Zacha was the 6th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and has been a steady offensive presence for New Jersey since his first full season in 2016-17. He posted 15 goals and 36 points in 70 games last year.

He’s currently an RFA, and was slated to get a $3 million qualifying offer from the Devils.

I react to the move in the video above.

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Don Sweeney went on a spending spree last July. The Bruins GM inked Erik Haula, Nick Foligno, Tomas Nosek, Derek Forbort and Linus Ullmark on Day 1. Sweeney won’t be nearly as active this year due to those cap constraints.

“Unless there is player movement in the next few days, it’s not going to be a high-end player coming in as a result of where we are in our cap situation,” Don Sweeney said on July 8.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t needs. The Bruins could use some depth on the right side on defense. A top-six eligible center would also be nice. Another depth scorer on the wing wouldn’t hurt.

Taking all of this into consideration, I broke down the five most realistic Bruins free agent targets in the video above.

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The Bruins will hire Jim Montgomery as the club’s next head coach, according to multiple reports. Filling Bruce Cassidy’s shoes won’t be easy and attempting to do so with this lineup, one plagued with big injuries and salary cap-constraints, won’t be easy either. But of the candidates the Bruins looked at, Montgomery makes the most sense. 

The direction of the Bruins isn’t fully clear yet. Whether they embrace a full rebuild, go for a quick retool, or run it back for another Stanley Cup push isn’t completely known. The likely return of Patrice Bergeron certainly swings the pendulum in one direction more than the other. 

But the direction doesn’t really matter when it comes to Montgomery. 

One of Montgomery’s chief tasks will be to stimulate the growth of Boston’s plethora of young forwards in the system such as Jack Studnicka, Oskar Steen and Trent Frederic. Part of that will be giving them chances to breathe inside the big club’s lineup — something the organization felt Cassidy wasn’t great at. He’ll also be tasked with guiding the development of former first-round picks Fabian Lysell and Johnny Beecher, as well as standout defenseman Mason Lohrei when they make it to Boston. 

Will Montgomery definitely turn Studnicka, Steen, Frederic and others into full-time, contributing NHL players? It’s hard to make that bold of a prediction before the sun has even risen on Day 1 of the Montgomery administration. 

But based on his track record, Montgomery is the best man for the job. 

In his one and a half seasons with the Dallas Stars, he oversaw the pro development of superstar defenseman Miro Heiskanen, winger Roope Hintz and centers Devin Shore and Jason Dickinson. 

His time coaching Denver in the NCAA was highly successful. Montgomery led the Pioneers to a record of 125-56-26 for a winning percentage of .662. He went to two-straight Frozen Fours in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Denver emerged national champion in the spring of 2017. He won two championships with the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the USHL between 2010-2013. 

So, if the Bruins decided to usher in a rebuild or retool, Montgomery has that covered given his success with younger players. The 53-year-old can also best position Boston to win if the order is given to run it back for another Stanley Cup. 

Montgomery only logged about one and a half years as the Stars’ bench boss before being dismissed in December of 2019 due to problems with alcohol. He checked himself into rehab in January of 2020 and since then, seems to be doing much better. He’s been an assistant on Craig Berube’s staff for the St. Louis Blues since September 2020. 

Montgomery’s won titles in the USHL and NCAA, and had Stars trending in right direction. He’s run STL PP that ranks second to only EDM since he took over in 2021. Considered a player’s coach.

— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) June 30, 2022

In those one and a half years, he turned around a Stars team that missed the playoffs in 2017-18. He went 60-43-10 over 113 games. The 2018-19 Stars upset the No. 1-seeded Nashville Predators in Round 1 and lost to the Blues, the eventual Stanley Cup champs, in seven games in the second round. The 2019-20 Stars went on to make it to the Stanley Cup Final in the bubble with then-head coach Rick Bowness. Montgomery’s fingerprints were still all over the squad. 

What is concerning about that one full season in 2018-19 is the Stars’ lack of scoring. They ranked in the bottom three of the league in goals for. But they more than made up for that lack of finish in special teams and defense. 

The 2018-19 Stars ranked…

• 2nd in goals against (200) 
• 5th in penalty-killing percentage (82.77 percent) 
• 11th in power play percentage (21.03 percent) 

Stylistically, Montgomery crafted a clear message upon arriving in Dallas. 

“Be aggressive, make mistakes out of being aggressive,” Montgomery told Stars players on Day 1 of training camp in September 2018. 

Throughout his time there, that’s what they did — the Stars closed on teams quick and forechecked hard. They forced other teams to make mistakes and turned the play the other way immediately. Under Montgomery, the Stars were a puck-possession team and when breaking out of their own zone, they did so methodically based on what the other team’s defense was giving them.

The Bruins certainly could use a large dose of that speed Montgomery instilled in Dallas.

Scoring should be easier to find with this roster. David Pastrnak, Taylor Hall, Bergeron and a healthy Brad Marchand should take some of the pressure off the first-year head coach. The challenge will be cracking the code to get more consistent secondary scoring. That ties in with getting the younger players to produce positively on the ice when in the lineup.  

A big question Montgomery faces will be what he does with Boston’s top six. Cassidy finally made the switch to move Pastrnak down to the second line to spread out scoring midway through last season. The move paid off until late in the Bruins’ first-round series with the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Based off Montgomery’s comments from a few years ago, the three-headed monster getting put back together isn’t out of the question. 

“On a line, a scorer needs to go with a puck possession guy,” Montgomery told the Dallas Morning News in November 2018. “Ideally, that third guy is a puck possession guy that does all the details and the habits right that create turnovers for the other two to do their magic…If you look at Boston’s line, Pastrnak is a sniper. Bergeron and Marchand are both puck possession and incredible puck pressure guys. That’s why they’re one of the best lines, because they’re consistent with their habits and their details.” 

These are questions and decisions that Montgomery will face in the coming weeks and months. But no matter the direction, the Bruins got the right coach for the job.

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What should the Bruins do at this year’s Trade Deadline?

It’s difficult because the Bruins are in a situation they’ve hardly been in over the past number of years. While they’re securely in the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, it’s hard to imagine deadline upgrades catapulting them past the Panthers, Lightning and Maple Leafs.

Still, Patrice Bergeron is on this team. Brad Marchand, too. Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak are on the cusp of their primes. Jeremy Swayman is getting hot between the pipes. Cores like this don’t come around often.

The Bruins don’t have the trade assets that other teams have, however there is one Bruins prospect whose name has been thrown around a bit: 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell.

Lysell is making the WHL look easy this season, posting 38 points in 33 games for the Vancouver Giants. All signs point to him becoming a successful NHL player in the not-too-distant future.

He’s also a prospect teams would love to have. But should the Bruins trade him?

I discussed this, along with many other listener-submitted questions, on the latest Bruins Beat. Topics such as Don Sweeney’s future, how to upgrade the roster at the deadline, Lysell and more were discussed.

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A lot of games in very few days. That’s life in COVID-19 times.

One of those uncertain topics became certain Wednesday night when Bruins star netminder Tuukka Rask announced his retirement. The Boston net now belongs to Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.

Up front, the Bruins still need a stable, second-line center. A top-four, left-shot defenseman might be nice come playoff time.

All of those things are up in the air, which led Conor Ryan and I to make some big predictions regarding the Bruins’ second half on the latest Bruins Beat.

We made predictions surrounding Oskar Steen’s role, Taylor Hall’s production and what might happen in net. We also dove into the moves we think the Bruins will pull the trigger on at the Trade Deadline.

And then, of course, we predicted the postseason. You might like Conor’s a bit more than you’ll like mine.

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But they also would like to keep a watchful eye on the future. The prospect pool isn’t that deep and life after Bergeron doesn’t seem so pleasant down the middle. It’s important the Bruins hold on to what they do have.

There is one prospect, however, that could be worth a lot in a trade and that’s goalie Jeremy Swayman.

Swayman has had quite the opening act to his NHL career. In 10 starts last season, he posted a 1.50 goals against average, .945 save percentage and managed to snag the backup job from Jaroslav Halak. This year, he’s posted a .918 save percentage and 2.26 GAA in 16 starts.

To make room for Tuukka Rask in Boston, Swayman was recently sent down to AHL Providence. He didn’t have to clear waivers, so sending the 23-year-old to the AHL wasn’t a very hard call for Bruins GM Don Sweeney.

Rask is in Boston for this season and Linus Ullmark is signed to share the Bruins crease through the 2024-25 season. Asking if the Bruins should consider dealing Swayman for something like a long-term second-line center or a top-four left-shot defenseman is a valid question.

But when the bigger picture is considered, the answer is a pretty clear “don’t do it.”

On the latest Bruins Beat, Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub joined me to discuss this exact question. We also talked about the other Bruins trade assets and which players in the system were deemed “untouchable.” There were roughly three.

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That something was the return of Tuukka Rask to the Boston net.

From the start of warmups, through introductions and throughout the game itself, Rask’s first night as goalie again gave the crowd an extra jolt that a mid-January crowd might not normally have.

Rask’s play, plus a number of other factors, contributed to the Bruins 3-2 win over the Flyers.

Here are the three biggest takeaways.

Tuukka Rask looked like his usual self

Will this go down as one of Tuukka Rask’s most memorable performances? No, he didn’t get nearly enough shots for that to be the case and it’s a mid-January game against the Flyers. Was he really good? Absolutely. Did the TD Garden crowd treat everything he did as the greatest thing ever? Oh yes.

Rask was his usual self in between the pipes. He was poised. He was consistently square to the shooter. One of the first shots he faced came from the point and he never saw it. But because he was well-positioned, the puck went off his pad and away from danger.

He had two key breakaway saves in the second period. The first came on Joel Farabee. The Flyers forward faked shot, went to his backhand and tried to slide it through the five-hole, but Rask stayed centered and the puck was stopped.

Tuukka Rask stops Joel Farabee on the breakaway attempt:

pic.twitter.com/zoEDeaDPWV

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 14, 2022

Then, right after David Pastrnak’s goal to make it 3-2 Bruins, Cam Atkinson zeroed in on the Boston net untouched. He too went to the backhand, but was also denied by Rask who made the stop with his right pad.

Yet another breakaway stop by Tuukka Rask: pic.twitter.com/Z1aivtZvna

— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) January 14, 2022

Late in the game with the Bruins on the ropes committing sloppy penalties (such as the two-straight delay of game infractions), it was Rask who time and time again came up with large stops. The Flyers pulled Hart with 3:49 in the game and once again, it was Rask coming up big. In the end, Rask had 25 saves on 27 shots.

The most important thing when it came to Rask, however, came postgame.

How was the hip feeling after surgery?

“100 percent,” he said after the win via Zoom. “It was great to feel that I have the ability to move both ways.”

Just judging off tonight’s game, a rested, healthy Rask looks to be a huge factor in the Bruins’ mad dash to the finish line.

David Pastrnak continued the trend of Bruins hat tricks

Wednesday night saw Brad Marchand pot a hat trick. David Pastrnak continued that trend on Thursday, scoring three before the second period even concluded, which is also something Marchand did the night prior.

The scoring started less than two minutes into the game when Pastrnak got a pass from linemate Erik Haula and ripped it past Flyers goalie Carter Hart to make it 1-0. The play all happened because of Pastrnak’s efforts just a few seconds before to keep the puck in Philadelphia’s zone.

David Pastrnak’s goal started with his effort to keep the puck in.

1-0 Bruins: pic.twitter.com/cGSkX6nmYF

— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) January 14, 2022

Roughly four minutes later, Marchand had the puck at the left point and started to skate in. He looked shot all the way but passed across to Pastrnak at the last second, faking out Hart and giving Pastrnak a mostly open net, which he had no problem depositing the puck into for his second of the night.

A potential hat trick before the end of the first period…again?

It looked imminent, but Bruins fans would have to wait until the second period to toss their hats.

Late in the second period on a 5-on-3, Pastrnak ripped a first shot toward the net that Hart stopped, but it caused a scramble, leaving the Philly netminder discombobulated long enough for Pastrnak to get the puck back and one-time it past him for the hat trick.

David Pastrnak completes the hat trick.

3-2 Bruins.

pic.twitter.com/uWIXeViw2I

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 14, 2022

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy had mentioned many times through the first half of the season that Pastrnak was due to breakout with goals. It never seemed to come. Until now.

Pastrnak has seven goals in his last four games. Expect a lot more.

Lots of new faces on defense

With Connor Clifton and Derek Forbort already in COVID-19 protocol and Matt Grzelcyk added to that group just a few hours before Thursday night’s game, the Bruins sent out a much different looking defensive crew.

Urho Vaakanainen, a 2017 first-round pick, was paired with Charlie McAvoy on the top duo. On the third pairing was puck-mover Jack Ahcan with bruiser Tyler Lewington.

Vaakanainen looked solid. He moved the puck well with McAvoy and played big minutes, most notably lots of time on the late 5-on-3 and after in the final five minutes as the Flyers unleashed their most aggressive attack. He finished with the second-most TOI of any Bruin with 23:17.

Tyler Lewington and Zack MacEwan drop the gloves:

pic.twitter.com/AX1Rv3aRUv

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 14, 2022

Lewington’s most notable moment came in his fight with Flyers forward Zack MacEwen. Both landed really strong punches, but it appeared as though MacEwen got the most in.

The Bruins are back in action this Saturday against the Nashville Predators at 1 p.m.

The post 3 Takeaways from Tuukka Rask’s first start back with the Bruins appeared first on CLNS Media.

Wednesday night was not that time.

The Bruins disposed of the Canadiens rather easily, 5-1. While a 3-0 Boston lead after one period had most fans thinking a seven- or eight-goal win, the Bruins still outplayed the Habs in every aspect, outshooting them, 41-25.

Here are three big takeaways from the Bruins’ sixth win in their last seven games.

Brad Marchand continued his hot streak

It didn’t seem to matter that Bruins winger Brad Marchand almost had his nose chopped off last game in Washington. On Wednesday night, Marchand was everywhere in the offensive zone, eventually potting two before the end of the first 20 minutes.

It looked as if Brad Marchand might have a hat trick by the end of the first period. Nevertheless, his hat trick eventually did come and it came in the most Marchand-way possible: shorthanded.

A few minutes before the halfway point of the second, Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, Bruins defenseman John Moore and Marchand created a 3-on-1 while killing a penalty. Moore’s shot was stopped by Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault, but Marchand drove the net and slapped home the rebound, ensuring he got his hat trick.

Brad Marchand completes the hat trick with a shorthanded goal.

4-0 Bruins.pic.twitter.com/SoKHC19TZq

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 13, 2022

Marchand has been on fire lately, scoring a goal in each of his last four games and scoring at least two in the past three. For those counting, that’s eight goals in four games.

We’ll get to how Marchand’s success is impacting everything else in a little while.

The Canadiens are really bad this season

It’s hard to imagine the team that faced the Bruins on Wednesday night was in the Stanley Cup Final this past summer. Yes, the Canadiens are down stars Carey Price and Shea Weber, but the drop off Montreal has suffered this season goes far beyond missing those two.

The Canadiens are the worst team in the Eastern Conference and second-worst to the Arizona Coyotes for worst in the league.

They have the worst goal differential in the Eastern Conference at Negative-54. They simply don’t score goals (only 74 goals for) and they don’t do a very good job of preventing them either (128 goals against).

Montreal entered Wednesday night having not won in regulation in 10 of their 11 games. In fairness to the Habs though, their last four games were postponed and they hadn’t played since Jan. 1.

Still, that doesn’t change the fact they’ve been dreadful this season.

The Bruins are on a roll

This takeaway comes at a weird time after I basically just said the Canadiens were a terrible opponent, but the Bruins are on another level right now. It doesn’t really matter that the Canadiens are one of the worst teams in hockey because this is becoming a trend.

The Bruins are winners of six of their last seven games. Along with top players like Marchand and Bruins forward David Pastrnak putting up big numbers, the secondary scoring has finally stepped up.

Yes, you read that right — the secondary scoring has finally come through for Boston.

Curtis Lazar pots one from a Jake DeBrusk shot.

3-0 Bruins: pic.twitter.com/yWD44U71Og

— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) January 13, 2022

Here are some of the best secondary scorers since the COVID-19 pause (seven games).

• Taylor Hall: 2 goals, 6 assists
• Curtis Lazar: 3 goals, 3 assists
• Erik Haula: 2 goals, 3 assists
• Craig Smith: 2 goals, 2 assists
• Tomas Nosek (4 games): 1 goal, 3 assists
• Anton Blidh (4 games): 1 goal, 3 assists
• Oskar Steen: 1 goal, 2 assists
• Trent Frederic: 2 goals

That was secondary scoring the Bruins previously didn’t have and it’s been a huge reason as to why they’ve been so dominant over their past seven games.

As a whole, the bottom six is starting to take shape. Steen is working great with Bruins center Charlie Coyle, who had the OT-winner in the first game back from the COVID pause.

On Line 4, Nosek, Blidh and Lazar have begun to form a really solid trio. While they bruise opponents and forecheck hard, they’ve been posting points of late.

So long as the Bruins continue to get production from those guys, they’ll keep on winning.

And a Marchand hat trick on occasion might help too.

The post 3 Takeaways from Bruins dominant 5-1 win over Canadiens appeared first on CLNS Media.

They’ve just gotten star goalie Tuukka Rask signed and sealed for one-year, $1 million. It’s a bargain and doesn’t hurt them much against the cap.

With three NHL-caliber goalies in the system, the attention now turns to help up front.

This past Saturday, Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek listed the Bruins as a team that’s expressed interest in Arizona Coyotes winger Lawson Crouse.

Crouse fits the description of a typical player Bruins GM Don Sweeney might like. He’s a 6-foot-4, 220 lb. winger who slots in the lineup as a power forward who can also put up points. In 32 games this season, he’s registered nine goals and 17 points. Granted, that’s on a brutal Coyotes team and with lots of opportunity but still, he is producing.

When it comes to his contract, he’s in the final year of a three-year deal that carries a $1.53 million cap hit. He’s a restricted free agent at the end of this season, which means he comes as more than a rental.

So here’s the million-dollar question: Is Crouse worth it?

On the latest Bruins Beat, Marina Maher of Barstool Sports joined me to discuss that, as well as the emergence of Oskar Steen, Tuukka Rask and the importance of Brad Marchand. We also discussed David Krejci’s latest comments on Bruce Cassidy.

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For one, Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk reportedly requested a trade almost a month ago. Since then, so has forward Zach Senyshyn. Both 2015 first-round picks have forced Bruins GM Don Sweeney to look for suitors.

On the other hand, the Bruins are winners of their last three games since returning from the COVID-19 pause. The goaltending looks solid, the secondary scoring is kicking in and sniper David Pastrnak looks to be on the verge of exploding with goals. Add in the coming return of goalie Tuukka Rask and the Bruins look ready for a second-half playoff push.

So, who should they target?

With forward Taylor Hall and Pastrnak teaming up on the second line, targeting a top-six center would be a good idea. That would put them in the market for Sharks center and soon-to-be-free-agent Tomas Hertl. That would also put them in the market for Canucks center J.T. Miller. Both players should find themselves on the trade block.

The Bruins could also use a top-four, left-shot defenseman. Neither Mike Reilly nor Derek Forbort have solidified themselves as mainstays in the top four. Fortunately for Boston, the Coyotes appear to be putting Jakob Chychrun on the market. Unfortunately for Boston, many teams will be in on the star.

So, what would it take to get any of these players?

On the latest Bruins Beat, I discussed what kind of package might land any of the three players listed above. Even with the extreme package I talked about, it’s still not a guarantee it would be enough given the lack of assets the Bruins have to give.

I also answered listener questions regarding Oskar Steen, Taylor Hall and Linus Ullmark.

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