According to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia, Ben Harpur will be in the lineup for the Ottawa Senators tonight after playing a few games down the stretch for the team. He’ll be making his NHL playoff debut just a year after spending time in the ECHL, proving how far he has come during that time. With 27 points in 63 AHL games this year, the 6’6″ Harpur has shown he can do more than just defend, but will be relied upon to replace Mark Borowiecki’s physical presence against the Boston Bruins.
Harpur will be an option for the Senators next season as a seventh defenseman, especially if the team does lose one of Borowiecki or Chris Wideman in the expansion draft. With Dion Phanuef still holding his no-movement clause, the Senators are actually at risk of losing a more important defender like Marc Methot or Cody Ceci, but will likely ask the former Maple Leaf to waive it prior to the deadline.
- The Flint Firebirds have had a roller-coaster few seasons, but will now install Barclay Branch as their GM according to Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News. The team had to have the OHL step in and install George Burnett at the end of last year after a tumultuous season that saw the league ban the Firebirds’ owner Rolf Nilsen from any hockey operations decisions. Burnett will move into a position with the OHL after stabilizing the franchise—Flint finished 32-28-8 and made it to the playoffs in just their second season.
- The AHL handed out two suspensions today, banning Darren Kramer of the Manitoba Moose for three games and Michael Latta of the Rockford IceHogs for one. Both players will have to serve the suspensions next year, as their seasons have finished without a postseason berth.
- David Krejci will take the warm up for the Boston Bruins tonight according to Joe Haggerty of CSNNE. The center hasn’t played in the first two games of the playoffs, but “feels much better” and will try to go tonight. The Bruins could use him, as they won just 46% of the faceoffs in their game two loss.