85 replies to this topic

[PedroSpecialK]

The core set to take the ice at the Dunk this season appears a bit thin up front, but that's to be expected with the trade of Joe Colborne and expected graduation of Jordan Caron. However, Chiarelli has said he'll look for a veteran forward to replace Recchi, so don't be surprised to see Caron start out with the P-Bruins, and for the return of veteran presences Trent Whitfield and Jeremy Reich Kirk MacDonald. With the glut on the blueline, I expect Nate McIver to see time at forward on the 4th line.

Whichever of Craig Cunningham/Mark Goggin/Justin Florek/Alex Fallstrom/Ben Sexton is signed will be eligible for AHL play. I expect Cunningham and perhaps Sexton to be signed.

Tentative Lineup:

Sauvé - Hamill - Caron
Hennessy - Cunningham - Arniel
MacDermid - Whitfield - Tardif
Chaput - Camper - Randell
McIver/Riendeau/MacDonald

Bartkowski - Alexandrov
Warsofsky - Cohen
Bodnarchuk - Button
Cantin/McKelvie

Khudobin
Hutchinson

Edited by PedroSpecialK, 21 July 2011 - 07:33 AM.

[The Four Peters]

Is Tommy Cross going back to BC?

[PedroSpecialK]

Why yes, yes he is. According to poster Gruntfuttock he'll be captaining BC's squad.

[RIFan]

I'd be surprised if Valabik is back. He had a 1 way contract worth $800k last year. I believe they need to send him a 1 way qualifying offer since he wasn't exposed to waivers last year. He's too far down the depth chart to commit to $840K, plus he wasn't dressing much at the end of the year. If they non-tender him, he'll probably be able to get better offers than what the Bruins will offer to keep him.

Macdonald should be in the mix. They signed him to an NHL deal at the end of the year. He's regarded as a good clubhouse guy and mentor for the younger guys.

They usually carry 14-15 forwards and 8 DMen to start the year with some riding the ECHL shuttle, so I'd expect that they take a few flyers on AHL vets to round out the roster.

[Eddie Jurak]

Is there any reason to think Hamill will be back?

[Jed Zeppelin]

Is there any reason to think Hamill will be back?

Apparently because of his age and when he signed he's not an RFA and will be back.

[BigMike]

Is there any reason to think Hamill will be back?

Yes, it would seem he is not a RFA yet. For some technicality he still has a year on his ELC according to cap geek, but I am not convinced they are right

hamil

I would think they even if he were a RFA they qould give him a qualifying offer and bring him back next year (doubt anyone would steal him away). There just isn't much else at center in Providence

[ArquimedezMojo]

I'd be surprised if Valabik is back. He had a 1 way contract worth $800k last year. I believe they need to send him a 1 way qualifying offer since he wasn't exposed to waivers last year. He's too far down the depth chart to commit to $840K, plus he wasn't dressing much at the end of the year. If they non-tender him, he'll probably be able to get better offers than what the Bruins will offer to keep him.

Macdonald should be in the mix. They signed him to an NHL deal at the end of the year. He's regarded as a good clubhouse guy and mentor for the younger guys.

They usually carry 14-15 forwards and 8 DMen to start the year with some riding the ECHL shuttle, so I'd expect that they take a few flyers on AHL vets to round out the roster.

I would be surprised if he isn't back. What look to be throw-in's for Chiarelli have been shown to be useful prospects multiple times now. They stalk players and then pounce when they get a chance. Huge guys take time to develop in the NHL. They are going to give this guy a shot. I think $840k is too low. He's gonna need $200k in chickens to keep him fed.

[sjaustin77]

According to HF boards Reich signed to play in Germany.

This thread I think: HF board

[RIFan]

According to HF boards Reich signed to play in Germany.

This thread I think: HF board

Confirmed http://www.erc-ingol...av=news&id=1626

[PedroSpecialK]

Thanks for the info, I'll keep a running edit of the tentative/final roster on the first post and finalize it when training camp's over.

And I mean come on, of all pro leagues, Reich goes to Germany? The jokes are writing themselves.

[The Four Peters]

Thanks for the info, I'll keep a running edit of the tentative/final roster on the first post and finalize it when training camp's over.

And I mean come on, of all pro leagues, Reich goes to Germany? The jokes are writing themselves.

Not that he was on your list or likely to make the team, but Smotherman is going to Germany too. Maybe he'll be playing with the First Reich.

[cshea]

Craig Cunningham will probably be in the mix down there. He'll be 21 in September, so I'm pretty sure he's out of junior eligibility.

[sjaustin77]

Bodnarchuk and Chaput were qualified per Murph on twitter so they are in the mix as well. Looks like a lot of defenseman will be competing for spots.

[PedroSpecialK]

First post is updated for Hennessy/Tardif/Khudobin signings, as well as Bodnarchuk QO.

[RIFan]

Looks like the roster is close to being set. Khodobin and Whitfield are officially back. They've added a little more veteran depth in the signings of forwards Jamie Tardif and Josh Hennessy. Tardif basically replaces Reich with more goal scoring ability 27-27 54 last year. Hennessy was a consistent goal scorer in the AHL before going to the Swiss-A league. Averaged 25-31 56 in the AHL. Have them flank Hamill and you might see him rack up the points and get someone to bit at the deadline.

If Arniel, Caron, Sauve and Camper continue to develop they'll have a lot more scoring ability than last year.

[PedroSpecialK]

Bruins have re-signed Stefan Chaput, and have signed Craig Cunningham to a 3 year ELC.

[erfus]

The Providence Bruins are off to a miserable 0-3 start, having scored 3 goals in 3 games and allowing 15.

Providence skater stats

They picked up some vets over the summer and I thought they'd be better, but this has not been a good start under the new coach Bruce Cassidy.

[PedroSpecialK]

The Big B's have signed UDFA Kevan Miller to an entry-level contract.

BRUINS SIGN PROSPECT MILLER: Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the team has signed defenseman Kevan Miller to an entry-level contract. The 23-year-old Miller played collegiately at the University of Vermont where he skated in 144 games over his four-year career with five goals and 25 assists for 30 points. He appeared in six games for the Providence Bruins last year on a tryout basis and registered nine penalty minutes. This season, he has played in five games for the P-Bruins with 0-2=2 totals and seven penalty minutes.

Miller attended Boston’s full training camp this preseason but was released to Providence’s camp on September 23. The 6’2’’ 200-pound native of Los Angeles, CA originally joined the Boston organization as an undrafted college free agent last year.

Edited by PedroSpecialK, 21 October 2011 - 01:58 PM.

[Eddie Jurak]

The Big B's have signed UDFA Kevan Miller to an entry-level contract.

Tim to start planning the Calder Cup parade...

[cshea]

Chris Clark is back!

Per Fluto on twitter. Headed to Providence on a PTO.

[Jed Zeppelin]

Hamill has 5-5-10 in 11 games. He might actually get a legitimate chance this year if he keeps it up. He's not what they are looking for in a 3rd line winger but he should at least get the same shot that Caron and Pouliot have gotten, if only to try to increase his trade value. Providence has been absolutely brutal for offensive stats so this stretch is actually pretty impressive.

[erfus]

Hamill has 5-5-10 in 11 games. He might actually get a legitimate chance this year if he keeps it up. He's not what they are looking for in a 3rd line winger but he should at least get the same shot that Caron and Pouliot have gotten, if only to try to increase his trade value. Providence has been absolutely brutal for offensive stats so this stretch is actually pretty impressive.

I think it's more likely Clark comes up after a week or so of getting his legs back, Caron goes back to PVD to play top line minutes, and Hamill stays down there until things go kaboom in Boston or a rash of injuries strike (or he's finally playing well enough to be traded for a 6th round draft pick or something).

[Jed Zeppelin]

I think it's more likely Clark comes up after a week or so of getting his legs back, Caron goes back to PVD to play top line minutes, and Hamill stays down there until things go kaboom in Boston or a rash of injuries strike (or he's finally playing well enough to be traded for a 6th round draft pick or something).

I agree with that, but it wasn't sexy enough for my fantasy scenario.

[cshea]

One potential issue with Hamill is that, to my knowledge, exclusively been a center at the pro level. I don't think it's wise to simply plug him into the Caron/Pouliot spot and give it a go. Hamill also has that funky contract, so I don't kno if he'd need to go through waivers again to brung him up. He cleared the first time, so I suspect he'd get through again, but you never know.

Also, I don't like the idea of bringing Clark up and sending Caron down. I would like them to be a bit patient with Caron, and give him some time to sink or swim. I thought he had his best game of the year last night. I'd shelve Pouliot for a bit and see what Caron does with consistent ice time for a few weeks.

[FL4WL3SS]

I really have to trust Julien at this point when it comes to the younger players, he has a proven track record of letting them spread their wings when they are ready. If he's holding Caron back, it's for a reason and I have to trust that he knows he's not ready for full ice-time yet. Ideally it would be neat to see Caron play more minutes and succeed, but I have to believe he wouldn't be ready yet for that much workload.

Edited by FL4WL3SS, 02 November 2011 - 11:33 AM.

[erfus]

Also, I don't like the idea of bringing Clark up and sending Caron down. I would like them to be a bit patient with Caron, and give him some time to sink or swim. I thought he had his best game of the year last night. I'd shelve Pouliot for a bit and see what Caron does with consistent ice time for a few weeks.

I'm OK with giving Caron a shot to see if last night was the harbinger of something, but he hasn't looked like he is ready for it this season so far. I really don't want to see Caron type-cast as a 3rd or 4th line grinder when he doesn't have much quality AHL time under his belt to develop his skills. Marchand lit up Providence for a while (113 games) before breaking in on the 4th line and earning his top 6 ice time and I think it's OK if they put Caron on a slow road if he's not showing much at the NHL level.

Clark is a known quantity, probably not a top 9 forward at this point in his career, but he'll fit in as a role player immediately IMO until they can find something better. I think it's likely that both Caron and the Bs would be better served if Caron is getting huge AHL minutes and Clark (or Paille or Pouliot) is filling the plugger role on the Kelly / Peverley line.

[Eddie Jurak]

I think Caron deserves more of an opportunity than he's had so far. Last night, he showed some signs of life - some good work on the boards, nice feed to Kelly off a turnover, good net drive on Kelly's goal and was screening the goalie on Boychuk's. I'd like to see if he can build on that - how many 2 goal games do we have this year from a line without Bergeron, Marchnd, Seguin, or Lucic?

[SidelineCameras]

Caron and Kampfer back to Providence.

I like it. I see the benefit of them practicing with the first team, but they can also use as much game time as possible. I realize that none of this is startling, groundbreaking analysis on my part, but I see them both back in Boston at some point in the season, whether it's injuries or resting other guys.

Plus without them the P Bruins are pretty boring.

[OldSaintJohn]

They'll probably both get called up on Saturday morning. Providence has a game on Friday and they're likely just looking to get both those guys in a game situation

[SidelineCameras]

Aha. Makes sense. I wonder if it will happen several times throughout the season.

[OldSaintJohn]

It wouldn't surprise me. They did it with Caron maybe a month ago. It makes sense when there are long lapses in Boston's schedule that include a PVD game during that time.

[Eddie Jurak]

I think it is foolish for either of them to be getting virtually no game action. If they aren't going to play regularly in Boston, they should be in Providence full time. Sign an over the hill guy like Chris Clark to watch Bruins games from upstairs - Caron and Kampfer are still close enough to recall int he event of an injury.

[BigMike]

They'll probably both get called up on Saturday morning. Providence has a game on Friday and they're likely just looking to get both those guys in a game situation

I don't see a reason to call them up Saturday morning unless they will be playing in the Saturday night game, or at least there is some doubt about someone's condition for the Saturday night game.

I would leave them in Providence at least for the weekend and let them get 3 games in

[Blacken]

I think it is foolish for either of them to be getting virtually no game action. If they aren't going to play regularly in Boston, they should be in Providence full time. Sign an over the hill guy like Chris Clark to watch Bruins games from upstairs - Caron and Kampfer are still close enough to recall int he event of an injury.

They already have Clark's contract, don't they? Or did he get signed by Providence on a separate deal?

[OldSaintJohn]

They already have Clark's contract, don't they? Or did he get signed by Providence on a separate deal?

He signed with Providence on a PTO and then was subsequently released from that about two weeks ago

[PedroSpecialK]

At what point does Bruce Cassidy enter the Danger Zone?

The PB's are last in the Atlantic Division with 23 points in 28 games, and are 14th in the Eastern Conference ahead of only the Binghamton Senators - whose roster is decimated by the suck of their parent club. Their leading scorer is Carter Camper with 6-12-18 totals in 27 games, followed by Hennessy with 8-7-15 in 26 and Hamill with 7-7-14 (and a relatively encouraging even +/-) in 25.

Of players who've played half the season or more, there is one guy with a + rating (Lane MacDermid with a +1), two guys who are even in Hamill and Warsofsky, and everyone else is a minus. They have 6 players in double digits points-wise - Tardif, Warsofsky, and Cunningham in addition to the aforementioned three.

Looking at the roster is just ugly stuff. Cassidy is routinely scratching Ryan Button and Marc Cantin at a time when Andrew Bodnarchuk is leading the blue liners in games played - not undeservedly, but from a player development standpoint it sucks. Max Sauvé, one of the system's most talented prospects, has played 20 games with 3 goals, 2 assists, and a -7. Jamie Arniel, the club's best player last season, has played 28 games with 1 goal, 5 assists, and a -7.

For me, the lone bright spots on the club are Khudobin (.911 sv% despite a porous d-corps), MacDermid (looking like a potentially cheap replacement for one of Paille/Thornton), and Warsofsky. My bigger point: whatever Cassidy's doing, it isn't working.

Edited by PedroSpecialK, 11 December 2011 - 07:50 PM.

[erfus]

At what point does Bruce Cassidy enter the Danger Zone?

Doesn't Providence attempt to play the same system as Boston does? Perhaps it's just not something that Cassidy grasps well enough to implement successfully. It's certainly unfortunate that so many of the guys down there have regressed statistically from last season. Ordinarily you would put that on the individual players, but when it's a team-wide underachievement, you have to wonder if they should have gone in a different direction when they jettisoned the last guy instead of promoting the assistant coach.

[FL4WL3SS]

Doesn't Providence attempt to play the same system as Boston does? Perhaps it's just not something that Cassidy grasps well enough to implement successfully. It's certainly unfortunate that so many of the guys down there have regressed statistically from last season. Ordinarily you would put that on the individual players, but when it's a team-wide underachievement, you have to wonder if they should have gone in a different direction when they jettisoned the last guy instead of promoting the assistant coach.

Yep.

It was the wrong decision at the time and it looks even worse now. I was pissed when they made the decision, but even I could not know it would be this bad. I think Cassidy should have an even shorter leash than an NHL coach - the stakes for ruining careers is much higher.

[Jed Zeppelin]

Whatever has gone wrong, hopefully it is fixed for next season when the team is likely to add two legit prospects in Knight and Spooner. You have to assume the talent upgrade will automatically help to a degree, but if the coaching really is that poor there's no limit to the damage it can cause. Boston has stepped up as one of the premier franchises in the league and there's no excuse for having such a rotten AHL squad.

[cshea]

I think the issue is mostly talent based than the coaching. Frankly, the roster sucks. The forwards are mostly career AHL players, grinder type prospects (Cunningham, Arniel, MacDermid, Sauve), and the over the hill guy AAAA guy in Trent Whitfield. To me, the only NHL forward down there is Lane MacDermid.

The defense is concerning. No high-end prospects, but some intriguing players that could potentially step in and help. We're and injury tonight away from needing to call up Warsofsky/Cohen/Button.

[FL4WL3SS]

I think the issue is mostly talent based than the coaching. Frankly, the roster sucks. The forwards are mostly career AHL players, grinder type prospects (Cunningham, Arniel, MacDermid, Sauve), and the over the hill guy AAAA guy in Trent Whitfield. To me, the only NHL forward down there is Lane MacDermid.

The defense is concerning. No high-end prospects, but some intriguing players that could potentially step in and help. We're and injury tonight away from needing to call up Warsofsky/Cohen/Button.

When the entire team takes a step backwards, it's not the players.

[FL4WL3SS]

Look at Colborne last season as an example. Struggled immensely in Providence under Murry, then exploded for the Marlies and was ecstatic to get out of that system.

Makes me wonder if Hamill could have at least been a little better than he is now.

[cshea]

Who has taken a step back, other than Arniel? He's the only one I can see making a significant regression.

Sauve's numbers are shit right now, but he wasn't very good last year either. Hamill is what he is at this point. Defensively, it's tough to get a read on Warsofsky and Button because it's essentially their first full seasons as pro's. So we don't have much to work on with them. Statistically, Colby Cohen and Matt Bartkowski actually seem to be improving to some extent.

Edit: Colborne is a fair example.

Edited by cshea, 13 December 2011 - 01:47 PM.

[FL4WL3SS]

I probably overstated my case about total team regression, but the fact of the matter is that the team is not progressing, at all. There's at least enough talent down there to expect some surprise production out of players and we're just not seeing that.

[erfus]

I probably overstated my case about total team regression, but the fact of the matter is that the team is not progressing, at all. There's at least enough talent down there to expect some surprise production out of players and we're just not seeing that.

Jamie Tardif is a decent AHL scorer. 27-27-54 last season. 12 pts in 23 games this season with a -11.
Kirk MacDonald was decent AHL filler last season. 15-23-38 in 76 games last season. 1 goal this season and 9 pts in 28 games.
Sauve has/had health issues, but did have 21 goals in 61 games last season. 3 in 20 so far this season. A bunch of these kids seemed to have decent camps too. Button has always been a good prospect camp performer, but he's laid an egg so far with Providence.

Team-wise, they're scoring 2.14 G/Game this year compared to 2.61 last season. They've allowed 3.21 this season compared to 3.15 last season. On paper, I think they should actually be a bit better this year with Khudobin an upgrade on Schaefer and the kids down there getting 1 year of additionaly maturity. Plus the additions of some AHL vets like Hennessy and Tardif.

[cshea]

Jamie Tardif's 27-27 season a year ago was a pretty big outlier when you look at his career numbers. His previous career high in points was 34. MacDonald is 27 and has never hit the 40 point mark in the AHL. Whitfield and Hennessey are the only proven AHL scorer they have down there. They're both having down years, but Whitfield appears to be hurt (only played 10 games so far).

I guess my point is while it's certainly fair to criticize Cassidy, especially since he was an assistant last year, the roster just flat out sucks. Cassidy doesn't have much to work with. Not including the goalies, they have 3 players that were selected in the top 100 of the NHL draft. Hamill, Sauve, and Colby Cohen who was a Colorado draft pick. Draft status doesn't mean much, of course, but I just look over the roster and see a bunch of "meh." They sucked under Murray, but still were able to develop Marchand, McQuaid, Boychuk and Steven Kampfer. We'll see what happens at the end of the year and next year when Cassidy gets handed the keys to Spooner and Knight's development.

[FL4WL3SS]

We'll see what happens at the end of the year and next year when Cassidy gets handed the keys to Spooner and Knight's development.

I'm praying that doesn't happen.

[RIFan]

I catch a lot of games in Providence and most of the issues look to be coaching or system driven. They struggle to get the puck out of their own end on the break. The powerplay is an absolute disaster. They don't have a lot of presence in front of the net and seem to have a lot of shots come from tough angles below the dots.

Player wise, Hamill has most nights looked like their best player now that he is on the wing. He's showed the grit that was lacking previously, but I don't think he has developed an NHL caliber shot yet. Sauve got crushed Friday with a blindside hit to the head and was down on the ice for a while. He needed a lot of help to get to the tunnel. It's his second concussion this year so he could be out a while. When he's in there, there is no doubt he has NHL skills. He has a + wrist shot (accuracy needs to improve)and skates well enough to be a 2nd or 3rd line winger with the right centerman. Arniel overachieved last year. His speed is his biggest asset and it doesn't seem to be there this year. Doesn't even remotely look like the same player. Hennessey and Tardiff are good solid AHL forwards. Tardiff is a energy player who can pick up goals in bunches by crashing the net and causing giveaways. He wouldn't kill you as a 4th line callup. Cunningham is raw and needs to develop, but has some skill. Camper is a fringe NHL guy that could be a Versteeg type and break through. Macdermid is the closest to a sure thing because he skates well for his size and projects to be a Thorton type enforcer. Enough skill to play 10 min a game, but with intimidating size. Macdonald is a solid AHL guy. He plays and intelligent game and is always in the right spot. If you wanted a guy to ride on the 3rd or 4th line and just play solid hockey he would be the guy, but probably lacks the overall speed to compete consistantly in the NHL.

The D prospects all look weak. Warsofsky can't be more than 5'8 170. Good skater, but not sure he can hold up physically in the NHL. Cohen is a fringe NHL bottom pairing at best. Button hasn't played enough to really gauge, but hasn't stood out. Bartkowski is tentative with the puck, he looks to be regressing. Bodnarchuk is a plus skater who might develop if he can make better decisions with the puck. Mckelvie looks pretty good for a guy that sat out a few years. Decent size and a good skater. Haven't seen much offensive ability, but he's worth watching as he shakes off the rust.

Khodobin has looked shaky at times. His technique can get him in trouble, but he's like TT in that he can recover and make unorthodox saves. Hutchinson can look outstanding on some nights and mediocre on others. I think he can develop into an NHL backup or have enough hot streaks to be able to have a career like Boucher.

[Zomp]

Went last night. Thought it was a good game but the best part was during the fights they play The Rock's wrestling theme music.