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Post by SeaBass on Aug 26, 2022 6:52:08 GMT -5
At some point in 2022-23, assuming the Bruins return to full health, the team will be over the $82.5 million cap. Other clubs are in the same position. As such, they will start the season using long-term injured reserve to exceed the cap by some or all of the salaries earned by the rehabbing players.
Some teams will be in LTIR perpetually. Tampa Bay, for example, will remain in LTIR because of Brent Seabrook. The 37-year-old, who carries a $6.875 million average annual value, will not play again because of a hip injury.
The Bruins, meanwhile, will be in a temporary LTIR situation. Matt Grzelcyk, Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy will be given their respective green lights at some point. By then, assuming all hands are on deck and no other long-term injuries occur, the Bruins will have some financial wiggling to execute. It will not be so uncomfortable.
They have Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to thank for that.
This season, the Bruins’ top two centers will check in at a combined $3.5 million average annual value. If Bergeron and Krejci achieve their performance bonuses, the price rises to $8 million. Of that sum, $4.5 million can be rolled over into 2023-24. The overage penalties will be offset by the expiring contracts of Nick Foligno ($3.8 million), Craig Smith ($3.1 million), Tomas Nosek ($1.75 million) and Chris Wagner ($1.35 million), none of whom seem likely to be extended.
The term team-friendly does not begin to explain the contracts’ generosity. Consider that by colleague Dom Luszczyszyn’s metrics, Bergeron’s market value is more than five times greater than his $2.5 million AAV.
“To me, hockey is all about the team success and ultimately winning. And that’s what really makes the difference between a good career and a great career,” Bergeron said after signing his contract. “It’s the friendships you build. It’s the memories that last a lifetime. The dollar sign, obviously, I’m not going to say we’re not well paid. We are extremely, and beyond what I ever dreamed of as far as salary goes. That being said, I think leaving a few on the table to make sure you’re a competitive team and you’re a good team and that it carries on for years, that to me makes a big difference.”
Depending on who is on the roster and the rate of cap accrual, the Bruins may only have to execute one transaction to achieve compliance and activate their players from long-term injured reserve. Following are three possibilities:
1. Trading Mike Reilly. The 29-year-old should assume some of Grzelcyk’s duties at the start of the year. Reilly is good at retrieving pucks. He could work the point on the No. 2 power-play unit. He can get pucks on net from the blue line, which will play a bigger part in new coach Jim Montgomery’s game plan.
Reilly, however, is one of five left-shot defensemen on one-way contracts. Grzelcyk, Hampus Lindholm, Derek Forbort and Jakub Zboril are the others. Jack Ahcan, another lefty, is a depth option.
Lindholm will be in the first season of his eight-year deal. Forbort is an ace penalty killer. Reilly, meanwhile, has skills that overlap at times with those of Grzelcyk and Zboril. So once Grzelcyk is ready, Reilly and his $3 million AAV may have to go.
2. Trading Craig Smith. The right wing has been a consistent shoot-first presence for the Bruins, just like he was in Nashville. Smith played well with Trent Frederic and Charlie Coyle last season.
But Smith turns 33 on Sept. 5. He is not in line for an extension. Internal alternatives include Fabian Lysell, Oskar Steen and Marc McLaughlin, who all come in under Smith’s $3.1 million AAV. They are all younger and cheaper, too.
3. Waiving Foligno. The Bruins would still have to apply $2.675 million of Foligno’s $3.8 million AAV to their number. It’s possible, though, that trimming a pro-rated $1.125 million could be enough for them to slip under the ceiling. Dependent circumstances include when the injured players return, how many extra skaters the Bruins carry and which youngsters (read: inexpensive players) are on the roster at the time of waivers.
Foligno could turn things around. The ex-Columbus captain did not agree with his deployment last year under ex-coach Bruce Cassidy. At times, he affected outcomes as a net-front power-play presence and abrasive forward.
But Foligno’s cap number is significant if he remains a fourth-line left wing. The Bruins have younger and cheaper alternatives, including Nosek, Frederic, A.J. Greer, Joona Koppanen and Jakub Lauko.
The Bruins could also trade Foligno if he waives his partial protection. He will earn $2.8 million in salary in 2022-23 after receiving a $1 million signing bonus. But even at a reduced price, the Bruins would, in all likelihood, have to send an asset out with Foligno.
The neatest avenue would be to clear salary before the season opener. This way, the Bruins could avoid long-term injured reserve altogether.
But that would leave them short-handed, compounding the absences of Grzelcyk, Marchand and McAvoy. The Bruins’ mandate is to hold their ground until they return to full strength.
“We have some challenges, as do several teams, and how we do that, through trade or be it through waivers, really all teams are going to have to face,” general manager Don Sweeney said after Bergeron and Krejci agreed to their deals. “We don’t have an issue certainly through November. We don’t have an issue because of LTI and the likelihood we will be in LTI with the injuries we have. But coming out it is the math challenge. And yeah, we’ll have to unwind a little bit. But we have some mechanisms to be able to do that. We know what the leverage will be. You just don’t know what’s going to happen between now and then anyways. So we’re prepared to go in a couple different directions to explore what we have to do. But we have mechanisms in place to be able to accomplish the goal.”
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Post by orym on Aug 26, 2022 10:38:00 GMT -5
At some point in 2022-23, assuming the Bruins return to full health, the team will be over the $82.5 million cap. Other clubs are in the same position. As such, they will start the season using long-term injured reserve to exceed the cap by some or all of the salaries earned by the rehabbing players. Some teams will be in LTIR perpetually. Tampa Bay, for example, will remain in LTIR because of Brent Seabrook. The 37-year-old, who carries a $6.875 million average annual value, will not play again because of a hip injury. The Bruins, meanwhile, will be in a temporary LTIR situation. Matt Grzelcyk, Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy will be given their respective green lights at some point. By then, assuming all hands are on deck and no other long-term injuries occur, the Bruins will have some financial wiggling to execute. It will not be so uncomfortable. They have Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to thank for that. This season, the Bruins’ top two centers will check in at a combined $3.5 million average annual value. If Bergeron and Krejci achieve their performance bonuses, the price rises to $8 million. Of that sum, $4.5 million can be rolled over into 2023-24. The overage penalties will be offset by the expiring contracts of Nick Foligno ($3.8 million), Craig Smith ($3.1 million), Tomas Nosek ($1.75 million) and Chris Wagner ($1.35 million), none of whom seem likely to be extended. The term team-friendly does not begin to explain the contracts’ generosity. Consider that by colleague Dom Luszczyszyn’s metrics, Bergeron’s market value is more than five times greater than his $2.5 million AAV. “To me, hockey is all about the team success and ultimately winning. And that’s what really makes the difference between a good career and a great career,” Bergeron said after signing his contract. “It’s the friendships you build. It’s the memories that last a lifetime. The dollar sign, obviously, I’m not going to say we’re not well paid. We are extremely, and beyond what I ever dreamed of as far as salary goes. That being said, I think leaving a few on the table to make sure you’re a competitive team and you’re a good team and that it carries on for years, that to me makes a big difference.” Depending on who is on the roster and the rate of cap accrual, the Bruins may only have to execute one transaction to achieve compliance and activate their players from long-term injured reserve. Following are three possibilities: 1. Trading Mike Reilly. The 29-year-old should assume some of Grzelcyk’s duties at the start of the year. Reilly is good at retrieving pucks. He could work the point on the No. 2 power-play unit. He can get pucks on net from the blue line, which will play a bigger part in new coach Jim Montgomery’s game plan. Reilly, however, is one of five left-shot defensemen on one-way contracts. Grzelcyk, Hampus Lindholm, Derek Forbort and Jakub Zboril are the others. Jack Ahcan, another lefty, is a depth option. Lindholm will be in the first season of his eight-year deal. Forbort is an ace penalty killer. Reilly, meanwhile, has skills that overlap at times with those of Grzelcyk and Zboril. So once Grzelcyk is ready, Reilly and his $3 million AAV may have to go. 2. Trading Craig Smith. The right wing has been a consistent shoot-first presence for the Bruins, just like he was in Nashville. Smith played well with Trent Frederic and Charlie Coyle last season. But Smith turns 33 on Sept. 5. He is not in line for an extension. Internal alternatives include Fabian Lysell, Oskar Steen and Marc McLaughlin, who all come in under Smith’s $3.1 million AAV. They are all younger and cheaper, too. 3. Waiving Foligno. The Bruins would still have to apply $2.675 million of Foligno’s $3.8 million AAV to their number. It’s possible, though, that trimming a pro-rated $1.125 million could be enough for them to slip under the ceiling. Dependent circumstances include when the injured players return, how many extra skaters the Bruins carry and which youngsters (read: inexpensive players) are on the roster at the time of waivers. Foligno could turn things around. The ex-Columbus captain did not agree with his deployment last year under ex-coach Bruce Cassidy. At times, he affected outcomes as a net-front power-play presence and abrasive forward. But Foligno’s cap number is significant if he remains a fourth-line left wing. The Bruins have younger and cheaper alternatives, including Nosek, Frederic, A.J. Greer, Joona Koppanen and Jakub Lauko. The Bruins could also trade Foligno if he waives his partial protection. He will earn $2.8 million in salary in 2022-23 after receiving a $1 million signing bonus. But even at a reduced price, the Bruins would, in all likelihood, have to send an asset out with Foligno. The neatest avenue would be to clear salary before the season opener. This way, the Bruins could avoid long-term injured reserve altogether. But that would leave them short-handed, compounding the absences of Grzelcyk, Marchand and McAvoy. The Bruins’ mandate is to hold their ground until they return to full strength. “We have some challenges, as do several teams, and how we do that, through trade or be it through waivers, really all teams are going to have to face,” general manager Don Sweeney said after Bergeron and Krejci agreed to their deals. “We don’t have an issue certainly through November. We don’t have an issue because of LTI and the likelihood we will be in LTI with the injuries we have. But coming out it is the math challenge. And yeah, we’ll have to unwind a little bit. But we have some mechanisms to be able to do that. We know what the leverage will be. You just don’t know what’s going to happen between now and then anyways. So we’re prepared to go in a couple different directions to explore what we have to do. But we have mechanisms in place to be able to accomplish the goal.” Nice breakdown of our options. I don't mind 1 or 2 honestly and feel like there should be takers on those two. If they wait it out, someone else might get hurt (say Foligno) and then it all takes care of itself without a trade. Also, Bergy's quote - what a leader, what a pro! It's no wonder he is so highly regarded! "I think leaving a few on the table to make sure you’re a competitive team and you’re a good team and that it carries on for years, that to me makes a big difference.”
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Post by madmarx on Aug 28, 2022 13:00:44 GMT -5
Who loses their job this year due to a Yute on the Bruins roster ?
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Post by SeaBass on Aug 28, 2022 13:44:24 GMT -5
Who loses their job this year due to a Yute on the Bruins roster ? Hopefully Foligno
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Post by fforr on Aug 28, 2022 14:18:56 GMT -5
Who loses their job this year due to a Yute on the Bruins roster ? Ullmark to Swayman if that counts. Possibly Nosek to Studnika as well.
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Post by madmarx on Aug 28, 2022 17:12:41 GMT -5
Zboril take a job? Man I loved his progress prior to his injury.
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Post by fforr on Aug 28, 2022 18:46:42 GMT -5
Zboril take a job? Man I loved his progress prior to his injury. Glad he’s still here.
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Post by kjc2 on Aug 28, 2022 19:43:37 GMT -5
Zboril take a job? Man I loved his progress prior to his injury. Zboril wins a job and makes trading Mike Reilly an easy decision. Foligno gets hurt, real or otherwise and sits out most or all of the year. Lysell plays a handful of games to start the year, gets sent down to Providence but returns early in 2023 and doesn’t look back. Pastrnak… who knows??
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Post by fforr on Aug 28, 2022 20:47:50 GMT -5
Zboril take a job? Man I loved his progress prior to his injury. Zboril wins a job and makes trading Mike Reilly an easy decision. Foligno gets hurt, real or otherwise and sits out most or all of the year. Lysell plays a handful of games to start the year, gets sent down to Providence but returns early in 2023 and doesn’t look back. Pastrnak… who knows?? Maybe Zboril makes Gryz expendable. Pasta’s had a lot of time to think things over. The whole not winning a Cup and maybe waiting to see how things turn out is lame.
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Post by kjc2 on Aug 28, 2022 21:41:26 GMT -5
Zboril wins a job and makes trading Mike Reilly an easy decision. Foligno gets hurt, real or otherwise and sits out most or all of the year. Lysell plays a handful of games to start the year, gets sent down to Providence but returns early in 2023 and doesn’t look back. Pastrnak… who knows?? Maybe Zboril makes Gryz expendable. Pasta’s had a lot of time to think things over. The whole not winning a Cup and maybe waiting to see how things turn out is lame. Agreed, I hope Sweeney is not naive and thinks he can somehow change Pasta’s mind and convince him to stay.
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Post by SeaBass on Aug 30, 2022 6:37:02 GMT -5
There are 170 players on colleague Corey Pronman’s list of the NHL’s top 23-and-younger talent. Fabian Lysell is the only Bruin.
Not only that, but the 2021 first-rounder is the list’s Mr. Irrelevant, at No. 170. For perspective, Jack Hughes, the first pick in 2019, is No. 1 and one of seven Devils on the list.
This comes after Pronman’s NHL pipeline rankings were released and ranked the Bruins No. 32.
Here are four explanations for the franchise’s prospects plight:
1. Trading first-round picks The Bruins were idle in the opening round of 2022. They had traded their selection to Anaheim as part of the Hampus Lindholm package.
This followed a pattern.
The 2022 draft was the third time in the past five years the Bruins were without a first-rounder. They wheeled their 2020 pick, also to Anaheim, as part of the Ondrej Kase deal. In 2018, their first-rounder was part of the price the Rangers set for Rick Nash.
General manager Don Sweeney made all of these deals to reinforce the present. He also had the future in mind.
Shortly after acquiring Lindholm, the GM signed the defenseman to an eight-year, $52 million contract. Sweeney was interested in extending Nash, who was on the last year of his contract. Kase had one year left on his deal, after which he’d be restricted.
Only one of the three plans worked out. Nash retired after 2018 because of a concussion. Kase suffered his own head injuries and was not qualified following the 2020-21 season.
Meanwhile, the Bruins lost in Round 1 last year after acquiring Lindholm. They ducked out in the second round in 2020 and 2018.
In comparison, while the Bruins selected two first-rounders in the opening round over the past five years (Lysell in 2021, John Beecher in 2019), the Sabres have picked nine. That cluster includes two No. 1 selections: Owen Power (2021) and Rasmus Dahlin (2018). Both should be long-term top-four defensemen. They rank No. 20 and No. 7 on Pronman’s list, respectively.
With so few kicks at the first-round can, it’s no surprise the Bruins are experiencing limitations.
2. Competitiveness The Bruins have qualified for the past six postseasons. Sweeney added veteran help prior to each trade deadline: Drew Stafford (2017), Nick Holden (2018), Nash, Tommy Wingels (2018), Charlie Coyle (2019), Marcus Johansson (2019), Kase, Nick Ritchie (2020), Taylor Hall (2021), Curtis Lazar (2021), Mike Reilly (2021) and Lindholm.
In sum, the Bruins’ partings for these assets include three first-round picks, one second-round pick, two third-rounders, two fourth-rounders, one fifth-round pick, one seventh-rounder, and prospects Ryan Lindgren, Ryan Donato, Axel Andersson and Anders Bjork. It is a high volume of futures.
The Sabres, meanwhile, missed the playoffs in each of those years. In fact, they haven’t played in the postseason since 2011. It was practically a requirement, then, for the Sabres to finish No. 1 in Pronman’s ranking of the NHL’s pipelines. Misery has its perks.
For additional perspective, the Lightning have made the playoffs the last five years. Like the Bruins, they have picked twice in the first round in this segment (Nolan Foote in 2019, Isaac Howard in 2022). Tampa Bay has one player in Pronman’s U-23 rankings: Howard, No. 158. The Lightning are No. 31, one slot ahead of the Bruins.
Lightning GM Julien BriseBois, though, can waggle his fingers and flash two championship rings from 2020 and 2021. Sweeney cannot.
The sparkle of Stanley Cups goes a long way in mitigating possible future turbulence.
3. A critical graduation Jeremy Swayman is developing well. The 2017 fourth-rounder could become the team’s next ace.
But Swayman, 23, is now a year too old to qualify in the U-23 criteria. At No. 40, Spencer Knight is Pronman’s highest-ranked goalie. You could make a case that Swayman and Knight are current comparables.
4. Questions on some pick placement and development Two players fall into this category: Jakub Lauko (No. 77, 2018) and John Beecher (No. 30, 2019). Neither has played an NHL game.
At times, the speedy and feisty Lauko has looked like a possible No. 3 NHL left wing. But injuries have been an issue. Lauko played a career-high 52 AHL games last year, scoring three goals and 13 assists. It remains to be seen whether Lauko’s bad health luck and muted production will lead to a regular NHL role.
Beecher’s first NHL training camp is upcoming. The left-shot center has also had poor injury luck. As a University of Michigan junior, Beecher scored six goals and nine assists in 34 games, albeit primarily in a checking role. He focused on improving his shot this offseason. While size (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) and speed are Beecher’s strengths, the Bruins await whether offense will be part of his pro portfolio.
Time will tell whether Lauko and Beecher grow into NHL players. They are, respectively, 22 and 21.
If they fall short, the debate will be if they were drafted too high or if they didn’t develop properly. Sometimes, it’s a matter of both.
What’s it mean? The Bruins have done their best to keep their gloomy prospect situation from affecting NHL performance. They intend to push for the playoffs for a seventh straight year in 2022-23 if they can survive the early absences of Matt Grzelcyk, Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy. The bargain returns of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci should help in that regard.
But the Bruins’ window of championship contention is closing. It may be shut already.
They are desperate for the next wave of high-end contributors to replace Bergeron, Krejci and Marchand. At this point, imminent help is not on the way.
Getting the band back together wasn’t just about buying time for young players to develop. It was the only option Sweeney had to finalize the roster.
“We’re a really competitive team,” Sweeney said after signing Bergeron and Krejci. “We want to improve our team this year. I think we have to get healthy. You have to stay healthy, then you try and take a run. But we’re going to be fine from the standpoint of the number of really good players we currently have and the age band they’re in. It’s the next wave that you have to grow and cross your fingers that you’ve hit on.”
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Post by KSJ08 on Aug 30, 2022 9:47:57 GMT -5
"Lightning GM Julien BriseBois, though, can waggle his fingers and flash two championship rings from 2020 and 2021. Sweeney cannot."
BriseBois Inherited the current team from Stevie Y!! Like when A$$ Hat Babcock inherited Wings Championship team! Not defending DS's move BUT to make that comparison is plain out STUPID!!!
"Time will tell whether Lauko and Beecher grow into NHL players. They are, respectively, 22 and 21."
Exactly haven't even had a cup of coffee in the big leagues.!! Some of these writers are noting but hacks who sit around & think/say/print $h1t just to be heard/seen!
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Post by nfld77 on Aug 30, 2022 10:45:52 GMT -5
"Lightning GM Julien BriseBois, though, can waggle his fingers and flash two championship rings from 2020 and 2021. Sweeney cannot." BriseBois Inherited the current team from Stevie Y!! Like when A$$ Hat Babcock inherited Wings Championship team! Not defending DS's move BUT to make that comparison is plain out STUPID!!! "Time will tell whether Lauko and Beecher grow into NHL players. They are, respectively, 22 and 21." Exactly haven't even had a cup of coffee in the big leagues.!! Some of these writers are noting but hacks who sit around & think/say/print $h1t just to be heard/seen! Lysell BARELY made it being the last one at 170?? Fuck I thought he was a top rated prospect with all this talk about him..I also think this writer is an idiot???
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Post by kjc2 on Aug 31, 2022 6:56:56 GMT -5
"Lightning GM Julien BriseBois, though, can waggle his fingers and flash two championship rings from 2020 and 2021. Sweeney cannot." BriseBois Inherited the current team from Stevie Y!! Like when A$$ Hat Babcock inherited Wings Championship team! Not defending DS's move BUT to make that comparison is plain out STUPID!!! "Time will tell whether Lauko and Beecher grow into NHL players. They are, respectively, 22 and 21." Exactly haven't even had a cup of coffee in the big leagues.!! Some of these writers are noting but hacks who sit around & think/say/print $h1t just to be heard/seen! Lysell BARELY made it being the last one at 170?? Fuck I thought he was a top rated prospect with all this talk about him..I also think this writer is an idiot??? All I know is he has speed and skill and top six potential. He has to put on some beef, get stronger and keep growing his game. I still remember scout’s saying the ceiling for Pavel Datsyuk is a potential third line center. Scouts are good and their opinions are as accurate as the weather man. At least the one’s in Atlantic Canada 😬
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Post by madmarx on Sept 5, 2022 8:17:02 GMT -5
Congratulations to the Canadian Ladies 👏
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Post by nfld77 on Sept 5, 2022 11:29:57 GMT -5
Congratulations to the Canadian Ladies 👏 I never seen any of the games, more into Blue Jays now but I did hear they beat the USA..What a super rivalry they have there..
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 5, 2022 16:45:24 GMT -5
Great game yesterday. Congrats to the Great White North.
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 6, 2022 11:36:37 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 8, 2022 13:14:16 GMT -5
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Post by nfld77 on Sept 8, 2022 14:04:20 GMT -5
Zboril wins a job and makes trading Mike Reilly an easy decision. Foligno gets hurt, real or otherwise and sits out most or all of the year. Lysell plays a handful of games to start the year, gets sent down to Providence but returns early in 2023 and doesn’t look back. Pastrnak… who knows?? Maybe Zboril makes Gryz expendable. Pasta’s had a lot of time to think things over. The whole not winning a Cup and maybe waiting to see how things turn out is lame. Some of you have high hopes for Zboril and add me to the list..As mentioned here before, Little Z was great until that season ending surgery..Biggest problem I see is this:: With Grzelyk and Charlie out for an extended period of time, how long will it take Zboril to get back to where he was previous to injury?? Hopefully he's done everything he's supposed to do to get himself back into shape..But I certainly believe he has a future and high high the ceiling is pretty much up to him..He WAS drafted where he was expected to go so still not too late for him to begin his nhl career on a regular basis..
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 9, 2022 7:47:40 GMT -5
The Warrior sticks Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman will play with in 2022-23 have shorter shafts than the ones he used last year. The sticks’ lie, or the angle between the paddle and the blade, is greater.
These adjustments will allow him to drop his right elbow when he slides his blocker hand around the knob to handle the puck. Swayman believes he will be in a more balanced and athletic stance to initiate retrievals, have his entire blade flush to the ice and be better positioned to move the puck out of danger.
“Instead of having my elbow up here,” says Swayman, lifting his right arm high, “(the blade will) be fully on the ice with my elbow down a little bit. So I can be a little more square to the puck.”
Swayman’s objective in customizing his sticks is to tune himself more neatly to goaltending’s next big advancement: greater mastery of handling the puck. The goalies of tomorrow will be required to be cleaner with their touches than ever before. They may not even gain NHL entry without being puck proficient.
This is not news to those in the equipment business.
The people tasked with making sticks have had a sneak peek at goaltending’s pending revolution and gave The Athletic a look at what’s to come.
From wood to composite Wood sticks used to be just fine for goalies, even after their skater friends switched to composites. To most netminders, their Hespelers, Kohos and Louisvilles served well as sequoia-sized battle axes for bludgeoning trespassers around the crease.
Goalies, after all, were not catapulting wrist shots, hammering one-timers, snapping tape-to-tape passes or dangling through opponents. Barring exceptions like Martin Brodeur, goalies stayed put to prioritize stopping pucks, not moving them. Wood did the trick for that.
In addition, the sticks’ weight further muted regular puckhandling. Lugging a tree trunk, especially when paired with sweat-soaked pads and gloves and blockers, could turn puck play into a ponderous proposition.
“I picked up a stick today. Now, they cost $250,” cracks Brian Daccord, Boston University goalie coach and founder of Stop It Goaltending. “But I picked up a stick and I go, ‘I’d still have a rotator cuff on my blocker if I would have used one of these things.’ It’s truly amazing.”
The market has since shunted wood sticks into hockey’s fossil record. Goalies of all ages want composites, which deliver similar durability at a fraction of wood’s weight. Michael Tilson Thomas could practically lead the San Francisco Orchestra with a modern Bauer, CCM, True or Warrior composite stick as a baton.
Composite’s lesser-known perk is that its layers of carbon fiber offer wider avenues of personalization. This lights up gear geeks like Linus Ullmark.
Customizations on Ullmark’s current Bauer model — he was formerly a CCM client — include a stiffer blade, a different curve, a trigger feature on the paddle to protect his right index finger, a shortened shaft and a lie that tilts his blade downward.
“I can keep going on and on,” Ullmark says with a smile. “Basically everything I have, a stock stick does not.”
Ullmark’s partner did not always share this perspective. Swayman was happy with straight-off-the-shelf sticks at Providence and the University of Maine.
If not for his fast friendship with Ullmark, Swayman might not have journeyed down the road of customization. The 29-year-old Ullmark finds it curious that Swayman is not alone in his thinking.
“What I’ve come across is a lot of goalies — it’s not like they don’t care — but for sticks at least, they just sign a deal, get the stick and go play with it. They don’t really think about it more,” Ullmark says. “I start asking, ‘What do you think about the lie? What do you think about the flexion?’ They’re like, ‘What’s flexion?’ There are so many questions I usually have for some guys, and they can’t even answer half of them. Which I find pretty odd, because we’re getting to a point where the league has tried to stop us from playing the puck more and more.”
It may not be a coincidence that Ullmark is defter at puck play than Swayman. By getting his Bauer just so, Ullmark is confident he can execute the correct touch before he even approaches the puck.
“Now it’s more about being quick and knowing what you want to do with the puck before it hits your stick,” Ullmark says. “Then when it hits your stick, you make a solid pass, solid dump or solid clear. Because guys are so good at forechecking nowadays, you have to get it super high in the air. Or you make a nice sauce pass to a D-man forward. Or you just try to get it away as fast as possible.”
By Ullmark’s estimation, it took a full season of conversations with Bauer, back-and-forth adjustments and practice to dial in his preferences. He is a perfectionist.
“Bitchy is the wrong word. But I wasn’t happy,” Ullmark says. “If there were some small things I wasn’t really sure about or happy with, I told them right away. I wasn’t satisfied with 90 percent or 95 percent of what I liked. But it also came down to working hard. I shot thousands of pucks in one of those shooting alleys to figure out how to work the stick.”
This sounds familiar to Isaac Garcia, Warrior’s director of research and development in hockey sticks.
“It’s changed completely. It’s changed completely,” Garcia says. “Now it’s highly customized. There’s a lot of refinement. They’re always trying to tweak it a little bit to get a little bit more ‘whatever’ out of it.”
The explosion in goalie stick customization has signaled to Garcia that something big is about to transform goaltending. It may have already happened.
A customization revolution In 2018, Warrior introduced its line of composite goalie sticks. Pro and college hockey have become strong markets for Warrior.
Popularity was not a given, though.
Garcia likes to tell the story of Robert Rush, who oversees hockey equipment for Air Force Academy. Air Force has served as a test lab for Warrior. Rush used to be a holdout.
“He always told his goalies, ‘Until you start scoring 50 goals a year, I’m not buying you any composite sticks!’” Garcia recalls with a laugh. “But actually, now, when we talk goalie sticks to goalies, we’re talking about shooting. We’re talking about clearing. We’re talking about stickhandling. We’re talking about kick points and all those things players talk about.”
This may be because younger goalies like Swayman, 23, are more aware of their options. Puckstoppers could be following the examples of skaters, who have years of experience with stick customization to improve their shooting, passing, receiving and handling. Perhaps it’s just a case of goalies being goalies.
“To be at that level, you’re got to be really sharp. Very highly sensitive,” Garcia says of NHL netminders. “But then you add in the goalie factor, too. I’m a goalie. I know how goalies are. It’s got to be just right. It’s got to be just so. You add that layer onto it, it’s a whole new ballgame.”
Garcia remembers that after the 2018 launch, goalies were not as regular as skaters about wanting adjustments. Of late, though, requests like Swayman’s have exploded — appropriately, in a hockey stick-shaped growth curve. Could the shoulder of the paddle be boxier? Can you move the kick point? Could the shaft be shorter?
It does not surprise Garcia, then, that puckhandling is improving. That is the purpose of customization.
Being on the front line of stick design gave him a crystal ball.
“It’s what’s expected,” Garcia says. “Now that you’ve got the goalie coaches doing what they’re doing, it all feeds into that. It’s how they’re coaching these kids to play.”
All systems go The popularity of stick customization has coincided with all kinds of positional progressions. Chest protectors, gloves, blockers and pads are lighter. Training is better. Proper nutrition and recovery are points of emphasis. Video study is deeper.
All of this has initiated an organic improvement in how goalies play the puck.
It has encouraged coaches to adjust their systems. Jordan Binnington, for example, has gained Craig Berube’s trust as a consistent puckhandler. Binnington can skate after the puck, process his surroundings and execute clean movement with his True stick.
This has allowed Berube to deploy defensemen like Colton Parayko higher in the defensive zone instead of sending them back to fetch pucks. It has promoted swifter exits and more rush threats.
Binnington’s proficiency and St. Louis’ system shift contributed to the Blues’ improvement from averaging 2.23 goals per 60 minutes of five-on-five play in 2020-21 (No. 23 in the NHL) to 2.99 in 2021-22 (No. 5), per Natural Stat Trick. Everything is better this way: fewer calories burned in the defensive zone, fewer thumps defensemen absorbed from forecheckers, more attacks launched the other way.
“It’s all about exits,” Daccord says. “That’s your first touch for an exit. It all starts with that first touch. You get a good first touch, you get it on someone’s tape, you’re out of the zone. If you throw it in some guy’s skates or you miss the pass, all of a sudden you’re hemmed in your zone for 30 seconds.”
It’s even possible to correlate puck touches to skater health. In the above example, Parayko would save energy by flaring out to the corner instead of sprinting after the puck. By passing Parayko the puck in safe spaces, Binnington would reduce the number of times forecheckers smashed his teammate into the glass. Parayko made 80 appearances last year.
“If you’re a defenseman and you’ve got a goalie that can handle the puck? Oh my God. How much better do you feel?” Daccord says. “A guy dumps the puck, you turn around and you go, ‘Guess what? I’m just going to put myself in a position to get a pass.’ If the goalie’s making you a good pass or making a good decision for an exit, how many hits less are you going to get in a season if you have a goalie that can handle the puck? So the physical wear and tear on defensemen, for a goalie that can handle the puck versus a goalie that coughs it up, can’t put it on the tape, throws it behind you, throws it too late, there’s a physical toll that’s going to go on the defensemen.”
Not every goalie is as efficient as Binnington. Swayman, for example, has room to grow.
But Swayman and other young goalies are jumping into the customization pool to make the effort. It will not take them long to acclimate to their updated sticks.
In short order, most, if not all, NHL goalies will be snapping pucks around and turning defense into offense. The game will change. The customization movement says this will be the case.
“I want to be a goalie that’s active with the puck and confident with the puck,” Swayman says. “It’s just so much better to have that third defenseman down there that sees plays and makes it easier for my defense breaking it out. I definitely want to do everything I can to help.”
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 9, 2022 9:48:40 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Sept 9, 2022 9:48:58 GMT -5
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Post by fforr on Sept 9, 2022 16:58:08 GMT -5
Thought he was drafted as this big physical center who had a great shot, good wheels and could put up points. Don’t know who thought it was a good idea to turn him into a high energy 4th line pest and semi enforcer. Camp will bring a clean sheet of ice and a much needed clean slate for more than a few guys.
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Post by kjc2 on Sept 9, 2022 17:41:42 GMT -5
Thought he was drafted as this big physical center who had a great shot, good wheels and could put up points. Don’t know who thought it was a good idea to turn him into a high energy 4th line pest and semi enforcer. Camp will bring a clean sheet of ice and a much needed clean slate for more than a few guys. I think Frederic can be a serviceable NHL player once he finds his identity at the NHL level. Bottom six for sure but he’s big, has a good stick and he skates well. Hopefully the new coach can get him heading in the right direction. He can be physical but he’s not a fighter, he can forecheck and create turnovers. We have a spot for him if he can figure out how to be his best self.
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Post by nfld77 on Sept 9, 2022 19:14:28 GMT -5
Thought he was drafted as this big physical center who had a great shot, good wheels and could put up points. Don’t know who thought it was a good idea to turn him into a high energy 4th line pest and semi enforcer. Camp will bring a clean sheet of ice and a much needed clean slate for more than a few guys. I think Frederic can be a serviceable NHL player once he finds his identity at the NHL level. Bottom six for sure but he’s big, has a good stick and he skates well. Hopefully the new coach can get him heading in the right direction. He can be physical but he’s not a fighter, he can forecheck and create turnovers. We have a spot for him if he can figure out how to be his best self. Frederic had some good moments last season when he showed signs of being that player he was expected to be.. Was it Febuary, maybe March, when he looked good alongside Coyle and Smith..That line ended the season poorly but had a really good run previous to that...Smith had something like 9 goals in 10 games and during those few games well thats when Freddy got the majority of his points for the season..If he can prove in preseason that he deserves another shot on the 3rd line and put up maybe 30 points, that would be a decent turnaround or maybe a beginning to a career 3rd liner..I think he has the tools to be a physical force out there and pop a few goals, it's just a matter of putting it all together!! This is a crucial season for him so I hope he takes advantage of the situation!!
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Post by madmarx on Sept 10, 2022 19:02:01 GMT -5
Thought he was drafted as this big physical center who had a great shot, good wheels and could put up points. Don’t know who thought it was a good idea to turn him into a high energy 4th line pest and semi enforcer. Camp will bring a clean sheet of ice and a much needed clean slate for more than a few guys. I think Frederic can be a serviceable NHL player once he finds his identity at the NHL level. Bottom six for sure but he’s big, has a good stick and he skates well. Hopefully the new coach can get him heading in the right direction. He can be physical but he’s not a fighter, he can forecheck and create turnovers. We have a spot for him if he can figure out how to be his best self. He needs McQuaid to give him some training, just so he doesn’t get seriously hurt .
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Post by kjc2 on Sept 10, 2022 19:31:40 GMT -5
I think Frederic can be a serviceable NHL player once he finds his identity at the NHL level. Bottom six for sure but he’s big, has a good stick and he skates well. Hopefully the new coach can get him heading in the right direction. He can be physical but he’s not a fighter, he can forecheck and create turnovers. We have a spot for him if he can figure out how to be his best self. He needs McQuaid to give him some training, just so he doesn’t get seriously hurt . I thought it was interesting that in an interview with Lohrei, Lysell and I seem to recall a couple of others that McQuaid’s name came up as being very helpful resource in development. Quaider is a keeper in that job. Also Frederic would we wise to call on McQuaid on learning how to fight and when to fight.
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Post by madmarx on Sept 11, 2022 17:39:53 GMT -5
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Post by kjc2 on Sept 11, 2022 18:13:00 GMT -5
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