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Monday, August 27, 2007

Analyzing the team: Offense

by Matt and Latrappe

Marc Savard: Marc posted 92 points last season after coming off a 97 point season. He showed that he is the real deal and can produce with almost any wingers. He will hopefully have Muzzy on his wing this season to increase his numbers, since Muzz was injured for a good part of last season. Savard is one of the biggest bargains in the NHL and will build of last season. One of the brightest parts of last season, look for Savard to crack 100 points this season.

Patrice Bergeron: Bergeron was hurt for the most part of the last season, and it had an effect on his game and his production. Some fans are, already, throwing the towel on him. That's would be a huge, huge mistake. Bergeron is young and showed that it can be a very good two way centerman. The fact that he didn't use his injuries to justify his so-so performances indicates that Bergy has a high standard for himself, but it also showed that he's a great leader. I expect a HUGE season for the young centerman and I wouldn't be surprise to see him reach near 90-95 points.

Bergy was hurt most of last season, and if having 70 points is considered a bad season, he must be a good player. Marco Sturm was very inconsistant, and Brad Boyes was a shell of his former self. He was a -28, but no one on the Bruins was a good +/-. Bergeron is fully healed and should deliver a 85-100 point season. He is still only 22, and one of the best young players in the NHL.

Phil Kessel: Phil "the thrill" really developed after his cancer scare. He seemed to be be a really different player after that. He will be 19, and is a franchise type prospect. He will be a year older and knows the NHL better. A shoot-out specialist, we will likely see that again. Look for Kessel to get around 50 points this season. He is likely going to see more PP time. Kessel will be a big part of this team this season.

Mark Mowers: Will be a 4th line player, maybe a 13th forward. He is good on the PK and scores a few key goals during the season. He is a solid depth player to have on the team. Look for him on the PK again this season. He could score from 3-7 goals this season.

Glen Murray: The experienced winger is in the middle of all the rumours surrounding the B's. He's an excellent goal scorer and his experience is priceless. He never complained about the B's situation and he acted like a real professionnal when JT was dealt. Murray can be an important piece of the puzzle IF he stays healthy. I'd like to see him paired with Bergeron to see the results but since he was productive with Savard; it would be a bad idea to fix something that wasn't broke.

Look for Muzzy to, if he stays healthy, to score 35-45 goals. He is the best pure goal scorer on the team.

Chuck Kobasew: The jury is still out on him and i think some fans need to cut him some slack. He returned from a major injury and his timing was way off. This is a new season for him and i expect a good defensive-hitting game from his part but not a lot of offense. Combined with PJ, this guy can give the team an excellent mid-productive 3rd line and a good PK unit with Axe or Schaefer.

Marco Sturm: Ahhhh, Marco. Sturm can be a very good element for the B's if he decide to be more consistent in his game. Sturm have all the tools but have the bad habit to disappear for a long period of time. I had no problem with his re-signing but 3.5 per seems to be a bit higher for a guy who didn't show up everytime. I'm looking for a better season from Sturm, especially with the arrival of a new coach who is more willing to let his players use their creativity.

PJ Axelsson: Another name in a lots of rumours and rightly so. Axelsson, despite what some fans think, is a very important element of this B's team. His defensive game is very sound and he rarely hurt his team when he's on the ice. His contribution on the 3rd and during the PK can be a HUGE part of the GAA plan of the team. PJ is a keeper, especially at 1.85 per...

Jeremy Reich: I must admit that i never liked the guy and though that his tougness was a bit questionnable. That said, he was definitely not the worst player on the ice for the B's and a spot on the 4t line with Thornton and Mowers ( ?, i wish not ) might be just what the doctor should prescribe for the B's 4th line.

Milan Lucic: Still very young and it can develop into a very good player for the B's if the team is patient enough with him. Having him at the camp will help the team to evaluate his developement. I don't see him in Boston, this year, and another year in Vancouver might the best thing who can happend to him.

Jeff Hoggan: Was horrible, last year. Bad in the defensive zone and his signing was more a Providence one. I don't expect him to make the team, especially if you consider that Walter and Krecji might a better alternative on the 4th line; if there's any place, already, available on that 4th line...

Peter Schaefer: Could post 20+ goals on the 2nd line. He is a solid gritty winger who can score. In exchange for Shean Donovabn, he will provide an upgrade at LW posistion. He rounds out a nice 2nd line with Bergeron and Bochenski. Schaefer should post some solid numbers. Look for him to be on both the PP and PK. Plays well in defensive zone.

Shawn Thornton: Will provide grit. A 4th liner who will beat the shit out of anyone. Him and Reich should be in many fights this season. The Bruins were one of the lamest teams last season, but this year that'll change with the addition of Shawn. Don't look for more than 10 points from him.

Brandon Bochenski: Hopefully will ride a full season. He could score anywhere from 20-30 goals. He reminds me of Glen Murray. He will be paired with Bergeron and Sturm likely. Bochenski is the real deal.

Stan Chistov: Signed in Russia, wouldn't have done much here. We will save 800k in compensation.

8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'd like to see what Bochenski can do this year. I don't think anyone has ever really relied on this guy at the NHL level before. He saw spotty time in Ottawa, Chicago had a problem with him and said they'd never bring him to the big club. I think that with a full season of action, he can put up serious points. He had 22 points in 31 games last year, so I want to see more of that.

1:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is Brad Marchand coming to camp? He is an exciting scorer, at least in junior.

6:56 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

O.K.....Eklund is reporting Hossa for possibly 2 top forwards. Murray and ?????, anyone have anything further on this ??

1:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

yeah, Eklund is a tool

6:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i think the person that reported Muray and Kobasew.... for Kovalchuk got the part of what we were getting wrong.

7:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Part of this is quoted in the Glen Metropolit forum, but I'd like to see what you all think. This was originally posted @ hockeybuzz:

Couple of thoughts...

GOAL - I think that Fernandez will play 2:1, 3:1 time with maybe a few 2 or 3 game long stretches with Thomas starting. Especially early on, I don't think that Julien should be shy about admitting that Fernandez is the clear number 1, but keeping him healthy is a priority. Between his knee and the fact that he has never held the sole starter's role, I think we should handle his icetime very conservatively. Thomas has proved that he CAN be a workhorse, but is not a premiere elite goaltender.

Kessel - I have concerns about The Thrill being relegated to a 3rd line defensive unit. I do not think that this year's lineup is worth stunting Phil's offensive growth as an NHL scorer. I'd like to see him either on a wing on the second line, or even centering the second line with Bergy on his wing. Bergy has proven that he can play on well on the wing.

Muzzy - His health concerns me. The fact that Brandon Bochenski is a Glen Murray prototype strikes me as presenting an opportunity. Glen certainly belongs on the first line, but I think that it would be smart to limit his minutes by plugging Bochenski into his spot on the first line for maybe 5 shifts a game or so. Keep Bochenski on the 4th line otherwise, and use him extensively on a PP unit. By making this sort of split, I think that Bochenski and Murray will see similar numbers of minutes and it will be easier to keep Murray healthy.

3rd or 4th line Center - Mark Mowers does not help our "Plan A". That being said, he is very valuable serving many possible roles in any number of "Plan B" situations. I'd rather call up a young center to fill that last spot that was vacated by moving Kessel to 1st or 2nd line duties. For a defensive role, I like Ben Walter, and for a more offensive, I like Krejci.

2:33 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

pj axelsson is the whole team

5:19 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

How about these lines

Axelsson -Axelsson -Axelsson
Axelsson -Axelsson -Axelsson
Axelsson -Axelsson -Axelsson
Axelsson -Axelsson -Axelsson

Axelsson -Axelsson
Axelsson -Axelsson
Axelsson -Axelsson

Axelsson

9:19 PM  

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