Don Sweeney Knows What He's Doing
Another free agent slipped right through Don Sweeney’s fingers as Mike Hoffman signed a PTO with the St. Louis Blues. In typical fashion, the armchair GM’s were up in arms over the missed opportunity to sign yet another forward this offseason.
The addition of Ondje Kase and Craig Smith apparently doesn’t mean much to fans. Kase has been written off after 17 games. 11 of those games being after three months off and with no conditioning due to COVID-19 protocols and supposed missteps on his part. The 25-year-old has yet to play a full NHL season but certainly has potential. It seems foolish to write off a single goal in six regular-season games before an abrupt pause.
Prior to being traded to Boston, Kase was playing in Anaheim. He has had one 20 goal season in the three he played. Anaheim has also been in a transitional rebuild phase for those years. The Ducks missed the playoffs the last two seasons and were booted in the first round back in 2018. Kase has yet to play with a solid group of players that will elevate his game.
Bruins veteran David Krejci has been in the search for a right wing for what feels like ages. His last consistent winger was Jerome Iginla back in 2013-2014. The hunt for consistency and production has been on for quite some time. Kase is a solid option for that. He has a chance to grow into that role and hopefully put a pause on the revolving door for the veteran’s final year of his contract.
Craig Smith would more than likely be slotted into the third line with Anders Bjork and Charlie Coyle. Strictly going on a gut instinct but I do think Bjork will be the odd man out again this season, especially if other prospects like Jack Studnicka make the jump to Boston.
Smith was signed as a free agent after he spent his career with the Nashville Predators. He’s logged a total of 330 points in a total of 661 games. He’s had five 20+ goal seasons and had 18 goals right before the season paused. On paper, Smith looks like a solid addition. If you’re into advanced statistics his number also proves that he is in fact, a good hockey player and someone the Bruins could use.
Chasing The Big Names
After every disappointing season, the Boston Bruins are expected to go out and chase the top name in free agency. This year people were devastated that Taylor Hall did not sign in Boston. The ship has sailed for Hall. It’s time to focus on someone who is younger and has the potential to stick with the team.
There’s always going to be, “the one that got away” and for some reason, Mike Hoffman was handed that title this week. He’s one of the best snipers in the league but unfortunately, he comes with too much baggage. This is not something any locker room needs. While there were no reported incidents in Florida, the risk is too high for an incident like that repeating itself. I have no personal connection to the Hoffman party so it might seem unfair to judge his character. However, I know from experience that leopards have a very difficult time changing their spots, if you will.
No Reason To Implode
Boston has a very solid forward core. Does the middle six struggle with consistency and scoring? Yes. Do they have new additions that could shake that up? Absolutely.
Defensively, the Bruins are fine. They lost Torey Krug which was not a huge loss defensively at even strength. Replacing him on the power play is a different story. The uncertainty surrounding captain Zdeno Chara is lingering over everyone. You would hate to lose your leader especially during a time of uncertainty. However, Chara must do what’s best for him. The team has options within their organization to fill the void. Prospects like Jakub Zboril and Urho Vaakanainen have stepped up on many occasions.
Do we need to talk about the best goalie tandem in the league? No.
At the end of the day, the Bruins have no reason to press “go” on the rebuild mode. The window is not shut. There is still plenty of talent on this team and youth to keep building around it. Sending off key players and assets in a trade for a rental is not realistic. Don Sweeney did not win GM of The Year for nothing. Trust the process.