Acciari Fractures Finger, Out 6 Weeks

This sucks. Acciari is such a great depth forward who unfortunately has had to battle some injuries early in his young career. And this fractured finger setback is one of the tough luck variety. It happened when he was simply trying to block a shot Thursday night. It was about as random as it gets on a very routine play.

One can expect Austin Czarnik will slot in on the fourth line for the time being until Patrice Bergeron is cleared to play. But the loss of Acciari is still a bummer. The kid is a hard nosed wrecking ball, but not reckless, and his performance in his role on the team is always a nice bonus.

Follow us on Twitter @BostonPucks and let’s talk hockey.

B’s Win Home Opener, The Kids Are All Right

If you haven’t been reading Boston Pucks the past few years and were wondering how some of the new kids on Causeway would do in their official NHL debut Thursday night you got a definitive answer:

Seven Bruins players had points. Five of them are 21 years old or younger.

They were awesome. We knew this would happen. We’ve spent the nights in the college rinks to track these guys live. Hell, we’ve even hit the CHL live to take these prospects in. We’ve written countless blogs on them as they were trending toward legit NHLers. And we’ve told you this was coming.

So to see the blazing speed, mature beyond their years vision, and a pace forcing opponents into tougher decisions and situations, wasn’t a surprise. It was expected from these kids and they delivered. It’s a breath of Bruins fresh air.

The B’s, with their youth, ended up skating away with a 4-3 victory over the horrendously outfitted Nashville Predators. The Preds jerseys are so bad I refuse to even put them in this blog. Google at your own risk.

Here are some of our BostonPucks.com notes from the game:

  • Hard to believe Anders Bjork was a 5th round draft pick. He has turned into a massive get for the B’s. Last night he was every bit the top-6 talent he showed to be in training camp. Bjork grabbed himself a nice assist, logged over two minutes of power play time, and made things happen everywhere with his smarts and pace of his play. He is the mold of the modern day high end talent in the NHL and can perfectly play the relentless style Bruce Cassidy wants.
  • Jake DeBrusk notched his first career NHL goal. A nice little NHL 18-esque backhand-forehand shelf job that caught Pekka Rinne going the other way. He also picked up an assist on the night as well. Just another cog in the B’s youth wheel that is making an immediate impact. He had a great night. Here’s a look at his goal:

  • The Predators did not get their first shot on goal until 8:35 left in the first period.
  • David Krejci had three assists to go with a better than 70% faceoff night. He was a beast. He was like a proud father leading his kids around the playground. They may have gotten all the accolades having fun but Krejci was the glue holding a lot of things together. I’m sure some one on Twitter still hated his game though.
  • Charlie McAvoy got his first NHL goal as well. It’s easy to forget that was his first regular season NHL game after watching his impressive arrival against Ottawa in the playoffs back in April. The soon-to-be Bruins blue line anchor also had three minor penalties as well. With the NHL’s new found love of calling ticky tack shit McAvoy found himself knee deep in it. Either way, here’s a clip of his first goal and blown tire cele:

  • Every time I see the Preds Matt Irwin on the ice I can’t help but think of the disastrous half cup of coffee he had with the B’s two seasons ago.
  • David Pastrnak got the first of his 50 goals this season. I kid about him getting 50 this year (or do I?). It was an absolute laser beam on the power play off a slow and easy feed from McAvoy. He coulda had a few more with the amount of off wing one-timers he was getting through. He also had an atrocious turnover with 12 seconds left in the first period that led to a less than timely Preds goal. We’re still going to get some of that from Pasta every now and then as he cleans up his defensive game in time.

  • I’m not going to worry about the Bruins giving up 2 goals in the final minute of the game. They were goalie pulled 6-on-3 and 6-on-4 rarities compounded by Zdeno Chara serving time in the box. Let’s just move on.
  • Brad Marchand got his first of the season, the B’s 4th and final goal, with an empty netter from the parking garage:

  • Our feel good moments of the game go to the McAvoy and DeBrusk families. The parents were in town to watch their kids regular season NHL debut and both scored. So there were some touching waterworks. I can’t imagine what that feels like as a parent. I tear up when my two year old daughter makes something out of Legos so this has to be wild. Try not to get distracted by the stunningly beautiful DeBrusk sister when watching these:

Bruins don’t play again until Monday. It’s a 1pm Columbus Day matinee. We’ll be right here, following, tracking, doing the damn thing.

Follow us on Twitter @BostonPucks and let’s talk hockey.

Jack Eichel? More Like JACKPOT Eichel

You liked that stupid headline didn’t you? Thought so.

I remember shortly after I had coached in the EJHL and Empire Junior League I was hearing all about Jack Eichel, a Boston Jr. Bruin, just tearing that league to shreds. He was all the talk and more, putting up 80+ points in just 36 games that year.

Fast forward just five short years to today and that then 15-year-old Jack, now 20, has himself an $80 million NHL contract.

I wonder what it feels like to sign a piece of paper that guarantees you $80 million? It must feel somewhat decent, right?

Jack is an amazing player. After this season, when his new hefty extension kicks in, he’ll be one of the highest paid players in NHL history. And he deserves every nickel of that money.

What’s crazy is if he had waited another six or seven more months he’d probably have gotten another million per year or so out of the Sabres. Maybe even more. But he was sure to face questions all season long about his future in Buffalo had he waited to get this deal done. Now he can just focus on his game.

Jack’s new contract extension with the Sabres also crushes any Bruins fans pipe dreams of Eichel dressed in black n’ gold. When the former Junior Bruin and Boston University Terrier’s eight-year $80 million payday expires in 2026 he’ll be 28. That’s still in his prime and maybe, just maybe, he’ll want to experience a Boston homecoming then via free agency. In the words of Dumb & Dumber’s Lloyd Christmas, “so you’re telling me there’s a chance?”

Not likely.

Expect Eichel to explode this year. Expect him to be the essential cornerstone needed to help steer the Sabres toward that first elusive Stanley Cup. Whether they can eventually win it will go beyond just Jack. But expect him to prove over and over, night after night, that he’s worth this new extension. And expect me to continue to be bummed he’ll be burning the first decade of his career in Buffalo.

He deserves double what he’s getting just for that alone.

Follow us on Twitter @BostonPucks and let’s talk hockey.

The Great Malcolm Subban Era In Boston Has Ended

Not a shocking development but this kinda sucks. And not just because it’s not the best look for the Bruins. I’m just not of the school of thought that you handle first round 23-year-old goalie asset, that have been in your organization for the past 5 years, this way.

But rules are the rules. Subban had to clear waivers to go back to Providence after Anton Khudobin had won the backup job in camp. The B’s rolled the dice and lost. It’s not like Subban had done much to instill a ton of confidence in him. So it wasn’t much of a surprise:

Some one was going to grab Subban on the wire. You have to think the Bruins at least attempted to trade Subban at some point in the past few months in an attempt at some sort of common sense? You would hope they did anyway.

Instead, while Vegas was out wheeling and dealing with the entire league all summer the B’s have now sent the Golden Knights two players, Colin Miller and now Subban, for nothing.

My dream scenario would have been Sweeney, forecasting Subban as a potential waiver wire casualty, finding a way to move him in a package with Matt Beleskey. A similar way the Florida Panthers moved Lawson Crouse to Arizona to help unload the dead weight of Dave Bolland’s deal. Obviously that wasn’t the case here.

Time will tell how this all plays out for Malcolm Subban. He’s gotta beat out Calvin Packard for the backup job and I think he still has the ability to do it despite his previous nightmare showings in the NHL.

So while I love what Sweeney is trying to build in Boston, the asset management side of his tenure continues to make me scratch my head sometimes.

Follow us on Twitter @BostonPucks and let’s talk hockey.

Bruins 2017 NCAA Prospects

Although a lot of the Bruins top prospects have now graduated to professional hockey they still have some well regarded prospects grinding away in their amateur careers.

And it seems outside of Jack Studnicka (2nd round, 2017) and Urho Vaakanainen (1st round, 2017) the Bruins top prospects are playing in the NCAA. This summer however, the Bruins only grabbed one NCAA player in the draft to add to their collegiate pool. That was UMaine goalie Jeremy Swayman.

The first games for NCAA teams will be be starting up this weekend, most of them exhibition games against Canadian College teams. This seems like a good time to take a look at what Bruins prospects will be competing at the NCAA level.

Ryan Donato, Harvard – Junior

What he did last year:

Ryan Donato had a fantastic sophomore season. He was Ivy League Player of the Year, First-Team Ivy League, and First-Team ECAC. Donato played in 36 games, scoring 21 goals and registering 19 assists for 40 points.

What to expect this year:

Donato has earned ECAC Preseason First Team and will continue to play center this year for the Harvard Crimson. I expect another terrific season from Donato. He will be looked upon as a leader and a Hobey Baker contender. Anything less than the 40 points he put up last season will be a disappointment. Ivy League schools do play less games than other NCAA schools so the opportunity might not be there for a huge stats improvement but you should still see one. I do expect this to be Donato’s last year at Harvard.


Cameron Hughes, Wisconsin – Senior

What he did last year:

Hughes led Wisconsin with 25 assists last season. He popped off for just 7 goals as well for a total of 32 points. However, one of Hughes’ goals might have been one of the prettiest of the season, where he went between the legs against Boston College:

What to expect this year:

Hughes has been named team captain, which is always a huge honor and great for development. It shows the Bruins that he has leadership qualities they’ve seen in him. He’s has also been named to the Big Ten 2017-18 Players to Watch list. Hughes has improved his stats every season while at Wisconsin so it wouldn’t surprise me to see an improvement for the 2015 6th round pick. Being a senior it is a forgone conclusion that Hughes will turn pro at the end of the season.


Trent Frederic, Wisconsin – Sophomore

What he did last year:

Frederic was Big Ten Freshman of the year, 2nd team Big Ten, and Big Ten All-Freshman team. Frederic came on the scene without much fan fair. He was the guy everyone said the Bruins “reached” on by taking him with the 29th overall pick in the 2016 draft. Frederic, possibly extra motivated after hearing all the hate, exceeded expectations by scoring 15 goals, 18 assists for 33 points in 30 games.

What to expect this year

Trent Frederic was named unanimously to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list. Frederic has been named an assistant captain for this upcoming season as a sophomore. Due to injury last season he only played in 30 games, so an increase in point production should be there. He will most likely miss some games because of playing for Team USA at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Buffalo. I expect that Trent Frederic should be in the running for Big Ten Player of the Year. Like Ryan Donato, I expect Frederic to turn pro after this season.


Defense

Ryan Lindgren, Minnesota – Sophomore

What he did last year:

Lindgren earned Big Ten All-Freshman team last season. He also ran into some bad luck last season. While representing USA at the World Junior Championships in Montreal/Toronto Lindgren missed the Gold Medal Game due to illness and then he missed the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament due to a broken leg. The stay at home defenseman scored 1 goal and dished out 6 assists for 7 points in 32 games.

What to expect this year:

Lindgren was also named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch list. He is never going to put up huge points because that just isn’t the type of player he is. But he will represent Team USA at the World Junior Championships again with fellow Big Ten player Trent Frederic. Lindgren has also been named an assistant caption for the upcoming season at Minnesota. He should be in no hurry to turn pro as there are plenty of defensemen in the Bruins system. He may be better served to wait until after his junior season to let all the chips fall into place.


Cam Clarke, Ferris State – Sophomore

What he did last year:

Clarke a 6’2″ 190 pound defenseman played in 35 games for Ferris State last season recording 11 points (1 goal and 10 assists).

What to expect this year:

Clarke is a work in progress. He put up monster numbers in the NAHL prior to going to Ferris State. Now the adjustment period should be over and we should see some growth from the experience he gained his freshman season. Look for Clarke’s stats and opportunities to improve as a sophomore. He should be getting power play time now, and that will help pump the numbers a bit.


Wiley Sherman, Harvard – Senior

What he did last year:

Sherman played a big role on the Harvard Crimson defense last season that made it all the way to the Frozen Four. He was an anchor on the blue line, playing in all 36 games for Harvard while recording 13 assists.

What to expect this year:

Wiley Sherman was selected way back in the 2013 draft as a long term project. The monstrous 6’7″ defenseman was always going to stay at Harvard all four years. And Harvard is going to be a loaded team again. They have been picked to finish first in the ECAC in both the Coaches Poll and the Media Poll. Sherman again will be a big part of the defense shutting down the opponents and allowing the studs up front like Ryan Donato to do their thing.


Goalie

Jeremy Swayman, Maine – Freshman

What he did last year:

Swayman is the only new addition to the Bruins prospect list of NCAA players. He will be attending the goalie factory that is the University of Maine. The Anchorage, Alaska native played for the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL last season where he finished with a 2.90 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 32 games.

What to expect this year:

Maine is not a very good team so I expect Swayman to get some time between the pipes and face a decent amount of rubber. Swayman will be competing against a sophomore and a junior for playing time. It will be interesting to see how he transitions to Hockey East level of play.


College hockey is one of the hidden gems of NCAA sports. It is not a big money sport, it doesn’t have corporate bowl games, and you don’t have to worry about huge scandals rocking the sport like men’s basketball. Sorry, I had to take a shot at basketball.

Yet people should realize that 30% of players in the NHL played NCAA hockey. And that number is continually growing. Just take a quick look at the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins for proof. They had fifteen, yes fifteen, NCAA players dress for them in the Cup Final back in June. And where did all their goals come from? Right here:

Just think, last year you could have seen future NHL stars Charlie McAvoy, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Clayton Keller, Donte Fabbro, and Jake Oettinger all playing on the same team college hockey team at Boston University.

I cannot wait to see more of these types of players play in person again.

Hockey fans, get out to your local college rink. Enjoy the show. The Bruins aren’t the only team tapping the NCAA talent pool. And make sure next year you brag that you saw future NHL stars play in college.

Follow us on Twitter @BostonPucks and let’s talk hockey.

Left Wing Competition Is The Biggest Competition In Bruins Camp

We are officially a week into Bruins training camp and have seen two preseason games so far. Tonight we’ll get to enjoy another one against the Flyers at the TD Garden. Yet so far the Bruins have made just one cut by sending recent 6th round draft pick Cedric Pare back to his Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL.

At this point it is safe to say that the left wing competition has become the biggest and most interesting battle as training camp unfolds. In my opinion, and I would assume that of every Bruins fan, Brad Marchand is the only obvious shoe-in to be in the opening night lineup on the left side. All the way down the lineup, from the second to the fourth line, it’s hard to tell who is going to be playing left wing.

So far in camp all the young players who are options on the left side have shown well. Anders Bjork has been practicing on the right side with Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, but he shoots left handed, so naturally he could play the left side. Bjork scored a goal in the first preseason game against the Canadiens as well.

Jake DeBrusk has been on the left side with David Krejci and David Pastrnak. Although DeBrusk did not score against the Red Wings he received rave reviews from all media members. But with two weeks left of camp I do not think Jake DeBrusk is necessarily a guarantee yet to break camp with the big club.

DeBrusk and Bjork have been given the first opportunity to play top-6 roles and so far they have done nothing to lose that opportunity.

So for arguments sake let’s say DeBrusk breaks camp riding bitch with Krejci and Pastrnak. Who are the 3rd and 4th line left wings?

By my estimations there are four realistic players for those two spots. They are Frank Vatrano, Danton Heinen, Matt Beleskey, and Tim Schaller. Most likely three of these guys will break camp with the Bs. One of these guys will be the 13th forward.

Probably the guy who deserves a spot on the team the least but happens to cash the biggest checks will be the first person to make the team. And that would be Matt Beleskey. His skill set screams 4th line but so doesn’t Tim Schaller’s.

From seeing Beleskey play the past two years and Schaller play the past year I would have to say in the pure offensive skill department Schaller is the better player. One of these guys will be the 4th line left wing and the other will be the 13th forward.

So that means the 3rd line left wing would come down to Vatrano and Heinen.

Both of these players are able to be sent to Providence without having to clear waivers. However, Vatrano likely has the inside lane to grabbing the spot. He is experienced, a pure sniper, and looks to be trending a bit more toward being a 200 foot player the B’s hope he can be based off his performance against Detroit on Tuesday. But, I do not think he creates much for his linemates. Heinen probably has more all around skill than Vatrano, even with goal scoring ability and playmaking. But my guess here is Vatrano gets the first crack at the 3rd line left wing.

This is all a fluid situation though. One injury and all of these guys find themselves on the Bruins to start camp. Vatrano and Heinen can also both play the right side, so there is always that option. Would the Bruins be willing to trade Ryan Spooner and slide David Backes in as the 3rd line center being flanked by Vatrano and Heinen? It is going to be a tough call.

The decision is even harder since all the young players are playing well thus far and pushing for a spots. Maybe we will get more answers we need tonight as NESN carries their first preseason game.

I hope you’re all ready for a little Jack Edward’s. It’s been too long.

Follow us on Twitter @BostonPucks and let’s talk hockey.

B’s Kids Entertain In Win Over Wings

Well that was a nice little win for the Bruins last night at the Garden. They took care of the miserable Detroit Red Wings 4-2 on the back of Ryan Fitzgerald, Danton Heinen, Austin Czarnik, and Uncle Teddy Purcell’s goals.

The biggest team takeaway from the night was speed, speed, and more speed. Whether it was through the neutral zone or the puck movement itself, everything was high tempo. It was pretty refreshing to watch a Bruins team look like an actual modern day NHL team and not just the “grit” filled archaic big bad Bruins style.

Here’s a few notes that stood out from the game:

  • Austin Czarnik was fantastic. Kid was flying all over the ice, burying penalty shots, setting up one-timers, and just consistently in Detriots face. It looked like the Czarnik that caught my eye against the Habs in Montreal last season. He’s the ideal depth centerman. Blazing speed, smarts, solid on the draw, and as a bonus he has a mild scoring touch. It also seems he has an endless supply of energy.
  • Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson went into the end boards pretty hard in the second period after feeding a highlight reel worthy back door pass to Danton Heinen for a tap in goal. Not sure the extent of the injury, or if keeping him out of the remainder of the game was purely precautionary or not. He was one of many young guys having a nice night.

  • Jake DeBrusk, on a line with David Pastrnak and David Krejci, looked like he belongs there. He was strong on the puck, fighting to get to the net, and never seemed hurried or forcing things to his senior linemates. He looked very comfortable and effective. This was a strong showing for him.
  • Ryan Fitzgerald had himself a nice game as well. He potted a beauty off a little give n’ go with Jakub Zboril and was sharp all night long. He’s also purging my memory of Jordan Caron by giving the ol’ #38 jersey a much needed cleansing.
  • And speaking of Zboril, he is starting to get there also. He’s not as polished as some of the other defensemen but he is a guy who’s beginning to look the part. He had some nice plays getting the puck out of the zone and was the key to the Fitzgerald goal happening. It’s easy forget what a monster he is too. The kid is big.
  • Torey Krug took a puck to the face which forced him (ie: “I’ve had enough of this preseason shit”) to leave the game. But it was clear he had massive jump in his game already and nearly buried a beauty just a minute or so into it. If Krug can get off to a much better start this year the Bruins will certainly reap the benefits.
  • Not going to let this one bother me but Charlie McAvoy dealt with a couple hiccups tonight. A pretty dreadful d-zone turnover early when he blew a tire, and another weak one on an attempted breakout pass later in the game. But when you’re as good as he is it’s more the surprise of seeing those things happen that catch you off guard than anything else. Overall, he had a nice game as usual.
  • Despite the loss, and a less than stellar team playing in front of him, I thought Peter Mrazek had a pretty good game in net for the Wings. Particularly in the first period where he was under fire from in tight. Those huge saves early gave his thin team a chance to hang around well into the third.

After watching this one I don’t envy Don Sweeney (outside of his paycheck) right now. The guy is going to have some tough decisions to make as to who stays with the big boys in Boston and who goes back down to Providence. The kids look good and a few look ready. Going back to Providence isn’t a bad thing for those who don’t make it either. Continued patience and seasoning is always a positive if there are still some questions about a player being truly ready for the show or not. This year just happens to be different. The young herd is deep. And they’re absolute pushing the old guys for jobs.

Scoresheet aside, DeBrusk and Czarnik were the two forwards that seemed the most consistent and made things happen all night. On defense, Zboril impressed me more than I expected. The X factor is how much do the Bruins brass take into consideration the fact that they played a poor JV team last night? It’s probably not that relevant. There’s plenty more preseason to go and I’d say this youthful depth situation is the best problem the B’s have had in a long time.

Follow us on Twitter @BostonPucks and let’s talk hockey.

Pastrnak Extension Complete, Sweeney Hits A Homerun

What a morning! What a day! Tomorrow David Pastrnak will be on a plane, flying first-class, heading to cash some monster checks in the good ol’ U.S.A. And we all benefit from it. What a fantastic day all around, indeed.

Big hats off to Don Sweeney here. HUGE. Most figured after Chiarelli went all Chiarelli on Draisaitl that the Bruins were screwed. Turns out lunacy isn’t contagious. The true comparable contract the sides were using was the Filip Forsberg extension in Nashville last season. And the fact that the B’s initial offer was believed to be a six-year, $36 million pitch, shows Sweeney flat out nailed this one.

He has now locked up Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak for incredibly team friendly deals, while at the same time making the boys stupid rich.

I can’t help but think by last night Pastrnak had about enough of this process and told his agent to get this puppy out of second gear and up to speed. There was obviously more conceding on their end than the B’s but in the end it’s still a great pay day.

Lastly, it pains me to say this but the other NHL owners must be loving Jeremy Jacobs right now. The cheapest owner on the planet saved the league from validating an RFA spending trend Chiarelli nearly set by giving Draisaitl an absurd deal. That could have been a disastrous precedent to carry forward. Instead, Chiarelli maintains his own island in crazy land and Jacobs maintains his margin on $16 Bud Lights.

So welcome back to Boston, Pasta! Let’s get this season going!

Follow us on Twitter @BostonPucks and let’s talk hockey.

Announcement Of New Arena In Seattle Means Seattle Whalers Is A No Brainer

(Source: AL news.com)SEATTLE (AP) — A proposal to remodel KeyArena now has an ambitious timeline that could have it ready to house a professional franchise within three years.

KeyArena housed the NBA’s SuperSonics until they relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder. Oak View Group believes it can have the building ready by October 2020 if environmental approvals are obtained and demolition can start in October 2018.

The timeframe is sure to attract attention, including from the NHL. OVG has not hidden its intentions to be aggressive in an attempt to obtain an NHL expansion franchise soon after the arena agreement is finalized. Likewise, the NHL has not hidden its interest in Seattle.

This is your chance, Whalers. This is your chance to rise from the dead. Grab those blue and green colors you once proudly wore and you’ll fit right in perfectly alongside the similarly clad Seahawks and whatever that soccer team thingy is they have skipping around on the field there.

This would honestly be a dream come true for me. My old man would take me to Whalers games as a kid because you could catch an NHL game for about a nickel. So even though I wasn’t a true fan of theirs the nostalgia is there for me. I NEED the Seattle Whalers to be a real thing. And the NHL needs a 16th western conference team to balance out the league.

For what its worth, I created the Seattle Whalers in NHL 18 franchise mode last night just to see if it could work, and it does. Seattle was more then happy to have me. I drafted a solid expansion team, even signed Jagr, and the uni’s I created were fantastic. The fans really seem excited to see me play after my daughter goes to bed tonight.

I basically proved it’s not only viable for the NHL to set up shop there but also bring back the Whale at the same time. What more evidence do you need? Let’s get it done.

P.S.: You’re welcome.

Follow us on Twitter @BostonPucks and let’s talk hockey.

NHL Players Get To Be “Commissioner For A Day”

Over at ESPN.com Emily Kaplan had a pretty cool article today on what players would have on their agenda if they were NHL commissioner for a day.

Out of the 30 players polled 7 said they’d send NHLers to the Olympics. Of those seven were likely would-be participants like Jamie Benn, Erik Karlsson, and Kevin Shattenkirk.

A few players, Connor McDavid, Roman Josi, and Tuukka Rask, all said they’d bring back the two-line pass. Tuukka is probably mildly influenced by watching his D get torched by countless stretch passes the past three seasons.

My favorite responses were Johnny Gaudreau saying he’d have 3-on-3 overtime go until some one scores. Jack Eichel said he’d get rid of offsides altogether (something I’ve advocated for years myself). Shayne Gostisbehere wants the long change to be in two periods, not just the second, to help create more offense. And Taylor Hall said he’d remove the three-point games, saying “Oh, so-and-so is .500.’ But they’re really not. They’re 13-13-6, but they’re really 13-19. I think it would make a big difference.” He’s correct.

The lone surprising one was from tendy Martin Jones. He would make it so you can’t leave your feet to block a shot to help create more offense. Didn’t think a goalie would lean that way. But goalies are nuts.

If I were commissioner for a day I’d likely be the best one they ever had. I’d eliminate the instigator rule. I’d eliminate the puck over the glass delay of game penalty. I’d eliminate the trapezoid. I’d make off and onside be a “breaking the plane” thing, like scoring a touchdown in football, that eliminates having to drag a foot or the puck having to completely cross the blue to be in. I’d shrink goalie gear and their jerseys back to the 80’s. I’d implement three-point regulation wins. And this would all done before a 64oz. liquid lunch.

Feel free to call me, NHL. Your players are onto something. Let me help you. I’m available for cheap.

Follow us on Twitter @BostonPucks and let’s talk hockey.