Can we talk about Gryz

Forums/Armchair-GM

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Created by: dpdan

Team: 2020-21 Boston Bruins

Initial Creation Date: Feb. 14, 2021

Published: Feb. 14, 2021

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Description

I really don’t want to keep talking about this, but last night’s game showed the ceiling of the Bs without either Grzelcyk or another top LD. The blueprint on how to beat Boston the last few years has always been (A) to apply a heavy forecheck to get the D to turn it over and (B) limit the power play goals. If MG is healthy and playing well it gives the team a chance against the upper level teams that they’ll face in the playoffs. Subbing in Clifton or Moore is fine against NYR or Philly but not if they have serious Cup aspirations.

I get that they don’t want to expose Grz for expansion. Every single ACGM that’s had them trading for another D has that in the comments. That means that they have maybe 3 options

1) ride it out and hope that Grz can show that these are fluke injuries and he can handle a heavy workload and Zboril and Lauzon won’t shrink come playoffs

2) make a play for a top 4 LD and deal with the expansion draft fallout later because they only have 1 maybe 2 more kicks at the can with this group and flags fly foreva

3) add a veteran rental on the last year of his deal and not worry about protecting him

If there’s another option then please share. Again, I hope that it’s number 1. I have really enjoyed watching this team this year. I also might be in the minority in that I think Sweeney is an ok GM (his record is spotty but you can go down literally every GMs resume and find that they’ve had bad drafts/contracts). But I have a healthy skepticism about the left side and if they lose a winnable series because of a concern that has been there since training camp then I would say that a change should come.

Retained Salary Transactions

David Backes: $1,500,000 (25%)

Draft	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7
2021
2022
2023

ROSTER

LONG-TERM OUTLOOK

EMBED

TEXT-EMBED

ROSTER SIZE	SALARY CAP	CAP HIT	OVERAGES	BONUSES	CAP SPACE
22	$81,500,000	$77,917,314	$964,222	$2,300,000	$3,582,686

Left Wing	Centre	Right Wing
Marchand, Brad $6,125,000$6,125,000 LW NMC UFA - 5	Krejci, David $7,250,000$7,250,000 C M-NTC UFA - 1	Pastrnak, David $6,666,667$6,666,667 RW UFA - 3
DeBrusk, Jake $3,675,000$3,675,000 RW, LW UFA - 2	Bergeron, Patrice $6,875,000$6,875,000 C M-NTC, NMC UFA - 2	Smith, Craig $3,100,000$3,100,000 RW UFA - 3
Bjork, Anders $1,600,000$1,600,000 LW, RW UFA - 3	Coyle, Charlie $5,250,000$5,250,000 C, RW M-NTC, NMC UFA - 6	Wagner, Chris $1,350,000$1,350,000 RW, C UFA - 3
Ritchie, Nick $1,498,925$1,498,925 LW UFA - 1	Kuraly, Sean $1,275,000$1,275,000 C, LW UFA - 1
	Frederic, Trent $925,000$925,000 ($300,000$300K) LW, RW UFA - 1

Left Defense	Right Defense	Goaltender
Grzelcyk, Matt $3,687,500$3,687,500 LD UFA - 4	McAvoy, Charlie $4,900,000$4,900,000 RD UFA - 2	Rask, Tuukka $7,000,000$7,000,000 G UFA - 1
Moore, John $2,750,000$2,750,000 LD UFA - 3	Carlo, Brandon $2,850,000$2,850,000 RD UFA - 1	Halák, Jaroslav $2,250,000$2,250,000 ($1,250,000$1M) G UFA - 1
Clifton, Connor $1,000,000$1,000,000 RD UFA - 3	Miller, Kevan $1,250,000$1,250,000 ($750,000$750K) RD UFA - 1
Lauzon, Jérémy $850,000$850,000 LD/RD UFA - 2
Zboril, Jakub $725,000$725,000 LD/RD UFA - 2

Scratches	Injured Reserve (IR)	Long Term IR (LTIR)
	Kase, Ondrej $2,600,000$2,600,000 RW UFA - 1

Taxi Squad
Lindholm, Pär $850,000$850,000 ($0$0$0$0) LW, C UFA - 1
Kampfer, Steven $800,000$800,000 ($0$0$0$0) RD UFA - 1
Kuhlman, Karson $725,000$725,000 ($0$0$0$0) RW UFA - 2
Booth, Callum $700,000$700,000 ($0$0$0$0) G UFA - 1
McKegg, Greg $700,000$700,000 ($0$0$0$0) C, LW UFA - 1
Blidh, Anton $700,000$700,000 ($0$0$0$0) LW, RW UFA - 1

Feb. 14, 2021 at 1:56 p.m.

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Edited Feb. 14, 2021 at 2:12 p.m.

They should have been all in on Dunn from the start.

The entire notion they can’t bring in a better d man with term because he gets exposed is frankly quite stupid.

The more talent you have at each position the more insulated you are.

He’s not Bobby Orr. He’s a mediocre 2nd pair who does not have much higher ceiling than where he is now if at all.

I’d rather have Lauzon than Grizz if i’m Seattle anyway.

Boston can always make a trade with Seattle. It looks like D will be fairly easy to come by in this expansion draft.

Or they are so concerned they can trade Grizz to upgrade elsewhere.

There are plenty of options. Doing nothing out of fear of losing a replaceable asset should not be one of them.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 2:31 p.m.

desertdog111

Joined: May 2018

Posts: 873

Likes: 262

Any interest in Alex Goligoski? Fits the bill for option #3 on your list.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 2:32 p.m.

Bcarlo25

Joined: May 2018

Posts: 21,073

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Quoting: desertdog111

Any interest in Alex Goligoski? Fits the bill for option #3 on your list.

Not convinced that’s any sort of upgrade.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 2:32 p.m.

Bcarlo25

Joined: May 2018

Posts: 21,073

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It’s not like grzelcyk has this huge history of constantly being hurt. He had a concussion in the playoffs, and what seems like a nagging day to day injury now. It doesn’t concern me.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 2:34 p.m.

desertdog111

Joined: May 2018

Posts: 873

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Quoting: Bcarlo25

Not convinced that’s any sort of upgrade.

I admit I haven’t watched too many Bruins games this year, but surely Goose is an upgrade over John Moore on the second pair, right?

Feb. 14, 2021 at 2:42 p.m.

Bcarlo25

Joined: May 2018

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Quoting: desertdog111

I admit I haven’t watched too many Bruins games this year, but surely Goose is an upgrade over John Moore on the second pair, right?

John Moore has played one game, and it was simply just to get him in a game.

Replacing John Moore is replacing the bruins 8th d man. If that’s goligoski, sure. A 4th and Moore for “goose.”

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Feb. 14, 2021 at 2:45 p.m.

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Quoting: desertdog111

Any interest in Alex Goligoski? Fits the bill for option #3 on your list.

Not really. If they go that route Patrick Nemeth would be a better target.

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Feb. 14, 2021 at 2:51 p.m.

desertdog111

Joined: May 2018

Posts: 873

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Quoting: Bcarlo25

John Moore has played one game, and it was simply just to get him in a game.

Replacing John Moore is replacing the bruins 8th d man. If that’s goligoski, sure. A 4th and Moore for “goose.”

Like I said, haven’t seen too many of their games so I was going off the lines above. All I’m saying is that OP is right about only getting one or 2 more cracks at a cup with this roster, adding experience to their defense can’t hurt.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 2:55 p.m.

Bcarlo25

Joined: May 2018

Posts: 21,073

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Quoting: desertdog111

Sure it can. It costs assets and cap space.

My point was that i don’t think goligoski cracks the bruins roster, so i don’t really see the point.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 2:56 p.m.

#10

dpdan

Thread Starter

Joined: Apr. 2016

Posts: 295

Likes: 42

Quoting: Bcarlo25

It’s not like grzelcyk has this huge history of constantly being hurt. He had a concussion in the playoffs, and what seems like a nagging day to day injury now. It doesn’t concern me.

He’s also only played 3rd pair minutes

Feb. 14, 2021 at 3:01 p.m.

#11

Bcarlo25

Joined: May 2018

Posts: 21,073

Likes: 6,968

Quoting: dpdan

He’s also only played 3rd pair minutes

This year? Not really. Prior to this year he was playing behind Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug, so, ya.

This year he’s had three healthy games, and three games where he had to get pulled back because he’s clearly got some sort of nagging injury that they’re rushing him back from. Those resulted in games where he played 10-12 minutes, without getting time in the third period. The healthy games he’s normally second on the bruins in TOI behind McAvoy. There’s a 24 minute in there, a 22 minute in there. If that’s 3rd pair minutes, well, there are a whole lot of third pair d men in this league.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 3:14 p.m.

#12

Jfstompers

Pop Pop

Joined: Feb. 2018

Posts: 14,549

Likes: 8,253

I have faith in gryz as a 2nd pair guy with Carlo but he has been hurt. Boston will do what they've been doing, win games and try to address the short comings at the deadline. So a deal for a vet wouldn't shock me but they seem to have faith in the group.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 3:21 p.m.

#13

bhavikp27

Joined: Jun. 2016

Posts: 12,573

Likes: 5,453

Lauzon isn't a 1st pair guy and Grzelcyk is playing on the second pair right now. Adding a top-4 D will be must if you want to win the Cup. Given Bruins' history, option 3 is the most likely. 2nd is another one. Whatever it takes to win the Cup, we'll care about the rest after.

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Feb. 14, 2021 at 3:28 p.m.

#14

dpdan

Thread Starter

Joined: Apr. 2016

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Quoting: Bcarlo25

Sorry, I should have said it better. I meant that he had only played 3rd pair up till now. It could just be a coincidence that since he started playing 20+ minutes a night vs better competition he’s missed 1/2 the games. It could be that he’s better suited for something else. That’s the gamble. If it works then I’ll be the first to admit that I was wrong. If it doesn’t then I’ll be disappointed that they blew the last year of the core

Feb. 14, 2021 at 3:31 p.m.

#15

desertdog111

Joined: May 2018

Posts: 873

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Quoting: Bcarlo25

Sure it can. It costs assets and cap space.

My point was that i don’t think goligoski cracks the bruins roster, so i don’t really see the point.

Alright let’s be realistic. He would absolutely crack your guys roster lol. You can say you don’t want him on your roster without calling him trash

Feb. 14, 2021 at 3:39 p.m.

#16

Bcarlo25

Joined: May 2018

Posts: 21,073

Likes: 6,968

Quoting: desertdog111

Alright let’s be realistic. He would absolutely crack your guys roster lol. You can say you don’t want him on your roster without calling him trash

Well, instead of saying lol, maybe you could look at the scenario.

Obviously the bruins would only be interested in him to play the left side, where they are currently playing grzelcyk, Zboril, and Lauzon.
Let’s talk about the two kids, because theres a 0.0% he takes a second of TOI away from Grzelcyk.

It was very clear from the beginning of the offseason, that for better or worse, the bruins wanted to play those two young d men most nights (although there was some thought that Vaakainanen might beat out Zboril for one of the spots). Useful d men got moved all around the league and the bruins stayed quiet. They let Krug walk. They let Chara walk and he said that he was told that he could come back, but they were playing the kids most nights. Schmidt got moved for a third, and boston didn’t make a sound.

So, if the plan was to play those two young d men, what would possibly lead them to change course now? It’s working out pretty well, wouldn’t you say? So no, if Goligoski was added he wouldn’t crack the lineup. I think that is very clear, and not a remotely controversial opinion.

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Feb. 14, 2021 at 3:43 p.m.

#17

Bcarlo25

Joined: May 2018

Posts: 21,073

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Quoting: dpdan

Ya. He played behind zdeno chara and torey krug dude....

When malkin was in his prime playing behind Crosby, i still would have described him as a first line caliber center.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 3:51 p.m.

#18

KennyBoi

Joined: Jan. 2019

Posts: 1,724

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Ok lets be realistic here for a second. BOS was just on a 10 game point streak without gryz playing against mostly "cup contender" teams. BOS loses 1 game, and now there's an issue with the LD?? Zboril left the game after the 1st period. BOS was down to 5 dman for 40min (with the 8th dman on the depth charts playing 24min btw), and BOS was still able to make a back-to-back game close. I don't really see a need to get a LD but i certainly wouldn't mind getting a veteran LD who can eat big minutes and play responsibly but who also doesn't mind sitting in the pressbox most games. On the other hand I think the bigger issue is consistent secondary scoring. Sweeney should target a true 2RW before looking for a LD.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 3:57 p.m.

#19

dpdan

Thread Starter

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Quoting: Bcarlo25

Ya. He played behind zdeno chara and torey krug dude....

When malkin was in his prime playing behind Crosby, i still would have described him as a first line caliber center.

My point is that he was great as 3rd pair. His ceiling might be 2nd pair. Malkin was the 2nd overall pick and played 1C minutes whenever Crosby was out. He was a known commodity. There are tons of guys who had to play below their abilities because they were blocked by better players. There are also tons of guys who fell victim to the law of diminishing returns. Sometimes you know ahead of time (Messier, etc), sometimes you need to throw the guy out and see what happens. I can pretty much cut and paste my thoughts from here on out: I don’t think the left side is good enough is Gryz isn’t playing everyday at a high level. If they lose because he can’t/doesn’t and they don’t have a backup plan then they flushed the last year of the core down the toilet.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 3:58 p.m.

#20

Bcarlo25

Joined: May 2018

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Quoting: dpdan

Correct. Most teams aren’t good enough to take the lost of their best d on a particular side.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 4:13 p.m.

#21

ngikas

Joined: Aug. 2017

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I think with the emergence of both Lauzon and Zboril management needs to pick one to be here long term and use the other to sure up the top 4, rental or a player with term works for me. They have Urho waiting in the reigns to take the bottom pair in the near future if need be. They're set up well financially to add another short term fix at LD in FA next offseason if the expansion draft spoils their plans on the back end. Like you said, flags fly forever, its fricken time to nut up and add a true piece that can put this team over the top of other contenders.

Feb. 14, 2021 at 4:28 p.m.

#22

desertdog111

Joined: May 2018

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Quoting: Bcarlo25

That’s all well and good but “for better or for worse we’re playing the kids” doesn’t always fly come playoff time. If the goal is to go for a Stanley Cup one last time personally I’d rather at least have the option to play a guy with 5 years of playoff experience and a Stanley Cup already on his resume. But if they want to let the kids play then let them play

Feb. 14, 2021 at 4:33 p.m.

#23

Bcarlo25

Joined: May 2018

Posts: 21,073

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Quoting: desertdog111

You’re misinterpreting the meaning of the phrase in this instance.

Here’s a different way of saying it. I’m not saying that Goligoski shouldn’t crack the lineup (although I definitely don’t think he should), what i was saying that he wouldn’t. The front office of the bruins have made their intentions unmistakably clear. The kids are playing. Maybe a deadline deal for a rental left shot D would be a fit, but i think it would have to be for someone better than goligoski.

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Feb. 14, 2021 at 4:35 p.m.

#24

McGruff

GM CRIME DAWG

Joined: Mar. 2019

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Quoting: desertdog111

Why not have just kept Chara then (no need for AG) - Zee @ 1Yr term, league min $$, Stanley Cup Captain, minute muncher, PK guy, yadda yadda...

PS: small sample size yeah - but Lauzon is a beast (AG would likely be in the skybox section, row 3 seat 5)

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Feb. 14, 2021 at 4:38 p.m.

#25

desertdog111

Joined: May 2018

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Quoting: Bcarlo25

Fair enough. I still feel like you’re undervaluing him but I get the premise. And it’s not like the Bruins aren’t still winning games right now so why mix it up

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