After the Boston College hockey team was bounced in the Hockey East semifinals in overtime, 4-3, against UConn on Friday night at the TD Garden, all eyes turned to the James Hagens watch for the Boston Bruins.
Their 2025 first-round draft pick, No. 7 overall, seemingly has done everything he could in college, and it's just a matter of time before he turns pro. When he does, the only question is whether he begins with Boston or begins in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes there could be some answers on Monday.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believe there will be a James Hagens answer on Monday
On his latest 32 Thought podcast, Friedman believes we'll have a clear indication of where this is going. However, he offered a grim outlook as to why he might not end up in Boston.
"I think Monday will get a clear indication of where this is going to go,'' Friedman said. "You know, the one thing, like first of all, I don't have any doubt about his ability long-term. And I don't think that anybody doubts that James Hagens is anything but a great fit for them and a great player to have as part of their prospect pool and the future of the Bruins.
"I just know that some teams get really nervous about this in the middle of a playoff race. I just know some NHL teams, they do get goofy about that. Bringing somebody in at this point in time, if you're not 100 percent sure that they can help you. I just know sometimes feel about doing this right now when you;re in the iddle of a race. I think we'll have a clearer idea Monday where this goes.''
If general manager Don Sweeney doesn't think bringing in Hagens to Boston right now because he might upset the chemistry that the club has, well, that's just insane. Why bring on Lukas Reichel in the middle of the playoff race? When Hagens signs, he should be in Boston. It's the logical move to make. We'll see if that ends up playing out. However, to say that they don't want to break up the chemistry of a playoff run, that just seems crazy.