Don't fault Rask for leaving, we'll never know the full story but suspect the issue was present before he got to the bubble. He never seemed to be "into it" being in the bubble. But then again he has made some off the wall comments several times recently during the last year or two. Just think playing in Boston has taken it's toll. When you aren't the fully embraced player here it can be brutal. He had/has a very large fan base but a nearly equally large base that want's him gone. Boston can be very unforgiving of it's sports figures.

out of the five that need new contracts, Grzelcyk gets a good raise chara at 2 mil would be fine, debrusk had bad year so minimal show me contract. krug will be to expensive so trade his rights and nordstrom whatever.
- bosman

Can't trade Krug's rights, that train has left the station. He's unrestricted now. Chara $1 mil tops plus incentives that top out at $1.5 mil if he's interested. We have very little cap space to do anything.

Let’s not get carried away. Yes TB is deeper and came out on top. Bees could have won OT games 2 and 5 and the series is 3-2 Boston, let’s not forget that.

Depth is clearly a huge issue.

TB beat the Bees at their own game. They actually get to the net and how many frickin deflection goals did they have!
Strong possession game, relentless on the puck and an army of gritty players.
Goodrow, Coleman, Palat, Gourde, Paquette, Killorn, etc.......

Yes. I have seen enough of him taking pieces of the season off. At his age and cap hit. Yes seen enough. You disagree? fine. You're incorrect if you do.
- glove_was_stuck

Kreijci "taking off" parts of some seasons has barely affected the teams performances.
In playoffs here are the career numbers for current career Bruins...
David = 0.79 ppg
Brad = 0.78 ppg
Patrice = 0.75 ppg

You have a right to your opinion but I welcome players that light it up when the real season starts.

I agree, has one year left on his contract. If he can be signed for a team friendly short (2-3 years) contract do it. He has already said he wants to be a Bruin for his whole career. I also wouldn't give up on Kuhlman, reminds me a lot of Marchand...needs to be given more of a chance. I don't agree with Krug being a priority...he is slowing down at a rapid pace.
- bluemoon737

D men are impossible to find. Just ask Toronto!
Krug has his limitations but he needs to be signed in my opinion and I’ll have Chara back any day for 1 mil a season. His minutes can be reduced...

You've seen enough of Krejci and yet he was one of our best performers in the playoffs.
- Nasty_Duck

5 on 5 play was abysmal and that was the difference. Lots of skilled players to score on the PP, but overall the team wasn’t close 5 on 5.
I love Krech and is a beast on the PP, but seems to never have anyone to work with on his line. Debrusk is good but just disappears all the time.

I’d like to see Coyle in the top 6 no question! They need a 3rd like center, coyle moving up and suddenly things looks a lot better.

It’s amazing how quickly people turn on this team. Tampa made the right moves at the deadline and they were already stacked. The Bruins did not.

Everyone calling for Rask to be gone. You just saw what life will be like with out him.
- Mahewman

I completely agree. TB made the necessary tweaks this year and the Bruins need to do the same. Nik Ritchie and Kase was not the answer and I think we all knew that. Sweeney has been unable to construct the forward group outside the top line and that is a major problem.

Loved Halaks performance in game 5. Great to see, but he wasn’t very good in the series and that was a major difference.

Kreijci "taking off" parts of some seasons has barely affected the teams performances.
In playoffs here are the career numbers for current career Bruins...
David = 0.79 ppg
Brad = 0.78 ppg
Patrice = 0.75 ppg

You have a right to your opinion but I welcome players that light it up when the real season starts.
- Nasty_Duck

You have to make the playoffs first would be my argument. I've never been a fan of the guy. I would rather the Bruins unload aging guys not named Bergeron or Marchand with salary so Krug can stay. The window is closed and they need to retool. Krejci is a viable trade piece.

D men are impossible to find. Just ask Toronto!
Krug has his limitations but he needs to be signed in my opinion and I’ll have Chara back any day for 1 mil a season. His minutes can be reduced...
- Tachmo

You can't use Toronto's search for d-men as an example. Their number one priority for a d-man is "can he score points"? That's all that organization cares about and why they will likely not make it out of the first round. The teams that hoist the cup by and large have a blue line that can make you feel it after a game. The Blues last year, the Lightning this year. When push comes to shove in the playoffs those teams have a much more "painful" shove. Half of our blue line are waterbugs...have skill, willing to hit, but do no damage. They don't wear down opponents.

Look at our d-men in 2011...Sieds was the "smallest" guy and I sure wouldn't want to be hit by that German back then. We needs some beef and toughness on the back end.

It’s amazing how quickly people turn on this team. Tampa made the right moves at the deadline and they were already stacked. The Bruins did not.

Everyone calling for Rask to be gone. You just saw what life will be like with out him.
- Mahewman

I don't agree. Rask is almost up and I doubt he would stay here. If you're him why would you? Fans and media dog you at every turn.

I think this team's window is closed. Watch the rest of the league. They have more than 1 complete line. You have the top line, they've never solved the 2nd line under Don Sweeney. Coyle's is a revolving door. Same for Kuraly. It's time for a shakeup.

I completely agree. TB made the necessary tweaks this year and the Bruins need to do the same. Nik Ritchie and Kase was not the answer and I think we all knew that. Sweeney has been unable to construct the forward group outside the top line and that is a major problem.

Loved Halaks performance in game 5. Great to see, but he wasn’t very good in the series and that was a major difference.
- Tachmo

I wouldn't blame Halak, as I've said...you can almost count on one soft goal per game out of him but many more of those goals given up were going to go in no matter who was in net. Just how many deflections can one team expect to get (particularly off the other team as gifts)?

You can't use Toronto's search for d-men as an example. Their number one priority for a d-man is "can he score points"? That's all that organization cares about and why they will likely not make it out of the first round. The teams that hoist the cup by and large have a blue line that can make you feel it after a game. The Blues last year, the Lightning this year. When push comes to shove in the playoffs those teams have a much more "painful" shove. Half of our blue line are waterbugs...have skill, willing to hit, but do no damage. They don't wear down opponents.

Look at our d-men in 2011...Sieds was the "smallest" guy and I sure wouldn't want to be hit by that German back then. We needs some beef and toughness on the back end.
- bluemoon737

fair enough and I agree. Where are you finding this dmen? and who is trading them?

fair enough and I agree. Where are you finding this dmen? and who is trading them?
- Tachmo

Not my job, that's Sweeney's job.

I wouldn't blame Halak, as I've said...you can almost count on one soft goal per game out of him but many more of those goals given up were going to go in no matter who was in net. Just how many deflections can one team expect to get (particularly off the other team as gifts)?
- bluemoon737

Deflections like crazy and it was annoying, but that was parcel in playing the right way and getting to the net. Bos didn’t do much of that. Lots of times no one in front.

Deflections like crazy and it was annoying, but that was parcel in playing the right way and getting to the net. Bos didn’t do much of that. Lots of times no one in front.
- Tachmo

Agreed, we didn't do enough in front of their net. But let's not forget that pop-fly that went right over the back of Halak's head into the net...that's just the way this series went. Tampa just got all the bounces to go their way. In no way am I saying they didn't deserve to win, because they did, but they certainly had quite a bit of puck luck...but as they say, you make your own luck and Tampa absolutely did that.

Not my job, that's Sweeney's job.
- bluemoon737

tampa will have no money to sign everyone. i would offer Sergachev dollars and years that tampa would have hard time matching

You have to make the playoffs first would be my argument. I've never been a fan of the guy. I would rather the Bruins unload aging guys not named Bergeron or Marchand with salary so Krug can stay. The window is closed and they need to retool. Krejci is a viable trade piece.
- glove_was_stuck

We'll have to agree to disagree on Kreicji, though I'm not sure who you have in mind for 2C.

Krug is useful - but - he's too small. He bulked up and lost a lot of speed. I'd take him back, but at the right price. Krug is making 5.25M now. If he wants north of 7M I say adios-muchachos.

Agreed, we didn't do enough in front of their net. But let's not forget that pop-fly that went right over the back of Halak's head into the net...that's just the way this series went. Tampa just got all the bounces to go their way. In no way am I saying they didn't deserve to win, because they did, but they certainly had quite a bit of puck luck...but as they say, you make your own luck and Tampa absolutely did that.
- bluemoon737

absolutely, terrified every time a point shot came lol... Hedman is real good at getting pucks through! What a player he is!

I remember the year Bos won they pushed around TB in the conference final. They really gave it to Hedman. Lucic decked him.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b0jbUAI93ew

tampa will have no money to sign everyone. i would offer Sergachev dollars and years that tampa would have hard time matching
- bosman

I'd prefer to keep Russians off the Bruins roster...

5 on 5 play was abysmal and that was the difference. Lots of skilled players to score on the PP, but overall the team wasn’t close 5 on 5.
I love Krech and is a beast on the PP, but seems to never have anyone to work with on his line. Debrusk is good but just disappears all the time.

I’d like to see Coyle in the top 6 no question! They need a 3rd like center, coyle moving up and suddenly things looks a lot better.
- Tachmo

Jake DeBrusk was a disappointment - he plays like he's 5'10" and 175 lbs. The only decent thing he did this year was score 19 goals. Kreijci threw more hits and had more blocked shots for crying out loud. If he's the best line-mate the Bruins gave him it's no wonder DK's 5 on 5 was not great.

Jake DeBrusk was a disappointment - he plays like he's 5'10" and 175 lbs. The only decent thing he did this year was score 19 goals. Kreijci threw more hits and had more blocked shots for crying out loud. If he's the best line-mate the Bruins gave him it's no wonder DK's 5 on 5 was not great.
- Nasty_Duck

JD is still young but he has to mature a lot. His issue is all in his head. When things aren't going well for him he gets in a funk and it impacts all aspects of his game and makes it that much harder for him to claw his way out of a slump. I'd give him a bridge deal unless I could deal him for a decent winger with some size or d-man with some size and snarl.

Agreed, think they did outplay Tampa last night but things just didn't go our way. Shame we will never know how things might have turned out if covid hadn't hit...

Gotta say to me the biggest disappointment (other than Rask bailing) was Carlo's play. Any progress/improvement shown last year (which was actually pretty good) was completely wiped out this post season. A complete meh at best (actually much worse).
- bluemoon737

I thought he was great last series, was far more disappointed in Krug and Chara.

JD is still young but he has to mature a lot. His issue is all in his head. When things aren't going well for him he gets in a funk and it impacts all aspects of his game and makes it that much harder for him to claw his way out of a slump. I'd give him a bridge deal unless I could deal him for a decent winger with some size or d-man with some size and snarl.
- bluemoon737

I'm not saying give up on DeBrusk. Just throwing him in as a factor since he regularly played on David's line. I honestly think Bruins need to consider keeping Pasta on 2nd line - not as any kind of punishment but to spread out the talent so we have 2 decent scoring lines. Can't win the Cup with just 1 good line.

Krug's not worth $5.5-6 mill...Gryzelek can do the same job...they need size on the back end as it's pretty obvious at this point that Carlo is not going to use his and Z is no longer a top 4 guy.
Doubt Rask is back (I'd go after Lehner over Holtby but bidding will be fierce). Wouldn't mind seeing Hoffman in a B's uniform- they need a winger with size, skill and grit. (Say what you will about the Ottawa- Karlsson thing but I think Karlsson was the issue there)
DeBrusk, Bjork, Ritchie ,Kase, Carlo all need to check their pants for their manhood- they DO know they were in a playoff series, right?
Team can be retooled but the players mentioned above are not the answers. We'd better hope Studnicka develops into something.
For the 3rd time in 3 years we've proven we can't get past a team with a big, mobile hard hitting blueline and can't survive solely on a 37-63-88 line...until this changes, the result will be the same. Love my B's til the end, but we need to shuffle the deck a bit.
- shanerationX

Hoffman is exactly the player the Bruins need for the 2nd line. I don’t know if I’d offer him more than three years though.

How about this: trade fir some players who don’t play a cheap, dirty game and deliberately try to injure opposing players. Or dies that go against the Boston blueprint? Try to add some class to an organization and fan base that is sorely lacking it.

Want some pointers on class? Look at the Penguins.