Like five other teams this week, the Boston Bruins enjoyed a closed doors meeting with John Tavares. And keeping it simple like the other five teams, the Bruins did not bombard the 27-year-old by having their entire franchise in attendance. They instead came to the CAA offices with general manager Don Sweeney, team president Cam Neely, and coach Bruce Cassidy.
What separated the Bruins from the rest of the teams, however, was that their meeting with Tavares and agent Pat Brisson was the 'seemingly briefest,' as they were in and out of there within two hours. The Internet being, well, the The Internet, was quick to point to this as a negative for the Black and Gold, leaving you to think that their slim chances are officially nil.
But that's some serious assuming. So let's do some more.
First of all, a three-hour meeting sounds like a nightmare. Doing two of them back-to-back sounds even worse. Actually, doing three straight days of multiple three-hour interviews is hardly worth the $80 million or so, if you ask me. But it's even worse when you realize that it's three hours of somebody basically stroking your ego and essentially pleading with you to come to their team. I have to imagine that it can get quite old real fast, and it doesn't seem like Tavares' style. He's a relatively mild-mannered off-ice personality, and there's a belief from some that this big extravaganza isn't something he really enjoys.
So, if the Bruins kept it short and to the point, I'm not sure that that's a bad thing.
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Other notes and nonsense
- Hi, how are you? How are things? It's been a while.
- Not gonna lie: The Ilya Kovalchuk news was a bummer, but it makes total sense, as the Bruins were never willing to go three years. Their offer was most definitely comparable in terms of the money they were spending, but as far as going three years? Yeah, that wasn't happening. B's are infatuated with their long-term flexibility. Skill and impact aside, they were not going to part with it for a 35-year-old that's been out of the game for five years.
- I think deep down, the Bruins have a legitimate hope that Urho Vaakanainen surprises and forces his way into the NHL this fall. Is it realistic? I'm not really not sure. But if a trade to upgrade the defense does not materialize this summer, he really does become their Great Hope. The one thing working in the 19-year-old defender's favor? He's been playing pro hockey for three seasons in a row now, as a teenager in the Finnish Elite League. That takes skill.
- My darkhorse pick to make the 2018-19 team? Jack Studnicka. He wants it, and he looks good. But B's player development coach Jamie Langenbrunner did his part to slow me down.
"I think it’s great that he wants to do that. I think that’s a lofty goal for him as a 19-year- old, not a lot of 19-year-olds play in the National Hockey League," Langenbrunner told me. "I wouldn’t put it past him, he’s a determined kid. I think if you would have asked him last September, his goal was to make the team also. He wants to do that, that’s great. We’re not going to take that away from him. If he’s able to push and take that job, then great. I think [Don Sweeney’s] spoken about that quite regularly. Whoever’s ready is going to get the job."
Ty Anderson is a digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, and has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010. He and has been part of the Boston Chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com. 
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