The PuckUps Podcast with Brian DeFelice, Ep. 54: Will the Bruins make another TRADE soon? (Mailbag)

Brian answers comments and questions in this mailbag episode!

Join Brian DeFelice every Monday and Friday (Tuesday, and Friday in the offseason) as he discusses all things Boston Bruins, NHL, and the world of hockey. Subscribe on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts and be a part the show by submitting comments, and questions via X (@briandefelice_ / @thepuckups), email: info@thepuckups.com, or voicemail (617)-539-6958.

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Transcript

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You're listening to the Puckups Podcast. It's time to hit the ice with Brian D Felice. Welcome into episode 54 of the Puck Ups Podcast. I am Brian D Felice and thank you all for joining me. Today's show will be a mailbag episode, so thank you all very much for sending in your comments and questions and taking the time out of your day to do so. I will try to get through as many as I possibly can. But first things first, if you haven't done so already, please go ahead and subscribe to the puck ups on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else that you get your podcast. And to get in touch with me or be a part of the show, you can email me at info at thepuckups.com. You can tweet at me on X at Brian D Felice underscore. You can tweet at the show at the puck ups or leave a comment on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, anywhere the show has a social media account and post content. Now let's start off here with an email from Ben. Ben says, Hey Brian, wondering if Don Sweeney will now move quickly to try and get our remaining RFAs signed so they don't get offer sheets. Obviously, they aren't the same level as Leo Carlson, but I feel like all players are at risk now after this. It's like the Wild West. So at the time of this recording, Ben, the only RFA remaining for the Boston Bruins to be signed is Matt Patra. And I am curious to see how that plays out. I don't think he is a threat to be offersheeted. And despite Leo Carlson being offersheeted by Danny Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers, to your comment about it feeling like the Wild West, I still think at the end of the day, while I would love, I would love it. I love the chaos. I'm here for it. I think NHL GMs should exercise offersheets more often where a team around the league is in cap trouble and you're in need of talent. And I think that nobody should be afraid to do so. But I do think teams will still be afraid to do so on a frequent basis because it does promote some friction around the league in terms of GM circles. No GM likes other GMs to come and poach their players, and it does kind of set a precedent of okay, you did that, now the target's on your back. So I do think while I I commend Danny Brera for offershooting Leo Carlson, I think the Flyers are a team that needed to take that type of swing. They had the cap space, they need a true number one center of the future. And why not? Why not go for it? You know, best case scenario, the player signs and the team he's with doesn't match. And now you have a number one center of the future. Worst case scenario, the team matches, and now you are kind of, like I said, a target on your back type of GM. And that could be where Danny Brere is going because all indications are that Anaheim will be matching Philadelphia's $18 million offer. So I know this question was more about the Bruins RFAs, but I'm kind of answering the second part here about the NHL becoming the wild, wild west. I don't think that even with really high-end players, offer sheets will be that that commonplace, let alone players that we're talking about with the Bruins in terms of their RFAs. So Fraser Minton, Marat Hoos Nadinoff, they, I believe, are RFAs next year, not right now. So in terms of those guys, yeah, sure, listen, not because they might get offer sheeted, but you should sign those guys sooner than later. If you think, if you think that Fraser Minton is going to have a great year this year, but he hasn't really put that on paper yet, in terms of having the ability to argue with that for his next contract. If you want to get ahead of what his production you think hopefully is, and you want to get him on a good deal sooner than later, go for it. Because if he has a big year and he isn't signed yet, well, now his representatives might say, Hey, you know what? We want more for our player. So if you believe in the player, I think it's always better to try to sign them earlier. Every situation's different, right? Pavel Zaka is a guy who he's on the final year of his contract upcoming year. He was eligible for an extension on July 1st. Zaka's a different situation. I've said on here I wouldn't extend him right now because I think that we don't know where the Bruins season is going right now. It could be a year where they're selling. And if they're selling and you don't think Pavel Zaka is a contract you want on your books as he goes into his 30s because you feel like, you know what, we're further away than we hoped we would be, then you don't want to already have him under contract with a bunch of no-trade protection. You want to be able to have flexibility there. So with Pavel Zaka, I don't think there's any rush to to extend him. But when it comes to your younger RFAs that are coming off of their entry-level deals, if you believe in the player, I don't see why you shouldn't give them a an AAV sooner than later, because maybe it'll end up being a bargain. Maybe you'd have to pay more later if they perform to what you hope that they will. But if you can get them under contract before that point, it's a gamble. But that's kind of when you can have some team-friendly deals. So yeah, I I I guess in terms of moving right now, like I said, Matt Potter is the only RFA currently uh this offseason that they still have to sign. And I I I wonder what they're doing with him. I I wonder if he's somebody that they're still maybe in trade conversations with. Um, but ultimately, if if if they want him to stay in Boston, the player doesn't have much leverage. So I'm sure that uh I'm sure that they'll figure something out with him, and that would be all their R phase this offseason. So thanks for the question, Ben. And I hope you had a good holiday too. Ricky Lemon on Twitter says, Shane Wright for Mason Ly, straight up. And honestly, Ricky, I would do that trade if I were the Bruins. I think the Bruins, I think Mason Light is who he is defensively at this stage in his career. I don't think he's gonna get much better on that side of the puck. Offensively, could he still have a ceiling that is yet to be reached? Sure. I don't doubt that. Will that happen in Boston? I don't know. But what I can also say is I feel like Shane Wright's ceiling could be higher than Mason Lorae's. He was a top five pick a couple of years back. Obviously, his career hasn't turned out the way he's wanted it to so far in Seattle. But I think Shane Wright, if this was a if this was a one-for-one trade and both teams were willing to do so, I would do this if I were Boston because I think the Bruins, Shane Wright also is younger than Laura. But Shane Wright, what is he? Is he just another guy who's been in a bad situation in Seattle when and his development hasn't gone according to plan and the opportunity hasn't really been great for him? Or with a with a fresh opportunity in a new organization, can he be a legit top six guy? I don't know if he's ever going to be a top line guy, a high-end top line guy. But hey, if you're the Bruins, Shane Wright should absolutely be a by-low candidate. And I think Mason Laurie one for one, listen, you're not giving up Laterno or Haggins or Minton. Not that they ever would for Shane Wright because they wouldn't, but you're not giving up any of your top prospects, you're not giving up any of your you know future first-round draft picks or anything like that. You're talking about a distressed asset for a distressed asset. So um that's the type of change of scenery, quintessential young player for young player type of trade that if Seattle were wanting to do that, then yeah, I would do it if I were Boston. I question if Laura alone would be enough there. Um, but yeah, one for one, I would make that trade if I were Boston. James on YouTube says, What could we expect in a pasta trade? A couple first rounders, sound about right. Hey, he's not happy, ship him out. So James is proposing this on the heels of our conversation last episode, where I was just putting out there the real reality that with the way the NHL is changing, that star players they're starting to dictate their futures a little bit more if they're unhappy where they are and they and they really want to prioritize winning. You see it with Dylan Larkin uh requesting a trade out of Detroit. Who knows what happened with Zach Rorensky in in Columbus, but appear apparently he's staying put. Connor Halibuck quietly, I think, wants out of Columbus or uh Winnipeg. So, and there's other situations too. Brady Kachuk went to Florida, right? Like there, there's there are things around the league that say, hey, top players, if they're not happy, they might want to go elsewhere. So the last episode was basically talking about why the next year is so crucial for the Boston Bruins. If things go well and they play the young players and they develop pretty quickly and they look promising and the team makes the playoffs, or they don't, but either way, your top players can look at the organization and say, hey, I can see where we're going, that's great. But if top players look around next year and James Higgins kind of has slow development and isn't really producing very much, Fraser Minton takes a step back, Husandinoff takes a step back, Laterno maybe doesn't play in Boston, and the Bruins are selling at the deadline and and Zak is gone. Could that upset your top players? And in that situation, wouldn't be entirely surprised if if 88 asked out. So, you know, I think it's way too soon to actually be worried about that, but it's worth talking about. It's worth talking about if we're in the middle of the summer and we're just having what if conversation. So to James's question here, what could you get back in a trade? Well, he would get you multiple, multiple first round picks, a top prospect or two, and an impact NHL roster player for sure. He would garner a King's ransom. So again, I don't think the Bruins are there yet, but he would he would bring back the kitchen sink. He's 30 years old, he's one of the top forwards in hockey, so you would get a sh a lot. X on Twitter says, This really doesn't track for me, but we will see how Zodoroff is when he comes in for camp. It'll be a story, and if he's pissed off, it'll bleed through because he's not gonna hide his emotions on this. So this has to do with some rumors, and I want to emphasize rumors because I don't think it's very credible what the rumor was, but I'm trying to think back about was it was a David Padnata of the fourth period mentioned that the Bruins and the Oilers had a trade in place for Darnell Nurse, but somebody on the Bruins vetoed the trade because they exercised their no trade clause. And he didn't mention who that player was, but then you have bloggers and you know how Twitter goes sometimes, and uh apparently Nikita Zodoroff is a name that was thrown out there on on the interweb. And so as being the player that that that the Bruins were going to trade for Nurse, and he he he said no. So to X's point here, I definitely think that Zodoroff is very transparent and wouldn't be afraid to say in training camp, if asked about it, which he probably will be, hey, did you veto a trade this past summer to go to Edmonton? I think he would absolutely, if not verbally, uh visually, give you the answer that we all need here. But I don't I I don't I don't see it, and to X's point, I it doesn't track for me either. I don't know why. Listen, I don't know what I don't know, and maybe there's some things behind the scenes that I don't know about, but if we're talking just hockey, Nurse makes four plus million dollars more than Nikita Zodorov. Edmonton's goal here was to move out money, so you know, I I guess Zodoroff would have done that because it'd be they they'd effectively be moving out like four million. But if you're the Bruins, I don't know why you would do that. Why would you trade Nikita Zodoroff and his five million dollar cap hit for Darnell Nurse, who has a $9.25 million cap hit? Is Darnell Nurse that much better than Zodoroff? I don't think so. He I mean, marginally, they bring a lot of similarities in certain ways, and in other ways they're a little bit different, but Darnell Nurse is not a $4 million plus dollar player better than Nikita Zodoroff. I just don't see that at all. You can never convince me of that. So maybe it wasn't just Zodoroff going back to Edmonton, maybe it was Zodoroff plus to make the the salary work. But in either in either situation, from a hockey standpoint, it never made sense to me. I can see why the Bruins would want both of Darnell Nurse and Nikita Zodoroff on their blue line when you look at the Atlantic division and you're talking about playing against the Florida Panthers who are gonna run out Brady Kachuk and Matthew Kachuk and Sam Bennett and you know Brad Marshand and you know Garnett Hathaway. Um, you know, like there's a ton of muscle and agitation with the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay, they're a big strong team. Like, I can see why in the Atlantic division the Bruins could look at their blue line and say, hey, if we have Nurris and Zodoroff on the left side in our top four, those aren't easy guys to go up against in the corners. Put them alongside McAvoy and apparently Will Borgan. Although I don't know if the Borgan thing would have happened if they brought in Nurse. So, but I could see Hampus Lindholm being that guy because to me, Hampus Lindholm is a player who we'll see this season. I don't think he's gonna get back to where he used to be. Call it a combination of age and injuries, but I don't think the Hampus Lindholm we'll see going forward is the Hampus Lindholm that we saw when he first came to Boston. Don't look now, but he's already four or five years older than when we traded for him. And I could see the Bruins being underwhelmed with him at times, especially in the playoffs. Now, Nikita Zodoroff and Hempis Lindholm were both playing hurt in the postseason. Zodoroff had like an MCL tear or something like that, and Lindholm was playing through a fractured foot that he had been dealing with since December. But if you're trying to shake something up on that blue line, is Darnell Nurse for Zodoroff a shakeup, or is that just like a marginal lateral upgrade, maybe? Right? So I I never saw that. And again, unless behind the scenes people just can't stand Zodoroff and they just want him to go. I don't know. I I don't buy that. But if we're talking a pure hockey perspective, I just never made sense to me. So um there are players that would make sense to me. Either one of the Linholms, Middle Stat, Yokiharyu, like there are players that I would I could see saying no thank you. I just don't know why the Bruins would try to trade Zodoroff. I feel like he's kind of been, in many ways, kind of like the heartbeat of this team outside of their top players. So yeah, we'll find out though. I agree. If it was a door off, I think we'll find out at some point when they uh report for training camp. Let's go to an email from Frank. Frank says, the only team I see fit for Casey Middlestad via trade is the Winnipeg Jets. They made minimal moves via free agency with roster spots to fill. Middlestad and Dan Zoshmellas to the Jets for Nemestikov and a 2027 fourth and a 2028 second. So that was a very specific trade there, Frank. And I appreciate you know you giving that level of granular detail. I don't know how many teams or how many players in the league that have any sort of trade protection, whether it be full no move or full no trade or modified no trade. I'd be willing to bet that almost every one of those players with that level of protection have the Winnipeg Jets as a team that they don't want to go to. There's and listen, this is not to disrespect the the beautiful city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, or the people of it. But from a hockey perspective, I don't think Winnipeg is a very desirable location for a lot of players because they've never really been a serious contender. They've had a couple of strong years where they finished high in the league, but they never made much of those opportunities. And as we currently speak, they have a pretty aging core of Mark Scheifley, who's in his early 30s. Um Kyle Connor, I think, is in his early 30s. They they lost Nikolai Ehlers to free agency last year. Josh Morrissey, I want to say, is in his early 30s. Connor Halibach is in his early mid-30s, and I think he wants out. Their young players aren't really game changers. They're good players like a cole Perfetti or Gabe Villardi, like good players, but I don't think players are sitting there around the league saying, Oh, I gotta go to Winnipeg to play with those guys. You add to that the travel, Winnipeg is located right there in central southern Canada, and it's a far flight to a lot of teams around the league, and it's very, very cold. It's a small city, and so I just don't think it's the most desirable location. So if I like what I guess what I'm saying is, I don't think I wouldn't be surprised if Winnipeg is on Middle Stad's no trade list, right? And I don't think that would make him unique. I think a lot of players would have them on their no trade list. So and then as far as Dan Zlosh Melis, like I don't know. I I I I don't I'm not really that high on Vlad uh Domestikov. I think he's kind of a guy. Um, not that Middlestat isn't, but I I I think that the Bruins, okay, you're recuperating a 27 fourth round pick on a 28 second. I like those picks, okay, sure. Especially the 28th second. Okay. Uh, but I don't know if that's the only team I see a fit for middle stat. I can see Middle Stat going to other teams. Um, and the reality is I think he has like an eight or ten team no trade list. So a two-thirds of the league at least, he can be traded to without needing his permission. So I'm gonna push back a little bit that Winnipeg is the only team that makes sense to see Middlestack go to. I actually think it's probably one of the few teams he wouldn't go to um because of player control. So, and I don't know if I want to give up on Dan's Loshmelis for for Vlad Nemestikov. Again, Nemestikov is I think he's just a guy at this point. He's kind of a third, fourth line guy. Not that Losh Melis will be anything more than that, but at least he's younger and more cost controlled. So um, but I appreciate the the email, Frank. This comment is from Kyle Vanderfluot on YouTube, and I laughed at this, and I want to get to the bottom of it right now, actually, because I I never really uh had thought of this, but on my last video, Kyle said, gotta be honest, Brian, you gotta stop pronouncing Pasternach that way, brother. So I uh from here forward, I'm going to do my best to rectify my pronunciation of uh Pasternak because I feel like I say it that way because I thought that's how Jack Edwards used to say it when David first came into the league. I could have sworn that's how people pronounced it. I'm kind of, I don't really maybe I made this up in my head, maybe it's Mendela, but I thought people called him that. And he's been around uh the Bruins for 12 years that I'm just so it's second nature for me to say that. But I will say this it is kind of hard to casually pronounce it the way that I have been, Pasternak. So to Kyle's point, well, how am I saying it? How's the right way to say it? And from what I am gathering, and I have heard people say it senses come. I'm like, oh that makes sense. People say posternak posternak. So I'm gonna try to change from this day forward to David Posternock. It feels weird to say that. I feel like Pasternak is like how, but I I think I I'm definitely wrong. I'm definitely wrong. So I'm gonna change my pronunciation going forward to David Posternock because that's how most people I think say it besides me. Um and I can't promise I won't slip up again in the future, but I will do my best. So David Posternock. Honestly, it is easier to say it that way. So I'm not complaining. But Kyle, I appreciate you keeping me on my toes. Never forget to do that. And that goes for all of you guys. Keep me on my toes. I can't sit here in good faith and talk about Bruins players and management and managers and players around the league and you know criticize their games and then sit here and not take it myself. So David Posternock. Still feels weird, but I like it. I like it. Thanks, Kyle. Hockey B on Twitter says, interesting conversation on weighing the desires of Posternock and McAvoy, etc., with what's realistic for the future of the team beyond that core. Something that will become a very challenging balancing act and likely reach some kind of crucial tipping point over the next one to two seasons. Yeah, hockey B, I this is this is my point. And that's all I was trying to do last episode was just have the conversation. Is it the first week of July? Sure. Yeah, there's not a ton of hockey to talk about. But I do believe that this is what we're talking about here. Next year can go well for the Bruins. They can have a lot of good key contributions and growth from their young players. And James Hagins could have a pretty successful rookie season of being a 35 to 45 point player. Maybe more. I'm not going to put that on him. Fraser Minton can take the next steps and go from a 35-point guy to a 45-50-point guy. Maybe Dean Laterno comes along uh next spring after BC's season ends, and not to put too much pressure on him either. But maybe he has, given his size and skill set, maybe he has like a Porter Martin impact next spring in Boston. And people are turning their heads left and right and saying, wow, Boston really has somebody here, including McAvoy and Posternock. So I think that that's the best case scenario. And even if the Bruins don't make the playoffs or go very far, if their top players can see the plan, then all of a sudden there's buy-in. But if James Hagins puts up 10 to 15 points next year and he's traveling back and forth up and down 95, and Dean Laterno doesn't debut in Boston at any point next year, and Fraser Minton has a sophomore slump, and Husnadinoff has a sophomore slump. And Jeremy Swayman takes a step back or gets injured, or there are injuries to keep players. Geeky takes a step back. The Bruins are floundering, they're not making the playoffs at the deadline. They trade Zaka. Now Pasternak is more pissed off. Okay, what's he looking at next summer? What excitement does he have next summer to tell him, hey, I'm pretty close to a championship because we all know what he said at the end of last season, and I played it last episode. So this is not me pushing the panic button. But if we aren't having this conversation about hypotheticals of what could happen if things go well versus if things go wrong, then we're not being honest with ourselves here. How can we possibly look at Dylan Larkin and Brady Kachuk and Connor Halibuck asking for trade requests? Possibly Zach Orensky at one point. Austin Matthews was heading down that road until the Leafs got the first overall pick. And now that may have bought him a little bit of time, they bring in Radish, they bring in Babrowski. But okay. If that sixth or seventh overall pick ended up going to the Bruins instead of Toronto winning the lottery, now Toronto's looking at you know a very, very bleak offseason. They have very little draft capital to support Matthews with. Darren Radish alone doesn't get Austin Matthews excited. So you know, Toronto could have been going down a bad path, and they still could be going down a path of a of a retool or rebuild. But and if things go wrong to start the year, don't be surprised if Austin Matthews, you know, says, I'm out of here. So you know, but if it happens to other players on other teams, why can't it happen to the Bruins top players in Boston? Again, it's a business. It's a business. So if things aren't going well and and McAvoy and Pasterna can't see the they can't see the the bulletin board plan and they're not encouraged, sure. Sure. I'm not saying that they will, but they could. So it's definitely a conversation worth having. And now that we've had it, we can, you know, keep an eye on it. This is from Brad on YouTube. Brad says, Maybe I'm a worry wart. I can't help but be concerned why Utah let Petrka go elsewhere after having him less than a year. Does Utah know something? Brad, what I'll say is maybe, maybe, but I think more than likely what happened is, and I said this last episode, but in Buffalo, JJ Peterka was a very promising young player, and Buffalo had a lot of promising young players around them. And Peterka wanted to go elsewhere. He wanted to be traded. So that's why he left Buffalo because he he kind of he kind of wanted that. As far as Utah goes, I just think it's you know, he was entering a kitchen that already had a bunch of chefs and Sioux chefs. So why did he not work out there? Maybe because he was a stranger to the organization and they already had a lot of players of his mold. Now he's a stranger entering Boston's organization, but they need chefs. Boston is a kitchen that needs a couple of chefs. They have a head chef in Pasternock, but they need some, they need some shoes, some, some, uh, some sous chefs, right? Like I feel like Utah had a well-staffed kitchen and Boston a little bit less so. So I think that Utah looked at him as expendable because they're like, okay, he's just a he's he's a bit redundant here, and we just don't really see the fit. It's all about fit. And I think the Bruins offer a better fit for Peterka, and that's how I feel about that. So, you know, it to kind of tie this into basketball with the with the Celtics. Obviously, they recently traded Jalen Brown. All the conversation about that is like Jalen Brown wasn't really understanding why, you know, everybody assumed that Jason Tatum was better, why it was his team, and Jalen Brown wanted to be the guy. And I think a lot of that possibly stems from Jalen Brown being drafted by the Celtics and being a Celtic before Tatum, right? Like he he had seniority over Tatum, and I just don't think he could ever stomach Tatum being the guy when he was drafted after Brown and he played for the Celtics after Brown. And so when you look at Jalen Brown going to Philadelphia, couldn't somebody sit there and say, Well, isn't he gonna want to be the guy in Philly with Joel Embiid? It's like, well, I don't think so. I don't think Jalen Brown's gonna go into a locker room where he's the stranger and they already have their established guys and demand that he's the guy. Like, I don't think Jalen Brown's gonna walk into that 76ers locker room with Joel Embiid there standing across from and and and try to say, I'm the guy. He knows that it's in Bede's team. So it's not a perfect comparison, but when it comes to Peterka, I just feel like, and not that Peterka wanted to be the guy in Utah, but he was redundant in Utah and he's not in Boston. And I just think that he's gonna come into this Bruins locker room, and he's like he's not gonna feel any type of way because he's gonna about entitlement or anything, because he's he's the outsider that's now on the in. And I just think that there's a a human psychology element to things, and so I think it's gonna be a good fit. I'm not saying he's gonna be a great defensive player, I don't think the Bruins need him to be. Like, you know, how great of a defensive player are a lot of the top forwards on all these NHL teams. You need scoring. So if he can come in and give them, you know, 70 plus points all day, every day. All day, every day. Beggars can't be choosers. All right. This email is from Mark. Mark says, Hi, Brian. I think the offer sheet to Carlson can benefit Boston, whether Anaheim signs him or not. If they sign him, they need to get NHL defensemen for cheap. We have two, Laurae and Yokiharyu. The goal is to dip into Anaheim's young right shot D-man. Noah Warren and Tristan Leno. One of them could and will probably shake free. If Anaheim signs Carlson, then we probably need to take one of the three older forwards, Kreider, Kalorn, or Vitranto, with one of the right shot D-man mentioned above. If that is the case, then you would probably see a forward like Steve's be part of the deal to make the money a bit more palatable. I hope Anaheim does not resign Carlson. Then that opens up a lot of possibilities and probably keeps uh a one for one trade like Laurae for Leno or Warren. If it's Yokiharyu, I think we would be lucky to get Warren in a deal like that. The best possibility would be both Laurae and Yokiharyu to Anaheim for Leno and a 2028 third-round pick. So I think the offer sheet will benefit the Bruins and might open trades beyond Anaheim depending on whether they resign him. Or would Hampus Lindholm consider a trade back to Anaheim? Save that one for another time. Interesting times take care, Mark. Mark, thanks for the uh thanks for the email. A lot of interesting tidbits there. And I will honestly take your word for uh Warren and Leno. I'm not I know Leno had a couple of really uh good years with I want to say, is it San Diego? Is it the San Diego Gulls? I think that's Anaheim's minor league team. I know he's put up some points the last couple of seasons for them. I'm not gonna pretend to say that I've seen a ton of him play, but in terms of you know him or Warren, I'm sure that they're that they're good young players on the right side to your point. I don't think he'd be emailing me about them if they weren't. So I'm for that. Um, I do think it's interesting. The the Leo Carlson offer sheet from Philly, it is yet to be, and right now, full disclosure, I know you're listening to this on Friday. I'm recording on Thursday. So by the time this airs, maybe Anaheim has officially matched Philly's offer sheet. As I speak right now on Thursday, I'm expecting them to do that. And if Anaheim were to do that, I think they'd have like $9 million left in cap space or something like that. So to your points, Mark, whether Anaheim signs Carlson or not, there's there's opportunity there to work with them. And don't forget, Anaheim and Boston have been trade partners in the past on more than one occasion. Off the top of my head, Nick Ricci, Andre Kasha, David Backis. I know there's others. I feel like Danton Heinen was traded to or from Anaheim at one point. Um there there are others, but in any event, so there's a rapport there between Sweeney and and and Pat Verbeek, I think. But there was another question about Leo Carlson a little bit later on, so I will save some of this commentary for that as well. But uh, Mark, I appreciate the the email and and you put a lot of thought into that. And now I'm gonna have to start to watch some some Tristian Leno and see uh just how uh promising he appears um to be, according to you. Rudy13 on YouTube says, if the so here's the here's the question I was referring to. If the ducks match the offer sheet, do you think that raises the value of cost-controlled guys like Yiki or Zaka enough to open the door for a guy like Cutter Gautier or Beckett Seneca to be an option for the Bruins to pursue? So, Rudy, I I I don't exactly know what these trades would look like and if Anaheim would have the interest in it. But to your point, if they offer Carlson the 18 million that Philly did and they match it, now Anaheim's cap space is down to about 9 million in change. Cutter Gautier is an RFA right now. I feel like they could get a deal done with him around that AAV. I I mean Cutter Gautier is a hell of a player. Can he can he really be demanding you know 10, 11 million dollars right now on a cap hit? I I don't think so. I think he still has to prove some. So maybe Anaheim would be able to work out a bridge deal with Cutter for an AAV around nine or so to keep him cap compliant. And so that would take care of him in the short term, call it another two years, two or three years. And then Beckett Seneca, I'm pretty sure he is an RFA. He still has two more full seasons before we before he's an RFA, I think. So, you know, Anaheim can sign Gautier, they can sign Carlson, and they still have Seneca on an entry-level deal for a couple more seasons. So, long story short, I think Anaheim can kind of worry about that when the time comes. But for right now, I think for the next two or three years, they would still be able to have all three of those guys. So now, could you come in and wow Anaheim and convince them to give you a Cutter Gotier or a Beckett Seneca for Zaka Plus or Geeky Plus because they're on good contracts? Maybe. I mean, never say never, but I just don't think Anaheim has to move those one of those guys, even with Carlson signing. Like I said, if if Seneca was an RFA this year, if you had Seneca and Gautier both as RFAs right now, you can't fit both of them. But not only is Seneca not an RFA this year or next year, he's not an RFA to the following year. So I think Anaheim's okay right now, even if they uh match Carlson's offer. But try it. Sure, try it. You know, I mean, try it. But you'd have to, but you you know, you'd have to sign Zaka anyway, right? Like if you're Anaheim, Zaka's up at the end of this year. And so he would be due for a race, he'd be a 30-year-old top six center. He's not gonna play on a capital of 4.75 million forever. Um, in fact, he's got one more year to do that. So it would be a short-term fix, but in that same sense, Seneca's on an ELC right now, so he's a short-term fix all the same. In fact, he's cheaper than Zaka right now. So I don't know. Uh I'm I'm inclined to say that the Bruins wouldn't be able to expose Anaheim for Gautier or Seneca. Um, I think you might see a guy like Drew Hellison, who's an RFA, I think, next year, who played played at BC. So I'm sure people around the Boston area will love the Bruins getting another BC guy hypothetically. But Hellison's a guy, right shot defenseman. He can skate, big boy too. Hasn't really put it together at the NHL level, but I can see a guy like him being a uh a cap casualty for Anaheim due to the Carlson, what we expect to be a Carlson matching offer. So um, but listen, I like the creativity, and if you're Don Sweeney, why not pick up the phone and give it a shot? This is an email from CJ. CJ says, assuming Patra is still with the Bruins when training camp starts and hasn't been traded, I keep seeing him penciled in at 4C. But what if he has an amazing camp and proves he deserves a top nine role? Sturm likes him as a center, so that means it would probably be a 2C or a 3C. However, will others such as Minton, Husadinoff, Hagen, Zaka, Middlestat, get priority regardless of how well he does. I feel putting him on the fourth line is a waste of his playmaking skills and talents when it's generally agreed his ceiling is a two C. I keep hearing he could potentially get moved up and would just start there. But unless Sweeney moves Zaka and Middlestad and doesn't crowd the roster with more vets as he usually does, there will be no way for him to go up the middle. If that's the case, it may be best for the player and the Bruins to move on. Would love to hear your thoughts. Uh thank you, CJ. Okay, so uh it's interesting, CJ. You know, the fur one of the things you mentioned here is that it feels like Patra has a ceiling of a 2C, and and I I I'm not saying he doesn't, but I'm not sure we should just make that assumption. Okay, I'm trying to see what you said. Yeah, when it's generally agreed his ceiling is a 2C. Okay, yeah, so to me, it's it's it's a different conversation. Could his ceiling be a 2C? Maybe. Maybe, but again, the key word there is ceiling. So in reality, he could just be a third liner. And I think when we talk about Pachra playing the fourth line for Boston, at least if I talk about that, it's because I want him in Boston, I don't want him in Providence, and similar to how Fraser Minton played well with Mark Castlick and Tanner Geneau at times last year, and they kind of helped him along. And how Matt Potra played with Tanner Geneau and Mark Castlick. See, I think Cassick has some finish, he has some good hands, he's a good four checker. And Tanner Geneau, yeah, he's a fourth liner, right? But he's also played, you know, up in the lineup before in his NHL career, and he had a pretty good bounce back year last year. So I think Janot and Cassick, yes, I think ideally they're fourth line guys, but I would say they're fourth line guys with a bit more polish and finish than your average fourth line tough guy. So I can see that line being effective, at least for Pachra to start, right? Now, as far as other opportunities in the lineup, well, you got Pavel Zaka, to your point. I think Zaka's gonna play center, and then you have Minton, he's gonna play center, as they both should, and especially over Pachra. Like with all due respect to Matt Pachra, you know, I think Fraser Minton and Zaka, I think they are above him in the depth chart for obvious reasons right now, especially Zaka. Third line center is the interesting one, and this is me assuming that Minton's in the top six at center. If the Bruins roll out Zaka and Lindholm next year as your top two centers, well, that automatically puts Minton as your third line center. I don't want them to do that, and maybe they won't, but let's just say that your top two centers next year are Zaka and Minton. Well, now you're talking about who's your third line center? Is it Elias Lindholm? Is it James Haggins? I don't think it's Husendinoff and I don't think it's middle stat. They have versatility, but I don't think that those guys are going to be your third line center to start the season. I think it's gonna be either it's gonna be one of, depending on how they deploy the top two lines, your third line center is going to be either Fraser Minton, Elias Lindholm, or James Higgins. That's what I feel. And honestly, I think it's hard to make an argument for Patra over any one of those guys right now. Because this, if we're talking ceilings, the ceiling for James Higgins is a top line center. Again, I'm not saying he'll be that, but if we're talking ceilings, Haggins has a higher ceiling than Patra. I think Minton has a higher ceiling potentially than Patra. And Zaka obviously is is you know who you hope Pachra could be one day. And Lindholm, I would rather if you're asking me, would I rather Patra play third line center or Elias Lindholm? I would say Patra. But I would rather Haggins play center over both those guys. Same time, if Haggins is in the top six and he's not a center, then he'd be on the wing, right? So there's a lot of ways it can go. I don't think well, Casey Middlestad could be traded. I'm really not sure. Um, it does feel like there's a lot of chefs in the kitchen right now at forward. Um so we'll see how the roster plays out. But if James Haggins and Casey Middlestad and Pavel Zaka and Fraser Minton. And Murat Husadinoff and Elias Lindholm, if all of those guys who are penciled to be top nine guys, all with versatility at wing and center, if all of those guys are rostered next year, I still think you can have Matt Pachra as your fourth line center. And I think you say to Sean Corraly, who's a great pro, hey Sean, listen, we want you in the room, we respect you, but we're gonna have you as like our extra forward, and your job is to gonna be to mentor Matt Pachra. If if Corale's not traded. So it's hard right now in July to really despite free agency being pretty much in the books. There's a couple of guys out there still, but I've I can't really recall a off-season post-free agency where I've been so not confused but curious about what the Bruins forward lines will be next year because I can still see it going a lot of different ways, and I think there could still be some movement, if not during the summer, during training camp or early in the season. So I just think realistically, for Matt Patra, if he's playing third line center, then what does that mean for Higgins and Minton? If your top two centers are Zaka and Lindholm. But if Lindholm is on the third line wing, now there's more flexibility. And if the if your centers are Zaka, Minton, Patra, and Linholm's on the wing, and Middlestap might be traded, okay. There's there's a possibility there, but that means that you're sacrificing Hagen's getting reps at center, which might be the case anyway. They might start him at wing anyway. So is Higgins on Patra's wing or is Hagens in the top six at wing? Um clearly there's a lot of moving parts. So I appreciate the question, CJ. Uh, I want to make sure I didn't miss anything there. Um ultimately, if there's a log jam and you know he can't crack into the lineup, then yeah, CJ, I think I think the Bruins, listen, I think one thing's for sure, Matt Pachra should not be in Providence next year. He should either be with the Boston Bruins or with another team in the NHL, and he should be traded. So I'm with you. Um, I'm not saying that Matt Pachra would start next year as Boston's fourth line center and never move up the lineup, but I think it's I think it could be his most natural way into the lineup, and um it could give that fourth line some much needed speed, and they already have physicality and and for checking tenacity, and and I do think that Caslick and Janot and Pachra, I think he'd have more finish there than a lot of fourth lines around the league, truly. So um, I just think that might be the easiest way for him to crack the lineup and then go from there. But uh, we'll see how it plays out. Thanks for the email, CJ. Gary on YouTube says, with it being a seller's market, what could Zaka fetch in a trade in lieu of extending him? Is there anybody out there that could be a young, dare I say, a potential core piece in the next two years? Interesting question, Gary. I think it kind of depends on when you're trading them. If the Bruins are sellers at next year's deadline because the season goes south and not according to the way that they wanted to, would a playoff team be willing to give you a bigger package for Zaka to help solidify their chance to win a Stanley Cup? Or is his value highest right now? You know, it's tough because if you trade him at the deadline, a team is acquiring his $4.75 million cap hit and his skill set into their top six, maybe even third line, depending on how deep the team is. And that's very, very valuable for a cup contending team or cup hopeful. But the downside is he becomes a free agent in you know, over the summer, and so the team would only be acquiring him potentially as a rental if they don't re sign him themselves or extend them themselves, and that's fine. Like teams play they pay a lot for rentals every every trade deadline. So I'm not saying rentals aren't valuable because they are, they get a lot, especially the you know, a what a a rental like the Zaka would be. But I think right now his value could be highest because somebody would be getting him for a full season at his 4.75 million dollar cap hit. So ultimately, what could he fetch you in a trade? I think he can get you a first round pick and a and a prospect. I think Zaka can get you a first round pick. A couple different things. I think if there's no player involved coming back, I think he can get you a couple of first-round picks, or at least a first round pick and a second round pick. If there's a player involved, I think he can get you a first round pick and a prospect. Or I think maybe a second round pick and an NHL ready player. So for example, like Montreal has been wanting a second line center forever, right? Would the Bruins could the Bruins trade Zocca to Montreal for a first round pick and Kirby Doc? I don't think so. But could they trade Zocca to Montreal for a second round pick in Kirby Doc? I think so, yes. And that's the type of move where, okay, could Kirby Doc be one of those potential core pieces that you're talking about? Um, because maybe as a former high first round pick, he could still have a lot of game left. And he's had a lot of injury issues and stuff in Montreal, but he has potential and size and talent galore. Um so I guess it depends on you know where he's going to and when he's going to them. But if the Bruins don't extend Zaka, I think he can get you a decent a pretty good return regardless. Whether it's a couple of whether it's a first-round pick and a second round pick, or a first round pick and a good prospect, or a second round pick and an NHL ready player. For a player that's you know, contract is up after next season, that's all those would optimize him as an asset. But the Bruins obviously may want to extend him themselves and look at him as like a future veteran presence to to be a reliable center Iceman for them if if players get hurt or younger players don't pop the way that they want them to. And I don't know, I I could see them seeing value in a player like that, keeping him around too. So we'll see how that goes. We have an email here from Kim who says, Hey Brian, sure seems like everything is on hold this week. Trades, signings, offer sheets until the Leo Carlson situation gets resolved. Do you agree? And do you expect teams to be more active next week? Clearly, the Bruins have more moves to make, and I hope those happen sooner rather than later. Thanks, Kim. Thank you, Kim, for the email. So, yeah, I think that right now the NHL oddly seems quiet, eerily quiet. Like uh it's very ominous, and it does feel like there are still a lot of shoes to drop, and maybe the Carlson part is a factor. Um, you know, if Dylan Larkin has put a trade request in, is Steve Eiserman not trading him right now because the league's waiting to see if Leo Carlson signs with Anaheim or stays with Philly after signing the office sheet? Maybe. I mean, it's possible, but what I can tell you is that there are still some pretty significant uh UFAs out there at forward. Like, I'm not saying necessarily for the Bruins, but for contending teams out there or teams that are trying to contend, it might be one piece away. Anthony Manta is still out there, Patrick Kane is still out there, Claude Giroux, I think, is still out there. Um, you know, there are some others. The Dylan Larkin situation still has to resolve itself. Clearly, Stevie Y is not looking to just get rid of him for pennies and a dollar. He's waiting for the proper return, but you don't want him going into training camp next year on that Red Wings team because you're gonna strip him of the captaincy and it's gonna create a lot of distractions in the room. So there is a bit of a Stevie Eiserman can sit there all he wants and say that he's not in a rush to trade him, he's under contract for four more years or five more years, but you don't want to cripple your locker room before the season even starts by keeping a guy like that around who wants out. So the Larkin stuff has to figure itself out still. Is Connor Halibuck sticking around in Winnipeg? You know, um Nurse got traded, um Vinny Trochek got traded. Those were a couple of a couple of trades that were out there that were speculated. Um, but yeah, Kim, I do think that right now, I'm not sure if you know NHL GMs are just taking their sweet time after Canada Day on July 1 and 4th of July last week. But Don Sweeney said in his press conference after free agency day one, he said that he expects an active market post-July 1, um more so than years past. I think maybe, maybe again, these guys are human too. Maybe they're all just kind of putting their phones away for a little bit um with the holiday this past week and things are gonna pick back up here. So it does feel like it's been, it has been objectively been quiet this past week. So I guess it can only get less quiet from here or just stay the same. But I'm hoping it gets busy as well, Kim. And it does feel like the Bruins aren't done this offseason either. Again, it might not be a summertime thing, might be a training camp thing, but they have extra bodies. Like you have how many guys on defense right now? You have Makavoy, Zodoroff, Lindholm, Borgan, and then you have for bottom pair options right now, you have Clifton, Yoki Haryu, um, Laurae, Aspiro, Brunei, Jordan Harris. Like, there's a lot that has to give here. And then up front, it's like, okay, is Casey Middlesat really gonna be here to start the year? Is Mikey Aceymont and Sean Coralli or Alex Steves or like like you know, Lucas Reich? Like what what what's I think Reich was around because of the German connection. He has youth and speed and skill and upside still, but it just feels like okay, they moved on from Corpusalo, great. So now DPH is gonna get his chance. That's great. It just feels like what they did with DPH, or I'm sorry, what they did with Corpusalo, they still have to do with at least one or two bodies in the back end and off and up front, too. So could some of those be training camp waiver moves? Maybe, right? Um could they be trades this summer? We'll see. So um Shane Wright, I mentioned him earlier, but he's gonna he's not gonna be with Seattle next year. So I think the Bruins should try to find a way to trade for Shane Wright if it's a low, a by-low situation. Why not? Why not? Right? Like, don't don't give up too much for him. But he's what 21 years old, right? He was a projected first overall pick before he fell to fourth or fifth overall in his draft year. I mean, he has he has speed and skill. I think he's a situation of a lack of fit. So in any event, um, I do think things will get busy because it kind of feels like throughout August the NHL is gonna be away. So I think that if things are gonna get done, it's either gonna be during training camp or still here in the month of July. Let's finish off here with a comment from Michael Davis on YouTube. Michael says, My biggest worry is that there are folks in Buffalo that insist that they needed to get Peterka and Middle Stat out of town because they were empty calorie scorers who gave up as many big goals as they scored and got smallest when the lights got brightest. Hopefully, this coaching staff led by Sturm can get the most out of Paterka and Middle Stat if he's not wheeled out in the next 60 days in a trade. They have to move on from AC Mont and Yoki Haryu. And they are only 4 million in AAV. Adding Middle Stat gives you 9 million in AAV to go bigger fish hunting, even if they have to move out a prospect and picks. So, good comments, Michael. I agree with you that Yoki Haryu and AC Mont should be guys that they're moving on from. Same with Middlestad. And I listen, Middle Stad did a good job last year for the Bruins. It's it's not because I don't think he played well last year, it's because I don't think he's part of their long-term future. So, again, I'm about optimizing assets. Um, as far as Peterka and Buffalo, listen, the bright the lights weren't ever very bright in Buffalo during his tenure there. They never made the playoffs until this past year he was in Utah. Um I think the player wanted out of Buffalo, and I think with Utah, like I said, he was entering a kitchen where there were already enough chefs to do the job. And so I just think he found himself in a tough situation fit-wise. You know, he wasn't able to make his souffles the way he wanted to because Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley and Dylan Gunther are already doing that for them. But outside of David Posternock, who are making the fillets or the the souffles in uh in Boston, not many guys. You hope it could be Haggins, maybe Minton, but I just think Beterka adds an element that the Bruins need. So again, it comes down to fit for me. It's fair to be concerned or worried about why he's been moved a couple of times on his third team in the last couple of years here. But it's a business, and sometimes these things happen. So it's not always about the player being a bad egg or not having the skill to do so. Sometimes it's just about fit. I think we can all relate to situations in the past where maybe you work for a company and you're like, you know what, I don't like it here, just don't like it here. And doesn't say anything about your work ethic or your potential, it could just be a bad fit. And uh that's what I think is gonna I expect Petrka to be a really solid forward for the Bruins. He's only 24 years old. He's not gonna be in the running for any Selkies, and that's okay. Neither is David Pasternak, but I think that he's gonna give the Bruins what they are sorely missing. And again, what I like most about Paturka is that he's closer in age to Haggins and Minton and Husadinoff and Laterno and Zellers than he is Makavoy and Zaka and Pasternak and you know the Lynn Holmes and Zodoroff. So uh your your your your worry is understood, Michael, but I I think it'll be okay. I think I think they'll be fine. So that'll do it for this episode. Thank you all very much for sending me your comments and questions. I really do appreciate it, and it does not um go unnoticed that you're taking time out of your day to not only listen to the show or watch it on YouTube, but to actually send me an email or leave a comment. Uh, very much appreciate it. And I look forward to doing more of these throughout the summer. But for now, thank you for listening, and I will talk to you next week.