Mailbag: Why going back to Boston College is best for James Hagens

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Thanks for the question, Lauren!

For me personally, the Bruins' loss to the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals was the toughest loss to stomach.

It was a razor thin, hard fought series between two pretty evenly matched teams.

But at the end of the day, the Bruins had a chance to win the Stanley Cup on home ice after preventing the Blues from doing just that in Game 6.

And what happened?

Well, after the first 10 minutes of the first period, the Bruins basically no showed the rest of the game.

St. Louis scored the first two goals of the game with less than five minutes remaining in the first, and it pretty much felt over from that point on.

Outside of the high stakes, and setting - what made this loss to tough to stomach, was that the Bruins were the more talented team on paper.

Which means they were just purely out-worked, out-coached, and out-executed.

Plain and simple.

They were dominated in 90% of one of , if not the biggest game ever played on Boston ice.

It also turned out to be the last Finals appearance for Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Zdeno Chara, and Tuukka Rask as teammates.

Defeating the Blues in that game would have given Boston their 2nd championship in their 3rd finals appearance of the decade.

Instead, it was their 2nd championship series loss in 3 finals appearances.

Winning two of three titles, versus losing two of three titles is a major difference in winning percentage. That era of Bruins players would have been remembered largely as being clutch, championship performers.

Rather, they are largely remembered as amazing, hall of fame players, who had many moments of clutch, but who simply didn't win as many championships as they should have.

Beyond that loss, some honorable mentions are:

• Losing to the Florida Panthers in overtime of Game 7 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Quarter Finals after having the best season in NHL history, a 3-1 series lead, and 3rd period leads in both Game 6, and Game 7.

• The Chicago Blackhawks scoring two goals in 17 seconds with under two minutes remaining in Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals to win their 2nd championship in 3 years. If the Bruins held onto their lead they would have forced an anything can happen Game 7 back in Chicago. And then - who knows? Now, that Blackhawks team was incredible and probably would have won Game 7 anyway - especially with all of the injuries to Patrice Bergeron. But still, it would have been far easier to stomach a hard fought Game 7 loss in the Windy City, than at home, watching another team parade around on Garden ice and in front of Bruins nation.

• Scott Walker's double overtime goal in Game 7 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals was a game I lost sleep over back in high school. The Bruins were one of the best teams in hockey that year and their Stanley Cup hopes were slashed prematurely at the hands of a 4th liner. That entire series was a tough one for the Bruins to get going in. After sweeping the Canadiens in round one, Boston quickly went down 1-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes before fighting back to force Game 7. At the time, this loss was particularly devastating because it was the first time the Bruins had lost a Game 7, in overtime, on home ice since 1979 versus Montreal. There's a special stunned silence in an arena when the home team's season ends in an overtime of Game 7 because the hopes of advancement are crushed, and simultaneously met with the shock of finality.

Appreciate the question, James.

It simply depends on what the return is.

Pavel Zacha is a good, versatile player, and a legit top-six forward.

Trading him just to shake things up or for an attempt at some cap flexibility seems silly.

Especially since he's currently signed to good value contract - cap hit of $4.75M for the next two seasons, and a modified 8-team no trade list.

Boston currently lacks top-six forward talent - they should't be yearning to trade any of it unless the return is worth it.

What's a return that's worth it?

It's tough to know without knowing who's out there to acquire.

Would a first round pick be worth it? I mean the Bruins have 5 first round picks over the next three drafts so while draft collateral is always coveted, they aren't lacking it right now.

If it's for another NHL player, is that player as good, and as affordable as Zacha is at the moment?

Is Boston trading Zacha for another top-six caliber forward? If so, is the wash worth it?

Would the Bruins be trading Zacha for a true top-four right shot defensemen?

If so, what is that defenseman's contract term, and value?

Is filling a void on defense worth creating another one at forward - an already position of weakness.

So, would trading Pavel Zacha be a mistake?

Tough to answer without knowing details of a potential trade.

But i'll say this - given the Bruins need for top-six forwards, and the fact that Zacha is on a good value contract, it's tough to envision a trade that's worth it unless he's part of a package for a bigger return.

Absolutely, Paul - it is.

Not only is it the right decision for the player's development, it's also the right decision for the Bruins.

James Hagens retuning to Chestnut Hill to play his sophomore year at Boston College will allow him to compete for a World Junior Championship, Beanpot Tournament, Hockey-East Championship, and NCCA National Championship as "the guy".

That is going to provide invaluable experience for the Bruins' top prospect.

As a true freshman, Hagens played mainly on a line with two of the top players in college hockey, now NHLers Ryan Leonard, and Gabriel Perrault.

Anytime three elite players are on a line together there's a natural desire to want the puck, and so Hagens, as the youngest of the three, would often defer to his more senior line mates.

Next season however, Hagens should no longer have that mindset.

He'll be the best player on the ice at all times, and will have another year of experience, confidence, and maturity under his belt - all of which should help him flourish, and develop at an optimal rate.

As far as the Bruins are concerned, their goal next season is to re-establish structure and identity.

Not only do they not need an 18-year old to help do that, but it wouldn't be an ideal environment for Hagens as a rookie as Boston tries to achieve that.

While the Bruins spend most of next year getting the train back on the tracks, Hagens should focus on trying to win an NCAA national championship and then make his NHL debut in the spring whenever his college season concludes.

Hagens getting the most out of his college career and then joining the Bruins after they've hopefully established and continue to execute a style of play they desire would be the perfect marriage.

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That does it for this week, thank you for reading, and participating!