruins must also ponder their approach for 2020-21.

For all of Sweeney’s many wise decisions, contending teams feel the sting of mistakes.

David Backes struggles to even crack the top 12 forwards, and while his contract only lasts for two more seasons, it comes at the whopping cost of $6M. If his rugged career isn’t enough to eventually land him on LTIR, then he’s the biggest headache going forward. Maybe the expansion draft would save Boston, even if it meant bribing Seattle and convincing Backes to waive clauses?
John Moore would be another bribe case, although his $2.75M AAV lasts through 2022-23, which is tough to fathom.
Moving Kevan Miller seems the most doable, as his $2.5M cap hit expires after 2019-20.

Chances are, the Bruins will find a way, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Will they eventually need to wave goodbye to Charlie Coyle, whose bargain $3.2M cap hit evaporates after 2019-20? Could we see David Krejci trade rumors crop up again?

It’s one thing to get under the cap, yet the Bruins also want to contend, making this a challenging juggling act. To the Bruins’ credit, they’re at least not juggling chainsaws like peers who are in even bigger binds, but they’ll need to exhibit serious skill (and enjoy some serious luck) if they’ll end this exhibition with the crowd going wild.

MORE: ProHockeyTalk’s 2019 NHL free agency tracker

—

James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.