Especially if Bergeron retires I think the Bruins strongly consider that offer. Seems pretty fair

This actually makes so much sense if Bergeron retires. ROR and Marchand would be great together.

Love orielly, but i just don’t think the bruins move out part of their top four for a 31 year old thats having a down year.

Easily yes for me

Losing gryz hurts but thats a price worth paying , I'd imagine he'd want to extend too given that he's the only top 6 centre the Bruins would have outside of Bergeron and who knows what the future lies there, if we gave up gryz and then lost ROR as a UFA I'd be devestated though

He’s not having much of a down year, he’s just focusing more on a defensive role, which he’s doing fine at.

Hes always focused on a more defensive role…and he used to score more while doing it. The eye test also seems to indicate that he’s lost maybe a quarter step.

But take that part out, I don’t think the bruins are giving up a member of their pretty young top four for a 31 year old.

What other options are you looking at if you do lose Bergeron?

If bergeron retires, which I think is profoundly unlikely at this point, there isn’t any sort of quick fix. If Bergeron is gone, the bruins should look to protect a core of swayman, lindholm, mcavoy, carlo (maybe grzelcyk factors in here), and Pastrnak. Do anything possible to find a center between the ages of 22-26. Search for the cure, rather than a painkiller.

There are two main reasons for his lower scoring totals. One is the bad case of COVID he had early in the season - even after coming back, he clearly did not look himself for a solid month. IIRC waited like 11 games to score and maybe 7-8 to get a point after returning. Number two is because of how they roll lines now, he's simply playing darn near 2 minutes less per game than he did last season. Even so, he's still not far of his usual p/60 rate and is right at his a/60 norm.

O'Reilly has never been about speed, but he's also not slow. Since he got over the COVID, he's skating like normal. Nothing's been lost there.

I hope for your sake there’s no panic Kadri signing

Those aren’t necessarily “the main reasons.” They are possible explanations. Another is that he’s at an age where most players begin to decline. Is it worth gambling that that isn’t the case? Maybe. But i wouldn’t be willing to move grzelcyk as part of a package to take on that gamble.

He's playing a minute less per game because of the emergence of Thomas. He's taken off some the burden from ROR so he can focus even more defensively

It’s certainly a possible explanation. Another is that he’s following the same curve that most guys follow.

I'm not discussing the trade idea, which is never happening and not worth debate. I'm solely talking about why his scoring is down, and yes, I have given you the main reasons. As you're someone who surely has not watched Dad play every game over the course of years, I'll just move past any issues of how he looks or how he plays to point out two things.

1- Less time tends to equal less scoring. Not sure how anyone can argue that, but okay.
2- Dad is not a speed merchant or a big banger whose body is wrecked, he plays smart, skilled hockey. I see no reason why he should suddenly decline so much.

Dad? Excuse me? Wtf is that?

1. I never argued that less TOI doesn’t equal less scoring.
2. I never really argued the merits of his game.
3. What i did argue is that its stupid to see a players offensive production start to dip at the age where the majority of NHL forwards begin to decline, and completely dismiss the possibility that he’s beginning to decline. That’s flat out nonsensical.

That's possible for sure because he is now over 30. But given the circumstances around this season, I'm not surprised. Still has played insanely well.

Dad is his nickname in STL. I don't remember how it started.

It's neither stupid nor nonsensical when there are quite fair-minded reasons to explain it. Then there's the factor that guys like ROR tend not to decline in this manner. Besides, he just turned 31 - he's not 35 or something.

For what seems like the 5th time I’ll say it. I’m not discounting those other factors. But to see a guy that has a decline in production at the age where most guys start to decline and dismiss a potential decline is akin to burying your head in the sand.

31 is 31.

Yeah, how old is Bergeron? Like him, ROR is not just your average player.

Whats the deal here dude? You continuously, post after post, are acting like I’m saying that ROR IS declining, or that I’m saying that all players start to decline at this age. No. Just go read what i wrote. It’s like you’re responding to someone else.

Why is everyone getting so defensive lately?

NO