I don’t worry about getting anything of value for Sturm or Ryder in a trade, the cap space would be more valuable. I think the problem is more likely that all Chiarelli can get in return is a similar contract. Maybe that hypothetical player could turn things around with a fresh start on the B’s, but its just as likely he wouldn’t, at least not over the course of a full season. Often times there is an immediate impact but positive results trail off after that.

My other question is this: if Sturm becomes healthy, are they allowed to bury him on LTR for the whole season under the current CBA? Or will they be forced to call him up and at least waive him to the minors? And then if he finds his game in Providence and they want to call him up, depending on when that is during the season, theres a good chance they lose him on re-entry to a team struggling for scoring and/or veteran leadership at half price. That offers a little cap relief, but paying someone to play for another NHL team is far worse than paying him to play for your own, or for your own AHL team. Same could be said about Ryder, of course only if he is bumped to Providence early on to find his game. Chances are neither gets claimed but Chiarelli seems to be overly cautious about losing players on re-entry, too bad he isn’t that cautious when signing them to contracts in the first place.

I might get a virtual smacking for saying this, but I don’t think Sturm should be put back on the roster right away. One of the kids should get a chance to play. Yes, Sturm’s a valuable penalty killer… yes, he’s fast (we’ll have to see about that in November), but his skill set is easily replaceable. I can’t tell you how many Garden-wide groans shook my insides when Sturm put a weak wrister into a goalie’s chest on a breakaway. If you watch his goals from the past season, there were a staggering number of “right place, right time” opportunities that a high school kid could have put away. In the future, I don’t think this team can rely on Sturm to create chances for himself and consistently bury them.

I’m not trying to deduct from Sturm’s value to this team in the past… but his greatest asset has always been his speed, which has allowed him to get to the net quickly and to get open, and at this point his legs are undeniably prone to injury. Not only this, but his finishing touch miraculously disappeared last year… I’d say that it’s pretty unreasonable to expect Sturm to come back from his second knee injury in two years (now BOTH his legs are messed up) and be back in 08-09 form right from the get-go.

So, my point is… why not give Sturm’s ice time to a kid who could end up as a top-6 forward/50+ point scorer in the future? Marco should be gone after this season, and what better way to develop Colborne and Caron than to throw them right into the mix? When a kid gets a chance like that, the kid will give 110% and play his heart out unless he’s a complete idiot. Colborne is a Wheeler-type big guy with hands, and has leadership skills and a fantastic work ethic… and Caron is built solid, quick, and can snipe. Put one of them with the dangle-wizard David Krejci and I guarantee you they will grow into productive roles.

I don’t want to be negative because I think they have a pretty solid club, definitely a playoff team, hopefully will get past the second round. But since the question is a leading question asking for negatives, well here you go Matt, starting with offense:

Ryder needs to step up, although if he doesn’t I’m happy giving some youth the experience regardless of the risk, although I’m unfortunately too certain they would put Paille on a top 3 line and promote reich instead of Marchand, Colborne, or Caron. nothing against Paille, everything against Riech. And no, Satan is not the answer here!

Wheeler should be better, Krejci too, I’m a little concerned, but not too much. Both seem to have good heads on their shoulders and understand what it takes to turn it around and fulfill their NHL potential.

I’d like to see Bergy score more points, but I also understand his 2-way role. but elite 2-way centers score regardless of their role, and everyone wants Bergy to be in that elite category.

Trading Savard scares me. Losing him is equivalent to wasting Horton.

I’d like to see Campbell lose his job too, but having the disciplinarian’s son might help the B’s politically in the NHL if you believe the conspiracy theories.

I feel confident in Seguin, but we will see how he adjusts to systems, size, and speed. Hopefully he comes out like other highly touted recent top picks throughout the league. but will Julien allow the offense to flow? Or will he be held back to learn responsibility (I call BS)

Sturm is interesting, can he come back? can he come back and be effective? How does bringing him back affect the team due to cap? If he comes back strong, that’s one thing, but if they bring him back, forcing their hand to change the team, and he struggles, we are in trouble.

Finally Lucic needs to be a force, and if he’s not I’d like to see him demoted/scratched for some time, its time to send him the same message guys like Kessel and Hunwick got.

Speaking of Hunwick, defensively:

I’m no fan of Chara, he also needs to be a Norris candidate force, physically and offensively, not just a minute logger. otherwise, big trouble.

I like Boychuk, but I’m not sold on him being a real top 4 guy. I see Stuart in that role, but I’m afraid Ference will get it by Julien-veteran-chiarelli puckmover-default.

The key to the defense for me is how the youngsters handle management clearly telling them to battle it out. This is Hunwick, Stuart, Boychuk, and McQuaid, who is still unsigned it appears on the B’s site. Basically 1 will be a top 4 by default, and another can beat out Ference. So if they play to potential, the only problem is managing ice time they supposedly have “earned” (another of Julien’s inconsistent soundbytes), but if injuries or lackluster play plagues them, uh oh.

And you know Chiarelli will be “always looking to improve the defense with a number 2 puckmover” regardless of how the team performs. Which likely means screwing with the offense, unless he can unload Thomas. A Hnidy-type of depth guy is good enough for me, again letting the young 4 gain more experience and battle for a roster spot on a daily basis. And I mean daily, not one of Julien’s infamous let’s-wait-half-a-season-before-making-an-obvous-lineup-change.

As for Thomas and Rask, what worries me is trading Thomas, despite the likely need for cap space and defensive depth. Rask is likely the real deal, but clearly can’t handle the 60-plus-playoffs load. His playoff stats were great, but looking beyond those, he was clearly fighting some fatigue last April and May. And if Thomas was healthy and had played even just a little down the stretch, maybe he could have saved a game/series for them and given Rask a much needed breather. Unless you have a guy like Luongo or Miller, the NHL is designed to be a 2 goalie system. Rask may become that type of number 1 guy, but not just yet. He needs to steadily increase his load over 2-3 more years to really see if he can be that guy or a #1a/b. That takes him to the end of Thomas’ contract, so having him as a contingency plan is very important. I suppose that role can be filled by a solid cheaper guy, but is that guy out there, on either the free agent or trade markets?

Other reasons Thomas needs to play more in the meantime are because of his price tag, to stay sharp, to build/maintain trade value, and just because he’s a competitor who will fight hard for the team. Both goalies seem prone to giving up a softy here and there, but look at the Stanley cup winner and the Olympic winner as examples that everyone is bound to give up a softy, goal support is just as important as defensive systems and goaltending. Trading Thomas at the deadline for a deal that includes a competent backup (Auld-type) is the only acceptable way of doing it because I’m not sure if there is much out there in the free agent market anymore, at a low enough cost. And I’m not confident in the depth within the system to support Rask.

Overall, injuries throughout the lineup could mean trouble depending on how the replacements perform. That might be my real biggest concern. Also, I worry about Julien being the coach they need to get to the promised land, I tend to be overly critical of his roster moves, and system. When it works, like in 09, how can you argue against it? But the rest of his time here has seemed to inconsistent for me. Is it the personnel and how they performed, or is it the system itself? Was 09 a fluke, or just great chemistry with not only Kessel, but other guys like Axe, Hnidy, Yelle? My final question is Chiarelli… can he manage this cap and still keep them a contender? Will he make the right move at the right time? Sure, its mostly a hindsight 20/20 type of criticism, but the job is supposed to be about foresight, seeing a bigger picture, and having a team identity, which they are still seeming to craft, even after 3-4 years witht eh Chia/Julien tandem. One year he wants to be a puck pursuit, fast skating team ala Buffalo. Then he wants to be a mix of toughness and puck movers, ala Ottawa. then its puck possession ala Detroit. The greatest thing that Julien has done was change his style and mindset to push Montreal to game 7, big bad bruins style. Clearly there needs to be a combination of all that, and they are yet to put it all together for a full season, including playoffs, to get the Cup we all want. Again, is it personnel, bad luck, or leadership (management on down to captains)? Hopefully we don’t have to worry about the answer to all these questions, and everyone just gets the job done!!!

tru speaks the truth about re-signing miro the shoot out hero. i’m worried about the d. afraid af will get hurt like he always does, stewie and boychuk slump, and hunwick plays like he did last year.

GR90… I definetly agree on the Hunwick front… I think McQuaid should have his eyes on that job come training camp. Do I think McQuaid is ready? Possibly, but I do think it will be a tight competition. I like McQuaid’s size as opposed to a Hunwick/Ferrence line and I am also a fan how he doesnt back down… something this team needed last year.

My biggest question is how Seidenberg will be able to play if he isn’t paired with Chara. I honestly think Boychuk could play on that top line with Chara and have a Seidenberg/Stuart second pair. Boychuk had a great playoff run with both ice time and performance which may have directly been a product of playing alongside Z. On the other hand, Seidenberg played exceptionally well with Z in the limited time they saw together. I think Seidenberg is clearly the stronger player than Boychuk, but was his performance a product of playing alongside Chara as well? I know we wont know the answers til the puck drops in Prague, but perhaps putting Boychuk on the top line with Chara might strengthen the D pairs overall if Seidenberg can be as effective when paired with Stuart.

Comes down to Hunwick in my mind. If he takes the step folks were predicting for him last year – I think the D looks solid. On the other hand, I think I’ll throw up in my mouth if they roll out Wheeler-Krecji-Ryder for the third go in a row. Gbarf! The mix at forward is still missing some tenacity in my mind…. maybe the kid will challenge the pride of some older guys.

Clearly we’re still very thin on the wings! What a waste with all those talented centers.

I’m saying defense, but from an offensive/puck moving perspective.

get Satan back and I’m satisfied. he can’t be asking too much, can he? find room.