One day late last season, after a quiet practice day, and in a rare moment of peace in what was a chaotic end of season with the Bruins playing every other day and chasing regular-season history, Linus Ullmark sat in his stall.
As we shot the mess, which is something that’s becoming increasingly rare in today’s age of arenas and practice facilities where players get treatment and can disappear into secret rooms by pulling on a bookshelf, Ullmark shared that he had recently fallen down the rabbit hole of watching Tim Thomas highlights. He summed up Thomas as intense (can confirm), and loved what a competitor he was (again, can confirm that).
And as I watched last Saturday’s win over the Penguins, complete with a 37-of-38 performance from Ullmark, I couldn’t help but think back to Thomas, and what led up to what was a wire-to-wire domination of the league back in 2010-11.
It was in the summer 2010 that the Bruins, content with Tuukka Rask being both the present and the future of the franchise, tried trading Thomas after an injury-derailed campaign that saw him sitting on the bench as the expensive backup in a Game 7 loss on Garden ice. The Bruins were unable to find a Thomas trade, however, and the veteran battler returned to Boston, this time with all markings of the Bruins’ colors scrapped off his pads and helmet. It was as much as a ‘F you’ year as you’ll ever see from a goalie, both to the team that tried to trade him and the league that didn’t want him.
Jake DeBrusk stays put
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 05: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the second period against the Edmonton Oilers at TD Garden on March 05, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
One notable non-move made by the Bruins came with their decision not to trade Jake DeBrusk at the deadline.
This one felt… impossible to read. Even more so than usual, and even by B’s rumor lockdown standards.
Two obvious questions as it relates to that: Just how hot were the Bruins to trade DeBrusk and just how hot was DeBrusk’s market? I think when it came to the first question, the Bruins were really only interested in moving DeBrusk in the event that it filled a long-term need for the club. I don’t think their ‘displeasure’ (and that seems strong) ever hit the point where they were interested in a change of scenery trade like the one Sweeney made it 2020 in a one-for-one swap that sent Danton Heinen to Anaheim in exchange for Nick Ritchie. If anything, it felt like the Bruins would’ve been more willing to trade DeBrusk in that kind of move had it been a two-month gamble on the Bruins selling, say, Elias Lindholm on a potential long-term future with the Bruins. Like a gamble-for-gamble pending UFA swap. That obviously did not happen, and really had no shot of happening once Jake Guentzel went to Carolina instead of Vancouver.
As it relates to outright trading DeBrusk, this was a tricky one. The Bruins have been a team whose offensive success — offensive success from players other than David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, I should note — has been decided by “runs.” It’s a roster full of streaky scorers, and DeBrusk is at the top of that list. For the Bruins, it’s hard to both properly establish fair value and then get that fair value when you talk about a player whose skill-set and mental makeup is that of someone who can pop off for seven goals in 10 games at a moment’s notice. For these Bruins, that potential for DeBrusk to do that is infinitely more valuable to this year’s roster than in the past given their current construct.
As for what’s next, Sweeney did not want to tip his hand, but did acknowledge some sort or progress and the truth of this year’s market in the process.
“We’ll continue to talk [with DeBrusk’s camp]. You know, last year David [Pastrnak] got done before the deadline, but Jake didn’t [this year]. doesn’t mean we won’t [re-sign him], doesn’t mean we don’t value and clearly value Jake because he’s a good part of our hockey club,” Sweeney said. “The [Toronto] game was a great indication of how much he can impact in a positive way. So we. like him as a player and we didn’t feel comfortable trying to make a switch or make a change that we thought we’d do better without him.”
Peeke is a modest gamble for this team
MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 12: Andrew Peeke #2 of the Columbus Blue Jackets skates against the Montreal Canadiens during the second period at Centre Bell on February 12, 2022 in Montreal, Canada. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
Deadline days are tricky. Word of a trade leaks, and little by little, you piece it all together and form an immediate opinion. When the Bruins made a move for the Blue Jackets’ Andrew Peeke, you thought, “Alright, let’s see where this goes.” First-thing out the door: A third-round pick. Right, well he makes money, so what’s next? (Derek Forbort moving to the long-term injured reserve solved that problem.) The second and final thing out the door: Jakub Zboril.
OK, well, given that Peeke had fallen out of the rotation in Columbus, there’s gotta be some salary retention for Peeke and his $2.75 million cap hit that runs through this season and another two after that. Nope!
Instead, the Bruins parted with a third-round pick (and save zero dollars) for a player who had a difficult time earning regular ice time on one of the worst — and most routinely battered — defensive rotations in all of hockey.
It’s a definite gamble, to say the least.
But if the Bruins were looking for a straight-up Forbort replacement, Peeke fits the bill. He blocks a ton of shots, and he actually throws his body around more than Forbort. He’s also started 70 percent of his shifts over the last three years in the defensive zone, so Forbort-esque deployment wouldn’t blitz Peeke from a mental standpoint. (I think people sometimes sleep on the mental capacity required to embrace that kind of job.)
Among group of 325 players to play at least 3,000 minutes over last three seasons, Peeke ranks sixth in blocks per 60 (6.03) and 35th in hits per 60 (6.43). Has another two years at $2.75M AAV after this.
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) March 8, 2024And there’s something to be said for the recent heater that the B’s pro scouting staff has been on over their last few seasons. From Linus Ullmark to Pavel Zacha to Morgan Geekie and beyond, the Bruins haven’t had too many brutal misses. There’s some that think Peeke could thrive with the Bruins, and given the fact that he’ll always skate behind Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo on Boston’s right-side depth chart, there’s a pretty decent bet that’ll track.
“We feel really good that [Peeke] brings a different element,” Sweeney said. “I think we feel comfortable with how he can go up and play and elevate. Confidence is probably the right word, systems [and] structure is going to be the next thing that we’re going to really hammer down in terms of getting him up to full speed in terms of how we play and the structure that we want to play with and we feel comfortable that we’ll be able to do that and he’ll buy into what needs to.”
I also think that Peeke fits the bill for the Bruins need in the know in terms of how they want to play. Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery has repeatedly noted the need for his team to block shots and being tougher around the front of their net. The Bruins, as a team, have also taken the second-most defensive-zone faceoffs in hockey this year, trailing only the San Jose Sharks. Guys like Mason Lohrei, Matt Grzelcyk, and Kevin Shattenkirk respectfully are what they are at this point in their careers for one reason or another in the defensive zone, and the Bruins have been increasingly mindful of the workload they’ve put on the likes of Hampus Lindholm and Brandon Carlo.
Having another defense-first option like Peeke is and was a definite need for this club. Now just comes seeing if he was the right fit for this club, and with $2.75 million per year through 2025-26 riding on that.
Selling was never an option
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 30: Jacob MacDonald #9 of the San Jose Sharks and Matt Grzelcyk #48 of the Boston Bruins battle for control of the puck during the second period at TD Garden on November 30, 2023. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
I’ll be honest, there’s a lot that can get lost in a 20-minute availability.
But early in this one, Sweeney did say the quiet part out loud, as he acknowledged that he felt that the results of this year’s team earned them some extra help in his opinion. Or, in other words, selling off some of the club’s pending free agents was never viewed as a realistic option for this year’s club.
In what was thought by many to be a big-time seller’s market, deadline day saw it morph towards a modest buyer’s market, with some notable veteran talent moved for minimal returns. If the Bruins were interested in selling off a Grzelcyk or Shattenkirk, it’s worth noting that Colin Miller netted the Devils a fourth-round pick, that the Sabres got a fourth-round pick for Erik Johnson, and that the Coyotes flipped Matt Dumba to Tampa for a fifth-round pick. Given Sweeney’s (understandable given the 2017 playoffs) love of hoarding defensemen, as well as the injury to Forbort, there was not a chance in hell that Sweeney was going to look at a late-round pick as being as valuable as his NHL D-men.
I don’t know if it was ability vs. desire. One thing I’ve learned about Sweeney’s tenure is he’s a defense-hoarder. With Forbort done, Zboril out, a Grzelcyk trade (thinking more futures than NHLers) would’ve been 3 LD out, 1 RD in. That might be too close for comfort for him. https://t.co/udrpGXO5xf
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) March 8, 2024It was probably something similar for a guy like James van Riemsdyk. The Tyler Toffoli return (a second-round pick and a third-round pick) was probably too high, whereas the Jason Zucker return (a sixth-round pick) was too low. Again, if you’re weighing what you want vs. what you need and how it relates to your team construct, having a guy like ‘JVR’ who can score those dirty goals off tips and screens (especially when you’re not a strong possession team) outweighs a future fourth- or fifth-round pick.
I understand listening on any offers for those players, but it had to make sense from a value-in, value-out standpoint, and it just never felt like those things properly aligned, even for an asset-deficient team like Boston.
Where will Maroon fit?
Nov 18, 2023; Stockholm, SWE; Minnesota Wild left wing Pat Maroon (20) warms up before playing against the Ottawa Senators during a Global Series NHL hockey game at Avicii Arena. (Per Haljestam/USA TODAY Sports)
The Bruins, for what it’s worth, are not worried about the back surgery that Pat Maroon underwent last month. To sum it up from Sweeney himself, they know when Maroon is at his best, and that it’s in the playoffs.
But where Maroon fits is going to be an interesting discussion between now and Game 1. Ideally, Maroon is on Boston’s fourth line with speedsters such as Jesper Boqvist (or Johnny Beecher) and Jakub Lauko, assuming that the Bruins remain healthy between now and then. Justin Brazeau is also in the mix as a wild card option there, though you can’t help but feel like a line with Maroon and Brazeau on the wings, while huge, would be too slow for today’s game.
One area of Maroon’s game that’s a bit intriguing, however, was his passing game.
Leading up to his surgery, Maroon had averaged 1.15 assists per 60 minutes of five-on-five action this season, which was fourth-most among Minnesota forwards (minimum 500 minutes). Expanding that beyond Minnesota, that 1.15 assist-per-60 rate was the 99th-best among 331 forwards with at least 500 five-on-five minutes this season, and could give the Bruins a reason to tinker with the idea of putting Maroon up with more of a finishing threat like Trent Frederic.
Did Sweeney subtly shoot back at Sway’s camp?
Jan 15, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) puts on his mask during the second period against the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports)
Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman isn’t exactly bitter, but he has repeatedly made it known that going through an arbitration hearing last year was not a fun process. And for those that don’t know, arbitration is basically you stating your case for your value, and the team that owns your rights tearing it down and telling you why you’re actually not worth that much. It’s not hard to imagine that being a legitimately unpleasant experience, all things considered.
But by my count, Swayman has made references to his arbitration hearing at least three times now at various points this season. And after recent rumors about a potential extension leaking, it appears that Sweeney took a bit of a return shot at Swayman’s camp (led by Lewis Gross) for a leak in those talks.
“I know it was reported that we’ve opened discussions and such, but I’ll leave that to the most likely the other side that wants to comment as opposed to our side,” Sweeney said when asked about an update on their talks with Swayman. “I’ve made no bones that I want to get Jeremy Swayman well in front of what he went through this summer. We didn’t find a landing spot, but doesn’t mean we’ll stop trying between now and the right date. And I think we will.”
This negotiation feels like it might be a root canal, and the leaks won’t help.
Brad Marchand sums up B’s 2024 identity
BOSTON, MA – MARCH 09: Brad Marchand #63 of the Bruins is congratulated by David Pastrnak #88 and the the rest of his teammates on the bench after scoring against the Penguins at TD Garden on March 9, 2024. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
After a 2022-23 season that was so good for the first 86 games, the Bruins knew this year was going to be a lot different. Losing every single free agent, headlined by the retirement of their top two centers, made that inevitability more than a possibility. And while it’s been hard to get a read on just what this Bruins team is and will be, Bruins captain Brad Marchand used the first post-deadline game to talk about this team’s ultimate identity and recipe for success.
“When we execute the proper way, we have a great team. When we get away from it and we think we’re a high-end skill team, we shoot ourselves in the foot. That’s not what our group is,” Marchand said following the win over Pittsburgh. “It’s not how we’ve won at all this year. We win by committee, we win by structure, we win by playing great defense.
“That’s how we’ve always done it.”
The Worker B’s, baby.
You want a simple trade deadline look? I got you.
Feb 24, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort (28) awaits the start of play against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at Rogers Arena. (Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA TODAY Sports)
Maybe you hate reading. First of all, if you do, thanks for getting this far. I know that it required a lot out of you, and I want you to know that I appreciate it. But if you do, and you want a simple synopsis of what the Bruins did this deadline, here you go… the Bruins replaced two guys who were not going to play for them for the remainder of the season in Milan Lucic and Derek Forbort with Pat Maroon and Andrew Peeke. This did this without robbing themselves of any NHL roster talent, and at the price of a third-round pick they almost certainly would’ve traded between now and then anyway.
They also got bigger, and in their eyes, tougher.
They did all of that without falling victim to the trap of thinking they’re anything more than a team that needs some bounces to go their way in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. There’s something to be said for simply knowing where you are and finding the middle ground between aggressively buying in a futile attempt to match Carolina or Florida, and simply staying true to what’s gotten you here and hoping for some good fortune.
It was, at its very worst, a C, C+ deadline for Boston. As it should’ve been from the jump.
