We are on the record as believing the cap-crunched Bruins should keep both Linus Ullmark and restricted free agent Jeremy Swayman in almost any circumstance.
Almost.
As we wade into the too-long summer months for the B’s, there’s one idea that we find intriguing. Mind you, we’re just spit-balling here. But it would be interesting if the Seattle Kraken would entertain shipping their 2022 first-round draft pick, Shane Wright, out east for one of the two Bruin goalies. The guess here is the one that the Kraken would even consider trading Wright for would be the 24-year-old Swayman as opposed to Ullmark, who’ll turn 30 on July 31.
It could be a franchise-changing deal with a strong possibility of being a win-win move.
The Kraken signed Philipp Grubauer to a six-year deal with a $5.9 million cap hit before its inaugural season two summers ago. He had a nice little run in the Kraken’s playoff debut, but he’s been just OK otherwise. In 39 games this season, the now-31-year-old had a .895 save percentage and 2.85 GAA. The Kraken’s other goalie, Martin Jones, is an unrestricted free agent. It could be a perfect spot for Swayman, who could share the net with the older veteran with an eye toward taking over the No. 1 gig, similar to the process he’s in the midst of here.
Meanwhile, Wright could very well be the that No. 1 center that the B’s have been trying to develop. Long considered the top pick in last year’s draft, Wright surprisingly fell to the fourth slot, where the Kraken scooped him up.
Though the Kraken still seem to be high on him, Wright had something of a lost development year, bouncing from Seattle, the World Junior championships, Coachella Valley (AHL) and finally back to juniors and the Windsor Spitfires. He played a grand total of 36 league games.
While no slam dunk to excel at the NHL, Wright’s game does have the same two-way DNA upon which the B’s identity has been built with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Wright’s entry-level contract would also help the B’s navigate the salary cap the next couple of years.
And wouldn’t Wright be just the young man to help revive the currently dormant Bruins-Canadiens rivalry? When the Habs stunned a lot of people – Wright included – by taking Juraj Slafkovsky with the No. 1 pick, Wright gave the Habs’ table a good, long stare-down from the stage after he was eventually picked by the Kraken.
Yes, Wright would be someone we’d consider moving Swayman for. It would be more of a gamble on B’s GM Don Sweeney’s side, simply because Swayman has more of an NHL resume. And the feeling here is that we haven’t seen the best he has to offer. But given the B’s cap situation and the paucity of draft picks the next couple of years, Sweeney may have to roll those dice.
Rod’s odd take
Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour has been widely mocked for his post-game comments, seemingly denying the obvious, that his team got swept by destiny’s darlings, the Florida Panthers.
“We didn’t lose four games,” Brind’Amour told reporters in Sunrise. “We got beat but we were right there and this could have gone the other way. It could have been four games the other way.”
It could have, but it wasn’t. And that’s because the Panthers, as they’ve done for a month and half now, got the big goal when they needed it and their opponent did not.
Yet after four one-goal losses, Brind’Amour’s frustration was understandable. Though a well-known ref-baiter, Brind’Amour had every reason to be infuriated after the initials missed a clear high-sticking penalty late in Game 3, which would have given the Canes an opportunity for a 6-on-4 with the goalie pulled and about a minute left on the clock.
But in the end, his real anger should have been directed toward his own management and ownership. Before the trade deadline, the Canes lost the sniper they thought was going to get them over the hump, Max Pacioretty, to a torn Achilles tendon.
Instead of using Pacioretty’s $7 million in cap space to get a forward who’d proven he could fill the net, the Canes settled for Jesse Puljujarvi, who had no goals and one assist in seven playoff games. He was in street clothes for the entire Florida series. The loss of Pacioretty was compounded when, after the trade deadline, the Canes lost their best offensive weapon, Andrei Svechnikov, to a season-ending injury. In the end, the Canes just didn’t have enough firepower. They better get some or this promising run they’re on will be over before they know it.
Captain crunched
Captains do not have to speak to the media after every game, but they do when their teams reach certain pressure points in a campaign. Dallas Stars’ captain Jamie Benn flunked that Leadership 101 exam last week.
Not only did his team lose Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights to fall into a 3-0 hole, Benn was chiefly responsible for the loss when, just 1:53 into the game, he looked down at a prone Mark Stone and decided it was a good time to ram his stick into the side of Stone’s neck. He was rightly given a five-minute major and game misconduct. He then took a pass on explaining himself to the Stars’ fan-base via reporters after the game.
But when he did speak the next day, Benn only made matters worse when, asked what he’d do differently, he said he “obviously would have liked to not fall on him and, I guess, not use my stick as a landing point.”
Whether or not that argument was used with the Department of Player Safety, the league rightly – if surprisingly, considering the damage Benn had already done to his team – came down with a two-game suspension.
As for speaking/not speaking with the media, not every player is comfortable with that process and that’s fine. Benn has always appeared to fall into this category. But organizations must consider that when they decide to put a “C” on a player’s chest. It’s a part of the job.
Dubious about Dubas
That deposed Maple Leafs’ GM Kyle Dubas left a lot of loyalists behind in the front office speaks highly of him. And we have little doubt that given a second chance at a GM job – he’s reportedly interviewed for the open Penguins’ role (B’s assistant GM and capologist Evan Gold has also reportedly interviewed as well) – he could succeed where he did not in Toronto.
But you do have to question how he constructed those Leaf teams. He had nearly half his salary cap tied up in three forwards – Auston Matthews ($11.6 million), John Tavares ($11 million) and Mitch Marner ($10.9 million – and one defenseman – Morgan Reilly ($7.5 million). Forever in need of a goaltending upgrade, he made the dubious decision of picking up most of the oft-injured Matt Murray’s ($4.687 million) contract and obtained unproven Ilya Samsonov. By the time they were knocked out of the playoffs by Florida, both were spectators while 24-year-old Joseph Woll, a veteran of 11 NHL games, was between the pipes.
