After much searching, NESN has finally selected a play-by-play announcer to succeed retiring Jack Edwards. The Boston Bruins revealed on Thursday that Judd Sirott, the play-by-play announcer for TV, was just one booth down at the TD Garden from the NESN booth, Edwards’ successor.
Sirott will be joining Andy Brickley on the NESN broadcast. Sirott has been calling Bruins games on the radio for the past seven games, with Bob Beers acting as the analyst. Given that Sirott is a longtime member of the team, it is not shocking that NESN decided to replace the frequently contentious Edwards in this manner. Although Alex Faust, who filled in for Edwards on a few occasions during the 2023–24 season, was considered a potential replacement, Sirott ultimately moves down one booth.
Jack Edwards is replaced by Judd Sirott.
Edwards played play-by-play for the Black and Gold for 19 seasons in the booth, so Sirott has some large shoes to fill. With a statement declaring his retirement, he recently opened up about a speech problem he has been having and said he was “no longer able to attain the standards I set for myself, to honor the fans, the players, the Bruins organization and NESN with the best they all deserve.”
When you tune into the NESN broadcast the following season and don’t hear Edwards’ voice, it will undoubtedly be different. Indeed, Edwards has made offensive remarks at times and has even targeted officials, but it doesn’t change the fact that you either loved him or didn’t.
The departing play-by-play announcer on X congratulated Sirott on his replacement after announcing that he was Edwards’ replacement.
Congratulations to Judd Sirott, the new voice of the Boston Bruins on NESN.
A seamless transition and a perfect fit! A good man, a good friend, and a guy who has left his thumbprints on every rung of the ladder. I’m happy! So should be all the members of the Bruins Tribe.— Jack Edwards (@RealJackEdwards) August 8, 2024
Edwards will undoubtedly be following the Black and Gold and cheering on Sirott every night come season two.
Don Sweeney, the general manager of the Boston Bruins, now has $8.6 million in cap space available for the 2024–25 season. But, as we all know, that money will probably end up going toward signing free agent goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman. At least that’s what we hope.
A cursory glance at the current contracts held by the Bruins reveals both good and bad ones. We looked at some of the worst contracts the Black and Gold have in place last week, and one of them featured a rookie who will need to have a strong season to justify his large new contract. The three best contracts for Boston in the next season will be examined here.
Mason Lohrei
After performing admirably in the latter stretch of the previous regular season and the playoffs, young Mason Lohrei is prepared to make his NHL debut on a third pairing this year. After Boston allowed Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort to depart in free agency to join the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks, respectively, the former Ohio State star is now prepared to make an 82-game impact.
Lohrei is still under contract for his entry-level deal, which has a $925,000 cap cost. This is a very team-friendly agreement for a blueliner who, when all is said and done, will probably play near to 20 minutes a night. Lohrei is a strong contender for a breakout this season. He is an offensively skilled defenseman who is adept at moving the puck.
Morgan Geekie
After receiving a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent from the Seattle Kraken, Morgan Geekie was able to become an unrestricted free agent and signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Bruins last summer. He set career highs with 17 goals, 22 assists, and 39 points in his first season playing for the Spoked-B.
It’s unclear where Geekie plays this season because he gives coach Jim Montgomery versatility by playing both center and wing. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Geekie start the season on the second line at right wing in the event that Georgii Merkulov or Fabian Lysell don’t pan out. Should they do so, Geekie would be ideal in a bottom-six position.
Carlo Brandon
‘Brandon Carlo’s contract?’ one may ask. Yes, the seasoned defenseman fulfills many of the requirements for what the Bruins can accomplish on the back end. Carlo, a crucial penalty-killer, earns $4.1 million, which places him fourth among the team’s defensemen in salary after Charlie McAvoy, Nikita Zadorov, and Hampus Lindholm.
He had a plus/minus of plus-44 with a plus-23 in the previous season, which came after a 2022–2023 season in which he spent a lot of time every night on the penalty kill. Carlo, a classic stay-at-home defenseman, has three more seasons left on his $4.1 million AAV, which is becoming better every year.
While there are other Bruins with contracts that might be among the best for the 2024–25 campaign, these three are the finest deals Boston can obtain from them and will all be important players this year.
