Morning Skate: New guys

Happy Monday, folks.

We’re entering a new phase of the offseason, with the Expansion Draft in the rearview mirror and the Entry Draft completed as well.

The B’s added seven new faces to their prospect system on Friday and Saturday, and in what seems like a first, most people seem pretty happy with the B’s drafting.

Hell, 87% of you gave GM Don Sweeney and Co. an A or B grade — a departure from the “way off the board” performances of past years.

Still, the guys drafted this year are likely a long way from an NHL impact, and the Bruins have more pressing issues in the meantime.

Free agency will begin on Wednesday, and while it’s not clear how busy the Bruins will be, it stands to reason that they’ll be browsing, at the very least.

The B’s clearly need help on defense, and they’re reportedly one of a few teams who have had conversations with Keith Yandle — that’s a “no thanks” from me, unless it’s on a ridiculously cheap contract.

There was also a Tweet from Kirk Luedeke of the New England Hockey Journal over the weekend that implied that (he thought) some David Krejci news may not be as far off as people seem to think.

If the B’s can get that wrapped up shortly, they can focus on bolstering their defense and getting back at it this season.

Either way, the next week should be interesting.

Around these parts, we aren’t quite ready to launch the player ratings posts yet, but should be relatively soon.

In the meantime, what’s on tap for today and the week?

Today’s discussion topic

Any teams you think did particularly well on Draft Weekend?

Columbus got a decent haul for Seth Jones, and while they didn’t deal Jack Eichel yet, Buffalo did well for themselves in that Rasmus Ristolainen trade.