Are the Bruins ready for the playoffs? – Felger & Mazz
Boston Bruins head coach, Jim Montgomery was very unhappy with his team at practice on Monday and after practice mentioned how he doesn’t think the team is ready for the playoffs. On Monday’s Felger and Mazz, the guys gave their thoughts on Montgomery’s comments and the Bruins.
Seems like the Bruins aren’t ready for the playoffs…
Jim Murray: Yeah, that’s a good thing to hear from your coach, “I don’t think we’re ready for the playoffs”.
Mazz: I mean, good for him for saying it. Give them a kick in the ass. Now look, last year the Bruins just breezed through the regular season then the playoffs came and they weren’t ready to go. They got “Tampa’d” in the playoffs the same way the Lightning did that year when they get swept out by Columbus I think it was wasn’t it. You could smell that one coming from a mile away. That one was just, they were headed for that thing from the middle of the season, it was too easy. So this one’s been a little harder.
Jim Murray: I think we’ll learn a lot because this upcoming stretch that they have I mean it’s all teams that are in or vying for the playoffs. You got Florida tomorrow night, they’re all on the road, Florida, at Tampa, at Washington, who’s been kind of hot trying to get that last wildcard spot, at Nashville who’s in as of right now. So if he’s going to call them out and they played soft with this stretch coming up, I think you’ll learn a lot and maybe even be more terrified.
Mazz: Not ready for the playoffs. Your coach says you’re not ready for the playoffs and you got ten games to go. Now that’s plenty of time. Ten games is plenty of time. You can get a little wind, a little bounce in your legs and be ready to go. But, Murray, I’m with you. I’d rather have Toronto. I would rather have Toronto in the first round.
Paul Perillo: Yeah, I just would like to finish as high as you could. I mean, I’d rather play a team that’s not as good as Toronto. Toronto’s talented.
Jim Murray: But I just don’t want to end up having what happened last year where you end up getting that second wildcard team who had to basically play a month’s worth of playoff games, gets in and then they got nothing to lose. Right now. So again, you can maybe get Washington? Like I don’t want the Capitals right now. If they ended up squeezing I think as of right now it’s Detroit. But no no no no no no gimme Toronto. They’re bigger losers than the Bruins.
Mazz: I mean that’s how I feel. Seriously.
Listen to Felger and Mazz from 2-6 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Mike Felger, Tony “Mazz” Massarotti, and Jim Murray “Big Jim”. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @FelgerAndMazz on Twitter to keep up with the show!
Recent Boston Bruins draft picks that turned into busts
The Boston Bruins have seen a ton of success in the NHL Entry Draft since the turn of the century. They’ve seen picks like Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Krejci help lead their team to a Stanley Cup. They’ve also seen guys like David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy develop into stars on the current roster. They’ve even seen guys like Phil Kessel and Dougie Hamilton see success in Boston and then ask for trades out of the city, which has brought in more picks for them! However, not all of their picks in the last 25 years or so have been hits. The Bruins, much like any other team in the NHL and professional sports, have had their fair share of busted draft picks.
Below is a list of “bust” draft picks made by the Bruins in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NHL Entry Draft dating back to 2007.
Zach Hamill – 8th overall – 2007
BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 19: Zach Hamill #52 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Montreal Canadiens at the TD Garden on December 19, 2011 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Bruins took Zach Hamill one pick before the San Jose Sharks grabbed Logan Couture in 2007. Hamill turned out to be a complete bust in Boston, as he only appeared in 20 NHL games and registered only 4 assists. The former 1st round pick left the U.S. in 2014 to play in Europe and never returned. He last appeared in a professional game during the 2020-21 season.
Jordan Caron – 25th overall – 2009
MONTREAL, QC – MAY 6: Jordan Caron #38 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Three of the Second Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 6, 2014 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Laplante/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)
Jordan Caron saw a longer NHL career than Hamill, but it wasn’t too much better. Caron spent parts of five seasons with Boston and registered 12 goals and 16 assists in 134 regular season games. He was ultimately traded to Colorado at the 2016 NHL trade deadline in a deal that brought in Maxime Talbot and Paul Carey.
Jared Knight – 32nd overall – 2010
UNIONDALE, NY – SEPTEMBER 12: Jared Knight #50 of the Boston Bruins skates against the New York Islanders during a rookie game exhibition at Nassau Coliseum on September 12, 2011 in Uniondale, New York. The Bruins defeated the Islanders 8-5. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
The Bruins drafted Jared Knight with one of the picks that they acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the rights to Phil Kessel. You can sometimes look at an early 2nd round selection as an extra 1st round pick, which in this case makes him more of a bust. Knight never made an NHL regular season appearance and could barely produce at the AHL level. He was ultimately traded to the Minnesota Wild organization in 2015 and hasn’t appeared in professional hockey since 2017.
Alexander Khokhlachev – 40th overall – 2011
BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 22: Alexander Khokhlachev #76 of the Boston Bruins carries the puck with pressure from Nate Schmidt #88 of the Washington Capitals during the third period at TD Garden on September 22, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The Bruins took Alexander Khokhlachev early in the 2nd round in 2011 but he never lived up to the hype. The Russian center only saw 9 games of NHL action over the span of three seasons. He left the U.S. in 2016 for his native country and hasn’t returned since.
Malcolm Subban – 24th overall – 2012
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 25: Malcolm Subban #70 of the Boston Bruins makes a save against Minnesota Wild during the second period at TD Garden on October 25, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
I remember my excitement when the Bruins took the younger brother of one of the biggest players in the Bruins/Canadiens rivalry of the early 2010’s. However, we never got to see them face off in the rivalry, and that was partly due to Malcolm Subban never really making it in Boston. The 1st round goalie appeared in two total games with the Bruins and posted a 5.82 GAA and a .727 save %. His time in Boston came to an end when he was claimed off waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017.
Jakub Zboril – 13th overall – 2015
Nov 26, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Jakub Zboril (67) during the first period against the New York Rangers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Jakub Zboril was Don Sweeney’s first draft pick as the Boston Bruins general manager and it turned out to be a bust. I will always hate that 2015 draft, but Zboril was expected to go in the middle of the first round so you can’t really blame Sweeney and co. for this one compared to others. Between 2020 and 2022, Zboril showed some signs of breaking out, but a knee injury derailed him and he hasn’t been able to get back to that level.
Zach Senyshyn – 15th overall – 2015
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 02: Zach Senyshyn #19 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the third period of the preseason game against the New York Rangers at TD Garden on October 02, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Zach Senyhsyn was the 3rd of 3 consecutive first round picks for the Bruins in 2015 and the second bust (Jake DeBrusk was not a bust). When the Bruins took Senyshyn it took a lot of people by surprise and rightfully so. The former 1st round pick only played in 14 games for the Bruins and had a goal (it was an empty-netter) and 2 assists. The Bruins traded him to the Ottawa Senators at the 2022 trade deadline, where he went on to play just 2 games with the Sens. He currently plays in Germany.
Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson – 45th overall – 2015
TORONTO, ON – NOVEMBER 26: Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson #23 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on November 26, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Bruins 4-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
The Swedish center spent two years at Boston University and then turned professional in 2017. He appeared in 29 games for the Bruins and tallied 3 goals and 6 assists. Forsbacka-Karlsson left the U.S. to attend to family reasons and hasn’t played professional hockey since 2021.
Jack Studnicka – 53rd overall – 2017
MONTREAL, QC – MARCH 21: Jack Studnicka #23 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at Centre Bell on March 21, 2022 in Montreal, Canada. The Boston Bruins defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
The 2017 2nd round pick was given opportunities at the NHL level in Boston but he could never fully hang on. Studnicka appeared in 38 games across 4 seasons for the Bruins and picked up just 1 goal and 6 assists in his time with the Bruins. He was ultimately traded to the Vancouver Canucks, who then traded him to the San Jose Sharks earlier this season. He’s picked up just 5 goals and 4 assists in 61 games with the Canucks and Sharks.
Left off the list – Joe Colborne – 16th overall – 2008
OTTAWA, ON – JUNE 20: 16th overall pick, Joe Colborne of the Boston Bruins poses with team personnel after being selected in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft at Scotiabank Place on June 20, 2008 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
I left Joe Colborne off the list for a big reason…he was used in a package that brought in Tomas Kaberle and never really had time to prove himself (or even fade away) in the Bruins system. Based on his NHL career he can be looked at as a bust, but he seems like another team’s problem to me.
