Got Looch?

The latest Bruins news from Causeway Street is that Milan Lucic has signed a 3-year contract extension worth a total of $12.25M.
I'm somewhat ambivalent, not because I think Looch doesn't deserve the money, but rather because I sense that this means that the Bruins will have a hard time keeping Marc Savard. I think other capologists would agree. I'd start to quote numbers, but www.nhlnumbers.com and www.nhlscap.com have not updated their respective roster matrices. But generally speaking (going off of Minnesota's analysis), the Bruins have about $15M to play with in the off-season to get 5 forwards, 3 d-men and Tuukka. I see Marchand & Hamill staying up with the parent club next year, as well as at least Boychuk. Maybe their relative cheapness will help shoehorn in some deal for Savvy.
But gee whiz, when Looch hits the ice, you can't help but grin whenever he delivers a punishing hit, knocks in a cheap goal at the crease, or changes the play due to opponents' fear of getting crunched in the corners. From a marketing standpoint, the guy is probably worth more than the money that is coming to him. Cam Neely has Looch as the centerpiece in re-making the Bruins in his own image.
Recurring themes in my grumblings to folks who sit in 311, just random crap:

• Does it feel weird to hear a National Anthem performed by anyone OTHER than Rene Rancourt? No offense to the others who have performed the song (notoriously difficult to sing, and props to anyone who has the stones to attempt it in a sports arena), but it just seems "off" if it ain't Rene. The National Anthems (both American & Hoser) are not auditions for American Idol, so cut the melismata.
  
• I lament the lost art of the backhanded shot. Recently, Lord Bitz had a shorthanded breakaway and Joe Corvo bit real hard on Bitz' fake, as did Cam Ward. Bitz had all sorts of net to shoot for, but couldn't roof a sexy backhander past the goalie, and ended up scuffing some dribbler on Ward. HORRIBLE.
• NESN has been airing their bracket for most classic NESN-televised hockey game. I know I should be rooting for all of the milestone Bruins games, but in a non-Bruin-centric, pure hockey fan kind-of-way, I think that Ron Tugnutt's 70 save performance was one of the best games I ever saw on tv, and definitely the most insane goaltending performance ever. It was just pure animal.
• All Section 311'ers have to agree with me when I say that there's something intrinsically wrong with The Mayor watching Confederate Flag hockey 2000 miles away while the Bruins and the Sox are playing on the same night, one right after the other.