Few thoughts about filling in Savard’s spot in Bruins’ lineup
Bottom line … the unpredictable nature of Savard’s injury has the Bruins somewhat handcuffed. But the salary cap and the parity around the league that fools many teams into thinking they’re contenders already was making it difficult for Boston to make a move. So going forward, I’d expect they’ll stay in-house for Savard’s replacement and see if the depth they boast of all the time is real or in their heads.
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Bo-
I think if the Bruins liked Wheeler at C, they’d be playing him there. I like it, you like it but they seem to not and so I figure they want to trade for a C.
Matt – why only discussing centers. I like wheeler in the middle and would rather they get someone who can play the wing with grit and score a few.
The LTIR option seems the best to me. If by some miracle Savvy is ready come playoffs – add him without a penalty and deal with the situation in the OffSeason. Remember, Ryder – Stuart – Recchi – Wheels are all up at years’ end.
I say we try and make a substantial deal for a winger.
I would go with Fisher. Bring him in let him play in Savvys spot. If we want to win this thing, which I think we had a chance until Savard gets injuried again, we are gonna need full speed. And how about Paul Kariya? He´s unassigned so we don´t need to give anything up for him, plus a great veteran with leadership and scoring touch. I know he´s not a center but we a couple of changes and we our depth in that position he could fix it.
I’m curious why Sauve wasn’t one of the P-Bruins mentioned as a potential call up? I know that he was hurt for parts of the season. And it might be he simply isn’t ready from a physical perspective to play at the NHL level. But to me Sauve brings raw speed and the ability to handle the puck with speed that is somewhat lacking in the Bruins forwards.
The question is “How does the Bruin’s management view this team”? If they see this current roster as being close then they should (and likely will) use some of the assets (prospects and draft picks) to shore up the teams scoring. If they don’t then they will stay the coarse and continue to build. Their actions will tell us how they view the current roster.
This team has a solid defense and a goaltender who will win the Vezina. Only thing holding them back from being a true Cup contender is offensive consistency. The Savvy injury is a real blow, but I think they’re close enough that they have to go for it, cap issues be damned. If Fisher is available, make a run at him. See if the Sens will take Wheeler off our hands, throw in our #1 pick this year, and maybe another pick. We’ll still end up with the Leafs pick. Ryder and others come off the books next year and we’d be able to absorb Fisher’s contract. Philly, TB, Pitt, and Wash look to be the other true contenders in the East and all have flaws. We should be able to comete with them, just need the offense.
It might be painful to hear, but listen… If Savard is really going to be out for the long haul, then the best thing the Bruins can do is stand pat. Lets say that the best case scenario is that Savvy comes back a month from now, and probably starts back at square one in terms of finding his game again. It’ll probably take him another month or two (if we’re lucky) until he starts to look like the Marc Savard we all have come to love (and the Bruins need as their #1 center). So, best case scenario, we’re looking at about 2/3 months until we see the Bruins fully healthy up front (and thats IF we suffer no other big injuries). Going by this timeline, we’re looking at playoffs or thereabouts until this team is back to 100%. Do we really think they can last that long AND be able to keep producing in order to go deep in the postseason? It would be a storybook scenario if they were able to survive without Savvy until the playoffs and then make a run to the Cup finals, but I just don’t see it. The NHL is just too competitive this year. That being the case, and taking into consideration that they have no cap flexibility, my opinion is that it would be far too risky for the B’s to put all their chips on making a serious Cup run this season. As much as it sucks, I think that they should be patient, see how the Savvy situation shakes out, and let whatever happens happen this year. The team should continue to work its tail off, and if they find themselves successful enough without Savard come April/May, then take that ride as far as it will go. But since we have basically the core of this roster still under contract for next season, I think they should be looking towards next year as the time to make their moves. With Ryder and others coming off the books, they will have enough cash to go out and bolster the wings and possibly get themselves a solid top-4 defender. Segzy and the youngsters will have another year under their belts and be more poised to contribute consistently. Lets hope I am wrong, they somehow get Savard back 100% somewhat soon, and this team impresses all of us with their resilience and ability to win hockey games. But if I’m management, I wouldn’t count on it.
Great article Matt!!! JohhnyBruin summed it up nice too. A call-up would be nice, and work for now, but to contend for a cup they will need another piece. Lets say Savard is out for 6 weeks, that puts him back in the lineup late in the season, and he will most likely not have his A game, and the part that Savard needs his A game doesn’t come easy to him. I think short term rental type player can be found!!!!
Seguin is becoming painful to watch. Last night was just another example of how soft and lost he looks out there. Yayaya hes 18 i know, and i hope some day he is the face of the franchise but right now its just not working. Watch LA’s second goal last night and Seguin was completely caught in no mans land. Mcquaid even points to Seguin after the goal to show him where he should have been. Keeping him as a health scratch for a few games or putting him with Campbell n Thorty is a better option. Im sorry for being a realist.
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Although I like the idea of calling up some rookie from Providence I don’t think that will be the answer for a team looking to win a cup. Fisher might be a pipe dream but if they really want to win he’s our man. Next year Ryder will come off the books and we don’t know if Savard will ever come back so if the Bruins seriously believe they have a chance at lord Stanley then go for it!