The Boston Bruins Have UFA Decisions And The Montreal Canadiens Have Surprised Everyone
from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,
Their postseason disappointment still palpable, Bruins management any hour now will offer preliminary indication what their roster will look like when they next convene on the ice in Brighton for the start of training camp in September.
Time changes everything, of course, and time mixed with playoff regret typically means a deeper cut. Last season’s dismissal by the Lightning led to waving goodbye to Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara. In the weeks ahead, we could see unrestricted free agents Tuukka Rask and David Krejci (29 years of combined Spoked-B service), both members of the 2011 Stanley Cup team, likewise headed for the door.
Granted, this is open to debate, but the Bruins, even in the hours following their most recent loss, have the most identifiable roster among the town’s four major sports. Remarkable. Even though it has been 10 years since their last championship.
Roster identity alone clearly does not equate to championships, or even solid playoff runs, but it keeps the customers engaged. If the time has come for Rask and/or Krejci to move on, no matter by whose decision, the franchise’s valuable, fragile “Q” factor will take a significant hit....
Those Cinderella Canadiens (take a drink, Bruins fans) take on the Vegas Golden Knights Monday night in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup semifinal.
As hard as CH success is on the eyes of Black and Gold nation, imagine how Maple Leafs fans feel, their Blue and White darlings making it beyond the first round but once since 2002. They lost to the Habs in Round 1 this year. More striking, in three-plus postseasons, the newbie Knights already have 36 playoff victories, one more than the Leafs have accumulated since the spring of 2001.
The Habs, though underdogs entering the matchup with the Knights, edged the Leafs in seven, then went on to jumble the Jets with a 4-0 sweep. Karma dressed as a 19th skater on the Habs’ bench after the outrageous, predatory slam Mark Scheifele delivered as the punctuation mark to Game 1 of the series. The Habs then ran the table, outscoring the Jets, 9-3, over the final three games with Scheifele suspended....
more on each of the above topics plus more hockey notes......
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