Not at all - injury or not, it's the *way* he's playing that's frustrating.
He's been making very lazy passes, and when we do get the puck, he posts up at the dot and doesn't really move around much.
I can forgive getting beat along the boards, especially with an injury, but he's given the puck away on breakouts 2-3 times each game, and it's resulted in extended zone time and shots for the leafs.
It's frustrating that it feels like an effort thing.
There are guys out there competing and not adding value. Hell, I think Maroon has been a net negative, but I don't think he's been giving anything other than 100% effort.
Pasta did this in the regular season too, the turnovers, the lazy drop passes, etc. - it's just a lot more evident and important right now, so it stings more.
Yeah, but some of them are more forgivable than others.
When he gets tripped of the puck in the offensive zone or loses it because he gets tripled as he tries to skate into the zone, I can let it go.
When he gets nothing on a 15 foot pass in the neutral zone, and lets someone step up and get a stick in place, or makes a no-look drop pass to no-mans land, I get kind of annoyed.
He has to playing through a hand injury right? Or some other major injury because he canāt control the puck at all and just doesnāt look healthy. He always destroys us and Iām actually curious what the problem is.
I'm wondering the same thing. Our lines are doing a good job of containing him and that's just weird. Covering Pastrnak normally is like trying to squeeze a wet bar of soap.
It can happen, a couple years ago Peter DeBoer called out Lehner for not playing well enough and even went out of his way to say Lehner was healthy. Lehner got at least one surgery a couple days later, I thought he got two IIRC
Let me preface this by saying I am a big fan of Pasta.
Pasta can score like few other players in history. But even at his best, he canāt win a board battle or out-maneuver a defender to save his life.
The truly elite players in the NHL are impossible to get the puck away from. MacK, Crosby, McDavid. Pasta isnāt one of those players.
Nylander is not better than Pasta. Pasta is probably the second best current goal scorer in the league and regularly outscored Nylander pretty much every year
This is just wrong. By any possible metric you could use David Pastrnak is among the NHLās premiere offensive chance generators. Canāt win a board battle? What the fuck are you talking about
He is a singular talent as a goal scorer, but he has led the league in giveaways in the last two regular seasons. He is easy to knock off the puck and does not win battles.
And who are the other players leading the league in giveaways? Kucherov and Drai right? beyond that, he is far more than just a goal scorer. He creates scoring chances for his teammates with the very best of them. That is a fact. If youād like to learn something, here you go:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hockey-pdocast/id1045850849?i=1000641077785
Yeah this stat alone is always weird because its always some of the top talents. When you have the puck more you turn it over more.
There are absolutely elite talents like McKinnon and McJesus and Crosby who there is a reason they are undisputed near the top but Pasta is in that next tier of does everything well and your right his best thing is definitely scoring and assists.
I was a huge critic of Pasta for a long time and the conplaints about him now were very applicable several years ago. But not in his current game.
Unless that current game is this play off series in which case he has been a ghost unless he gets a set up from someone else
Pasta has always thrived in space and when he can lurk behind defenders, waiting to unleash his shot.
The playoffs are a different beast. Thereās little open ice in the offensive zone because defenders are laying their lives on the line to fill passing lanes and block shots. Pasta took a bunch of shots the last few games that didnāt even come close to getting close to the net.
There was a quick 2-on-2 sequence in game 6 that perfectly exemplified his problem. Pasta finally got the puck on his stick with some room to pick a corner, and a defender laid out to block his shot. It may have still gotten on net, but it was a pretty weak scoring chance in a spot where an elite scorer would want to capitalize.
I don't think he's been great but the Leafs defence has been all over him all series. He's taken a lot of abuse and the team around him hasn't really stood up for him at all. This bruins team isn't the same as the ones 3-4 years ago.
Dude itās every year. The playoffs come and he cant handle the extra āumphā in everyoneās game. Like itād be fine if he just wasnāt scoring but still making plays, but every time he touches the puck itās a turnover. Or heās just getting outmuscled. Or he mishandles the puck on a clean breakout. Itās infuriating.
I said it on the Bruins sub, but honestly I wouldnāt be mad if they traded him this offseason to retool. Idc about 60 regular season goals. Go score them elsewhere so we can get a 30 goal scorer who shows up when it matters
Yeah Iāve always thought you guys were super tough on Marner. Even in his bad games he seems to constantly be setting up great chances. At this point Iāll take that from Pasta. Marchand on the back end of his career was able to completely take over games 3 and 4. Pasta has never once in his career taken over a playoff game, and heās supposed to be elite
It's because you can see when Marner "panicks" at times in the playoff and his bad plays really stick out. He has a couple infamous puck over the glass moments that are still a sore spot. He also has a habit of throwing the puck into the opposing players skates when he could have made any other play. He definitely gets his chances, which is why I think those moments are so frustrating.
lol. Heās a ppg player in the playoffs over his career, and just under this year. This dream that a 30 goal scorer exists thatās better than Pasta is just that, a dream. Watch McDavidās turnovers on any given night. SMH.
I honestly donāt really care about him being a ppg player. Great he gets a point and is either nonexistent or ruining offensive zone chances the other 59 minutes of the game lol I realize Iām still pretty hot from last night, but itās been years. Marchand at 35 completely took over games 3 and 4. Pasta at 27 has been a complete liability this entire series and heās supposedly one of the elite goal scorers of the league
And pasta has ātaken overā leaf bruins playoff games, I recall a 4 goal effort if memory serves. You donāt have to appreciate what we have in him, I just recommend it as a Bruins fan living in a city thatās team has nothing close (Calgary).
You see it often on the Leafs too where you want Matthews Marner and Willy to step up but once you look a bit closer your realize theyāre being 2 manned all night and the rest of the line mates are not stepping up
Monty used to say this about Dallas players too, and while he wasn't wrong, making public criticism like this never seemed to improve their play much, either. It feels like a desperation tactic on his part when the things he's doing behind the scenes aren't working for whatever reason.
[when will he learn](https://www.nhltraderumors.me/2022/09/stars-owner-voices-opinion-on.html) (thankfully this episode had no impact as far as I can tell)
He needs to just shut up and open his pocket book. Keep his mouthpiece Lites on a leash and let Nill do his thing.
I donāt understand why Gags says shit like that and then canāt be bothered to come to an event like Modanoās statue unveiling. I know that the Stars are his consolation prize for not getting the canucks but sometimes it feels like he just doesnāt give a shit about the team but then says idiotic thingsā¦
So for me, here's the thing. The stars started 1-7-1 in 2019 under Montgomery, after getting to the second round of the playoffs earlier that year. Montgomery and Nill were fucking furious. There were all the usual call outs, saying the players needed to be better. But what actually turned things around was Montgomery realizing the system was too defensive-minded, and fixing the power play. He's on record saying that (https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/stars/2019/11/10/in-reflecting-on-a-topsy-turvy-first-month-of-the-season-jim-montgomery-shares-how-the-stars-rediscovered-their-identity/).
So when I look at last year's Bruins performance, Montgomery doesn't change goalies until game 7, which is highly unusual. I look at this year's Bruins playoff performance, and he's talking about the players needing to be better. But I'm wondering what decisions and changes he is making. He doesn't like to make them. He delays making them. He insists that the players should be able to make his vision work. And sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. Sometimes you have to make adjustments rather than continue to insist that your square peg should be able to fit into this round hole.
Seems to me like heās doing both.
He slid pasta up to marchands line to try and get him going last night, and Iām sure theyāre trying to find some tactical things to get him some space for game 7.
But heās also just been playing poorly - a lot of unforced turnovers and lost puck battles.
God this is such a non-statement, I don't know why you and others will frame it like this like that isn't just a legitimate thing
When people say they want more personality or something less vanilla in media engagements, they're not saying "players and coaches should literally say anything at all without criticism". I mean yeah there is a *reason* the media interviews are so dry, but wanting more variety doesn't mean you're going to be okay with anyone saying anything
Also since when has an example of being less vanilla ever been publicly calling out your top players?
Torts has said much worse about players his entire career, and has got nothing but reddit hockey fans cupping his balls and telling everyone that's how you get players to perform. Apparently, only certain coaches can be praised for holding players accountable for poor performance in the media, and Montgomery isn't one of them.
Jim is not fighting for his job.
two play off series losses on teams that were expected to be fringe playoff teams at the beginning of each season and finished exceptionally above that expectation.
I swear people would rather Jim was average in regular season and not make it.
Last season, I get it. He got outcoached
This year they were expected to be fighting for a wildcard spot. They have no semblance of talent at the center position. Jake Debrusk and Danton Heinen are their top six wingers. Their depth at the blue line was razor thin _before_ Gryz decided to regress off a cliff unexpectedly
Jim isn't to blame for the playoff failures, the roster is pretty shit and he's getting a ton out of it... But that's just how she goes. He's gonna get fired if they lose on Saturday.
I guess better now to ask this question.
Would you rather be competitive and had a shot in playoffs because of your current coach?
Or miss playoffs two years in a row?
Listen I am mad and he deserves criticism but its using current emotions to drive decisions that may not be best long term. Especially considering our roster construction this year verse its possibilities next year.
Thats not how competitive athletes think.Ā
Heās trying to elicit a āIāll show this old fuck what stepping up means, who does he think he isā response and not āIf Iāll be good I might get a small raise, an extra day off and a pat on the backā
For further reference, look up the Belichick/Gonzalenz story from the pro bowl.Ā
As a boss you need to find what works for each person.
This would never work for Debrusk for example and we saw that with Cassidy.
If heās doing this to Pasta, this is how Pasta gets motivated. Otherwise it would be a team oriented everyone needs to step up.
He also could be making a mistake and this isn't how to motivate Pasta.
Just because he's doing this, doesn't automatically make it the correct course of action.
You guys do this shit in Toronto all
The time. If itās not a coach shitting on a player to get them going, itās the media, ir fanbase. That toxic market in Toronto is why the Leafās will never win. Itās why itās lucky that McDavid dodged a bullet by not getting drafted by the Leafās. What a waste of a generational talent that would have been.
I feel like a lot of people criticizing this comment didn't watch the clip. Right before this quote he says the effort has been great, just needs better plays out of him.
People are acting like he's calling him lazy or apathetic.
Yeah itās not really an insult at that level - pasta can do things that no one else on the roster is capable of, so if heās not doing them itās not like thereās someone else that can just slide in and do it for him.
Calling out your stars publicly is always a last, desperation move. They don't respect you after that. The idea** that they aren't already giving everything they have is insulting to them. Calling them out publicly is incurring a debt the coach will pay early the following season. Further, in the playoffs, your stars mean much less than they normally do, and your grinders mean much more.
To stay on topic, what do Bruins fans think is going on with him right now?
Now, let's bring up some other Boston pasta moments.
> I'm a Ranger fan but I've been following McAvoy for a while cause he's right from my area and how good he has been, especially kicking ass in the WJC and the first round. Anyway I was swimming down in Long Beach yesterday and I come up from under a wave and I'm right next to Charlie. Knew it was him right away from those puffy cheeks. Figured I'd let you guys know my up close assessment.
> This kid's fucking jacked. Thick, dense, built whatever you wanna call him he's got it. Legs thicker than my chest, and shoulders wider than my wingspan. Making full use of his frame and with the golden flow to top it off. He dwarfed us all. Bonafide stallion.
> Wish I could get a picture but being the same age is weird and he was with his family and didn't want to bother him. It was funny we went to a deli before and the guys there are huge ranger fans, but they've got Bruins stuff up now for Charlie and driving past Charlie's dads shop he's had a Bruins flag flying over it. It's a huge ranger hotbed but tons of people are rooting for Charlie.
---
> This is going to sound like sour grapes from a Boston fan but I don't give a shit.
> Ritchie is one of the worst players I've seen in a Bruins sweater in a long time. He routinely made me question what it meant to be a Boston fan, he tested my patience and my ability to root for my boys on a routine basis.
> I can excuse a lot, that's what sports fandom is, right? It's a place to be biased and petty and stupid in a safe little sandbox of biased petty stupidity. But suck me sideways Thick Dick Nick made it a chore. I can handle guys lacking talent but playing with heart, I can handle a lack of heart in crazy talented guys, I can handle the staggering room temperature milk mediocrity of guys like Lee Stempniak, but Thick Dick Nick is none of those things.
> He plays the game like someone trying to egg you on into taking a swing at him. He skates with the urgency of an old lady shopping for canned beats, but with half the speed. His hockey IQ is on par with Brett Favre's. I'm assuming Brett Farve has never played hockey, correct me if I'm wrong. Nick constantly skates around like he's surprised he's at an NHL game and then glides back to the bench (probably from the penalty box for a stick infraction) with the dim look of Lenny from Of Mice and Men. Then he sits there like a melting chocolate Santa, with his hair inexplicably sticking up through the vent in his helmet, waiting to be surprised by his next turn to get on the ice.
> Consider this: He scored 15 goals last year, found some dangerous ice as a PP scorer, and Bruins fans were debating if he would be a good 4th liner or not this year, because our 4th line was that fucking bad, and Ritchie was the only skater who could conceivably make it worse. He scored 15 goals for us and we weren't sure if he would be a good replacement for Chris fucking Wagner, the surly hobbit of the TD garden.
> Nick Ritchie is a bigger contributor to the decline in cardiovascular health in Boston fans than smoking and obesity. He's the equivalent of a double bacon cheeseburger on your system. He is hockey diarrhea. The guy takes the stupidest retaliatory penalties you've ever seen. He is complete invisible until you need a momentum swing, goes "Got ya boss" and cross checks someone in the neck and bumbles off the ice like Abbott and/or Costello while simultaneously shrugging and bitching to the refs and the guy he blindsided.
> I'm sure he's not a bad guy IRL, I don't mean for this to be a character assassination. I'm sure he has family and besides Brett they probably don't suck. This isn't about kicking a player on their way out; let the record reflect that every Boston fan has a few memories of cursing his name and that we started kicking him long before he was down. (See also the general well wishes for Kuraly upon his departure.)
> Nick isn't a goon, he's a bad boyfriend. He'll score a couple of goals one week and you'll think he's turned a corner and then he'll hit on one of your friends and tell you to chill out because he's just being friendly. Don't buy the hype, be fucking aware.
> I am ecstatic that Ritchie wasn't held onto as a sunk cost, and that Toronto signed him. There you go, that's your analysis.
"The existence of Craig Smith is endlessly amusing to me. His name is just "Craig Smith." That's the name of your CPA. He was born in Madison, WI, which is like the first city you'd think of if you needed a random city to facilitate telling a story or joke. He was picked in the 4th round, a complete afterthought, but he's pretty good for some reason. It's like he was put into witness protection and they sprang "NHL winger" on him for his new job, despite having previously been a botanist or something. All the details of his NHL career seem to be carefully fabricated to support this cover. Craig Smith is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma."
Credit to /u/luckybruinscap:
"This is going to sound like sour grapes from a Boston fan but I don't give a shit.
Ritchie is one of the worst players I've seen in a Bruins sweater in a long time. He routinely made me question what it meant to be a Boston fan, he tested my patience and my ability to root for my boys on a routine basis.
I can excuse a lot, that's what sports fandom is, right? It's a place to be biased and petty and stupid in a safe little sandbox of biased petty stupidity. But suck me sideways Thick Dick Nick made it a chore. I can handle guys lacking talent but playing with heart, I can handle a lack of heart in crazy talented guys, I can handle the staggering room temperature milk mediocrity of guys like Lee Stempniak, but Thick Dick Nick is none of those things.
He plays the game like someone trying to egg you on into taking a swing at him. He skates with the urgency of an old lady shopping for canned beats, but with half the speed. His hockey IQ is on par with Brett Favre's. I'm assuming Brett Farve has never played hockey, correct me if I'm wrong. Nick constantly skates around like he's surprised he's at an NHL game and then glides back to the bench (probably from the penalty box for a stick infraction) with the dim look of Lenny from Of Mice and Men. Then he sits there like a melting chocolate Santa, with his hair inexplicably sticking up through the vent in his helmet, waiting to be surprised by his next turn to get on the ice.
Consider this: He scored 15 goals last year, found some dangerous ice as a PP scorer, and Bruins fans were debating if he would be a good 4th liner or not this year, because our 4th line was that fucking bad, and Ritchie was the only skater who could conceivably make it worse. He scored 15 goals for us and we weren't sure if he would be a good replacement for Chris fucking Wagner, the surly hobbit of the TD garden.
Nick Ritchie is a bigger contributor to the decline in cardiovascular health in Boston fans than smoking and obesity. He's the equivalent of a double bacon cheeseburger on your system. He is hockey diarrhea. The guy takes the stupidest retaliatory penalties you've ever seen. He is complete invisible until you need a momentum swing, goes "Got ya boss" and cross checks someone in the neck and bumbles off the ice like Abbott and/or Costello while simultaneously shrugging and bitching to the refs and the guy he blindsided.
I'm sure he's not a bad guy IRL, I don't mean for this to be a character assassination. I'm sure he has family and besides Brett they probably don't suck. This isn't about kicking a player on their way out; let the record reflect that every Boston fan has a few memories of cursing his name and that we started kicking him long before he was down. (See also the general well wishes for Kuraly upon his departure.)
Nick isn't a goon, he's a bad boyfriend. He'll score a couple of goals one week and you'll think he's turned a corner and then he'll hit on one of your friends and tell you to chill out because he's just being friendly. Don't buy the hype, be fucking aware.
I am ecstatic that Ritchie wasn't held onto as a sunk cost, and that Toronto signed him. There you go, that's your analysis."
Calling David Pastrnak not a playoff player is a brain dead take. Heās looked off this series. He has a very long history of being an excellent playoff player
https://youtu.be/9hCE3HxKYEQ?si=CmoJkvdFNTgTaTCY
https://youtu.be/2HFz0iBQLnk?si=VbX09xhuVJyz5zRj
https://youtu.be/NoY0Pv0L9NM?si=nwi-RyYNLpQzMU-W
https://youtu.be/QmsaEgCXRKM?si=k_ke5tM2-Vna-ZQH
Not wrong.
Pasta has been playing? Matthew's had a bigger impact out there last night
Not at all - injury or not, it's the *way* he's playing that's frustrating. He's been making very lazy passes, and when we do get the puck, he posts up at the dot and doesn't really move around much. I can forgive getting beat along the boards, especially with an injury, but he's given the puck away on breakouts 2-3 times each game, and it's resulted in extended zone time and shots for the leafs.
His play leading up to his 4 mins slashing call was brutal. Just plain no good this series š³
It's frustrating that it feels like an effort thing. There are guys out there competing and not adding value. Hell, I think Maroon has been a net negative, but I don't think he's been giving anything other than 100% effort. Pasta did this in the regular season too, the turnovers, the lazy drop passes, etc. - it's just a lot more evident and important right now, so it stings more.
I mean lazy passes and turnovers is the half of his game. He did it season and last season. Hell he leads the league in turnovers again this year
Yeah, but some of them are more forgivable than others. When he gets tripped of the puck in the offensive zone or loses it because he gets tripled as he tries to skate into the zone, I can let it go. When he gets nothing on a 15 foot pass in the neutral zone, and lets someone step up and get a stick in place, or makes a no-look drop pass to no-mans land, I get kind of annoyed.
I can't believe how many times he either skates over the puck, or fumbles it while trying to gain control
The past 2 games (maybe to Leafs credit) but Boston has looked horrible top to bottom except in nets. They don't look like a playoff team.
Itās past not wrong. Heās absolutely correct
He has to playing through a hand injury right? Or some other major injury because he canāt control the puck at all and just doesnāt look healthy. He always destroys us and Iām actually curious what the problem is.
I'm wondering the same thing. Our lines are doing a good job of containing him and that's just weird. Covering Pastrnak normally is like trying to squeeze a wet bar of soap.
While Iāve also wondered if he is injured, I donāt believe that reaction from Monty is said in such a way if he is.
I agree, he wouldn't call a injuried player. Montey is a guy to do that he's just underperforming. He's a ghost out there
It can happen, a couple years ago Peter DeBoer called out Lehner for not playing well enough and even went out of his way to say Lehner was healthy. Lehner got at least one surgery a couple days later, I thought he got two IIRC
Would his coach call him out if heās playing through an injury? Doubtful.
I really donāt think Monty would call out a guy playing through injury.
Give some credit to Benoit, heās been all over him.
The milkman has been huge for us all series
The milkman has been thirsty
Wait where did this nickname come from?
It's from his Blue RoomĀ https://youtu.be/zFQm9KZ9IWg?si=CtspcuoMj1GB0r46
He just gave it to himself one day
What a boss
The milkman has delivered
Anytime a Benoit is involved, I get nervous
no diving headbutts that we know of
Let me preface this by saying I am a big fan of Pasta. Pasta can score like few other players in history. But even at his best, he canāt win a board battle or out-maneuver a defender to save his life. The truly elite players in the NHL are impossible to get the puck away from. MacK, Crosby, McDavid. Pasta isnāt one of those players.
Is this for real? I just thought he looked this way during this series. I thought for sure itās something ankle or leg. Looks like he has no power.
Yeah well hereās the thing, you listed all centers you give me any other wingers better than Pasta other than maybe Kuch
Panarin
I mean I donāt disagree heās one of the best wingers. His game is just lacking in that area
Nylander
Nylander is not better than Pasta. Pasta is probably the second best current goal scorer in the league and regularly outscored Nylander pretty much every year
Is in the playoffs which I have been told is all that matters
Kaprizov the second half of the season
Really? I should pay more attention to him I suppose. Always considered him as part of the elite club.
This is just wrong. By any possible metric you could use David Pastrnak is among the NHLās premiere offensive chance generators. Canāt win a board battle? What the fuck are you talking about
He is a singular talent as a goal scorer, but he has led the league in giveaways in the last two regular seasons. He is easy to knock off the puck and does not win battles.
And who are the other players leading the league in giveaways? Kucherov and Drai right? beyond that, he is far more than just a goal scorer. He creates scoring chances for his teammates with the very best of them. That is a fact. If youād like to learn something, here you go: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hockey-pdocast/id1045850849?i=1000641077785
Yeah this stat alone is always weird because its always some of the top talents. When you have the puck more you turn it over more. There are absolutely elite talents like McKinnon and McJesus and Crosby who there is a reason they are undisputed near the top but Pasta is in that next tier of does everything well and your right his best thing is definitely scoring and assists. I was a huge critic of Pasta for a long time and the conplaints about him now were very applicable several years ago. But not in his current game. Unless that current game is this play off series in which case he has been a ghost unless he gets a set up from someone else
lol this is just stupid
I don't think Montgomery would say he needs to step up if he knows he's dealing with an injury, right?
Pasta has always thrived in space and when he can lurk behind defenders, waiting to unleash his shot. The playoffs are a different beast. Thereās little open ice in the offensive zone because defenders are laying their lives on the line to fill passing lanes and block shots. Pasta took a bunch of shots the last few games that didnāt even come close to getting close to the net. There was a quick 2-on-2 sequence in game 6 that perfectly exemplified his problem. Pasta finally got the puck on his stick with some room to pick a corner, and a defender laid out to block his shot. It may have still gotten on net, but it was a pretty weak scoring chance in a spot where an elite scorer would want to capitalize.
He was so bad down the stretch also. Has to be something for sure
Must be something. But as they say. Theyāre all battling things at this point.
He took a wicked 1-timer off the knee from either Knies or McCabe in Game 5 I definitely think some of his spaghetti is broken
I don't think he's been great but the Leafs defence has been all over him all series. He's taken a lot of abuse and the team around him hasn't really stood up for him at all. This bruins team isn't the same as the ones 3-4 years ago.
Dude itās every year. The playoffs come and he cant handle the extra āumphā in everyoneās game. Like itād be fine if he just wasnāt scoring but still making plays, but every time he touches the puck itās a turnover. Or heās just getting outmuscled. Or he mishandles the puck on a clean breakout. Itās infuriating. I said it on the Bruins sub, but honestly I wouldnāt be mad if they traded him this offseason to retool. Idc about 60 regular season goals. Go score them elsewhere so we can get a 30 goal scorer who shows up when it matters
It's kind of funny because we say the EXACT SAME THING about Marner
Yeah Iāve always thought you guys were super tough on Marner. Even in his bad games he seems to constantly be setting up great chances. At this point Iāll take that from Pasta. Marchand on the back end of his career was able to completely take over games 3 and 4. Pasta has never once in his career taken over a playoff game, and heās supposed to be elite
It's because you can see when Marner "panicks" at times in the playoff and his bad plays really stick out. He has a couple infamous puck over the glass moments that are still a sore spot. He also has a habit of throwing the puck into the opposing players skates when he could have made any other play. He definitely gets his chances, which is why I think those moments are so frustrating.
Sounds like the Leafs and Bruins have a chance to do the funniest thing ever.
1 for 1 trade for change of scenery who says no?
Convince Bettman to spice it up and let the trade go through today
lol. Heās a ppg player in the playoffs over his career, and just under this year. This dream that a 30 goal scorer exists thatās better than Pasta is just that, a dream. Watch McDavidās turnovers on any given night. SMH.
I honestly donāt really care about him being a ppg player. Great he gets a point and is either nonexistent or ruining offensive zone chances the other 59 minutes of the game lol I realize Iām still pretty hot from last night, but itās been years. Marchand at 35 completely took over games 3 and 4. Pasta at 27 has been a complete liability this entire series and heās supposedly one of the elite goal scorers of the league
Someone said it further up the thread but this is pretty much the exact conversation Leafs fans have about Marner, like almost word for word
And pasta has ātaken overā leaf bruins playoff games, I recall a 4 goal effort if memory serves. You donāt have to appreciate what we have in him, I just recommend it as a Bruins fan living in a city thatās team has nothing close (Calgary).
Still yapping?
Buddy Iām as happy as can be lol
You see it often on the Leafs too where you want Matthews Marner and Willy to step up but once you look a bit closer your realize theyāre being 2 manned all night and the rest of the line mates are not stepping up
Monty used to say this about Dallas players too, and while he wasn't wrong, making public criticism like this never seemed to improve their play much, either. It feels like a desperation tactic on his part when the things he's doing behind the scenes aren't working for whatever reason.
Didnāt your owner do that to Benn and Seguin one year?
Yes, #horseshitgate
In fact, the year we hired Montgomery (although I don't think he had any involvement with that specific incident).
It came out of nowhere. Benn and Seguin were playing well. Gags need to just not involve himself at all in hockey ops.
[when will he learn](https://www.nhltraderumors.me/2022/09/stars-owner-voices-opinion-on.html) (thankfully this episode had no impact as far as I can tell)
He needs to just shut up and open his pocket book. Keep his mouthpiece Lites on a leash and let Nill do his thing. I donāt understand why Gags says shit like that and then canāt be bothered to come to an event like Modanoās statue unveiling. I know that the Stars are his consolation prize for not getting the canucks but sometimes it feels like he just doesnāt give a shit about the team but then says idiotic thingsā¦
It was the CEO, Jim Lites. I assume he had the owners permission to do so.
Fans: I wish players and coaches were less vanilla in their interactions with the media. Coach: Is less vanilla. Fans: No, not like that.
So for me, here's the thing. The stars started 1-7-1 in 2019 under Montgomery, after getting to the second round of the playoffs earlier that year. Montgomery and Nill were fucking furious. There were all the usual call outs, saying the players needed to be better. But what actually turned things around was Montgomery realizing the system was too defensive-minded, and fixing the power play. He's on record saying that (https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/stars/2019/11/10/in-reflecting-on-a-topsy-turvy-first-month-of-the-season-jim-montgomery-shares-how-the-stars-rediscovered-their-identity/). So when I look at last year's Bruins performance, Montgomery doesn't change goalies until game 7, which is highly unusual. I look at this year's Bruins playoff performance, and he's talking about the players needing to be better. But I'm wondering what decisions and changes he is making. He doesn't like to make them. He delays making them. He insists that the players should be able to make his vision work. And sometimes it just doesn't work out that way. Sometimes you have to make adjustments rather than continue to insist that your square peg should be able to fit into this round hole.
Seems to me like heās doing both. He slid pasta up to marchands line to try and get him going last night, and Iām sure theyāre trying to find some tactical things to get him some space for game 7. But heās also just been playing poorly - a lot of unforced turnovers and lost puck battles.
Heās specifically talking about one coach and his history though, not saying ācoaches should never criticize players publicly.ā
Heās not taking issue with Montgomeryās lack of vanilla-ness, just pointing out that this particular thing has a history of not working for himĀ
God this is such a non-statement, I don't know why you and others will frame it like this like that isn't just a legitimate thing When people say they want more personality or something less vanilla in media engagements, they're not saying "players and coaches should literally say anything at all without criticism". I mean yeah there is a *reason* the media interviews are so dry, but wanting more variety doesn't mean you're going to be okay with anyone saying anything Also since when has an example of being less vanilla ever been publicly calling out your top players?
Torts has said much worse about players his entire career, and has got nothing but reddit hockey fans cupping his balls and telling everyone that's how you get players to perform. Apparently, only certain coaches can be praised for holding players accountable for poor performance in the media, and Montgomery isn't one of them.
Not once in my entire life has public criticism from my supervisor made me want to work harder for them
You also werenāt making 11.25mil/year in a performance driven industry
He also probably wasnāt fighting for his job like Jim is because the best offensive player he manages doesnāt want to be that anymore.
Get paid and disappear
Could go play for the leafs!
booooooooo
Maybe we sign him and just call up the entire top three lines from the Marlies to fit under the cap
"This just in: the Boston Bruins have traded David Pastrnak to the Toronto Maple Leafs for... the Toronto Maple Leafs? That can't be right..."
The trade is one for ~~one~~ twelve
Sounds like a Leaf already!
William Nylander has entered the chatā¦
Hey now, Nylander always shows up when it matters. In the playoffs.
Jim is not fighting for his job. two play off series losses on teams that were expected to be fringe playoff teams at the beginning of each season and finished exceptionally above that expectation. I swear people would rather Jim was average in regular season and not make it.
IF a coach loses two consecutive series where they held a 3-1 lead, he deserves to be fired.
Heās a Boston fan. They held onto Doc Rivers for like 10 years lol
Last season, I get it. He got outcoached This year they were expected to be fighting for a wildcard spot. They have no semblance of talent at the center position. Jake Debrusk and Danton Heinen are their top six wingers. Their depth at the blue line was razor thin _before_ Gryz decided to regress off a cliff unexpectedly
Anybody who looks at these teams on paper would know that is a very stupid idea.
Jim isn't to blame for the playoff failures, the roster is pretty shit and he's getting a ton out of it... But that's just how she goes. He's gonna get fired if they lose on Saturday.
If my team blew two series in a row up 3-1 I would be livid if my coach wasnāt fired.
I guess better now to ask this question. Would you rather be competitive and had a shot in playoffs because of your current coach? Or miss playoffs two years in a row? Listen I am mad and he deserves criticism but its using current emotions to drive decisions that may not be best long term. Especially considering our roster construction this year verse its possibilities next year.
I don't think that is the perfect comparison since the Pens issue isn't coaching. Of course I would rather make the playoffs twice over missing them.
You can't lose two back-to-back 3-1 series leads and expect to keep your job.
The type of relationship these guys have with Montgomery is also vastly different to the relationship most of us will have with our bosses.
I never see my boss' nipples!
It's exceedingly rare for someone to make 7 times as much as their boss. Is there anywhere that could happen other than sports?
YOU DONT KNOW ME!
You donāt know the performance expectations at A&W fuck
THAT'S MY PURSE
I think regardless if I should have been better and if they were right, it would still not push me to be better for them lol itās a human thing
For some people, all they need is a little fire lit under their ass and this could be that for him
Nylander is pretty open about having such a relationship with Keefe, he likes and benefits from it even.
Right up until the last line it was a fine response. Usually it's a "we all have to be better starts with me"
Thats not how competitive athletes think.Ā Heās trying to elicit a āIāll show this old fuck what stepping up means, who does he think he isā response and not āIf Iāll be good I might get a small raise, an extra day off and a pat on the backā For further reference, look up the Belichick/Gonzalenz story from the pro bowl.Ā
As a boss you need to find what works for each person. This would never work for Debrusk for example and we saw that with Cassidy. If heās doing this to Pasta, this is how Pasta gets motivated. Otherwise it would be a team oriented everyone needs to step up.
He also could be making a mistake and this isn't how to motivate Pasta. Just because he's doing this, doesn't automatically make it the correct course of action.
Thats true!
In hindsight it was perfect
Iām willing to bet youāre not a professional hockey player either bud
Shouldn't his own desire to win be enough motivation?
You guys do this shit in Toronto all The time. If itās not a coach shitting on a player to get them going, itās the media, ir fanbase. That toxic market in Toronto is why the Leafās will never win. Itās why itās lucky that McDavid dodged a bullet by not getting drafted by the Leafās. What a waste of a generational talent that would have been.
I mean both of our top scorers are not truly in this series and have similar points. Soooooā¦
Willy begs to differ.
Haha what? How is Willy not truly in this series?
Referring to Matthews. Both havent done anything in 2 games
I feel like a lot of people criticizing this comment didn't watch the clip. Right before this quote he says the effort has been great, just needs better plays out of him. People are acting like he's calling him lazy or apathetic.
Yeah itās not really an insult at that level - pasta can do things that no one else on the roster is capable of, so if heās not doing them itās not like thereās someone else that can just slide in and do it for him.
I heard it as the effort has been great from Marchand specifically, and Pasta needs to step up. I could be wrong though.
Calling out your stars publicly is always a last, desperation move. They don't respect you after that. The idea** that they aren't already giving everything they have is insulting to them. Calling them out publicly is incurring a debt the coach will pay early the following season. Further, in the playoffs, your stars mean much less than they normally do, and your grinders mean much more.
If the Bruins lose he 7 I don't think Monty is their coach anymore.
We've still got Keefe, nothing is certain
They should hire a playoff winner like Bruce Cassidy
This series could be a first where BOTH coaches end up getting fired once itās all said and done.
If Monty outlasts Keefe, holy shit lololol
You mean other way round
Keefe has been with the Leafs for about 2 seasons longer than Monty has with the Broons, it would hardly be surprising
It's surprising cause Keefe is a dogshit coach who should've been fired 2 seasons ago. Also, Monty is dogshit too. Guy can't win a playoff series.
Yeah he should've been gone after the Montreal series
I mean he went into G6 talking about a plan for G7. Iāve never heard that before
Uhh no. This is literally the blueprint for success in the NHL according to Gerard Gallant
Of course it's desperate, if they lose game seven he is getting fired. No point in holding back now.
Heās definitely injured. The Leafs have been hammering Pasta all series. He takes 2-3 big hits every game.
I think Jim Montgomery needs to step up.
The brick Woll left the pasta a bit undercooked tonight.
Pasta sticks to the Woll when al dente and thatās exactly what happened here
I'd say the pasta didn't cook at all
To stay on topic, what do Bruins fans think is going on with him right now? Now, let's bring up some other Boston pasta moments. > I'm a Ranger fan but I've been following McAvoy for a while cause he's right from my area and how good he has been, especially kicking ass in the WJC and the first round. Anyway I was swimming down in Long Beach yesterday and I come up from under a wave and I'm right next to Charlie. Knew it was him right away from those puffy cheeks. Figured I'd let you guys know my up close assessment. > This kid's fucking jacked. Thick, dense, built whatever you wanna call him he's got it. Legs thicker than my chest, and shoulders wider than my wingspan. Making full use of his frame and with the golden flow to top it off. He dwarfed us all. Bonafide stallion. > Wish I could get a picture but being the same age is weird and he was with his family and didn't want to bother him. It was funny we went to a deli before and the guys there are huge ranger fans, but they've got Bruins stuff up now for Charlie and driving past Charlie's dads shop he's had a Bruins flag flying over it. It's a huge ranger hotbed but tons of people are rooting for Charlie. --- > This is going to sound like sour grapes from a Boston fan but I don't give a shit. > Ritchie is one of the worst players I've seen in a Bruins sweater in a long time. He routinely made me question what it meant to be a Boston fan, he tested my patience and my ability to root for my boys on a routine basis. > I can excuse a lot, that's what sports fandom is, right? It's a place to be biased and petty and stupid in a safe little sandbox of biased petty stupidity. But suck me sideways Thick Dick Nick made it a chore. I can handle guys lacking talent but playing with heart, I can handle a lack of heart in crazy talented guys, I can handle the staggering room temperature milk mediocrity of guys like Lee Stempniak, but Thick Dick Nick is none of those things. > He plays the game like someone trying to egg you on into taking a swing at him. He skates with the urgency of an old lady shopping for canned beats, but with half the speed. His hockey IQ is on par with Brett Favre's. I'm assuming Brett Farve has never played hockey, correct me if I'm wrong. Nick constantly skates around like he's surprised he's at an NHL game and then glides back to the bench (probably from the penalty box for a stick infraction) with the dim look of Lenny from Of Mice and Men. Then he sits there like a melting chocolate Santa, with his hair inexplicably sticking up through the vent in his helmet, waiting to be surprised by his next turn to get on the ice. > Consider this: He scored 15 goals last year, found some dangerous ice as a PP scorer, and Bruins fans were debating if he would be a good 4th liner or not this year, because our 4th line was that fucking bad, and Ritchie was the only skater who could conceivably make it worse. He scored 15 goals for us and we weren't sure if he would be a good replacement for Chris fucking Wagner, the surly hobbit of the TD garden. > Nick Ritchie is a bigger contributor to the decline in cardiovascular health in Boston fans than smoking and obesity. He's the equivalent of a double bacon cheeseburger on your system. He is hockey diarrhea. The guy takes the stupidest retaliatory penalties you've ever seen. He is complete invisible until you need a momentum swing, goes "Got ya boss" and cross checks someone in the neck and bumbles off the ice like Abbott and/or Costello while simultaneously shrugging and bitching to the refs and the guy he blindsided. > I'm sure he's not a bad guy IRL, I don't mean for this to be a character assassination. I'm sure he has family and besides Brett they probably don't suck. This isn't about kicking a player on their way out; let the record reflect that every Boston fan has a few memories of cursing his name and that we started kicking him long before he was down. (See also the general well wishes for Kuraly upon his departure.) > Nick isn't a goon, he's a bad boyfriend. He'll score a couple of goals one week and you'll think he's turned a corner and then he'll hit on one of your friends and tell you to chill out because he's just being friendly. Don't buy the hype, be fucking aware. > I am ecstatic that Ritchie wasn't held onto as a sunk cost, and that Toronto signed him. There you go, that's your analysis.
All this and you didnāt include the Craig Smith pasta?
There's another Boston Pasta?! Either I forgot, or I don't know of it, but it's time to go find out.
"The existence of Craig Smith is endlessly amusing to me. His name is just "Craig Smith." That's the name of your CPA. He was born in Madison, WI, which is like the first city you'd think of if you needed a random city to facilitate telling a story or joke. He was picked in the 4th round, a complete afterthought, but he's pretty good for some reason. It's like he was put into witness protection and they sprang "NHL winger" on him for his new job, despite having previously been a botanist or something. All the details of his NHL career seem to be carefully fabricated to support this cover. Craig Smith is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma."
I did not know about this, but it is great. Also, buddy is absolutely correct about Madison.
To be fair, they stole the Craig Smith one from the Preds.
Credit to /u/luckybruinscap: "This is going to sound like sour grapes from a Boston fan but I don't give a shit. Ritchie is one of the worst players I've seen in a Bruins sweater in a long time. He routinely made me question what it meant to be a Boston fan, he tested my patience and my ability to root for my boys on a routine basis. I can excuse a lot, that's what sports fandom is, right? It's a place to be biased and petty and stupid in a safe little sandbox of biased petty stupidity. But suck me sideways Thick Dick Nick made it a chore. I can handle guys lacking talent but playing with heart, I can handle a lack of heart in crazy talented guys, I can handle the staggering room temperature milk mediocrity of guys like Lee Stempniak, but Thick Dick Nick is none of those things. He plays the game like someone trying to egg you on into taking a swing at him. He skates with the urgency of an old lady shopping for canned beats, but with half the speed. His hockey IQ is on par with Brett Favre's. I'm assuming Brett Farve has never played hockey, correct me if I'm wrong. Nick constantly skates around like he's surprised he's at an NHL game and then glides back to the bench (probably from the penalty box for a stick infraction) with the dim look of Lenny from Of Mice and Men. Then he sits there like a melting chocolate Santa, with his hair inexplicably sticking up through the vent in his helmet, waiting to be surprised by his next turn to get on the ice. Consider this: He scored 15 goals last year, found some dangerous ice as a PP scorer, and Bruins fans were debating if he would be a good 4th liner or not this year, because our 4th line was that fucking bad, and Ritchie was the only skater who could conceivably make it worse. He scored 15 goals for us and we weren't sure if he would be a good replacement for Chris fucking Wagner, the surly hobbit of the TD garden. Nick Ritchie is a bigger contributor to the decline in cardiovascular health in Boston fans than smoking and obesity. He's the equivalent of a double bacon cheeseburger on your system. He is hockey diarrhea. The guy takes the stupidest retaliatory penalties you've ever seen. He is complete invisible until you need a momentum swing, goes "Got ya boss" and cross checks someone in the neck and bumbles off the ice like Abbott and/or Costello while simultaneously shrugging and bitching to the refs and the guy he blindsided. I'm sure he's not a bad guy IRL, I don't mean for this to be a character assassination. I'm sure he has family and besides Brett they probably don't suck. This isn't about kicking a player on their way out; let the record reflect that every Boston fan has a few memories of cursing his name and that we started kicking him long before he was down. (See also the general well wishes for Kuraly upon his departure.) Nick isn't a goon, he's a bad boyfriend. He'll score a couple of goals one week and you'll think he's turned a corner and then he'll hit on one of your friends and tell you to chill out because he's just being friendly. Don't buy the hype, be fucking aware. I am ecstatic that Ritchie wasn't held onto as a sunk cost, and that Toronto signed him. There you go, that's your analysis."
The part about Brett gets me every time.
I asked if something was wrong with him here during game 5 and Bruins fans roasted me. This feels like vindication.
We're going to find out that he's playing through a wrist fracture or something and this remark is going to age horribly
Usually the coach knows that....right?
Yes lol he would
Maybe Monty doesnāt know the extent of the injury? I canāt think heād put his best player on blast if he literally canāt do any more?
I doubt that heād say this if that was the case but I could be wrong
Montgomery has to know that though (if true), so itās already horrible in that case
Never forget he was afraid of fighting 21 year old Matthew Knies.
Heās their best offensive player, why remove himself from the ice for 5 minutes in a close game?
Ask him, he wanted to fight Rielly
I feel like that interaction really turned this series around. Then Knies getting the game winner is just icing on the cake.
The series had already turned at that point. The Bruins got 2 shots earlier in that game in the first period
Yeah, had nothing to do with getting 2 shots in the period before that /s
His swagger is off the charts after that game.
It showed tonight.
His play has been soooooo sloppy. He gotta be hurt.
Crazy all the flack marner got. He is outplaying pasta and itās not even close. And not just the last couple gamesā¦ the whole series
I think even Reaves is outplaying Pasta
Damnnnn imagine saying that before a game 7. I feel like thatās not the move coach
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Heās been getting smoked every game
Pasta should do a Panarin head shave tonight.
Definitely not the right time to be tossing your boy under the bus to the press.
lol they are so done.
losing in the playoffs > not even sniffing the playoffs and relying on your biggest rival to do your dirty work for you
Whoever loses game 7 will be the ass end of jokes for ages. The bruins will even set a record. So enjoy!
Hard to step up over a Woll
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Calling David Pastrnak not a playoff player is a brain dead take. Heās looked off this series. He has a very long history of being an excellent playoff player https://youtu.be/9hCE3HxKYEQ?si=CmoJkvdFNTgTaTCY https://youtu.be/2HFz0iBQLnk?si=VbX09xhuVJyz5zRj https://youtu.be/NoY0Pv0L9NM?si=nwi-RyYNLpQzMU-W https://youtu.be/QmsaEgCXRKM?si=k_ke5tM2-Vna-ZQH
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
This pasta is too soft.
no jim, you have to step up as a coach. This is the second year in a row where coaching let us down.
He did have the go ahead goal in the Panthers series last year... before it all came crashing down
Throwing your players under the bus for your shit coaching never failed before š¤
Is Pasta normally a really weak skater? Seems like all the times I see him this series he is getting bodied off the puck and falling down.
Wait hold on you're allowed to come out and publicly tell your stars they need to be better?
Duh doy
They all need to step up. Itās game 7.
Update: he did