Be sure to 'like' Hockeybuzz on Facebook!
In their final preseason tune up, the Boston Bruins fought back from a two-goal deficit in the third, and ultimately took the Detroit Red Wings to a shootout. Led by
Patrice Bergeron’s hat trick, the Bruins’ bid for a comeback ended with two straight shootout markers by the Wings that were coupled with two shootout misses by B’s young guns
Ryan Spooner and
David Pastrnak. In a bizarre way, this was a fitting end to what’s been an agonizing day at the end of an equally agonizing summer of cap-crunching that’s ended with
Johnny Boychuk, a fan and team favorite, traded out of town.
“Johnny was always such a fun guy to be around. His presence was always such a gift for this team,” B’s captain
Zdeno Chara said of his now ex-teammate and pairing partner. “Winning is always something that’s always on top of the list. For sure, those memories will always stay with all of us.
“It’s just one of those things that you have to be able to take and then basically move on,” Chara, now entering his ninth season as the leader of the B’s defense, added. “We’re all going to miss him. We all know Johnny was a great teammate on and off the ice. He was always happy, always made it very fun but it is what it is. Sometimes things like this happen and players can’t control them.”
The players know that couldn’t control the B’s cap situation -- which is now in much better standing after moving Boychuk’s $3.3 million cap-hit to the New York Islanders -- but the sting is still there.
For several B’s in the room, the presence of the 30-year-old Boychuk has been a constant in their pro career. Such was the case for
Adam McQuaid, a 6-foot-5 defender expected to handle a large chunk of the ‘heavy minutes’ that Boychuk’s departures open up for the B’s own-zone and penalty killing game.
“I think I’ve played seven pro seasons, and six have been with Johnny,” McQuaid noted after tonight’s shootout loss. “I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet, but he’s a guy that will be sorely missed.”
During his tenure with the Bruins, Boychuk played in 317 games with the club, tallying 19 goals and 75 points, and growing into his own as a reliable No. 2/No. 3 defenseman for the Black and Gold.
Somber is the one word you could use to describe the attitude in that room.
It’s obvious that everybody in that room loved and respected what Boychuk brought to the club on and off the ice, and it’s clear that nobody wanted to be the guy to have to pack their bags and leave town. But at the end of the day, the players in that room realize that this is a business, and that Boychuk will do A-OK, whether that’s on Long Island or elsewhere when he hits the open market as a free agent next summer.
“He knows that he’s in a good spot moving forward whether it’s with his current team or wherever,” said
Dennis Seidenberg. “But he knows that he’s got a good few years ahead of him and he’ll be all set.”
As for the game on the ice, a few things really seemed to stick out in this one.
- For one, the Bruins really seemed to struggle getting the puck out of their zone, especially along the boards. And when they finally were able to muck it free, their pass seemed to end up in a linemate’s skates or on a Red Wings stick. As a whole, their zone exits left a lot to be desired. That’ll certainly change when the team figures out their defensive pairing situation, you’d think, but this was not a pretty one in their end. Disorganized is the best word to describe it. That’s rarely said, too.
- If the Bruins wanted to see more ‘compete’ out of Ryan Spooner, I think they got it tonight. The 5-foot-10 disher was a noticeably better player when it came to staying on his man, backchecking, and using his wheels to create offense. His keep-in down in the corner on Bergeron’s game-tying tally will go under the radar to most, but was huge in keeping that play alive.
- Give Pastrnak some open ice, and he’ll find ways to generate legitimate opportunities. Then again, most first-round picks will. But for an 18-year-old on NHL ice, the chances were certainly there tonight. Most notably, Pastrnak made a great set of moves to carry the puck through the neutral zone and into Detroit territory. This ultimately led to some serious zone-time for the Bruins, and ended with Bergeron’s second goal of the night. Kid’s got some moves, man.
Gagne update
The 34-year-old
Simon Gagne, after a year away from professional hockey, has survived all of training camp, and now it’s time to see whether or not the Bruins will offer him a contract. He hasn’t lit up the scoreboard, but in a limited role, used primarily on the third/fourth line and on special teams, the veteran winger has shown enough for the club to ask him if he’s interesting in ‘sticking around for a bit’.
“I think he’s skating better, he’s starting to get his hands back. He’s been away from the game – he’s skated for most of the year, but he’s been away from the game for the whole year,” B’s general manager
Peter Chiarelli said.
“I spoke with him this morning, and I made a proposal to him in the sense of, ‘Look Simon, I see you getting better, I want you to stick around and practice with the team.’ He didn’t say yes or no, but I think he suggested he would want to stick around. He feels that he’s getting better. So that’s kind of a play-it-by-ear, day-by-day see how his legs feel, see how his hands feel, and just kind of see how it goes.”
I still believe that Gagne can be an effective roleplayer for this team, especially in a reduced role where he's more of a special teams specialist (too many specials there, I know), and gets nights off to keep himself fresh. He'd certainly get those nights given the B's forward situation.
With Boychuk’s departure, and with
Marc Savard’s eventual placement on the long-term injured reserve, the Bruins have $3.1 million to play with and bring Gagne in, if they so choose.
Up next
The regular season. Boy, I’ve been waiting to say that one for a while now.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • 
Join the Discussion:
»