*Gasp*
Can you hear it? The loud, chaotic melody of screams and profanities of pre-season in the distance?
No? What a shame.
Hallelujah! The Hockey Gods have heard our prayers and moved the summer along as quickly as possible to bring us back the sound of skates and goal-horns screeching the sound of their people across the league.
Most teams have their feet firmly set on the ground, just waiting for the day to come when they can finally rip into some fresh hockey flesh.
But the Boston Bruins? Not so much.
General Manager Peter Chiarelli has taken his sweet ol’ time when re-signing Defensemen Torey Krug (who just got a pretty beefy deal from the KHL) and Dreamboat Forward, Reilly Smith.
The sand in the hourglass is running down pretty quick, Chia; set the cannoli from Mike’s Pastries down and let’s get a move on, shall we?
Recently, the Boston Bruins Organization invited 34-year-old Simon Gagne of the Philadelphia Flyers to a try-out during development camp. It shouldn’t be surprising that not only the fan-base is questioning the higher-powers motives on this one.
Gagne is a veteran player; winning the game-winning goal against us during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He’s had his fair share of experience around the league, moving from Philly, to Tampa, winning a cup with the Kings in 2012, and then returning to his home team back in Philly once more.
While a good player, Simon Gagne has some pretty hefty numbers in terms of injuries (he ain’t no spring chicken, that’s for sure). Gagne has missed 233 regular-season games and 43 playoff games.
The Bruins have enough veteran players to last a life-time – not to mention the undeniable chemistry and bonds they have created with one another. Throwing Gagne into the mix (even with his skill level) might cause one big shift in how the game is played within our team for some time.
Other than slow re-signs, try-outs for a player we really don’t need, and the frustration the organization loves to cause it’s fan-base, we have a defensemen being sent to the guillotine.
Our finalists? Adam McQuaid, Johnny Boychuck (??????), and Matt Bartkowski. It seems no matter how hard our boys in the Black and Gold try and no matter how many times we make it in the playoffs, Chiarelli thinks taking apart and putting back together the team with nothing more than Elmer’s Glue is going to bring him home The Cup.
No. That’s really, really, not how it works. Remember the promise he made last year about not breaking up the 2013 Playoff Team? Trust issues, man. Trust issues.
Our problem doesn’t lie in our defensemen. Adam McQuaid may have had more than a few injuries last season, but that’s his and the trainers fault for taking off the muzzle and letting him go a few rounds way before his body was healed up 100%. Aggravating injuries just makes them worse. They’re all idiots.
Johnny Boychuck had twins this year. Lack of sleep and changing diapers every hour on the hour is bound to take a toll. Looch when through the exact same thing the year before, let’s be real about this.
Matt Bartkowski isn’t just young, he’s extremely inexperienced. He’s one of the boys on the team who is scratched whenever the opportunity arises. How can a boy build skills when he’s sitting up in the box in his overly expensive suit every other night? He. Can’t.
The higher-powers ruining our lives up in their perch in The Gahden need a serious reality check (not to mention an attitude adjustment).
What should we be expecting? I honestly wish I could tell you, folks. I really do.
Alas, another waiting game of hair-pulling and nail-biting ensues.
At least we have each other, right?
Megan Muise
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