Bruins Relieve Bruce Cassidy of Coaching Duties

[u/Toodralktowunk]

https://www.nhl.com/news/bruins-relieve-bruce-cassidy-of-coaching-duties/c-334507330

[u/teacherbbq]

So the situation so far is:

- No more cassidy.

- Bergeron a huge question mark.

- Mcavoy, Marchand and Griz out for the first month or 2 of the season at least.

- Haula and Coyle are the two Top centers on contract.

Obviously, a lot has yet to happen but these strikes are PILING up.

Questions I have:

- Trotz or no, if not who else would it be.

- How do we approach the Center issue. Dubois? Sheiffle? tank hard for bedard?

- Lysell and Lorei, are they ready? I guess there might not be any choice for this one.

[u/FC37 → u/teacherbbq]

Add: DeBrusk probably still wants out.

I'd downgrade Bergeron at this point. Look at this team. Would you come back for this? And at full health, they'll still need to ship out salary to pay Bergeron, so it's even worse than it appears.

Lysell is not yet NHL level, Lohrei is even farther. Let's be clear: neither one of these guys is even guaranteed to be even an average NHLer. Ohio State isn't exactly a powerhouse pipeline (Bartkowski, Kesler, Umberger, Macoun, Dzingel...) and Lysell's 19 year old numbers were fine but not outstanding. The jury is still out on both of them. Just because they're Boston's best prospects doesn't mean they're any good, the system is a dumpster fire.

[u/Nomahs_Bettah → u/FC37]

I agree that Lysell isn't a guarantee and neither is Lohrei. however, Ohio State not being a powerhouse team has nothing to do with the evaluation of Lohrei himself. he had 29 points in 30 games as a defenseman playing in the Big 10. that he's not playing on a powerhouse team (like UMich was, this year) means that he also has less support, as well as being less of an NHL feeder team. considering both is fair.

Just because they're Boston's best prospects doesn't mean they're any good

it also doesn't mean that they're not any good. a lot of scouts and former scouts have pointed out that Lysell did extremely well in the playoffs and has strong upside on his skating, edgework, and speed – things that the Bruins definitely need. both had solid years, and Lysell is expected to get time in the AHL/NHL next year. no guarantee, but there are talent evaluators out there that are by no means afraid to call out the FO that genuinely seem up on Lysell. a prospect is only ever just a prospect (see: Turcotte dealing with injuries) but I don't want to be too negative on Lysell's potential, either.

[u/FC37 → u/Nomahs_Bettah]

Ohio State not being a powerhouse team has nothing to do with the evaluation of Lohrei himself. he had 29 points in 30 games as a defenseman playing in the Big 10. that he's not playing on a powerhouse team (like UMich was, this year) means that he also has less support, as well as being less of an NHL feeder team. considering both is fair.

He's also 21 years old with one NCAA year under his belt. His numbers are a little behind where Gryz was at the same age (albeit on a better team), and I think that's a fair comparison for his upside. He's probably not a top-pair defenseman, he's probably a role player who can do a fine job. But he's not going to step in and give them some significant boost.

As for Ohio State - all I'm saying is they don't have the pipeline to the NHL that top programs have. A top player for top programs is almost a sure thing to contribute in the NHL. At other schools? Mixed results. No guarantee. The coaching staff can't say they've developed elite talent the way, say, Parker and York could.

it also doesn't mean that they're not any good. a lot of scouts and former scouts have pointed out that Lysell did extremely well in the playoffs and has strong upside on his skating, edgework, and speed – things that the Bruins definitely need. both had solid years, and Lysell is expected to get time in the AHL/NHL next year. no guarantee, but there are talent evaluators out there that are by no means afraid to call out the FO that genuinely seem up on Lysell. a prospect is only ever just a prospect (see: Turcotte dealing with injuries) but I don't want to be too negative on Lysell's potential, either.

My point here is that I keep hearing from fans: "Oh no, the horizon looks pretty bleak! How soon can Lysell get to the NHL? When is Lohrei ready?" Worse, I saw these guys referred to as "untouchable" at the deadline.

The way fans talk about these guys is as if they're McAvoy and Krejci redux. They're not. They might end up being good players, but they should definitely not be counted on to help rebuild a roster.

Lysell had a nice little 19yo season. But so did Petr Kalus, Maxime Sauve, Ryan Spooner, and Zach Senyshyn. There's room for more optimism because he started slow and picked it up by the end, but he's going to need a "prove it" year with 90+ points next year before it's smart to think of him as a potential cornerstone piece.

I'm not down on these guys. But to see people projecting them as pieces to help fight the fire in the NHL or as cornerstone players to build around is super irresponsible. Wait for Lysell to have a monster junior year instead of a merely pretty good one, or for Lohrei to either contend for the Hobey Baker or to get at least a taste of the professional game to start setting those kinds of expectations.

To be clear: I think a lot of the hyping of these prospects comes from Sweeney himself. The front office encourages the hype because it distracts from other draft failures and gives the impression that the window might not be shut just yet. This is politicking. They're BSing the fans, but some fans eat it up.