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Boston Bruins Blogger •
Good question, right? With injured center Marc Savard slated to return to the Bruins' lineup this week, someone's going to have to get the boot. Lets break it down and try to come up with a logical answer.
THE LOCKS
(Players I'm 100% sure that their spots are safe)
Patrice Bergeron
Marco Sturm
David Krejci
Michael Ryder
Blake Wheeler
Milan Lucic
Steve Begin
THE ASSUMPTIONS
(Players I'm fairly certain have little to worry about)
Shawn Thornton
Byron Bitz
Daniel Paille
So who does that leave us with? Well, two names: Mark Recchi and Vladimir Sobotka. Here's how the two have done so far in 2009-10...
RECCHI: 22gp, 3-6-9, -2 rating, 16:29 TOI/G, 2:43 PP TOI/G, 23 hits, 6 blocked shots
SOBOTKA: 15gp, 1-2-3, -2 rating, 11:18 TOI/G, 0:37 PP TOI/G, 44 hits, 9 blocked shots
While Recchi trumps Sobotka in points (9 to 3), consider that Rex has been on the ice for 363 minutes while Sobotka currently sits at 169 total minutes. Recchi also sees 4x as much ice on the man advantage.
Sobotka is far more of a physical presence, averaging 3 hits per game (currently has more hits than any other Bruin) compared to Recchi's one.
Sobotka is 4th among forwards in blocked shots, all while only having played 2/3 as many games as most of the others (15 vs. 22).
From an observational standpoint, Sobotka has a drastic advantage in the speed department and is far less prone to giveaways than the 41-year-old Recchi.
In terms of intangibles, Rex has a decided edge. He is a respected veteran with multiple rings on his resume. He ranks highly in every statistical category (career) among active players, and can offer a wealth of information to his teammates both on and off the ice. He is a warrior, never more evident than when he played in game seven against Carolina last season, just a day removed from surgery to remove kidney stones.
So it all boils down to who offers more. Sobotka, a natural center, has proven capable on the wing, so that shouldn't be a hindrance when making the decision. It's simply about winning hockey games, and which player is more valuable when it comes to that.
If the Bruins' brass had brass balls, Recchi would be the odd man out. While Rex commands the utmost respect for not only his short tenure as a Bruin but his remarkable NHL career, hockey is still a business at the end of the day. No one expected Recchi to be putting up 8 points every 9 games (a la his 16 in 18 performance after coming to Boston last season), but no one foresaw him struggling as mightily as he has through the first quarter of 2009-10.
Sobotka hasn't exactly blown anyone away offensively, but he's done little to nothing to warrant being yanked from the lineup. He's racked up hits, generated chances on a team full of snake-bitten shooters, and has adequate speed to be an effective defensive presence, as opposed to a liability.
You can't help but think, judging by this current regime's track record, that the young Czech native will wind up on the outside looking in. A grave injustice? A future hall of famer's career being put on pause? Looking at Sobotka as an individual: hardly. Looking at Sobotka versus the alternative (Recchi)? Kid's getting a raw deal. Plain and simple.
So if it were up to me, I'd sit down with Recchi, tell him he's no longer worthy of a top 12 spot with the way the roster is currently constituted and go from there (buyout, trade, 13th forward, retirement).
If I had to put money on it? I'd hope Sobotka and reserve defenseman Johnny Boychuk share a lot of common interests. They'll have plenty of time to chat it up in the press box.
Your thoughts?
JC
BE A FRIEND: JC's New Facebook Page
ROCK THE VOTE: Fan Poll Friday: The Best Hockey Gift You've Ever Received
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS?: Email HockeybuzzBruins
ARCHIVE FOOTAGE: The HockeybuzzBruins Youtube Channel
FOLLOW ME TO FREEDOM: JC's Tweets
BOOKWORM: The Details of JC's New England Hockey Book in the Works
THE LOCKS
(Players I'm 100% sure that their spots are safe)
Patrice Bergeron
Marco Sturm
David Krejci
Michael Ryder
Blake Wheeler
Milan Lucic
Steve Begin
THE ASSUMPTIONS
(Players I'm fairly certain have little to worry about)
Shawn Thornton
Byron Bitz
Daniel Paille
So who does that leave us with? Well, two names: Mark Recchi and Vladimir Sobotka. Here's how the two have done so far in 2009-10...
RECCHI: 22gp, 3-6-9, -2 rating, 16:29 TOI/G, 2:43 PP TOI/G, 23 hits, 6 blocked shots
SOBOTKA: 15gp, 1-2-3, -2 rating, 11:18 TOI/G, 0:37 PP TOI/G, 44 hits, 9 blocked shots
While Recchi trumps Sobotka in points (9 to 3), consider that Rex has been on the ice for 363 minutes while Sobotka currently sits at 169 total minutes. Recchi also sees 4x as much ice on the man advantage.
Sobotka is far more of a physical presence, averaging 3 hits per game (currently has more hits than any other Bruin) compared to Recchi's one.
Sobotka is 4th among forwards in blocked shots, all while only having played 2/3 as many games as most of the others (15 vs. 22).
From an observational standpoint, Sobotka has a drastic advantage in the speed department and is far less prone to giveaways than the 41-year-old Recchi.
In terms of intangibles, Rex has a decided edge. He is a respected veteran with multiple rings on his resume. He ranks highly in every statistical category (career) among active players, and can offer a wealth of information to his teammates both on and off the ice. He is a warrior, never more evident than when he played in game seven against Carolina last season, just a day removed from surgery to remove kidney stones.
So it all boils down to who offers more. Sobotka, a natural center, has proven capable on the wing, so that shouldn't be a hindrance when making the decision. It's simply about winning hockey games, and which player is more valuable when it comes to that.
If the Bruins' brass had brass balls, Recchi would be the odd man out. While Rex commands the utmost respect for not only his short tenure as a Bruin but his remarkable NHL career, hockey is still a business at the end of the day. No one expected Recchi to be putting up 8 points every 9 games (a la his 16 in 18 performance after coming to Boston last season), but no one foresaw him struggling as mightily as he has through the first quarter of 2009-10.
Sobotka hasn't exactly blown anyone away offensively, but he's done little to nothing to warrant being yanked from the lineup. He's racked up hits, generated chances on a team full of snake-bitten shooters, and has adequate speed to be an effective defensive presence, as opposed to a liability.
You can't help but think, judging by this current regime's track record, that the young Czech native will wind up on the outside looking in. A grave injustice? A future hall of famer's career being put on pause? Looking at Sobotka as an individual: hardly. Looking at Sobotka versus the alternative (Recchi)? Kid's getting a raw deal. Plain and simple.
So if it were up to me, I'd sit down with Recchi, tell him he's no longer worthy of a top 12 spot with the way the roster is currently constituted and go from there (buyout, trade, 13th forward, retirement).
If I had to put money on it? I'd hope Sobotka and reserve defenseman Johnny Boychuk share a lot of common interests. They'll have plenty of time to chat it up in the press box.
Your thoughts?
JC
BE A FRIEND: JC's New Facebook Page
ROCK THE VOTE: Fan Poll Friday: The Best Hockey Gift You've Ever Received
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS?: Email HockeybuzzBruins
ARCHIVE FOOTAGE: The HockeybuzzBruins Youtube Channel
FOLLOW ME TO FREEDOM: JC's Tweets
BOOKWORM: The Details of JC's New England Hockey Book in the Works
Join the Discussion:
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