Bruins Free Agency Frenzy Fizzles? | Ep. 97
Liner notes
✨Join the Patreon for Ad Free Listening✨Get Our Merch ✨🎙️ Join us as we live react to the news of Free Agency signings! There were plenty of extensions right before the start of the frenzy, but it seemed like Don Sweeney was slow out the gate. Naturally, as soon as we finished recording, Boston announces the signing of Tanner Jeannot!
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Speaker 1: Can you start a podcast with me? Please? I need something to do. I'll shut it out and talk about then says up wants to last.
Speaker 2: Here's a chance, Potter right down the goalie scars, Oh my one a move by the rookie too.
Speaker 1: On one pasta not going with Marsha Tin star.
Speaker 3: Oil dances in pad Kasta Wait wait corner pastor Augusta.
Speaker 4: What's that for my? Welcome in everyone to a special live episode of Bruins Tape to. I'm your host today, Caroline with a K, and I'm joined by my fantastic co host, Maria Watertown. Hey, Maria, how's it going?
Speaker 5: Happy free, Happy free agency day, Happy first official day of retirement for me, So monument.
Speaker 4: That's wonderful news. That is awesome. Well, we also have lots of other big and exciting news here on the pod. Yes, today, July one is the start of season three, which is crazy to think that this is our third season that we're going to be starting together.
Speaker 5: I can't believe you've been able to put up with my craziness for thee.
Speaker 4: Hey, it's been a lot of fun. It's been of fun. And to kick off our third season, the biggest news yet for us that we have decided to go independent, and so you know, we spent the last year part of the Hockey Pod Network and we thank THHPN so much for all of their assistance and help and education. But we're ready to go out into the world on our own again and as part of that, we have merch to celebrate, so definitely check the show notes for links to that. We also have a Patreon account now, so if you want to support the pod and get some ad free listening, that is going to be available.
Speaker 4: We will a little bumpy start, but it's there, and we're going to make sure that all of our episodes are ad free and in that location for you, so definitely check out all of that stuff. We also have a little bit of a brand refresh, so see if you can spot the little difference. A very extra big hat tip to Front of the Pot Adrian for supporting us and that and lending his incredible creative eye to all of that.
Speaker 6: Because it's neverly not my wheelhouse, so no and I do want to think we have a wonderful village in our discord and they have been so super supportive and encouraging and helpful to us.
Speaker 4: So my heartfelt thanks to.
Speaker 5: Them, you know, Adrian Moe, Mary Beth Grant, I mean everyone, everyone that's in that group with us, and you know, I would encourage any of you to join our Discord group because it's it's an awesome, safe and healthy space to share takes and thoughts on the Bruins or anything NHL related.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 4: Yes, it takes a village, So we certainly encourage all of our listeners to join that community because it's a lot of it's a lot of fun and you don't have to be a hockey expert to participate in game day conversation because we love to hear from everyone, and we learned from each other.
Speaker 5: I know, I learn a lot of you know stuff, yeah, from our Discord members, and you know, it's nice to get an alternative insight when you're right right, ra rat, you know, which I have a tendency to do when it comes to our Boston Bruins or some of the crap that happens in our beloved league.
Speaker 4: Yep. Oh yeah. Yeah. So that being said, hooray for us. But more exciting news is free agency. So uh, I don't know if you've noticed this, and again this is one of those things that because we only talk about it literally once every year, I can't remember how it has happened in the past. But tons of activity for sign and trade or well trade and signs, and a lot of extensions coming in really at the eleventh hour. We have a little spreadsheet that we use that again again perks of being in the discord, you get to keep track with us there.
Speaker 4: But well over one hundred signing slash extensions prior to the deadline this year, and part of me is wondering, and I want to get your take on this, Maria as to why it seems like there's been quite so many. I thought about this and I have I have a take on it. So do you think the reason behind it is the threat of offer sheets likely being a big thing this year or what's your take? Why do you think this is such a to do this year?
Speaker 5: Well, I think there is some concern that more so not just the offera sheets, but the fact that because salary k went up and teams have extra moneies to grow at guys that I think they really wanted to get their guys those that they wanted to keep certain franchises locked and loaded before they potentially had an opportunity to go out there and be wowed by someone else's offer, And it was almost a little bit of a like you know when you blow up a balloon and you start seeing the air coming out of the balloon.
Speaker 5: Because all of this drama or the splashes happened yesterday or late last night. So here we are free agency and we're like, Okay, who's left on the big board that anyone's really be interested in.
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's very akin to what the NHL trade deadline had been for the last couple of years. So again we've talked about this that the last prior to this past NHL trade deadline, the two or maybe three years prior, teams weren't waiting till the eleventh hour for that blockbuster trade. On trade deadline day, it seemed like the start for the trades was really creeping further and further into February, and even at the very end of January. I was calling it like the Black Friday creed that used to exist, and so and then all of a sudden this year, you know, the trade deadline kind of went back to quote unquote normal what we are used to seeing.
Speaker 4: And so I kind of wonder if that's what's happened here. Again, everybody's just been super motivated to do business ahead of time. The new CBA is coming, so who knows how any of that's going to be changed. You know, it's there's a memorandum of understanding that's out right now, but it's not officially out yet, so you know, when we get the official like, yes, this is the deal, we'll go through it. But rumor is that the length of term is one of those aspects as part of the CBA and it's going to be shortened.
Speaker 4: So certainly another reason that if your player is eligible for extension because he's in his final year of his contract, that perhaps you want to get that in now before changes to term. And honestly, why.
Speaker 5: Risk it If you want to keep the player and the player wants to stay with your franchise, why would you risk the possibility of the potential that again, you know, the lure of money or the lure of money or term or both might be too big of risk yep for you to swallow if you want to keep a specific player yep. And I don't know, you know, get to this at some point, but I don't understand two things. I don't understand how Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers was not named GM of the Year, and I don't know how he re signed at Blad Bennett and Marshy.
Speaker 4: Ye.
Speaker 5: That is a dropping of the gauntlet across the league saying we're in this to become a dynasty and I'll show you how we're gonna do that.
Speaker 4: Yeah, that's truly astonishing to me because much as we have discussed how the culture of the team is very different, the way that Zito and his brain trust have gone about building a team is also a little bit different than I think we've seen in a lot of other teams. You know, if you I talked about this recently when I was a guest on the Post Huggers podcast, asked saying that if you call you know Moneyball and the Oakland A's from beck you know twenty some idd years ago where they took all these different random guys and based on analytics, built an incredible team.
Speaker 4: And the Florida Panthers are pretty well known for being an analytics heavy team looking for those guys that maybe are not the obvious best player, but because they have built a team where every player has a very specific job. You know, that's something that we have talked about for years now on this podcast that everyone has to have a job and they have to be really good at it, and they.
Speaker 5: Have to understand what their job is, they have to understand how to execute it, and they have to understand and know what the ultimate goal or result of doing your job should be. And you know, we we have talked many times on our own podcast about certain teams that we have both agreed don't play honorable games, true, right, And the Panthers are one of those those teams, and there are a couple of other teams in the league, but Jesus Christ, it's hard to argue with the success that they have in the impressive way they go about getting their business done.
Speaker 4: Yeah. Yeah, one hundred percent. So that's pretty astonishing. But let's shift gears really quick because we've got about three minutes until the season and we're going to get flooded, so you know, we'll be checking our phones and keeping everybody abreast of what's happening. And if you're listening to this a little bit later, because we're going to release this also as our podcast episode, you'll get to hear us kind of give our hot takes in real time, and for Bruins specific dealings, we will be doing deeper dives later in summer, but first and foremost for Boston, we've seen a flurry of activity.
Speaker 4: Even just in the last couple of days, we've had a number of extensions. So I'm going to go down the line real quick, and Maria, I want to I want you to give like a super hot take, couple of words, give me your opinion, and then we can discuss later. So they have extended Jeordi Merkilov in Boston at seven to seventy five cap hit for this RFA with arbitration one year.
Speaker 5: You know, this player doesn't totally excite me in any way, shape or form anyways. So I'm kind of, you know, okay with it.
Speaker 4: Okay, Henry Joki Harre you if you listen to a previous episode that we've already had, he's the one that we thought maybe wasn't going to be coming back. He signed an extension for three million dollars for three years to make him as a UFA thoughts there.
Speaker 5: I'm just I'm trying to understand how they're building their roster and I'm still struggling with the process and the plan. So again, I'm not getting any warm and fuzzies.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 5: Well it's I don't know, me crazy, but yeah, I'm not getting any warm and fuzzies at this point.
Speaker 4: So we also have John Beecher also extended for one year. He's currently an RFA with arbitration rights for nine hundred thousand dollars. Welcome back, John Beecher.
Speaker 5: I guess, I mean, I guess like, look, you can't give up on all these young players, right, but true at some point. Okay, so if this is an instance where look, dude, we're giving you one more opportunity, Okay, sure, we're giving you one more opportunity to show us that you have what it takes and you're willing to put the work in consistently to show us what you have to warrant staying with our franchise.
Speaker 4: Yep.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 4: Mara Husnadinov was another young man we talked about that. We said that we wanted to see him come back nine five for a two year extension RFA with arbitration rates.
Speaker 5: I think that's a good deal for the Bruins. I think there is a potential for some good stuff to come out of this player.
Speaker 4: So I'm okay with that.
Speaker 5: And it's only two years, so you know, I have to give Sweeney some credit, but he's not he's not going all in with you know, these long contracts like the Edmonton Oilers did with a certain former bruin.
Speaker 4: We'll get we'll get to that one too. Sure, I'm sure we're going to skip the one that I know you got thoughts on for a little bit later. But Michael Callahan got an extension one year at seven seventy five. Quite frankly, I said yesterday, I don't even remember this guy, and Grant, I believe said and you can yell at me if I'm wrong. I played like seventeen games and I have zero recollection guy, So sorry any thoughts there because I didn't remember. Look, I mean.
Speaker 5: Each of every one of the players that you have mentioned to date, and I know that I've used this term on more than one occasion in previous podcasts. Is I qualify them as Jags just another guy? These are not going to be the building blocks four bringing you back from the this that you were in last season?
Speaker 4: Right right? Oh? All right? So we have a late breaking one from twenty minutes ago, so this is a little bit different. Let me pull up just on a bigger screen. The Bruins have made a trade at the deadline with the Oilers for Victor Arvison. Yes, so Victor Arvidson. He has a two year contract, so he's going into his second year. So I'll be curious to see if this turns into a possible extension because they have he is a cap hit of four million dollars with a no move clause, so he either Boston was on a list.
Speaker 4: I don't know that the details. So again, like I said, we're just getting the news, and Boston sends back a twenty twenty seven fifth round pick, no salary rotaine.
Speaker 5: So that's kind of the last I did ask on Twitter. Yes to Scott McLaughlin, who writes for WEEI and also is the one of the hosts of the Skate Pod, and he said, you know what exactly are the Bruin's doing here? So Ardvredson was Marcus Stern was an assistant during Ardvardson's first year with the Kings, so Marco has some familiarity with this player. And in addition, what Scott told me was is that he likes to shoot a lot this player and can average fifteen twenty goals a season. Yep, yes, so he has scored twenty plus goals five times.
Speaker 5: Scott referred to him as not an elite finisher, but he can pretty much give you twenty goals and he can make things happen on the rush too, and good on zone entries. So, you know, maybe because we've had so many issues offensively both you know, five on five and with the power play with zone entries. So thank you Scott for that context.
Speaker 4: Yeah, at this point, I'm not mad about bringing in a forward who has the propensity to shoot. I don't care if all we're going to get is twenty goals out of him, because I think the biggest complaint certainly last season, and I feel like it was probably this the case the season before, is you can't just be reliant on those quality shots like that. We don't have enough guys on the team who are elite enough. We don't have enough. We don't have ten David Poster Knox right, So you just have to pepper them with shots and you just increase your odds and if you've got the right guys around the net, and the right play setup, they'll get one in right.
Speaker 4: So I'm i'm I think this has some potential. We'll definitely do a deep dive on him because I'm curious about any other details around this particular player and what he could be bringing to the team. So that's great news. That happened literally twenty minutes prior to minutes ago, everything that just happened, So that's great. So a couple of other kind of what am I trying to say, Providence players can't even think right now, that have also been extended. Besides Michael Callahan, we've got Michael Dpietrow, who's a goaltender.
Speaker 4: We've kind of heard about him a little bit. He's the guy who came over from Vancouver if you remember a couple of seasons ago, who was definitely the victim of the bubble season his development. So I'm curious to know what they're going to be planning on with him because he just signed a two year deal for like eight twelve, which is like nothing, but he's twenty six, so I wonder if they are prepping him for some kind of support role in the future. Then we have Patrick Brown, Okay, great seven seventy five for one year.
Speaker 4: He's thirty three year old UFA. And then we've got the big ones, which are of course Morgan Geeky. That's the one that everybody was waiting for. Everyone was nervous, but you have to remember the qualifying offers weren't due in until literally yesterday, so they clearly were working down to the wire, giving us just a minor art attack, because this is definitely a guy who would have been offer sheeted for sure. He was extended at five point five million for five years. So I like that deal. Very fantastic deal.
Speaker 4: I thought it was.
Speaker 5: I was I thought he was going to kind of push from for you know, six sixish, somewhere in the six million. But you know, credit to him and his agent and and to Sweeney, because I think that is a pretty pretty decent contract, and you know the fact that he and Pasta worked, Yeah, you came out together right, and honestly, you couldn't risk you couldn't really run the risk of having him Geeky potentially go off to another organization. Because I've said it once and I've said it a hundred times. If Pasta is happy, I'm happy, and so should the organization be happy, and.
Speaker 4: I think it's actually a very fair contract. I don't I agree. I gave up honestly.
Speaker 5: I thought he might use a little leverage to you know, maybe get a few more bucks. But you know what, credit to him because he said at one point during the season, when asked about his contract status, that you know, he really liked it here. And you know, maybe a lot of players say this because they're blown smoke up our ass, but he really liked it here and he wanted to stay here, and you know, why not find yourself a good landing spot. And who the hell wouldn't want to keep playing next to David Pastro?
Speaker 4: Now, what do you make of the five year term? I feel like that's kind of an unusual term length these days, because you're either getting a you know, two three year bridge deal or you're going all the way for the full eight, So we don't really see a ton of five year deals. What do you think of that? Thirty two? Yeah?
Speaker 1: How?
Speaker 5: How what is the length of Pasta's current contract? I wonder if that five year term has anything to do with that to kind of try to keep them somewhat together.
Speaker 4: That's a good question. It's probably close to the same time for expiration. I am checking it right, this sem David Pasternak is signed. Well, this only goes this only shows me through thirty one and it continues on and this would put him at I think you might be right. Yeah, let me check here on this his deal goes through the end of twenty thirty to thirty one, okay, so that kind of you know, and this is the same thing. They end the same year, so yeah, yep, although this thing says six years, so I could be wrong.
Speaker 4: There you go, there you go. That could have been from previous reporting.
Speaker 5: So I think to the majority of past his tenure here right, Yep, he's got he's got a solid line mate and you know what if you know, if they can become the next you know the comfort level that you know, Bergeron and Marshy had with each other, do it do.
Speaker 4: It every day all day? Yep? Yeah. And then of course the other big extension was for Mason Lorai. Uh he was an RFA with arbitration rights going and he just signed a multi year deal for three point two million dollars for the twenty four year old defenceman. What do you think of that?
Speaker 5: You really want my opinion?
Speaker 4: That's why we have a podcast, Maria, what you know what.
Speaker 1: I mean?
Speaker 4: Well, certainly again dig a little bit deeper in this one.
Speaker 5: It's an to me my thoughts on this, it's an overpay, Like, what are you doing given this kid three point.
Speaker 4: Two million dollars?
Speaker 5: It's surprising when when you said you yourself, GM said he clearly has things to work off. Yeah, okay, and now he had he had a significant regression, but the rest of the team did. However, I do understand he needed a pay raise, but three point two million. Yeah, you couldn't have said to this kid, you know, even if I might, even if it was a million dollars, swallow it at two and a half million. But to me, to me, that is where I think sometimes Don Sweeney makes dumb decisions.
Speaker 4: Mm hmm, I think.
Speaker 5: And again, people can disagree with me, and people can tell me you have no idea what you're talking about, and that could likely be true, but I can and share what my opinion is, and my opinion is that is an overpay. I agree taking that million and a half dollars okay, and set it aside for some other use. Yeah, I'm just saying, yeah, yeah, it was certainly higher than I expected, and my eyebrows rose and I thought immediately, wow, he's getting paid.
Speaker 4: Well, he's getting me, like Kevin.
Speaker 5: One of the worst plus minuses in the league. Thank you right, sign me up for that job.
Speaker 4: Yeah. And certainly, you know, being paid as an RFA, no matter what flavor of RFA, you are being paid above the minimum that you are required per the contract to be paid. Right, so he was due a pay increase.
Speaker 4: Being paid above that certainly is you know, your management showing additional faithful faith in you. And again, like you said, seeing a pay raise. I think he warranted a pay raise, certainly because there's something there. There is clearly something there and they just haven't gotten it out of him yet. But that seems like an insane deal. There was also a trade, not Bruins related, right before noon. Sam Lafferty has gone to Chicago, so that's another person from Buffalo. That Buffalo just keeps sending people away, So I'm sure he will probably do very well, although he is going to Chicago, so caveat.
Speaker 4: I don't know if they're actually interested in trying to get better. And then Montreal acquired Zach Bulldock from Saint Louis this morning for Logan, I don't know how you say his name? May you maybe sure?
Speaker 5: Can we talk about who were disappointed in that the Bruins didn't.
Speaker 4: Yes, who didn't tender the qualifying offers?
Speaker 5: Yes? Yes?
Speaker 4: Uh not gonna lie. This was the other person that we talked about in a recent podcast episode. But you know what, No, it's not that we don't know what we're talking about. It's the fact that to me, hearing that Jacob Blauco was not given a qualifying offer to return to Boston to me says what the heck? Again confirms the idea of what the hell is that is Boston's big plan because they're not being very upfront, they're not being very clear. It doesn't make any sense. Why would you get rid of the speed unless we are going to be wowed in the next you know, day or so, why would why for nothing?
Speaker 4: I don't know, Like I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 1: It makes.
Speaker 5: That was a little kind of like just the point because as you said, you know, we we had our player snapshots and you know, talked about the players that were acquired at the trade deadline, and he was he was one of those depth guys that I thought right showed that he had, you know, speed, and he had some skills and a good, you know, good work ethic, and why wouldn't you have wanted to keep him again unless it was an instance of, you know, maybe the player or agent had a different sense of worth than the organization did, right, I don't know, it's a value, you know.
Speaker 4: But some other big signings that well, I think they're just extensions that have taken place because we're still waiting on some dig big news yet these are all extensions. Connor Garland in Vancouver has extended his contract there for six years at a six million dollar cap hit. That's a twenty nine year old right wing left winger. Another big one down in New Jersey, Jake Allen, the goaltender, he has extended for five years at one point eight which is kind of interesting. Let's see, we have Logan stankovin eight year extension six million dollars in Carolina, So that's that young man is going to be set for a long time.
Speaker 4: He's only twenty two years old. He's only twenty two years old, so he's going to be there for a while. Martin Fairvari has also extended seven years for six million dollars in Washington. Lefty Thatcher Demco goaltender extended for three years at eight point five million dollars in Vancouver. What do you make of that, Maria? That your Demco twenty nine years old eight point five million dollar? Holy moly, are you kidding me? I am one serious.
Speaker 1: I just don't.
Speaker 5: Set the market, all right, I mean it, And again, excuse my ignorance, but is he on the same performance level as Jeremy Swayman?
Speaker 4: So I believe I heard recently, probably thirty two thoughts maybe someplace else, that they are interested in keeping him around, because I think they are. Vancouver is bringing in a new goaltending coach and they want him to work with this new coach.
Speaker 5: But you had to pay him eight and a half million dollars and he still needs to work with a goaltending coach. I mean, I just again, was it my franchise, not my money?
Speaker 4: But raight? Was it Thatcher Demco the one who got hurt with like the weird knee thing? Or am I thinking of somebody else? Was it him? I don't remember, I'm not remember. But even if it need your health, say it is and I think it is. So he's also coming back from you know, whatever serious leg injury that causes him pain that he's supposed to live with now apparently for the rest of his career.
Speaker 1: So it's a little eye opening. I mean, I just yep.
Speaker 4: Yeah. On a fun note, former Bruins legend tomash Nosek re signed or signed an extension with the Florida Panthers for the league minimum of seven to seventy five. But good on him, thirty two years old. Just want to Stanley Cup. This to me screams, I'm just here for the culture and the good time so I can play hockey with joy. I'm content there.
Speaker 5: We have a winning culture and I'm good with making under a million dollars. And again, you know, we could talk ad nauseum. You know, some of it might be you know, I know it's a tax free state, but I think if I'm a player, that is a consideration. But more importantly, you are walking in to a set organization.
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, burd InHand, you know what, you know what you're getting right the old expression everybody's least favorite player in the league hands down. Tony di'angelo also signed an extension in New York with the Islanders for one point seventy five million dollars.
Speaker 5: So you know that that kid is like crap that sticks to your shoe, I.
Speaker 4: Know, I know. Well, the league does have an issue, a problem with actually shedding garbage human beings for good. Right, So he came back. They can't seem to get rid of Vander Kaine. Quinnville is back in the fold. So this is just, you know, your typical.
Speaker 5: NHL handling of the reclamation. Look at and I you know, I do believe in second chances. However, my determining factors is based on what you did for me to have to give you a second chance. If what I thought you did is so egregious that I want nothing to do with you, you're not getting a second chance for me.
Speaker 4: But that's just my how I think. All Right, Philadelphia has just the dalis Stars have a new coach too. Oh yeah, who do they end up picking?
Speaker 5: They are hiring Glenn Gullitson.
Speaker 4: Oh okay, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5: Apparently he's worked with the organization previously, because the post from the NHL is he's back with a star, So.
Speaker 4: Yes, yep, all right, it looks like Christian de Vorak has left Montreal and he is heading down to Philadelphia on a one year deal for five point four million dollars cap hit, twenty nine years old, twenty nine year old center.
Speaker 5: Oh and they let's see, Oh did we talk touch on this? The Montreal and Canadians and Saint Louis Blues made a trade.
Speaker 4: No, the Blues.
Speaker 5: Have acquired defenseman Logan Malu from the Montreal Canadians for Zach Oldock.
Speaker 4: Yep, that's gonna be a big one. That was right before uh noon, So there you go, and now we just wait patiently to see uh if Rockbesser he's probably the next biggest one.
Speaker 5: I think he's probably, in my view, maybe the only big big fish remaining.
Speaker 4: Yep, yep, So let's see Christian Vorak. We are marking him as in Philadelphia for what did I say? One year? Five point four million dollars? That seems like a lot,
Speaker 4: just a little just a little five or well there you go, reading patiently?
Speaker 5: Come on, yeah, there was so much activity yesterday.
Speaker 4: Well anyways, so tell me.
Speaker 1: Who do we have?
Speaker 4: Who else do we have left? Who hasn't signed? Who would be up for free agency? Let me pull up that list, and let's see because at this point, I think we have to assume that they have not been given any kind of offer, so we know there are a number of besides Jacob Blauco who has not been given a qualifying offer. We haven't heard any news about Cole Kepke, so I'm assuming at this point he is going into free agency. Viniella Terry is another one that I'm a little bit surprised that we haven't heard anything about.
Speaker 4: Parker Wotherspoon. I mean, I think we knew that that was probably going to be the end of the road for him if he didn't get an extension. Thoughts on any of those guys, I just let's wait it out. Let's wait it out. I mean, let's just wait it out. None of those guys like you know again.
Speaker 5: We yeah, it's a belt and you can't rebuild with what if you're going to rebuild, you can't kill everybody that you already had, right yeah, I mean.
Speaker 4: Yeah, all right, Bruins fans, if you're thinking about picking up some new gear, now's the time. I'm already planning to grab a fresh poster neck jersey this fall. Who knows, maybe he's rocking a new letter on the front. The NHL Shop is running tons of season ending and summer sales right now, including twenty percent off Fanatics gear. And here's the by part. When you shop through our link in the show notes, a portion of your purchases help support this podcast. Same gear you'd find at the pro Shop, but with way better perks.
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Speaker 2: So what is the NHL Free Agency and how does it work?
Speaker 4: Well?
Speaker 2: New contracts are signed every year on July first. When a player's contract expires on June thirtieth, he becomes one of three kinds of free agents, restricted free agents, restricted free agents with arbitration, and unrestricted free agents. These statuses are determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement or CBA. The CBA is an agreement made between franchise owners and the players association. It all starts with what's known as the twenty seven rule. If a player is twenty seven years of age or is completed seven accrued seasons, then they are automatically an unrestricted free agent, and they can negotiate their next contract anyway they'd like.
Speaker 2: If the player doesn't meet either of those terms, then they're one of two kinds of restricted free agent. RFAs are defined by the amount of time that they've played professionally their age by June thirtieth, in the age they sign their very first or entry level contract. By Wait, what's an accrued season versus a pro season and how are they different? Well, accrued seasons are used in the twenty seven rule. A single accrued season is defined as forty games rostered for skaters in thirty games rostered for goalies.
Speaker 2: Pro seasons are used to determine if an RFA is eligible for arbitration. A pro season is defined as a minimum of ten games played in any kind of pro league like.
Speaker 3: The NHL, AHL, KHL, or SHL.
Speaker 2: The number of pro.
Speaker 3: Seasons needed to become an RFA with arbitration rights depends on the player's age when he signed his first contract. Players who are between ages eighteen and twenty have to play at least four pro seasons, three seasons for those who sign at twenty one, two seasons for twenty two and twenty three year olds, in one pro season for those who signed at twenty four or older. If a player hasn't met these thresholds, then they are an RFA in must accept the qualifying offer presented. If they do meet these thresholds, then they have arbitration rights, which means they can actively negotiate their next contract, and if there is a disagreement, they can request a mediator to assist in negotiations.
Speaker 3: Players who opt to hold out as an RFA must have a contract by December first of that year in order to play in that particular NHL season. All RFAs expect to receive a qualifying offer this is the franchise deciding to hold on to the free agent's playing rights. All QoS must be at least one year in length, increase the player's salary by a certain percentage based on the previous contract's total value, and preserve the one way or two way clause from the previous contract. If an RFA with or without arbitration is not presented with a qualifying offer, they automatically become a UFA.
Speaker 3: Hope this helps make sense of the NHL free agency? Who are you keeping an eye on this year?
Speaker 5: So if you hear, if you hear someone else chiming in, it could be my one year rod granddaughter with any hot takes who wants to share.
Speaker 4: That sounds good. Well, while we still wait for any sort of huge blockbuster, And you know, at this point for our team, are you talking about our teaming? It's still pretty slow. It's still pretty slow, and we're sitting and waiting. I want to hear your reaction to the brad marshand extension and signing.
Speaker 5: Well, I don't think I'm surprised by the fact that he was going to stay there the way he talked, even in a drunken stupor. I don't even know if he's sobered up yet. And good for him because he's party in like a rock star. Absolutely, the money aspect of it is a great deal. Yeah, And I almost like flipping the bird with both of his Stanley Cup rings on at the Boston Bruins.
Speaker 4: What I was a little.
Speaker 5: Surprised at was the years because that'll and that'll bring him into what his forties. And yeah, I know Jackey players can play be you know. Yeah, but he's he's had some you know, he doesn't have chronic injuries, but the last couple of seasons or so, he's had some you know, surgery related injuries.
Speaker 4: Yeah. I definitely want to spend some time reading and learning a little bit more about his contract because I wouldn't be surprised if it's built in a very special way that sets him up for payment and retirement.
Speaker 5: So yeah, yeah, but a great I mean money money wise, like yep, Well, he a great deal for him.
Speaker 4: You know, he found himself a really good landing spot.
Speaker 5: Excuse me, somebody, he's got too many cucumbers in her hands.
Speaker 5: He's going to be you know, if he continues in the role that he served them for when they acquired him at the trade deadline, then he likely will be able to play throughout the length of that contract because he's not going to have to play those really hard minutes that he was accustomed to playing with the Bruins, which is every you know, his regular line pow will play penalty kill, you know, when you know the bench had gotten you know, when you shorten the bench, you're throwing him out there. The Panthers have so much flexibility with their core and their death that you know, if they need to give them a breather, they can give him a breather.
Speaker 4: Yeah. Well, and I think also if if you consider the fact, so his contract for six years is worth thirty one and a half million dollars. So yes, over six years, he's taking less money than what we've heard rumored was the conversation in Boston. But think about how many years he wanted in Boston. He wanted three years, right, Let's be honest. As much as I love Brad Marshan, there's no way that he is playing until he's forty three years old. If he does, and he can phenomenal, But what I think happened is some very creative thinking in terms of the accounting, because if you take that thirty one and a half million dollars and he does sign, he does play for three years, which I think that definitely I wouldn't be surprised if he plays for another two three seasons.
Speaker 4: If you were to take that total value and divide it by three, that's ten ten million dollars. So it is a better deal. He is getting paid more ultimately by Florida because again, every season, the cap is going to continue to go up. His five and change million dollar contract is going to become a smaller and smaller percentage of the cap. And he has guaranteed himself this money.
Speaker 1: So I was surprised.
Speaker 5: I thought, yeah, you know, and maybe he didn't get the opportunity to be offered more. But I bet that there would have been a team out there that would have offered him more than that. But again he had not for that about the considerations, right, good organization, a culture that he doesn't have to bust his ass trying to rebuild because it's already there. He's still on the East Coast, he's still nearby his family, quick quick flight, So you know, I mean, honestly, good for him, and you know this this second Stanley Cup all but guarantees that he'll be in the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 4: Yeah, and he might have.
Speaker 5: He probably would have should have get in there get consideration even before this second Cup.
Speaker 4: But this is like a no brainer now, right exactly. Hey, look somebody is in the waiting room. Oh hi Adrian, Adrian, welcome in.
Speaker 1: I okay. Ever, by the way, thank you. It was really bad last week and oh my god to take care of as you can see, reporting to you from an old timey jail, old tim jail. Yeah yeah, uh now I was popping in because uh I got tagged in. But Maria, you're back, yeah, back.
Speaker 5: But I think I appreciate the backup because you know, as we all know, you both have young children. Never know what I'm gonna have to say.
Speaker 1: Excuse me, yeah, of course, of course. Uh while I'm here, can you guys quickly tell me about this armitson guy?
Speaker 4: And uh wait, there's some breaking news. There's breaking news about Rockfesser. It looks like he is Was he playing for Vancouver before, Yes, so he signed a new contract with Vancouver. He's staying there. Oooh seven years, seven point two five million dollars. So there goes that one a.
Speaker 1: Lot of really long extensions I'm seeing. Yeah, well, we.
Speaker 4: Were speculating it's because the changes in the CBA that are likely.
Speaker 5: And also, you know what the other thing I thought of too, because you know a lot of the sports of money driven, as caps continue to go up for teams, right, what's to prevent these guys from, you know, potentially turning mercenary and then just stopping themselves around to the highest bidders, so.
Speaker 1: You walk them in at a low salary for a long term. Yeah not yep, there you go.
Speaker 4: But yes, Arbondson Maria. Oh, at least he doesn't have to worry about ending up with JT. Miller again, that's true. However, he does have to play with Evander Kine, so that that does Yeah.
Speaker 1: Thanks.
Speaker 5: So what did I say that Scott McLoughlin shared with me about hold On I can Yeah, apparently he has does shoot. Okay, yeah, he does shoot a lot.
Speaker 4: No, he's.
Speaker 5: Not an elite finisher. He has scored twenty plus goals five times. He can make things happen on the rush, and he's good on zone entries and something we all knew was a debacle all of last season five on five and on the power play.
Speaker 1: So so are we thinking second line for him or
Speaker 1: sounds like you described a second line guy but or or where do you seem slot again?
Speaker 4: Well, here's my take this season.
Speaker 1: Okay, And if you're repeating yourself, I'm no.
Speaker 5: No, no, no, no no.
Speaker 4: This is just something that popped into my head.
Speaker 5: Put these guys wherever they have the best chance of succeeding and contributing. I don't care at this point if it's first, second, third, or fourth.
Speaker 4: Yep, Okay, yeah, it seems like he's gonna be potentially one of those players. I'm reading about him right now from Sportsnet that he is effectively a cap dump by the Oilers, but it should provide him with an opportunity to secure a top six role with the Bruins. Despite averaging one oh six of powerplay ice time last year, he manages three points with the man advantage. If he can secure a bigger role in Boston, the thirty two year old Suede should be capable of pushing for both the twenty goal and forty point marks in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 4: So that's of course the biggest question mark because at this point we've got so much unknown going into this season with a new coach. We don't know what kind of coach he's going to be. We have no idea what the hell management is up to are they? There's going to be a ton of young guys, a ton of new guys. Who's the captain? So can the leaders of this team get the most out of someone who has this potential? That's one in Boston sees.
Speaker 1: All right, I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 4: This time last year, I'm like, trust the process.
Speaker 5: This year, I'm like, no, no, no, any we know what the process is and it can't be trusted because it is named Neely and Sweeney.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I was thinking last night that I just, especially after the expected news of Marshand, you know, signing somewhere and likely Florida, because I don't know where else who would go? Carolyn off top of Carolyn and I talked briefly and I seculated it if we were going to get a chance at getting him back, winning a Cup and just coming home would have been a lovely story.
Speaker 4: I know, a happy ending, right I mean, and not in the way that everyone thinks. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Minutes after that discussion that became moot. But I went through the rest of the evening just realizing that, like, I just don't recognize the team anymore. I don't know who is left. It seems everything seems like it's down to the studs with the pillars of swimming McAvoy, Imposternach, three very expensive players that had, you know, okay seasons last I mean, must have saved a season. But they've just been okay. So everything else is just murky. And unless we're nailing somebody that's like a ten pole player, which the are, and it seems like there's those auctions are diminishing.
Speaker 1: Wherever we pick up WHOA just doesn't seem like it's kind of like, okay, let's see what you can do.
Speaker 4: Yep.
Speaker 1: Honestly, with the signing of Geeky, in my head, it just seems like we're hoping to land another Geeky two seasons down the road. Yeah, someone that's going to come in and blossom because there's nobody in front of them, right and but you know, with this arbage, I guess he's thirty two. Didn't know that, But okay, so that's less that's not a long term investment. That's kind of if you're looking for a little bit of age and grit Darren and hopefully someone that can set up plays and but yep, I don't know.
Speaker 4: Other breaking news, William Ecklund has signed a three year, sixteen million dollar contract extension with the Sharks. So there's that three years at five point six million dollars contract extension for the twenty two year old left winger. So that seems like a good chuck and change.
Speaker 1: He's also been.
Speaker 4: Injured, so we'll see. I'm re interested in seeing what San Jose is doing because between San Jose and Anaheim, thinking about all of these teams out there that are just basement dwelling teams, they seem like they're actually really trying, compared to like Chicago and Buffalo, who are like, hey, we're just here.
Speaker 5: Yeah, So I think that seemed yeah, Adrian, to your point, the only thing that makes me this whole process palpable is the fact that another original sixteen is in just the same state of disarray as we are, which would be the New York Rangers.
Speaker 3: Right.
Speaker 5: No talk about talk about you know, our reclamation rebuilt project going on there. If we think we have issues with our GM, they're feeling the same way about Chris Drury as we feel about our management team, like where are you going?
Speaker 4: What are you doing?
Speaker 1: What is happening here right now? Yeah? Yeah, I mean I guess our if you look at the you compare our plates to theirs, ours was sort of like a mappable slow descent that we thought we might be able to pull from, pull up from, and didn't. The Rangers was just a nosedive, an unexpected, completely out of the blue. Nothing worked, and now they blow it up. Yep. And being someone that lives in New York and like will frequently log onto meetings in the mornings and working with Ranger fans, you could tell the tone of the meetings this entire season of like, you know, me logging in holding my Bruins mug and then like other people wogging in hold with the Ranger hats and just being like, you know, it's not good.
Speaker 1: So yeah, you're right, And it actually is funny because I'd forgot about them because I actually thought you were talking about Chicago. No, they don't care at of the original six teams are are screwed at this point, I know, And the league seems to belong markets that don't even have ice. So we've got two Florida teams, one in Las Vegas and Texas. I guess, you know, so it's like it it. I guess the.
Speaker 5: Master plan is working brilliantly, which is, you know, they brought these teams in and you know through various means, and I'm not saying there's collusion and stuff like that, but you know, the league loves nothing better than to have these small market teams. And again, these small market teams were talking about the Florida's, the Tampas, they were bad for a long period of time while the rest of us, you know, were raking and you know, having winning seasons and competing in playoffs and whatnot.
Speaker 4: But this kind of business is really good for the league because.
Speaker 5: You know, teams enfranchises like the Bruins, the Rangers and even you know, the Blackhawks, so the you know, the Canadians, their fan bases just love hockey. Ye, those buildings are as bad as a team can potentially get. Those buildings will not be empty.
Speaker 4: All right. Some more breaking news to UH two signings. One Bruins legend Dan Blidar his heading. He's going to Philadelphia for a two year contract with a three point three five million dollar cap hit and then details have not yet been reported by Sportsnet, but perennial Cup loser Corey Perry is heading back to California and he is allegedly signing with the LA Kings. So so we know who's going to lose. We know who's going to lose in the Cup final next year. Ye right, market.
Speaker 1: I'm just trying to see the appeals Corey Perry. I don't forty years old.
Speaker 4: I don't know, like I don't. I don't understand either. But here you go, Uh Corey Perry two l A. Yeah, I can't imagine uh what they're thinking.
Speaker 5: That.
Speaker 4: Yeah, he's going to bring something, uh other than heartache.
Speaker 1: I mean, I tell you what, He's not going to bring a Stanley.
Speaker 5: Cup follow each team so they okay, yeah, well they may make the playoffs, they're.
Speaker 4: Not going to work.
Speaker 1: There's a polarity issue there, Like is any part of the Cup that's magnetic like Tory Perry brings an opposite charge and can't get near it.
Speaker 4: What did he come to after winning the Stanley Cup? What curse did he uh invoked after winning that one time in two thousand and seven?
Speaker 1: I don't think it's a curse at all. In fact, I think he probably got what you know, I think about daily, and there's not a part of me that that every post he's in is in her mind to the fact that standing in on the corner of you know, Welexington and twenty fifth Street in twenty eleven watching the Bruins play Game seven, saying please God, I just want one. If we just get one, I'll never ask for another one. We never got another one again, And the fourteen years later, I'm like, well, I can't really get that angry about me.
Speaker 1: I said, I just wanted one, So, you know, so that's probably what happened to Corey Perry. You know, he just unfortunately keeps getting close and the universe is like, yeah, but you just said, just give me this one and I'll never ask for anything else. You don't get another one, he didn't word his Yeah, you gotta exactly exactly. So yeah, well, so all those those near Cup victories in Boston is my fault. As any true fan just blames himself somehow. You're responsible for.
Speaker 4: It, right right, Like last year I had to stop flying the flag altogether because.
Speaker 1: It was just making me exactly the one time he's got to hang you win and you're like, oh, you know exactly.
Speaker 4: Yep. I forgot once and they threw the whole season off.
Speaker 1: But no, I mean, listen, when I went to the Centennial game, I was like, you know, someone asked me, like, what happens if you pay all that money and they lose? And I said, listen, they have to win this game. If they lose every other game this season, I'm fine with it as long as they win the Centennial game. And they pretty nearly did so yeah, thanks man. Again, I keep I'm not I'm not helping to anybody here. I'm really sorry.
Speaker 4: We'll blame you entirely, but all right, well it is not you. Yeah, totally okay.
Speaker 5: So we can't blame last season on anybody but the players in the middle.
Speaker 4: I'm sorry. So yeah, yeah, yeah, oh he's not here, let's blame mo. Well, so we are sitting and waiting. We don't have to sit and wait too much longer. I have a sneaking suspicion that we won't necessarily hear anything from our boy Donnie. I don't know how that makes me feel, but we will certainly report out in future episodes. What happens, but our hour has gone about is any of us surprised?
Speaker 1: No, I guess not.
Speaker 4: I guess what.
Speaker 1: We didn't land anybody big.
Speaker 5: I mean I never think we were in any position to do so. Nor how attractive are we at this point in time?
Speaker 1: I know, yeah, yeah, I mean I think the things that we had going for us seemed to o eroded. Like, I don't think we can make this. I don't think we can stand on culture. I don't think we can stand on on winning. You know, the best bet shore is leadership. You know, it's yeah, it's kind of it's it's market like you can basically try to sell the market. But again you also, I mean, I think you're dealing with the front office that I that I don't necessarily believe in the negotiating power. I think that they believe one thing about their negotiating skills that are not true true.
Speaker 5: I watch the skills and I really, I really truly believe that cam Neely has a play card that he pulls out and he looks at and he says, Okay, right, Winger, this age, this is as high as we're gone.
Speaker 1: This is the max.
Speaker 5: They have their own internal values that they have established and they won't they won't budge from them. And I had another another thought too, about even their scouting staff, because I know how frugal that Jacob's family is, you know, and a lot of the players that wind up in our system turn out to be local players because they won't put the resources into allowing discounting staff to circulate in order to identify. That's just and I could be totally off base, but it's just something that popped into my head.
Speaker 4: Although it is it does help that some of the best college hockey programs are in Boston too well, which one right, that doesn't mean you pigeonhole yourself.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah. I think there's a story that they like, that they like farming local folk, and perhaps they're thinking down the line that they can parlay anybody into like a hometown discount. But on the flip side of that, I think that they are building off what you said, Maria. I think that they also have this notion of them as being very shrewd negotiators. But their contracts, their last big ones, have been fairly bloated, you know. And I don't know whether I missed it earlier. What you if you guys talked about geeky.
Speaker 1: But it's sort of like that's you know, I mean, I guess it's I don't know how I feel about it, but it's like, it's a lot of money, right, And he had a he was hot the second half of one season, like a certain goaltender I could recall and again and probably themselves into a good payday. And and as I got that, I'm like, and what was the problem with Marshawn? Tell me why you didn't have money for him?
Speaker 4: Now?
Speaker 1: Like I like you, you keep being like, oh no, we've got to do what we have to do, and we've got to be shrewd and we're going to Harbor Trac and bla blah blah. But its.
Speaker 4: Gek.
Speaker 1: These are expensive players.
Speaker 4: I hate.
Speaker 1: I don't want to cross sports.
Speaker 5: But sometimes their mindset and their approach reminds me of the Boston Red Sox front office in that they think that they are truly the smartest people in the room, and that the rest of us who listen and launch and read and follow the team don't know what we're talking about, and we should take everything they do was gospel.
Speaker 4: Yep, this is all very much giving. I don't know if you followed this news story a couple of months ago, when all of a sudden, all the socials were filled with videos of folks from China saying, Hey, your AIRMEZ, your Louis Vauton, your Nike whatever, that you're paying this you know, premium price on for this luxury good actually costs us like five dollars to make here and it's actually something super cheap and it kind of like, yes, in the long run, it didn't truly do damage to those high end products.
Speaker 4: But I feel like that's what's happened to Boston. That Boston was was a high quality product. What they had was special, and they kept trying to say like no, no, no, it's still there. And someone just came in from China and said, but we actually make that in our factory for five dollars, so really that's worthless. And people are seeing that now and it's like, okay, what do we have to offer?
Speaker 1: Then?
Speaker 4: If you know there's nothing special toxic culture, I can go to New York for that and I get to live in you, or I can go to you know, someplace else and like what and they'll pay me more? So why you know, what I'm saying, like, that's kind of how I feel Boston has gone.
Speaker 1: And it also says something that that the players I seem to remember the most out of over the last few seasons, of the people that were only here for one year. Yeah, you know, the like the the amount of the amount of one year turnovers we're having on a lot of principal positions, like like the cores eroded down to three guys, right, And and I remember more about the names of the people who don't play here anymore than the people that are kind of coming in and hanging out. I can't even remember most of them, you know, which, you know, when you compare that again to what has been built as a winning culture down in Florida, where the list of people signed for seven, you know, for for five, six, seven years now is like every single one of them is a difference maker.
Speaker 1: And I don't think we've got we don't have a lot in the tank. And it seems like we ought to have space to be pursuing these people, but doesn't seem like we're we're doing it, you know. No, And again I may be circling back on stuff you've already talked about. No, no, no, no, no, no no. But I mean it's just kind of coming in.
Speaker 4: We haven't talked about it today. We have talked about it in the plast I mean, it is what it is.
Speaker 5: It's part and parcel of you know, a lot of the reason why we find ourselves where we are, yeah, right now, and we could only hope, we can only hope that we have a mon at a more success than we did last season.
Speaker 4: And I don't think that's a big threshold to be looking.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I think there's this, there's any silver lining that one could look at, is that you are you were truly starting from from almost saying the zero inertia at the beginning of this season, and a coach is gonna have to come in and go okay, like as a as an organization, you just got gut punched, like you've got you've really got no tread anywhere. So whatever happens now is someone that we've got to build. We're not coasting on anything, you know, kind of Macavoyd come in and say, no, good never comes from winning in October, as if something's going to happen, right, So hopefully everybody who is there goes whatever happens now is on us to make it happen.
Speaker 1: The culture needs to be rebuilt. And if everybody buys into the system in this in the Sturm system, whatever it might be, then maybe they can get something going. Yeah, and say, I don't think we're gonna win, you know how competitive will be. But like, what what I'm looking for is just something that's entertaining and engaging to watch. I want to see him crying, you know, I want to see and something to builds on, right, something to build on. Yeah, And so I guess in that in that case, it doesn't really matter, you know, who's on the ice, because it's not where it's trying to slot in a position to like it makes something happen.
Speaker 1: Were and and and by that, I mean it's not like we're looking for a couple of pieces too to put us in a position to actually succeed. It's like we're starting from here, so you know, show me what you got and hopefully it's I'm not going to get bored or frustrated or whatever.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 4: Well, so, uh yeah, with all that, why do we We'll call it a day? Kind of a fizzle of a free agency frenzy.
Speaker 5: For I was afraid that would happen with all of the activity that occurred yesterday because I saw a lot of social media posts about what a not that it's a bummer. It's exciting, but it's more fun when it's on the actual Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah. It's like when all the Super Bowl ads come out before the game, it's like why why why baller?
Speaker 4: Yeah yep, But whoever ends up signing. Like I said, we will do some player deep dives, figure out who these guys are, maybe think about where we could see them. Plus we're going to be talking about uh development Camp next episode. We've got our very own Mary Beth on site at dev Camp this week representing Bruin's Tape to tape. If you remember from last year, she hopped on the show and gave us a real great rundown of those players and gave us a heads up on the players who showed up for rookie Camp.
Speaker 4: So she'll be doing that again for us. There will be some pictures and things also on our socials about what's happening there. And the last kind of housekeeping announcement, we're going to have a special guest for our one hundredth episode which is coming up in about two weeks, so make sure you are subscribed, that you've liked, that you're following. To get the notice, check out again our merch and our Patreon. In the show notes and any final thoughts, Maria Adrian.
Speaker 5: Do have a final lot No, no, just give me a reason to watch hockey again. Just give me a reason please to watch the Bruins again.
Speaker 4: You know it all right? Well, thanks again everyone, and as always, go be
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