GM Quenneville decided to hold strong and go for it all at the trade deadline, sticking with his powerhouse lineup and making no deals, despite a struggling farm team system. No extensions were signed or prospects picked up. "We will deal with that in the winter", Quenneville said. "Our focus is the World Series". The Bruins made it to the all-star break with seven players making it to the game. Here are your Bruins 2021 All-Stars:
catcherman22 TheDominator273 warrior009 gdog SmilingGoats VctryLnSprts Trayys 
The Bruins put it into cruise control for the second half of the season, dominating the competition and staying (relatively) healthy. The Bruins broke an NABL record with an 110-52 record for their second straight NC West title and best record in the league. Vancouver led the league in runs for AND runs against....the only truly "weak" spot being the bullpen, which under performed as a whole for most of the season.
It set up a first round rematch with the San Jose Hawks, the team that upset them in the first round of the 2020 playoffs. After a stunning defeat in Game 1, it was looking like a repeat of 2020, but the Bruins turned things on, led by Griffin Ray, taking down the Hawks in 4 games. The Bruins were finally through to round 2.
Round 2 saw them up against the 2019 World Series Champion Washington Eagles, who won the NC East. Washington was no match for the Bruins, who took down the eagles in 5 in the best-of-seven series, with Caleb Rector, a bench player, hitting a walkoff HR in the bottom of the 9th to finish off the series.
The Northern Conference Championship saw the Bruins up against the Philadelphia Freedom, a team that pulled off two upsets over Detroit and Chicago. Philadelphia took the first two games in Vancouver, with the Bruins taking a tight Game 3 to get back in the series. Philly dominated Game 4, sending it back to Vancouver up 3-1. The Bruins barely got by the Freedom back home to force a game 6 back in Philadelphia. Game 6 was a nightmare for the Bruins, pitching (which was spotty throughout the playoffs) fell apart, and the Freedom put up 15 runs to take down the mighty Bruins.
The season was over. The Freedom ended up taking down the Raleigh Oaks in 6 games to claim the World Series, the third straight for Northern Conference Teams.
For the Bruins, it was World Series or bust, so a fairly deep playoff run was still a huge disappointment. Quenneville has some big decisions to make in the off season. Most of the core should stay intact to make another deep run, but some players will have to go.
End of Year Awards
Doyley Scott Doyley - Gold Glove award AND Silver Slugger Award at 1B
catcherman22 Dan Blanton - Silver Slugger at DH and......2021 NORTHERN CONFERENCE MVP!!
TGCT Player Updates:Victor Lane VctryLnSprts Victor had his best season to date, spending most of his time at the top of the order a couple minor injuries to both his elbows at different times throughout the season kept him out of the lineup for about 20 games during the year and was fighting a day-to-day injury throughout the playoffs. Victor hit .295 with 19 HR and 69 RBI during the regular season, but struggled during the playoffs with only one RBI and a .246 AVG. Victor will be making the league minimum next year as he is still in the early part of a contract. Lane is turning into one of the leagues premier lead-off guys.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 95%Drew Kaleta warrior009 Kaleta had another great season with 46HR and 110 RBI and 7.7 WAR. A .294 average kept him near the top of the hitting stats in the league for most of the year. Kaleta had a slow start in the playoffs, but got hot late...but it was too little too late for the Bruins. Drew is locked into a $20,750,000 deal until the end of 2024 and the two-time All Star is one of the keys for the Bruins to make another run to the playoffs.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 100%
Dan Blanton catcherman22 Blanton was the best player in the Northern Conference, bringing home the MVP. A whopping 64 dingers and 146 RBI were huge for the Bruins as he played much of the season as DH. Sadly, Blanton was a non-factor in the playoffs, only hitting .203 with 2 HR and 7 RBI. Not enough for an MVP. The Bruins have Blanton guaranteed for at least one more year. Unless production takes a serious hit, Dan Dan shouldn't be going anywhere.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 100%
Dom Nader TheDominator273
The third member of the big three had a career year with 45 HR and 124 RBI, hitting .304 during the regular season. An elite contact hitter, Nader drove in runs in bunches all season. Nader was one of the few Bruins who kept up their strong play during the playoffs, hitting .340 and winning the Series MVP in Round 2 vs. Washington. Dom is going to arbitration where his payday is going from 600k to over $10 million. Quenneville needs to decide if Nader needs to be locked up to a long term deal, but at the moment, Dom is looking for 10 years. Nader will definitely be coming back, but will it be on a short or long term deal?
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 99%Scott Doyley Doyley
One of the biggest question marks heading into the 2021 season was Doyley. It looked like he was showing the signs of a significant regression at the end of the 2020 season. Doyley showed that couldn't be further from the truth, picking up the rare combo of Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in the same year, leading the league in doubles and hitting .311. However, Doyley disappeared in the playoffs, only hitting .161. Doyley will be on the final year of his deal next year, leaving him as a prime candidate for picking up some key prospects. Doyley will likely start the year on the team, but rumors will swirl around his future next July.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 50%Griffin Ray DoubtfulObelisk Griffin had an average year and was shopped heavily at the trade deadline. The Bruins weren't quite happy with what they were being offered, so he stayed with the team. Ray shone in the outfield, however despite not winning the CF Gold Glove. Ray's bat sparkled in the playoffs, leading the team in production...making things harder on the GM to think twice about offering an extension. Negotiations will continue right up until Free Agency filings, but as of now, the two parties are far apart.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 30%Jack Reed sire0329
Jack's back kept him out of the lineup for 40 games of the season, but still had a decent year at the plate, but a better one out in the field. Jack finally got some playoff action after being injured the first two years, and played well, hitting .282 and knocking in some key runs. Jack is still young and making league minimum next season, but the future looks bright....if he can stay off the IL.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 70%Tim Owens Tim The youngster played well in his first full season with the Bruins, hitting .260 with 24 homers and 74 RBI. Playoffs were a mixed bag for Owens, but he contributed in big moments. Another player making league minimum next year and should be back.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 80%
Ben Page b101
Ben held his own this season, giving the Bruins a solid season behind the plate. A back injury kept him out for a few weeks mid-season, but Page contributed more behind the plate than at bat. Playoffs...well, we won't discuss that. He was awful. Only 4 hits in 15 games. The Bruins are still on the hunt for an elite catcher (which is hard to find), but if they do, expect Page back, but in a back up role.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 50%Jeff Reese SmilingGoats Jeff decided to make things EXTREMELY difficult on the front office in the last year of his contract, by going 22-4 with a 2.37ERA and lead the league in WHIP and BABIP....still, it was only good for third place in pitcher of the year voting. Unfortunately, Reese had a tough playoff stint (again) going 0-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 5 starts. Reese is looking for a MASSIVE payday (9 years at 37.5M per season....not happening), so some talks will need to be had in order to keep this stud pitcher in the Bruins rotation.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 30%Shawn Trayys Trayys Shawn Trayys went 22-3 with a 2.75 ERA and was the SECOND best pitcher on the team. Wow. Trayys managed to stay healthy the entire year and the playoffs, where he also struggled, going 1-2 with a 5.48ERA in 4 starts. Shawn is locked into another year at $14,720,000 (an absolute steal), but things are unclear after that.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 99%
Dwain Sponseller @coasterroyalty
Dwain was #3 in the rotation for most of the season, posting an above average 11-6 record with a 4.01 ERA. A herniated disk kept him out of the lineup for most of August, but pitched very well late in the season and into the playoffs, where he went 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA in 3 starts. Dwain isn't interested in a long term deal with Vancouver, but will be back at around $6 mil in arbitration for 2022. Will he stay the whole season? We will see.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 75%
Joe Myself lessthanbread
Despite a nice 15-7 record during the regular season, a 4.74 ERA and some very early exits from games didn't give Vancouver a lot of confidence on his start days. Joe pitched one gem and two disasters in the playoffs, continuing the trend of inconsistency. Joe was a one year pickup in free agency last year and in the final year of his contract. He will not be offered an extension.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 0%Geoff Browne gdog Geoff had his worst season to date, which was still better than most relievers in the league. 30 saves and a 2.27 ERA was good, but he wasn't the guaranteed shutdown guy from seasons' past though. Playoffs were a different story as he only allowed 2 hits and 0 runs in 5 appearances. Despite a bit of an off-year, Browne will be the closer to start 2022.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 99%Chad Dueck titaneddie Dueck saw limited time in the bullpen this year, only appearing in 46 games, way down from the previous two years. His scouting reports also took a dive and saw no action in the playoffs. The vet will be missed, but his team option will not be executed for 2022.
Chances of Staying on the Team Next Year: 0%
We've got a busy offseason that I'll be streaming this week sometime! Will let you know of the new additions, or if anyone has been dealt.
