Give me a sense as to what you think this guy could provide and, a- again, a, a team that's a, a pretty solid offensive team, uh, with the potential to be now even better.

Yeah.

He's...

Peterka's gonna add speed, he's gonna add, uh, scoring off the rush, he's gonna add skill.

Um, you know, I, I think it's gonna be really interesting.

Uh, Marco Sturm was talking about this, uh, a, a week or two ago and, and said that they're gonna try him in different places.

But I, I do think one thing, one place they are absolutely gonna try him is on a top line with, uh, David Pasternak on the opposite wing and see if they can develop the kind of chemistry that would really unlock, I think, another level to JJ Peterka's offensive game and his production.

What do you expect will get done, if anything, with regards to, to Zacha and the Bruins here for the 29-year-old forward?

Yeah

...

in that Brandon Carlo, uh, deal, that came in and was their third line center this year and was a, a very effective rookie two-way, uh, center for that team.

Uh, you know, and r- and really at times even played center on the first line with David Pastrnak at 21 years old and, and really looks like he's got a bright future.

Uh, and was somebody they really...

They needed a player like that to step into one of those, uh, center spots, and he did it, uh, fabulously.

And then, uh, Marat Khusnutdinov was another player they got from the Minnesota Wild, uh, that comes in a- in his early 20s and, uh, was fantastic as far as versatile, could play center, could play wing, fast, tenacious.

What's your take on the goalie movement for the Bruins this off-season?

There's no doubt that they were looking for a little bit more offense and, and clearly, Joe, this is a guy that they identified.

Yeah, no doubt.

A guy with speed, a guy with skill, a guy that can score goals, um, a guy that's signed for a bunch more years, so you've got cost certainty, which w- what, what we just talked about with the landscape as far as the salary cap goes.

Uh, and y- you know, not only does he, he know Marco Sturm and, and they know each other because they're both, uh, Germans, but, uh, Matt McIlvane, the new guy that's coming to Marco Sturm's staff, his new assistant coach, uh, you know, Peterka actually played for him when he was younger in Germany.

So they have a very close relationship.

Uh, and had talked, uh, when, when Peterka was younger and when, uh, McIlvane was an up-and-coming coach, uh, about someday play- you know, be- reuniting in the NHL.

So, like, y- you know, he's coming into a really good situation, uh, where he's got history with these coaches, where there's a lot of trust there.

Mm-hmm.

Does, does he, e- Evan strike you as somebody who could lead a National Hockey League franchise?

Yes.

Uh, uh, definitely.

At this point, I think he's, uh, been part of a ...

And w- y- Let me backtrack for a sec.

I really like what Don Sweeney has done during his tenure in Boston, because it's an incredibly collaborative, um, effort.

Everybody has a voice.

[laughs]

Yeah.

He did.

He's like, yeah, Evan, I agree.

I honestly think Elias Lindholm is going to be a 3C sooner than people projected when he signed that contract, like within the next two years.

I think he's going to be a third-line center based on the guys they have coming in, based on the development of the players they do have.

Based on Pavel Zaka, I think he's going to get re-signed and stick around and probably is your second-line center for a while.

I think he's just going to be an overpaid third-line center.

But then the Red Wings came up above and they were getting trounced by the lightning.

Should he stay at BC? Should he go to the Bruins? Where is he gonna slot in with the Bruins? Where are you at with Haggen's right now, Hags?

Well, I mean, he's being productive, right? So like even if he's not, quote unquote, "the play driver" all the time, or if they've mov- moved him off center and put somebody that's a little bit bigger, um, and, and maybe a little bit more sort of like ...

I, I'm, I'm very impressed with what I saw of Hem- Hemming in some, um, some brief viewings of him.

I think he's a good playmaker.

He's got good vision.

He's got good side.

Like there's a lot to like about him.

Oh God, yeah.