Posted by This is a guest post by Mark Marino, who writes about the Boston Bruins at Examiner.com. Please thank him with some comments and a visit to his site.
image from Dan4th (link at bottom)
Morr-is the answer
My second favorite off-season acquisition by Peter Chiarelli this year was the signing of defenseman, Derek Morris. The Bruins added a solid number-two defenseman with great puck rushing abilities, and who isn’t afraid to mix it up when it’s time.
Morris’ best season was without a doubt in Colorado during the 2002-03 season with the Avalanche. He played in 75 games and led all Avs defensemen in points with 48, while 28 of those came via the power play. He has since seen a drop in production throughout his time in Phoenix, but that’s not to say his talent or potential still isn’t there.
As I project him to be the number-two defenseman, over Dennis Wideman, that means he’ll be paired up with the 2009 Norris Trophy winner, Zdeno Chara. With his new 6′9″ line mate, Morris will see more ice time, especially on the power play, and have numbers similar to his career-best in the Mile High.
Prediction: A comeback-player-of-the-year-type performance with his new supporting cast: 50 points.
Savvy got Snubbed
To say that Marc Savard got snubbed for the Men’s Team Canada Camp would be a complete understatement. It’s almost like saying Megan Fox is just, “okay looking”.
Savard, 32, is entering his fourth and final year of his $20-million contract that he signed back on Jul 1, 2006. Savvy has 262 points in 238 games over his three season with the Bruins, and has been the teams’ leading scoring every year. During his last contract season with the 2005-06 Atlanta Thrashers, the unrestricted free-agent posted a career-best 97-points in all 82 games, while setting a franchise record for most assists in a season (69).
When asked about left off the Teams’ Olympic camp roster, Savard said, “I was pretty upset about it…I feel that I had a chance to at least go to the camp. I didn’t really come out and say anything. I had a lot of calls for a couple weeks after that. It’s something I didn’t want to talk about. I was pretty mad about it. I’ve had to prove myselfover and over again. I’m hoping to get off to a good start. I still haven’t counted myself out, so I guess that’s all that matters.”
To add fuel to the fire, Marc Savard will have a career-high season in points this 2009-10 season. When it’s all said and done, No. 91 will finally reach that 100-point plateau–a stage in which he’s come so close to, twice in his NHL career.
Timmy + Tuukka = Tandem
“I’ve been waiting to play in the Olympics since I was five-years-old…I’ve been waiting 30-years for this opportunity, I’m not looking at it in a negative way that it’s going to tax me on more games.”
Words from the 2009 Sporting News NHL Goaltender of the Year, Vezina and Jennings trophy winner, Tim Thomas. Unless there’s world catastrophe, Thomas will be the number-one goalie for Team USA in the 2010 Olympics, over Ryan Miller and Jonathan Quick. The notions of whether or not No. 30 is a legitimate goaltender were solidified, not only with his stellar performance of last year, but throughout the 2007-08 season as well.
Manny Fernandez, who was acquired by the Bruins on June 30, 2007 and inked to an outrageous contract, appeared in just four games for the Bruins before being sidelined with a season-ending knee injury. Thomas stepped-up and was the backbone of that Bruins team throughout the regular season, and into that memorable seven-game-series against their loathed rivals, Montreal Canadiens.
Tuukka Rask, whom has very little NHL experience, should be the back-up goaltender for the Bruins this season. Coming off a very good AHL season with the Providence Bruins, Rask helped lead the P-Bears to the Calder Cup playoffs–posting a 9-7 record along with a .930 save-percentage and 2.21 goals-against average.
Only two questions pop in my mind before this bold prediction:
1. Is Rask mature enough to keep his composure at the NHL level so we don’t see incidents like this again?
2. Will Rask meet the minimum of 25-games played in order to receive this award?
Prediction: Rask and Thomas capture the 2010 William M. Jennings trophy.
No. 17
image from Dan4th (link below)
It didn’t take long before Milan Lucic became an instant fan favorite with the fans in Boston. Whether he’s punishing opponents through the glass, or pounding them in the face, the 21-year-old’s physical style is just a part of his game.
Lucic was given the invite to tryout for Team Canada for the 2010 Olympics–a move that must have his confidence through the roof. Since his rookie campaign in 2007-08, the Seventh Player Award winner has improved his game tremendously under the tutelage of Coach Claude Julien.
Lucic has developed into more of a complete player over the past two seasons, with the stats to prove it. Although having played in just 72 games last season (77 the season before), Lucic netted 15 more points, increased his plus-minus rating by 13, and has averaged almost three more minutes of ice time per game. His 282 hits tied him for fifth most in the NHL, and has seen more and more time on the power play.
Numbers aside, the drastic improvements in his play are apparent in every game. His 6′4″ frame and physical intimidation opens up the ice for his line mates, creating better scoring opportunities. I expect Lucic to be on the top-line with one of the leagues best set-up players in Marc Savard. If healthy, I anticipate the stats to increase even more for the 6′4″ Vancouver native, throughout this upcoming 2009-10 season.
Prediction: 55-plus points and redefining the power forward position.
One man Recchi-crew
With the departures of Aaron Ward and Stephane Yelle, Mark Recchi is now just one of two Bruins players who have won a Stanley Cup–the other being Shawn Thornton.
“I’m going to be honest with you. This will probably be it,” the 20-year veteran said. “I want to go out and finish it off right by winning another championship and help this team be successful. I’d say this will probably be it…It’s been a great run. I think I want to give it one more chance. I want to give everything I have to Boston and sail off into the sunset.”
Those are some serious words coming from the NHL veteran, and giving it his all is something that I’m banking on. The fans in Boston will soon realize why this was the best re-signing, by far, by the Bruins organization for the 2009-10 campaign. Recchi agreed to a one-year contract on the second day of free-agency, and I went on to extend my excitement in an article by saying, “This is by far my favorite move by the Bruins organization over the past 26-plus hours of free-agency. At $1-million, keeping the two-time Stanley Cup winner, Mark Recchi, is nothing short of a steal.”
Recchi notched 16 points in 18 regular season games with the Bruins last year, and picked up six points in all 11 playoff appearances…with a kidney stone and a fractured rib. He finished the 2008-09 season between Tampa Bay and Boston with 61 points, while 27 of those were scored on the power play.
Prediction: Recchi will net 60-plus points again for the third consecutive season, will be the go-to guy on the first unit power play with Marc Savard and Michael Ryder, and will be the clubhouse leader throughout the season.
Couldn’t resist adding yet another great image from Dan4th. How about sharing a Caption suggestion in a comment?
image from Dan4th (link below)
Thanks to Dan4th for his images, more can be seen here on Flickr.com
and thanks to Mark Marino from examiner.com for the article.
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Noce article. Like the B’s chances this year. Welcome to THW
The Bruins were not supposed to be contenders last year and they finished above all expectations. This year the bar has been raised and they should go farther in the playoffs than last year.
Go Bruins Go
How about “Bruins’ Practice Session Comes to Untimely End After Choking Drills.”
Paul, I would love to read that article if you had time to write it. The Penguins won, congratulations, I’m sure you’re still very happy about it. A Cup well-deserved; and when the B’s went down in the second round, I was behind the Pens all the way. I would hardly say the Bruins choked. When players like Hnidy and Montador are logging 20-minutes in a Game Seven, something’s gotta give. Show a touch of class in your victory.
Mark, didn’t mean to be class-less….just trying to make a funny headline to funny picture. The choke joke was simply made because I think eevryone expected them to go farther. In reality, I know it was a hard fought series and tough loss. The Hurricanes were the team that nobody wanted to meet in the playoffs. I think the Penguins were lucky to get them AFTER the Bruins.
I understand–just ran into a lot of hot-headed Pens fans right after the Cup. I was pretty excited when the B’s got Carolina in the second round; I didn’t want to see Sid and Malkin until the Finals. Something that I’m sure everyone wanted to see, including the television stations whom were covering it. I think the B’s got sloppy after winning six-straight and tried to coast the rest of the way. Bad mistake. Those ‘Canes were no joke and Ward stepped-up big-time for them. You’re right, Penguins facing the ‘Canes after seven games with the Bruins was great for Pittsburgh. I’m looking forward to the four games against Sid and co. this season!
I would have enjoyed a Bruins/Penguins Final and quite honestly expected it (after we got past the Capitals). The Canes/Pens were the hottest teams in the NHL heading into the playoffs in terms of coming on strong late in the final 20 games. Honestly, the Canes/Pens series was a disappointment in terms of the competitiveness. I just think the Canes ran out of gas after playing the Bruins through 7 games.
Should be another interesting season coming up though. I will be curious to see what the loss of Kessel and the return of a healthy Sturm will do for the Bruins. Interesting take on the motivation for Savard and Recchi. I have been a Recchi fan for many years and have always liked him. I am not certain he has another 60+ season in him, but I may well be proven wrong. I am not certain I share the same amount of enthusiasm as you do on Morris, but I still think he will be a good player for the Bruins. Call me skeptical, but I think Tim Thomas will regress this season to something less than the spectacular goaltender he was last season. Not saying he won’t have a good season….I just don’t expect him to match last season’s performance. I see Rask getting some decent opportunities this coming season, and am anxious to see how he does at the NHL level. With his work ethic, improving skills, and size, I am pretty certain that Milan Lucic will only get better for the Bruins.
Good luck this season……maybe we will get to see a Pens/Bruins final this season? That would be nice, but I think it will take a LOT of character from the Penguins to make it that far for the 3rd season in a row. They certainly have talent and recent experience, but it will require a lot more than that to bring it all together again (luck being a big factor, too!). We will find out soon enough.
Paul, Sweet website by the way.
Agreed, the ‘Canes definitely ran out of steam after that physical seven game series. Trading for Chris Kunitz was a huge move that helped out tremendously. I’m a big fan of Brooks Orpik. That dude can bang, and more importantly, block shots. Should be a great year for both teams I think. Just 20 days away!
Thanks….I started it 2 seasons ago and have evolved it over time. It merges 2 hobbies….hockey and web design. I liked the Kunitz trade, but think that it was the addition of Bill Guerin and the coaching change to Dan Byslma that really made the huge difference in the Pens’ season.
I have no idea why I failed to mention Guerin. He was huge. I’ll be checking your site regularly to keep tabs on the defending Stanley Cup champs!