In Bruins GM Search, Neely Should Look Externally

BOSTON—Boston Bruins’ President Cam Neely made it clear that the team will look extensively for their new general manager upon the firing of Peter Chiarelli. Although Neely has not spoken publicly about candidates he has particular interest in, many assume internal candidate Don Sweeney will earn the job.

Initially, the move makes sense. As in internal candidate, Sweeney knows the Bruins organization better than any other candidate. As a former teammate of Neely, he presumably will work well as a President-general manager combo. However, if one further investigates the situation, Neely should not grant Sweeney the position.

According to csnne.com writer Joe Haggarty, Sweeney has handled contract negotiations, trades discussions and player scouting and development. These are the main reasons why Neely said he fired Chiarelli during his press conference. Neely felt as if management did not handle these three things well, leading to salary cap issues and failure to draft NHL capable talent over the last several years.

If Neely feels so strongly that management failed in these areas, he should not promote the man that Haggarty writes contributed immensely towards. The team is littered with player-friendly contracts to Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron and Dennis Seidenberg. They have had many draft duds in Zach Hamill, Joe Colburne and Jordan Caron. If Neely wants this to change, he needs to look outside of the organization.

He needs to look at assistant general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, Norm Maciver.

A former assistant coach to the Boston Bruins from 2003 through 2006, Maciver has spent time in each of the most crucial roles in hockey. Maciver has played in the NHL, held a coaching position and a managing position.

Maciver has also shown he has the capability to succeed. As assistant general manager of one of the best organizations this decade in the Chicago Blackhawks, Maciver has been part of most decisions. He has worked with development and personnel before. His best products include forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, two of the league’s elite players. The system he works with in Chicago fits what Neely has asked for: faster transitions that leads to many scoring opportunities.

If Neely and the Bruins organization want change, they need to look outside of the organization. They need to change the identity of the Bruins. They need to adapt to the changes within the league. No longer are the days that defense dominates the league.

Maciver provides the best option for the Bruins. Not only does he have the resume to prove his worth, he has experience in every role in the NHL. Maciver’s experience is too much for the Bruins to pass on. If they want change, this man should to lead to way for the Bruins.

Bruins Recap: BC Alumnus Johnny Gaudreau Succeeds in Return to Boston, Helps Flames Win in Shootout

Calgary 4

Boston 3

Final/SO

BOSTON—What better way for the Boston College hockey team to spend a night during spring break than watching former teammate and now Calgary Flame Johnny Gaudreau take on the home town Boston Bruins.

“It is awesome to see him here,” said one former Boston College teammate of Gaudreau. “It’s cool to see him go from BC to the NHL and now to see him play here in the Garden.”

It was even more special to watch him score a power play goal for the Flames.

In the third period, the Flames had a chance to go on the attack while on the power play when Bruins defender Matt Bartowski was called for tripping on Gaudreau himself. With the man advantage, Gaudreau was given the puck while teammate Jiri Hudler set the screen in front of the net. Gaudreau wristed a shot right into the upper right corner of the net for his 16 goal on the year and to put Calgary up 3-2 in the third period.

The Bruins would fight back however.

Fighting for the puck in front of Calgary’s net, Bruins’ forward Loui Erickson would come away with the puck, flipping the puck into the top left corner of the net on the backhand in order to time the game up at three apiece.

The game would then go into overtime tied at three.

Unable to settle it in overtime, the two teams went to the shootout where it took eight rounds before the Flames’ David Schlemko fooled Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask to go one way while he went the other, easily gliding the puck into the net for the 4-3 win.

“Our biggest concern is our inability to finish,” said coach Claude Julien. “You saw it in the shootout. We can’t seem to finish well and score some goals.”

The Bruins inability to stay out of the penalty box allowed the Flames to score twice on the power play.

“Little mistakes here and there,” said Julien about the penalty kill’s ineffectiveness. “There were some good screens there and the puck found its way in the net. On the first one I saw Adam McQuaid with his back to the play falling down, if he is facing the play he probably knocks the loose puck to the corner so it was little details like that that are hurting us.”

The Bruins also served consecutive penalties three times throughout the game. In the first period, the Bruins had back-to-back-to-back penalties to end the period.

Johnny Gaudreau had a positive first experience playing at the Bruins’ TD Garden. Along with his goal, Gaudreau had three shots on net while getting 22 minutes and 17 seconds of ice time. He also had an attempt in the shootout that was saved by Rask.

He now has 16 goals and 30 assists on the year. His 46 points puts him second best amongst rookies behind Nashville’s Filip Forsberg who has 52.

“There is no doubt [Gaudreau] should be considered for the rookie of the year,” said one of Gaudreau’s former Boston College teammate.

For the Bruins, newly acquired forward Max Talbot played in his first game since being traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the Bruins. Talbot played on the fourth line along with forwards Chris Kelly and Brian Ferlin.

Talbot served a boarding penalty in the first period along with three shots on net in 10:56 minutes of ice time.

The Bruins look to rebound against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, March 7. It will be the first time the two teams meet since January 10.

Bruins' Deadline Looks Nice on Paper, Now Time to Prove It

Going into yesterday’s trade deadline, the Boston Bruins found themselves facing a dilemma. In a seller’s market, they could have dealt their expendable pieces above their true value or they could have tried to fix the problems of their underachieving team.

The Bruins did both yesterday by acquiring forward Brett Connolly from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for two second round picks and 31 year old center Maxime Talbot from the Colorado Avalanche for forward Jordan Caron and a sixth round pick.

“[Connolly’s] a player that we've looked at for a while,” said Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli on the team’s website. “He's a guy that we think can come in and help us right away and could have a long future for us.”

Connolly is a 22 year old, right shot winger that upgrades the Bruins’ third line immediately. Connolly maintains restricted free agent status at the end of the season as well, meaning that the Bruins can retain Connolly if they so choose to or opt for draft pick compensation if they let him go to another team in free agency.

At 22 years old and a former sixth overall pick in the 2010 NHL draft, the Bruins hope Connolly still has potential to improve his game and become a top four winger.

During the 2012-2013 AHL season, Connolly had 31 goals and 32 assists. Although it has translated to only 18 NHL goals, 12 coming this year in 50 games, a change of scenery and a new system could help elevate Connolly’s play.

Max Talbot, signed through next year as well, provides a short-term fix for the Bruins. Talbot gives the Bruins’ versatility in line combinations. He can pair with practically every line. He can pair on the first line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, while also fitting well with Chris Kelly on the fourth line.

“I would characterize [Talbot] as a glue guy who has played in a lot of playoffs, plays all three positions, is a gritty guy, plays all-out, and we believe he's a good add to our forward group,” said Chiarelli about Talbot via espn.com.

These two players provide upgrades for the Bruins’ roster over the guys they replace. Talbot will outperform Jordan Caron and Connolly will outperform recently released forward Craig Cunningham, Brian Ferlin and anyone else from within the organization that would have gotten the ice time. Talbot also has playoff experience. Caron does not have the same experience and maturity as Talbot.

However, skepticism still arises. Connolly’s future is still unclear.

The Tampa Bay Lightning currently sit second in the eastern conference. As a team that should be trying to add pieces to fix problems, history would suggest that the Lightning would want to hold onto a 22 year old, former sixth overall pick if he really does have any more ability to improve. The trade suggests that Tampa Bay has given up on Connolly and his ability, not the best indication of any possible improvement, but not finality.

Judgment is still out though. The Bruins have a history in finding success within highly drafted prospects that prove as busts for the team that drafted them, such as Cam Neely and Benoit Pouliot.

Although still productive, Talbot’s best days are behind him. Talbot will never be the same player that played in Pittsburgh from 2005-2011.

Averaging 19.4 points per year, Talbot’s upside is in his ability to play in the boards, not his play-making abilities. His skill set does not put the Bruins ahead of the other teams that upgraded at the deadline.

Even though Connolly and Talbot are not season altering, franchise changing players, they do provide key upgrades for this year’s Bruins team without a hefty price tag. They also provide future return as well, as both have the ability to come back for next season.

Bruins’ general manager made two good moves yesterday on paper. Now they have to prove it on the ice.

As Trade Deadline Approaches, Bruins Have Choices to Make

Currently sitting at eighth in the conference, the Boston Bruins are far from perfect. They lost their top center, David Krejci, to injury. Their goalie situation has been a mess and many of their line pairings have struggled to score.

Today, the Bruins will surely make a move a couple moves in order to solidify their playoff push and their attempt to get a better seed. They have already done so by acquiring Tampa Bay right winger Brett Connelly for two second round picks late last night.

“My job is to make the team better,” Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli told writer Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe. “I don’t have any excuses. Nobody has any excuses.”

With or without trading, the Bruins seem likely to make the playoffs. However, the problem is not next year, but the years that follow.

Riddled by salary cap problems, a coach that refuses to change his defense first type system and underperforming players, the team has to make a decision going forward. They can keep the pieces they have now, push for a playoff spot and hope that everything works out, or they can try and trade aging players and wasteful contracts at a time when teams will overpay.

The latter a much harder, timelier project but seems like a better option.

The Bruins organization have locked themselves into a system by giving out generous contracts to players such as Zdeno Chara, Brad Marchand, Milan Lucic, Dennis Seidenberg and others. All have a base salary of $4 million or more for at least two more years. Chara and Seidenberg are locked in for four years each.

Lucic has found success in Boston, scoring 20 or more goals in three out of seven seasons and he currently has 13 goals on the year. Lucic comes at a heavy price however, $6 million a year for two more years. For a slow guy who would probably not do as well outside of coach Claude Julien’s system, other teams probably will not take on that kind of cap hit.

Chara, who is 37 and will be 40 by his contract’s end, has dealt with a leg injury this year. Even though Chara remains one of the league’s best defenseman, he is only getting older and slower.

Seidenberg has also dealt with injuries throughout his Bruins tenure. At 33 years old with four more years at $4 million per year left on his contract, Seidenberg too seems untradeable.

But for Chiarelli and Julien, this is okay because they fit into their system, which makes it worth the salary cap inflexibility.

“I didn’t know it would just keep carrying forward,” said Chiarelli to Shinzawa about the roster. “I didn’t project that. I didn’t project the injuries. But when they happened, you have to change your projections a bit. There’s a lot of subpar performances. Sometimes that happens.”

The problem however, is not injuries, it is the system.

The NHL has moved towards fast-pace, scoring tandems. Most of the better teams display this type of play: Patrick Kane-Jonathan Toews in Chicago, Steve Stamkos-Tyler Johnson in Tampa Bay, and Sidney Crosby-Eveni Malkin in Pittsburgh too name a few.

But Julien has his system and it brought him a Stanley Cup. His system worked and the organization believes it still works, it just needs a couple patches sewn on.

“As a general manager, you have to look at everything, including larger deals,” Chiarelli told Shinzawa. “Those are hard to do.”

According to the Boston Globe, the Bruins have also made goalie Tuukka Rask, forward Brad Marchand and Chara untouchable. This adds to a list which includes defenseman Dougie Hamilton, center David Pastrnak and center Patrice Bergeron.

The Bruins keep putting themselves out of the realm of rebuilding. An eighth place finish is not good enough for this fan base, especially after winning the President’s trophy last season but losing to the rival Montreal Canadiens in the playoff’s conference semifinals.

The Bruins had a chance to rebuild and to generate more offense when they drafted Tyler Seguin with the second overall pick in the 2010 draft. Seguin scored 37 goals for the Stars last year after being traded by the Bruins. He has 29 so far on the year.

But the Bruins traded him because he didn’t play defense well enough for Julien.

He gave up on the team’s best prospect in many years because of defense. Defense.

Let’s hope Julien’s stubbornness proves us wrong, that his system can last for several more years, because if not, the fans and the team could be in for a long period of unwanted mediocrity.

Decade's Most Controversial Play, Pete Carroll Delivers Super Bowl to New England

Pete Carroll. The real Super Bowl MVP.

In what was probably the most controversial call of all season, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll called for a slant pass from quarterback Russell Wilson during the fourth quarter at the goal line with second and one and 66 seconds left in the game. Patriots’ undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler intercepted the one-yard pass to save the Patriot’s victory.

After the game, Carroll tried to validate his choice in an interview with the Boston Globe.

“It’s not the right matchup for us to run the football,” said Carroll about the play. “So on second down we throw the ball really to kind of waste that play. And unfortunately, with the play that we tried to execute, the guy makes a great play and jumps in front of the route and makes an incredible play. And unfortunately, that changes the whole outcome.”

Waste a play? Wow. How about a Super Bowl throw away.

Seattle has—arguably—the best running back in the game in Marshawn Lynch. Lynch had a league leading 13 touchdowns on the year and averaged 4.8 yards per attempt. Within the Super Bowl, Lynch already had 100 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.3 yards per attempt.

It makes all the sense in the world to give the ball to Lynch, who had up to three chances to get one yard. Lynch was averaging 4.3 per attempt. He needed only one. One yard and Seattle would have been named Super Bowl XLIX champions.

However, they chose to throw the ball and Malcolm Butler deserves all of the credit in the world. Admitting after the game that he doesn’t normally play at the goal line and was unsure as to why Belichick put him in there, Butler still knew what was coming. Jumping in front of wide receiver Ricardo Lockette, he intercepted the ball to preserve the Patriots lead and win. Butler deserves every ounce of credit for that play.

However, the Patriots could not have done it without Tom Brady. After going down by 10 points in the fourth quarter, Brady settled down into comeback mode. Just like every other come from behind, fourth quarter victory Brady has taken the Patriots through, he would bring the Patriots down the field twice for two touchdowns. One was a four-yard pass to Danny Amendola, the other a 64-yard drive capped off by a 3-yard pass to Julian Edelman.

In the end, Brady went 37 for 50 in pass attempts with 328 yards and four touchdowns. He was named Super Bowl MVP. But he couldn’t have done it without his cast. He couldn’t have done it without Julian Edelman, who had nine catches for 109 yards and the game winning touchdown. He couldn’t have done it without Malcolm Butler. And he couldn’t have done it without Pete Carroll’s blunder.

Patriot fans should accept God’s gift. Carroll ultimately won the Super Bowl for the Patriots. Patriot fans should thank him, 18 years after they hired Carroll as the franchise’s 13 head coach and 15 years after Kraft fired him, Carroll finally has brought New England that Super Bowl he promised.

NFL Divisional Playoffs Analysis and Predictions

Last week’s NFL wild card playoffs had some great games and then some games that made you want to take a nap. There was the Indianapolis blowout against quarterback Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals, now 0-4 under the Dalton regime. Then there was the Baltimore win against Pittsburgh as the underdog of the game and don’t forget the Detroit-Dallas game that was “decided” by a not-so pass interference flag, later to be picked up (however, we all know quarterback Matthew Stafford played horribly in the second half, giving up the ball in every key situation, leading to the Lions’ loss). This week has four great games and I’ve done all the thinking for you, breaking down each game with in-depth analysis and predictions (I went 4 for 4 last week, so maybe I actually do know something about sports).

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots (Sat. Jan. 10 @ 4:35 p.m.)

Keys for Baltimore

Quarterback Joe Flacco had a stellar performance last week in Pittsburgh, throwing for 259 yards and two touchdowns. Flacco seems to always play better during playoff games and he needs to do so again this week if the Ravens want any chance of beating the Patriots. Sure, Baltimore has a great defense, as shown last week against Pittsburgh when they forced two fumbles, five sacks and two interceptions, but the Patriots have just as good of a defense. The Ravens have no easy matchup when trying to get downfield against Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Jamie Collins and more. For the Ravens to win, they need to play smart, small ball. They need to have a strategic run game, well-placed passes—nothing crazy—and they cannot do anything stupid on special teams. Flacco needs to play with 100 percent precision come Saturday.

Keys for New England

The Baltimore Ravens’ defense features studs such as Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata and Elvis Dumervil. Their front line has a stout advantage against the Patriots sub-par run game. Their linebacking crew also poses a threat against the Patriots fast-pace, short-pass offense. So how do the Patriots defeat the Ravens? Brandon LaFell. LaFell has the quickness to beat most of Baltimore’s defense when going one-on-one against them. If Brady can sling a couple passes downfield to LaFell and in return LaFell doesn’t drop any like he usually does, the Patriots have the advantage. Wide receiver Julian Edelman and tight end Rob Gronkowski could very well be non-existent in this game. The Patriots need to capitalize on having wide receiver Brandon LaFell in that case.

Verdict

In a game that could come down to the last drive and special teams, the New England Patriots have been the best team in the conference since week four. The days are gone where the Ravens had Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, as well as the days where the Ravens could win playoff games against the Patriots New England 27 Baltimore 24

Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks (Sat. Jan. 10 @ 8:15 p.m.)

Keys for Carolina

Last week, quarterback Cam Newton threw an interception and lost a fumble. All in all, he was not at the top of his game. If Newton plays the same way against the Seahawks, don’t expect their offense to score even once against one of the league’s best defenses, if not the best defense. The Panthers need Newton playing smarter. He can’t force passes to receiver Kelvin Benjamin, which led to 11 dropped passes on Benjamin’s end. Those dropped passes will lead to interceptions against Seattle. Newton needs to perform better for the Panthers to have any kind of existence in Saturday’s game.

Keys for Seattle

The red hot Carolina defense plays into everything Seattle’s offense is good at. They can take away the run game, especially against the outside. Seattle also does not have a legitimate threat to throw to, which makes it easier for the Carolina defense to focus on the likes of running back Marshawn Lynch and quarterback Russell Wilson. For Seattle to win, they need to deploy any secrets they have in the passing game. Wilson needs to mix in some scrambles and deep passes and create a two-way offense instead of doing the predictable hand off to Lynch and the pump fake leading to Wilson taking off with the ball.

Verdict

The Carolina Panthers’ defense is a serious threat against Seattle. If both defenses play their best, expect a long and boring game. In a game about defenses, one has a hard time betting against Seattle at home with the 12^th man on their side. Seattle 19 Carolina 9

Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers (Sun. Jan. 11 @ 1:05 p.m.)

Keys for Dallas

Dallas got lucky when Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers injured his calf. That means Rodgers will most likely not be at the top of his game. The Dallas defense must exploit this. Attack the run game and get to Rodgers when passing by forcing him to move out of the pocket and take some hard hits against that calf. Last week also showed that the defense is capable of taking away a team’s top two threats, which is applicable to Green Bay’s Nelson-Cobb combo. But Dallas cannot stop at those two. As shown against New England, Green Bay can win a game with their third and fourth options, as they beat the Patriots 26-21 with receiver Davante Adams (six catches for 121 yards) and tight end Richard Rodgers (one touchdown catch). Although it is hard to completely take out the passing game, especially against any form of Aaron Rodgers, Dallas needs to minimalize Green Bay’s passing game and force them to run the ball.

Keys for Green Bay

The keys for Green Bay fall in line with Dallas’s keys to victory. They need to force passes against Dallas’s defense to their third and fourth options. Their offensive line needs to step up and protect Rodger’s injured calf, which will allow him to focus solely on completing passes. Running back Eddie Lacy needs to step up and take on some of Rodger’s load in order to secure a victory against Dallas’s 8-0 record on the road.

Verdict

An injured Aaron Rodgers calls for an upset against a team that is 8-0 on the road. Dallas seems as if they can keep playing at a high level, but just as easy can the entire team collapse and quarterback Tony Romo could have another less than stellar performance, choking at the most important time. Still, Dallas seems as if they can beat an injured Rodgers which is probably going to be the deciding factor in the game. Dallas 34 Green Bay 31

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos (Sun. Jan. 11 @ 4:40 p.m.)

Keys for Indianapolis

Quarterback Andrew Luck needs to have the game of the year in order to beat the Denver Broncos. That isn’t saying they have no shot at winning, simply it means that their defense is horrible and between quarterback Peyton Manning and running back C.J. Anderson, Denver could put up 30 points easily. If Indianapolis wants to win this game, it starts with Andrew Luck. Luck needs to carry the team, put up 30+ points and combat the Broncos offense with his own skills.

Keys for Denver

Peyton Manning comes into the game with more sub-par games within the last four weeks than great games. Along with the bye week and possible 30 degree weather, it all makes for a surprise victory for Indianapolis. Manning still has the best shot at winning however. He is the best quarterback to probably play the game, but he does need a little help from Anderson. Denver needs to mix up the offense against a terrible Indianapolis defense, causing them to make multiple errors due to the inability to read the play.

Verdict

This is another game that has the making for an upset if Andrew Luck can play like the greats and the defense buckles down and puts a stop to Denver. However, the Broncos still seem like they can pull out a win in the cold when historically Manning plays terribly. Expect a big game from running back C.J. Anderson. Denver 31 Indianapolis 27

NFL Wildcard Playoffs Thoughts and Comments

Arizona Cardinals vs. Carolina Panthers

As prescribed, Arizona quarterback Ryan Lindley had a terrible outing going 16-28 passing for 51 yards and two interceptions. The Cardinals only had 78 total yards, ouch. Blame the Carolina defense for Arizona’s woes as well. The defense forced three fumbles, four sacks, eight tackles for a loss and two interceptions.

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton played well, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns, as well as running for 35 yards. He had the poise of a winning quarterback and showed he could succeed when the games matter. However, Newton needs to contain the turnovers. Newton throwing an interception and the offense as a whole allowing three fumbles cannot happen against the Seahawks on the road. If it happens again, expect the Carolina Panthers to lose.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco was at it again, single-handedly winning the game for the Ravens. Flacco had 259 passing yards and two touchdowns. In the playoffs, Flacco seems unstoppable. He now has 21 touchdowns to only eight interceptions while averaging 209 passing yards per game. Flacco can get it done when the job needs to be finished as he showed once again Saturday.

Not having Le’Veon Bell really hurt the Pittsburgh Steelers. Newly acquired running back Ben Tate did his job in picking up some yards where it matters, but not much more picking up only 19 yards on five carries. He could not stay on the field for three downs either, unlike Bell. With Bell, do the Steelers win the game? Maybe, but no one can think in hypotheticals. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had 334 passing yards but threw two picks and only one touchdown. Many times the team had to settle for field goals after marching down the field. No excuses in Pittsburgh’s loss.

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Indianapolis Colts

Colts running back Daniel Herron stole the show Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals running for 56 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries and catching 10 passes for 85 yards. The two fumbles by Herron prohibits a complete breakout performance, but a tip of the cap to him for coming in after starter Ahmad Bradshaw went down to injury and surpassing expectations.

Once again quarterback Andrew Luck excels while quarterback Andy Dalton falls flat on his face. Dalton could not capture his first postseason victory, extending his record to 0-4 while in the NFL. Will Dalton ever win in the playoffs, no one knows. Luck on the other hand looked great against the Bengals and looks as if he can go right into Denver and blow out the defense. Luck makes the Broncos-Colts game a must watch next week.

Detroit Lions vs Dallas Cowboys

The Detroit Lions played excellently in the first half, going into the second up 20-7. However, in the second half Detroit faltered, giving up 17 points, quarterback Matthew Stafford fumbling on the last two chances to score in the fourth quarter. For all of the grief about the reversed pass interference call, Stafford lost the game for the Detroit with his horrible second half play. Dallas took the game from Detroit in the second half.