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New York Times
16-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
What went wrong for the Bruins in 2024-25 — and what comes next
On March 29, Matthew Wood, the 15th pick in 2023, signed his entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators. On April 6, the former University of Connecticut forward made his NHL debut against the Montreal Canadiens. On March 31, Ryan Leonard, the eighth pick in 2023, signed his first pro contract with the Washington Capitals. The next day, the former Boston College Eagle played his first NHL game, against his hometown Boston Bruins. Advertisement The same day Leonard turned pro, ex-Eagle Gabe Perreault, the No. 23 selection in 2023, did the same with the New York Rangers. On April 2, Leonard's college and U.S. National Team Development Program linemate appeared in his first NHL game, against the Minnesota Wild. Wood, Leonard and Perreault are three of the 14 2023 first-rounders who have advanced to the NHL. The Boston Bruins did not have a first-rounder in 2023, having traded it to Washington in the Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway transaction. It was one of four first-round picks they have traded since 2018 in pursuit of postseason-and-beyond reinforcements; Rick Nash, Ondrej Kase and Hampus Lindholm were the others. When it comes to former collegians turning pro for the Bruins recently, two of the three were Jake Schmaltz and Ty Gallagher, who were seventh-round selections in 2019 and 2021 (Dans Locmelis was the other). On March 25, Schmaltz, 23, signed a one-year AHL contract. On March 19, Gallagher, 22, agreed to a two-year AHL contract. Both reported to Providence after completing their college commitments at North Dakota and Colorado College. That neither signed an NHL contract signals the unlikelihood of pending varsity appearances. The Bruins finished 2024-25 with 76 points. It is their lowest total in an 82-game season since 2006-07 (76) and 2005-06 (74). Multiple circumstances stacked atop one another to produce this result: inconsistent goaltending, injuries, poor coaching, misguided signings, a flickering power play. But the Bruins' most significant shortcoming was that when their go-to players said goodbye or started to slow, they had no internal successors ready to take their turn. Their prospect pool, compromised by trades and underwhelming selections, was just about empty. By the time general manager Don Sweeney had to correct the organizational course, it was too late to fix. Advertisement Jakub Lauko was as happy as anyone whose life had been turned upside down. On March 6, Lauko's disappointment in being traded by the Minnesota Wild was countered by the excitement of going home. Lauko was the Bruins' third-round pick in 2018. He was rejoining a club he had helped win 65 games in 2022-23, an NHL record. The following season, Lauko and the Bruins advanced to a second-round meeting with the Florida Panthers, the 2023-24 Stanley Cup champions. Lauko thought about all these things that night while he took a car service from Vancouver, where he had been with the Wild, to Seattle. The next day, during a cross-country flight to Tampa, Fla., to rejoin his former teammates, Lauko learned things would not be as he imagined. Lauko slept for part of the eastbound flight. When he awoke and checked his phone, Lauko thought he was dreaming. Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo and Brad Marchand were all on the move. By the time Lauko checked into the Bruins' hotel that afternoon, he had just enough time to give Carlo a goodbye hug. 'It feels like two completely different teams than when I left,' Lauko said. In 2023, Sweeney went all in at the trade deadline by adding Orlov, Hathaway and Tyler Bertuzzi to a record-setting roster. Two years later, Sweeney went all out. Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau and Max Jones were also sent packing. In just two seasons, the Bruins had shriveled. The promptness of the tumble makes Lauko shake his head. 'So fast,' Lauko said. 'Two years ago, arguably the biggest … I don't want to say waste. But that was a waste. One of the best teams ever assembled, probably. And we choked it.' Lauko landed in Tampa shortly after Marat Khusnutdinov, also part of the deal, arrived via Rockford, Ill., where he had been with the Iowa Wild. Sweeney targeted them for a reason. Lauko (6 feet 1, 193 pounds), 25, and Khusnutdinov (5-11, 176), 22, are fast. Brazeau (6-6, 227), 27, is not. Advertisement Management believed beefy players such as Brazeau, Coyle (6-3, 215), Carlo (6-5, 220), Frederic (6-3, 221) and Jones (6-3, 216) would serve the club well to make up for skill and speed deficiencies. As for the Bruins' biggest weakness at center, Sweeney invested seven years and $54.25 million in Elias Lindholm. In retrospect, signing Lindholm was an overpriced shortcut. This season became the year when the 2023 retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci caught up to the Bruins. Coyle scored a career-high 60 points in 2023-24. The 33-year-old Coyle had 22 points at the time of his trade. Pavel Zacha, who had a career-best 59 points in 2023-24, finished with 47. Matt Poitras was not ready. The problem: Since 2018, the Bruins' picks have appeared in 468 NHL games. It is the third-lowest sum, more than only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins have picked 36 times in the last seven drafts. Only the Winnipeg Jets (35) have made fewer picks. In comparison, Washington's picks since 2018, as of Thursday, had totaled 1,220 games. The Capitals have developed Martin Fehervary (25 years old), Connor McMichael (24) and Aliaksei Protas (24), who have become critical parts of their turnaround. In that way, trading for Jakob Chychrun, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Logan Thompson were complementary pieces of the puzzle. 'What I think goes unnoticed is a lot of years of hard work and development in the minor leagues,' Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. 'To retool — whatever words you want to use — and add players in free agency and through the draft, you still need to develop Aliaksei Protas, Marty Fehervary, Rasmus Sandin, Connor McMichael. 'And have those players playing the way they are right now on a winning team. You're looking at a 30-goal scorer. A 25-goal scorer. Marty Fehervary can play 22 minutes a night in a shutdown role without any issues whatsoever. Rasmus Sandin has turned into a phenomenal two-way defenseman. We didn't just trade for these guys in the summer. This has been five, six years in the making.' None of the Bruins' picks since 2018, be it Poitras (second round, 2022), Fabian Lysell (first round, 2021) or Dean Letourneau (first round, 2024), is a sure thing in the NHL. It's why shredding the roster and tanking for a 2025 lottery pick was Sweeney's only short-term solution. Advertisement This meant the ones still standing had to eat it. 'It's not easy,' Zacha said. 'You create friendships and relationships with players. Especially the guys who have been around here long and they're not here anymore. It's never easy for anybody. But you have to battle through it as much as you can.' The Bruins believed they were due for a step forward in 2024-25. Nikita Zadorov, signed for six years and $30 million, was supposed to reinforce a defense that rolled Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm as its top two defensemen. Mark Kastelic, brought in as part of the Linus Ullmark trade, brought belligerence on the fourth line. Zacha and Coyle, dependable as first- and second-line centers in 2023-24, would be better with the addition of Lindholm. But the Bruins misfired in training camp. Turbulence extended into the regular season. Coach Jim Montgomery lost his job because he could not find any answers. 'We thought, 'OK, this is going to be a good year for us,'' Zacha said. 'Then, going in a lot of ups and downs: Having two really good games, beating teams by a lot. Then, having two really down games. Having those big ups and downs was not really here two years ago.' It did not help that the Bruins finished the season without their top two defensemen. McAvoy played a career-low 50 games because of a shoulder injury. Lindholm made 17 appearances, also a career low, because of a broken patella. Lindholm was the team's best player when Justin Faulk's shot rocketed off his leg on Nov. 12, 2024. Lindholm's injury, in particular, forced Zadorov and Mason Lohrei to take more shifts than expected. It did not go well. Zadorov finished with 145 penalty minutes, No. 1 in the league as of the end of the Bruins' season. Lohrei had been on the ice for more five-on-five goals against than any defenseman in the league save for six through Monday. Advertisement Once McAvoy went down, Lohrei became the full-time quarterback on the No. 1 power-play unit. He could not bring it to life. The Bruins had one of the worst power plays in the league. As a rule, coaches stack their top offensive players on the power play. The Bruins' lack of PP firepower reflects how few game-changers they have across their roster. They believed they had a puck-stopping difference-maker. Jeremy Swayman proved he can counterbalance offensive shortcomings and defensive mistakes. But after Ullmark's trade and missing all of camp because of contract negotiations, Swayman struggled to gain traction all season. Partly because of Swayman's down year, the Bruins allowed 272 goals. The Bruins are counting on Swayman, McAvoy and David Pastrnak to lead the 2025-26 club out of the valley. But they need a whole lot of help. Next year's coach, whether it's Joe Sacco or assistant coach Jay Leach or Providence coach Ryan Mougenel, will require a secondary tier to support the Bruins' best players, especially up front. For now, that layer includes Zacha, Lindholm and Casey Mittelstadt. More change is coming, which is not something Zacha once expected. Zacha was one of only three players in the regular-season finale who also dressed in Game 7 against the Panthers in the 2023 playoffs. Pastrnak and Swayman were the others. Sweeney has options. He could flip some of the futures capital he acquired. The GM has all of his 2026 picks save for his fifth-rounder, which sets him up to extend an offer sheet. He has nearly $30 million in cap space, although part of it will go toward pending restricted free agents such as Lohrei and Morgan Geekie. But dealing picks and spending in free agency put the Bruins where they stand. It is not a place they care to revisit. 'There have to be some additions here, for sure,' Zacha said. 'It's something everyone knows. Even up top. They know that something needs to be done, a little bit from the team we have now, a little bit more help. But how much? It's hard to say. They for sure are working on a plan right now, how to make us better. No one wants to make us worse.'
New York Times
15-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bruins' Vinni Lettieri, Wild's Justin Brazeau and the NHL's year-end game of musical chairs
BRIGHTON, Mass. — The Boston Bruins conclude the regular season on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils. Vinni Lettieri will then report to Providence. The veteran is hoping for a long run in the AHL playoffs. Part of that is because his house outside Minneapolis is occupied. Maybe until the middle of June. Advertisement 'My place is his place,' Lettieri said of ex-Bruin Justin Brazeau, 'until the season is over.' Lettieri belongs to the cluster of players from 16 NHL teams whose seasons are ending. Some, like the 30-year-old forward, will continue playing in the AHL. Others will participate in the World Championships, which begin in May. But most will return to their offseason homes. There are some exceptions: landlords whose tenants are advancing to the playoffs. Hockey players regularly rent their homes to their counterparts. For the most part, their unique schedules align, and players who are traded for each other often find common housing ground. Charlie Coyle, dealt for Casey Mittelstadt, is renting the former Colorado Avalanche forward's property outside Denver. But this is the time of year when arrivals and departures can overlap. Last season, Kevin Hayes and the St. Louis Blues did not qualify for the playoffs. Hayes returned to Boston. Jeremy Swayman, who had been renting Hayes' place, had to move out and find a new spot while preparing for the postseason. 'It's nice because we all kind of have similar schedules,' Swayman said. 'But if one guy makes the playoffs and the other guy doesn't, then it's kind of weird.' For Lettieri, the process started in February of 2024, when he and his wife, Cassandra, purchased their Minnesota home. The native of Excelsior, Minn., was in the first season of his two-year contract with the Wild. Four months later, things took a turn. On June 29, the Wild traded Lettieri to the Bruins. Jakub Lauko, the player the Wild acquired for Lettieri, was at his offseason home in Czechia when Bruins general manager Don Sweeney called with the news. Wild counterpart Bill Guerin was next in line to welcome Lauko to his new team. Lettieri was Lauko's third call of the day. Advertisement The two knew each other well. In 2022-23, Lettieri appeared in 48 games for Providence. Lauko split the year between Providence (35 games) and Boston (23). So when Lettieri got news of the deal, he called his friend and former Providence teammate right away. 'Just a big laugh,' Lauko recalled of the conversation with a smile. 'Like, 'What the f—?'' After some intercontinental head shakes, Lettieri invited Lauko to live in his house once the season began. Lettieri sent his prospective renter multiple pictures and videos. Lauko considered the offer. It would be about a 30-minute drive to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. It would eliminate the hassle of house hunting. Lauko accepted. 'You don't have to worry about the furniture,' said Lauko, whose two-year contract is expiring. 'Which is probably the most pain in the butt for guys who are going on year-to-year contracts or two-year contracts. Honestly, how many guys are here on an eight-year contract in the league that can settle down, buy a house? The guys that are on one-year, two-year contracts, it's hard to move with furniture and stuff. So the best-case scenario is to be in a place that's already furnished. Or guys with places around the league. So those guys who are playing at the same time, they leave, we get in. We leave, they get in.' Before training camp, Lettieri and his wife settled into their rented place in Providence, where he would likely spend most of 2024-25. Lauko moved into the Lettieris' home. Things took another turn on March 6. Lauko was in Vancouver with the Wild when Guerin told him he was going back to Boston. The trade caught Lauko by surprise. That night, Lauko took a car service from Vancouver to Seattle. The next morning, he flew to Tampa to join the Bruins. On March 8, Lauko played 12:24 in the Bruins' 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. He returned to Boston that night on the team charter. After what he recalled was approximately 90 minutes of sleep, Lauko flew to Minnesota early the next morning to retrieve his things. Advertisement 'I had, like, two shirts with me. Two pairs of underwear,' Lauko said. 'Nothing with me.' It was a whirlwind day. Lauko's sister, who had arrived the day before from Seattle, returned the rental he had been driving. His car had been in the shop. Lauko packed some of his stuff before returning to Boston that night, jammed in a middle seat because he had purchased a last-minute flight. The Netflix shows he had downloaded earlier had expired. At the same time, Brazeau, who joined the Wild in Vancouver, needed a place to live when the team returned to Minnesota. The Lettieris' home was his natural landing spot. So Brazeau moved in and shoved what Lauko left behind into the Lettieris' guest room. As for Lettieri and his wife, if the Wild are still playing when Providence's postseason ends, they will live with his grandparents, who are nearby in Minnesota. 'It's important for them to feel comfortable and not have to worry about moving or anything,' Lettieri said of Brazeau and his girlfriend. 'We're lucky enough to have all my family there so we can stay with them. It's no problem for us. We'd be happy for him if they made that kind of a run.' Meanwhile, Lauko will return to Minnesota at some point this offseason to move the rest of his things out of Lettieri's house. Because he will be a restricted free agent, it's no guarantee he will remain a Bruin in the fall. So he is thinking about keeping his stuff in a storage unit in Minnesota until he receives contractual clarity. Lauko was informed that Lettieri jokingly worried about the condition in which his former renter left his house. 'He's full of s—,' Lauko cracked back. 'I overpaid for his f—ing place.' (Top photos of Justin Brazeau and Vinni Lettieri: Bob Frid and Winslow Townson / Imagn Images)
Boston Globe
08-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Jakub Lauko knows his second stint in Boston is with a vastly different Bruins team
Now 24 years old, and nearly seven years removed from the amateur entry draft in which the Bruins selected him at No. 77, Lauko officially began his Bruins redux tour here against the Lightning Saturday. Coach Joe Sacco paired up the 6-foot-1-inch, 195-pound Lauko at right wing with Elias Lindholm at center and fellow ex-Wild Marat Khusnutdinov — also acquired in the trade that sent Justin Brazeau to the Wild — on the left side. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Energetic and perpetually upbeat and smiling, Lauko was well-liked in the dressing room across the two seasons (83 games total) in his previous tour with the Black and Gold. He was dealt to the Wild last June in the swap that sent Vinni Lettieri and a draft pick the Bruins then used to select Elliott Groenewold, the 6-2 defenseman from Vermont who is wrapping up his freshman year on the Quinnipiac blueline. Advertisement The Black and Gold roster is a vastly different place today than when Lauko was drafted in 2018, just a year before the Bruins would play in the Stanley Cup Final. In fact, it's a vastly different place than when he was dealt only nine months ago. There's a lot more opportunity for Lauko to secure full-time work, a fact that doesn't escape him. 'Obviously, the circumstances are a little bit different,' he said prior to taking the ice for the matinee vs. the Lightning, 'and this position for me on this team right now is different from the past years — so it's a challenge, and I just hope to come and hopefully be an addition for this team and this organization.' Upon drafting Lauko, the Bruins hoped he could channel his energy and offensive instinct into becoming a potential high-end NHL goal scorer. He was assigned to the Quebec League (Rouyn-Noranda) just weeks after being drafted and he popped in 21 goals in 44 games with the junior team. He then turned pro and spent the next season (2019-20) at AHL Providence, and to date he has yet to evolve as a consistent scoring threat. Advertisement Maybe now, with much more elbow room on the roster and the Bruins in desperate need for goal scoring, his time has come. 'When I knew I was going here,' said Lauko, 'I was excited to see the guys. I know [some] guys left, but that's the hockey. Everyone knows and everyone feels this team took a huge hit with the guys leaving … a big part of the Boston Bruins in the last few years, like Marchy [Brad Marchand], Brando [Carlo], CC [Charlie Coyle] and Freddy [Trent Frederic]. They've been a round and they've been the ones carrying the culture — so it's a big hit.' To have been with the club before, noted Lauko, left him knowing and embracing what it's like to be a Bruin. Once traded to the Wild, he said, it took him some time to adjust not to being with the team that drafted him and helped him develop his game. 'It was a shock then, and it was a shock again a few days ago, too,' he said. 'It's a business. We all know it's a business. We have to adjust. It was an adjustment to be on a different team [with the Wild] and now it will be an adjustment to be back here, but it's our job to make the adjustments as smooth as possible and be a help right away.' Advertisement Lauko, in part because of his high-energy, high-contact approach, has fought the injury bugaboo frequently in his career. This season, prior to getting flipped back to Boston, injury limited him to 38 games and low point production (3-3—6). Last season, Lauko played 60 games with the Bruins and landed 176 hits, second on the club only to Frederic (204). His hits-per-60-minutes rate (17.92) led the club and ranked sixth in the NHL for players who appeared in a minimum 60 games. Those ahead of Lauko: Michael Pezzetta (30.53), Nicolas Deslauriers (23.06), Keegan Kolesar (19.36), Garnet Hathaway (19.10), and Liam O'Brien (18.82). If he can deliver similar pluck in his second go round, it should secure him a spot in the bottom six, no matter what he produces for goals and assists. Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at
Boston Globe
03-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Brad Marchand sits for first time this season following hit in Pittsburgh
'Not much [of an update], same as [Saturday],' Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco said before Sunday's Charlie Coyle said he hasn't checked in on Marchand too much, preferring to let him rest. Advertisement 'You just hope he's feeling well and doing well, and you hate to see guys go down and, in that way, too, but hopefully he's doing OK and hopefully we'll see him soon enough,' said Coyle. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Georgii Merkulov took Marchand's left wing spot on the second line with Elias Lindholm at center and birthday boy Coyle on the right side. Merkulov had played on the third line Saturday. 'I thought he made some good plays, some sneaky plays offensively,' Sacco said. 'He's good with the puck, he sees the ice. The decisions at the blue lines are something that we have to continue to manage, make sure that time and score where we're at, that he makes good plays at the blue line. But I thought you could see some offensive ability there. The ability to make some plays in tight areas.' Merkulov played just over 13 minutes against the Wild. He had a hit and a blocked shot and was also penalized for holding. Justin Brazeau drew back into the lineup and played on the third line with Matt Poitras and Cole Koepke . Jakub Lauko fitting in with Wild Old friend Jakub Lauko is recently back from a lower-body injury and in the lineup for the Wild. The Bruins traded Lauko and the 122d pick in the 2024 draft ( Aron Kiviharju ) to the Wild in June for Vinni Lettieri and the 110th pick, which Boston used to select Elliott Groenewold . Advertisement 'The trade was out of nowhere, so it was a shock for me, but that's how it works with hockey and yeah, I'm happy to be here,' said Lauko, who played left wing on Minnesota's fourth line. 'I always liked my time in Boston and in Providence, so it's been a big part of my hockey career, a big part of my life. So, I like it. I always have good memories from my time there and always, always been honored to be part of an Original 6 team.' Lauko was a fan favorite in Boston for his energetic style and willingness to stick up for his teammates. 'Yeah, it's probably because I try to play hard and just not afraid to drop the gloves and everything,' said Lauko. 'But I'm just here to do my job so at the end of the day it's my job to do that and obviously I'm glad that people like me there.' Lauko has been limited by several injuries this season. Sunday's game was just his 37th of the season. He has 3 goals and 6 points. Lauko was excited to play against the Bruins and still keeps tabs on his ex-mates. 'Especially Czech guys, [ David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha ] and [ Jeremy ] Swayman , too,' he said. 'Those guys, I've known them for a long time.' Lauko kept the No. 94, which was assigned to him in Boston. 'My number was always 13, but 13, it was [Coyle's] in Boston and now it's [ Yakov Trenin's ] here,' he said with a smile. 'So, I kept 94 and 9 plus 4 is 13 anyway so it stuck with me.' Advertisement Captainless club for one day With Marchand out, nobody wore the captain's C. Pastrnak, Coyle, and Brandon Carlo wore the 'As' as the alternates. Coyle has been wearing it since Charlie McAvoy was shelved with a shoulder ailment . . . The Wild acquired winger Gustav Nyquist from the Predators Saturday night, and he was in their starting lineup against the Bruins . . . The last time the Wild won a 1-0 game at home was Nov. 17, 2016, also against the Bruins . . . The Wild scored first for a league-high 37th time this season (tied with the Blue Jackets) . . . The Bruins are off Monday and will host the Predators Tuesday before another road trip to Raleigh (Thursday) and Tampa (Saturday) . . . Song of the night: 'Jump Around,' by House of Pain. Jim McBride can be reached at
New York Times
30-01-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Filip Gustavsson back to his best, fourth line hustles in win over Leafs: Wild takeaways
TORONTO — The Wild know what life is like without Kirill Kaprizov, having recently played without their superstar for a month. And with the team facing at least another 4-6 weeks with Kaprizov sidelined from surgery, Wednesday provided a template for how they can get through it. Coach John Hynes has always said that competitiveness and work ethic are 'the engine that drives us,' and that was on full display in a 3-1 victory over the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. It was the Wild's first win in Toronto since 2019. Minnesota improved to a league-best 19-5-3 on the road. Advertisement 'The good thing for us is we know who we are as a team, what we are — regardless of who is in the lineup,' Hynes said. 'That's the way we need to continue to approach it.' The Wild's fourth line was a force for them Wednesday, with Jakub Lauko, Marat Khusnutdinov and Devin Shore combining for the team's first goal, a tone-setter. The team's forecheck was strong for most of the night. Minnesota's special teams came through, too, with Jared Spurgeon scoring a power-play goal and the penalty kill shutting down the only minor against them. Goalie Filip Gustavsson stepped up with his best performance in weeks. He stopped 32 of 33 shots, including standing tall in the last 5-6 minutes when the Leafs were really pushing. Marcus Foligno helped seal the game with some great hustle, diving at a loose puck in the Leafs' zone to score an empty-netter in the last 15 seconds. Lauko lamented the other day how the Wild's forecheck wasn't doing well. But Lauko and the fourth line were an absolute force and tone-setter in this victory. They got Minnesota on the board seven minutes in as Khusnutdinov carried the puck into the zone, dropping it back to Shore, who took it down behind the net. Lauko, the third wave, delivered a perfect body check on defenseman Morgan Rielly, separating him from the puck. Lauko then quickly found Khusnutdinov, who had circled into the slot for a one-timer. It was Khusnutdinov's second goal of the season and first since Dec. 10. But it was that kind of effort that symbolized how the Wild won another tough road game. 19 ➡️ 94 ➡️ 22 🙌 — Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 30, 2025 This is the Gustavsson the Wild are used to seeing — the one that was team MVP candidate in the first half of the year. He stopped 32 of 33 shots for back-to-back wins after going winless in his previous five, giving up a combined 23 goals in that tough stretch. Everything about Gustavsson was locked in. He was seeing the puck well through screens. He was not giving up any rebounds. He made the key stops, like on Max Pacioretty in the first period. He got a little lucky at times, too, like when Auston Matthews hit the post in the first, and William Nylander did the same off the rush in the second. Advertisement But if this is the Gustavsson the Wild get down the stretch, it'll do wonders for their playoff hopes with Kaprizov out. Yakov Trenin and Declan Chisholm returned to the lineup after being healthy scratches Sunday in Chicago — a 'reset,' as Hynes called it. Trenin, signed to a four-year, $3.5 million AAV deal over the summer, has just eight points in 45 games this season. But it's not necessarily the production that Hynes has wanted to see more of from the hard-nosed winger. 'I'd like for him to play a fast, skating game,' Hynes said. 'I'd like to have him be a physical presence in the offensive zone, use his size, move his feet, be hard to defend, get to the inside of the ice. Those are the kinds of things that make (Trenin) a difficult player to play against. And now we need to see that on a regular basis.' Chisholm returned to a pair with Jared Spurgeon and was on the ice for the Leafs' only goal. Midway through the third, the Leafs entered the zone on a rush. Chisholm had coverage of the front of the net, and Nylander zipped in front of him for the re-direct. (Photo of Marat Khusnutdinov and Philippe Myers: Dan Hamilton / Imagn Images)
