While Detroit’s rough start to the season has led to some early speculation that a coaching change could soon be on the horizon, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press suggests that it’s an unlikely scenario at this point. While they’ve allowed five goals per game, they’ve also been bombarded with injuries on the back end thus far. Through six games, the only blueliners to suit up in each contest are rookies Filip Hronek and Libor Sulak and it’s hard to have success with their back end in the shape that it’s in. St. James adds that management’s lower expectations heading into the season should also buy Jeff Blashill a longer leash to work with. However, it should still be noted that Blashill is in the final year of his contract and the Red Wings added veteran bench boss Dan Bylsma to their staff this summer so if they want to make a move, they have an in-house option already in place.
More from the Atlantic:
- While they have no plans to sign Lee Stempniak, the Bruins are looking to add a veteran forward, preferably a center, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported in the latest edition of Insider Trading (video link). He added that young wingers Anders Bjork and Danton Heinen could be dangled as a potential return although he was quick to indicate that they aren’t being shopped. Boston lost center Riley Nash to Columbus in free agency this summer and have shifted David Backes down the middle to replace him.
- Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen provided an update to reporters, including Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star, regarding the knee issue that kept him out of Monday’s game. It’s not an actual injury that he’s dealing with but rather some excess swelling. Andersen left practice early today and when asked about his availability for Thursday night, he was non-committal. Toronto is currently carrying three goaltenders (the third being Eamon McAdam on recall from the ECHL) under emergency conditions but those will only last until Wednesday as there is a 48-hour limit. At that time, the Leafs will either have to make a roster move to create a roster spot for McAdam or send him back down.
- Montreal winger Nicolas Deslauriers participated in practice today for the first time since sustaining facial fractures in a preseason fight last month, notes Matt Cudzinowski of the Canadiens’ team website. While he’ll need a few more skates before being game ready, it appears that they will soon once again be facing a roster crunch up front with the team already carrying 14 forwards on their active roster. He’s coming off a season that saw him post ten goals in 58 games while leading the Canadiens in hits with 238.
Trading Bjork for a 3rd line center would not be a smart move for the Bruins. He has started to find his game & has played well. Heinen has struggled thus far this season and was a healthy scratch recently.
Agreed. Heinen although sometimes frustrating with penalties and passive play had a solid rookie season last year, his numbers back that up. Bjork was more frustrating IMO, as he started out really well last year and then became “gun-shy” after a possible concussion after he left his head down in a game. Of course, he then succumbed to a arm injury on a dirty play for which he needed surgery, effectively ending his season in the most disappointing manner. That said, BOTH guys deserve a chance with the Bruins IMO and would be worth keeping around until the Bruins thoroughly KNOW what they have with those young guys. Case in point, losing Czarnik for NOTHING among plenty of others over the years. Austin CAN PLAY in the NHL, so yet another bad decision for the Bruins front office. Cehlarik should get an opportunity as well at the NHL level this season too, injuries have consistently kept him from getting a fair chance.
Asinine idea for the Bruins. Here’s a quick thought for Sweeney and Co, it was prudent to RE-SIGN R. Nash and T. Schaller and then you don’t run into this issue, at center or elsewhere on the bottom 2 lines. Truth is, Boston HAD PLENTY OF ROOM for both of them. If we’re being honest, besides experience, Backes is bringing little to the table (concussions/speed) and could be traded for whatever he can fetch while Acciari is quite expendable as he can’t muster points through passing and barely scored 10 legit goals last season. Wagner can hit just as well as Noel and basically replaces him without a loss. Nordstrom is good for depth as he’s a fast skater, but I don’t expect too much offensive ability out of him. In summary, both Tim and Riley could have and SHOULD HAVE been retained on 2 year contracts. Neither would have asked for too much to return to Boston, as Tim is a New England hometown guy and Riley felt indebted to the Bruins for resurrecting his career and said as much.