So lots has happened since my last post concerning free agency, many new faces, and changes. So the new faces. Nick Foligno , Erik Haula, Derek Forbort , Linus Ullmark, Tomas Nosek are all-new free agents signing and additions to the team . Returning players signed as free agents but acquired by trade last season are Mile Reilly and Taylor Hall. So quite list of new players .
The most notable players not returning right now are of course David Krejci and Tuukka Rask. Krejci made the decision to return to his home country and play hockey. Tukkaa has undergone hip surgery and has been very clear on a desire to return to the Bruins at some point this season.
So Sweeney was very active and I will have to say that this has been no question his best free-agent season. The depth pieces he managed to get with Foligno, Haula, and Nosek immediately make our bottom 6 better than what we iced last season. All bring experience and are solid hard-nosed type players that can mix it up. Foligno adds another veteran-type leadership element to an already deep team with solid leaders but his presence will be felt with the way he plays and he has versatility.
The return of Taylor Hall for 4 years was also a huge signing. At a very decent cap hit, Hall comes in with lots of excitement, and the way he sounds, he wants to cement his career in Boston by showing that MVP season was no fluke. He has the ability to drive a line by himself and his talent gives our 2nd line a legit star winger. It's too bad that Krejci has moved on because it would have been interesting to see those two build chemistry.
On the back end, the Bruins signed Derek Forbort and didn't really do much more. Losing Jeremy Lauzon to the expansion draft was no surprise, so adding someone was needed. Forbort has played quite well in Winnepeg and is a big solid stay-at-home type of defenseman who can log big minutes and is solid on the penalty kill. I know some bloggers and writers in Bruins land have been critical of his signing amount but from what I've seen of his play, I think this is a solid signing.
Reilly returning is a good move as well. Although I was concerned with his play at times in the playoffs, especially against the Isles, he still offers excellent puck-moving ability, is a great skater, a good passer, and can get pucks to the net from the point, something we have struggled with over the last season. So I'm happy with his return and the areas of concern, as his board play when defending can be worked on.
Outside of the absence of Krecji , the hole of no Tuukka is even bigger. He has been a mainstay and his level of excellence between the pipes can not be denied. So the Bruins I think got a solid young goalie in Linus Ulmark . His previous seasons in Buffalo showed he has tons of talent and his stats are very solid considering how utterly bad the Sabres were. Obviously coming in to fill Rask skates could be daunting, but from his interviews, he seems pretty chilled and likes the challenge and opportunity he has in Boston. Plus if he can play as well in front of a team that most nights looked like they were lost, playing behind a superior team defense like Boston should help immensely.
So my grade for the additions to the roster this year, a solid B+. I would have liked to have seen another defenseman added and perhaps a legit 2nd line center but these players should improve the team, especially the forwards added because our bottom six have been a real issue the last few years.
No comments:
Post a Comment