Penguins Working To Hire Jaromír Jágr
The Pittsburgh Penguins are reportedly working on hiring legendary winger Jaromír Jágr to their front office, shares Rob Rossi of The Athletic in an interview with Penguins’ President of Business Operations, Kevin Acklin. Acklin shared that the team is ready to enter a “new chapter” after Jágr’s retirement ceremony in February. The team has been working on recruiting Jágr ever since, recently making an extra push while visiting Prague for the World Championship.
Pittsburgh doesn’t yet have a clear idea of Jágr ‘s role, though Acklin shared that it would center around Jágr spending most of his time in his hometown Kladno, Czechia. That’s where Jágr’s been since the 2017-18 season, serving as a player and owner for the Czechia Extraliga’s Rytíři Kladno. He’s continued defining his legacy with Kladno, elevating the team to the Czechia Extraliga in 2019, helping keep them afloat on the brink of relegation in 2022, and setting the record for the oldest player to score in professional competition with a goal in April. Jágr ‘s age of 52 years and 63 days narrowly topped Gordie Howe‘s long-standing record of 52 years and nine days.
Jágr’s return to Czechia has continued building out his memory as one of the greatest hockey
players of all time – a legend he built across a 24-year career in the NHL. He played in 1,733 career NHL games – the fourth-most games played in NHL history – scoring 1,921 points, the most of any NHL player not named Wayne Gretzky. Jágr formed an all-time duo with Mario Lemieux in the first 11 seasons of his career, pitting the Penguins against the legacy lineups of the Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, Colorado Avalanche, and Detroit Red Wings and leading the Penguins to two Stanley Cups. He was just as good when he kicked off a solo career around the NHL, playing with eight clubs in the final 13 years of his career, including four years with the New York Rangers. Jágr was productive until the very end, recording 16 goals and 46 points in the 2016-17 season, the most any NHL player 44 or older has scored or played in one season. He left the NHL following a knee injury in the subsequent season, taking his talents through the KHL before settling in Czechia. He continues to bring a positive impact to the lineup, recording four assists in 15 games during the regular-season and two points, one goal and one assist, in three postseason games.
The Penguins are now looking to reignite Jágr’s story in the NHL, while also solidifying their presence in central Europe. Acklin spoke gingerly about Jágr’s daily lift with the team, acknowledging just how busy his schedule has become in Czechia. Thus, Rossi acknowledges that Jágr would likely carry a minimal day-to-day role, adding that getting him in Pittsburgh just a few times a year would be a success for the Penguins. That could mean the legend is set for a modest scouting role, though Acklin praised Jágr’s understanding of the business side of the sport throughout Europe – built up over his time with Kladno. No timeline has been laid out for Jágr’s return to the Penguins organization, and President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas will have a final say on what his exact role will be. But there’s no doubting that any return to Pittsburgh – and reunion with Mario Lemieux – would add yet another layer to Jágr’s neverending legacy in the hockey world.
Photos courtesy of USA Today.
Evening Notes: Pospisil, Henrique, Hintz
Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy shared that winger Martin Pospisil‘s shoulder injury isn’t a long-term concern during the Flames Talk segment of Sportsnet 960 The Fan. Pospisil sustained the injury in Team Slovakia’s May 21st matchup against Team Sweden – Slovakia’s final game of the group stage. He’d miss the team’s quarter-finals matchup against Team Canada, a game that’d end in a 6-3 Canada victory and Slovakia’s elimination form the World Championship.
Pospisil was a force to be reckoned with during Worlds, posting three goals and seven points across seven tournament games. He added six penalty minutes – though that’s certainly not representative of the fast and heavy physical presence Pospisil brought to the tourney. It was his first time skating with Slovakia’s men’s team, after representing the team at the 2019 World Juniors and 2017 World U-18 Championships.
The World Championship was a continuation of Pospisil’s breakout season. He made his NHL debut and earned a defiant role on the Calgary Flames this season, recording 24 points and 109 penalty minutes through 63 games. It was just his third season in North American pros, having spent the last two years with Calgary’s AHL affiliate. Pospisil posted 35 points and 119 penalty minutes in 67 AHL games prior to this season – adding six points in six games with the Calgary Wranglers this year. With this injury not expected to linger beyond this summer, Pospisil should be set up to engrain his spot on the Flames lineup even more adamantly next season.
Other notes from around the league:
- Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch described forward Adam Henrique as “98 per cent” to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Knoblauch added that it will be a bit more time before Henrique is fully ready to go, leaving his availability for the Western Conference Finals Game 2 up in the air. Henrique has missed Edmonton’s last six games with an ankle injury. He’s posted 11 points in 28 combined games with the Oilers since joining them at the Trade Deadline. With ample veteran experience, Henrique should be set to return to the lineup as soon as he’s ready – likely bumping Sam Carrick or Connor Brown out of a spot.
- The Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer described centerman Roope Hintz (upper-body) as a possibility for Game 2, per Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas News (Twitter link). Hintz joined the Stars practice on Friday, his first appearance since being injured in Game 4 of Dallas’ series against the Colorado Avalanche. Hintz will step immediately back into a top-six role when he’s ready to return, likely bumping Radek Faksa out of the lineup and returning a 65-point scorer to Dallas’ lineup amidst a tough Western Conference Finals matchup.
Canucks Name Manny Malhotra AHL Head Coach
The Vancouver Canucks have named Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Manny Malhotra as the next head coach of the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. Malhotra replaces Jeremy Colliton, who served in two seasons with Abbotsford, leading the team to two identical seasons – two 40-25-7 records and first-round exits. Abbotsford associate coach Gary Agnew will also be stepping away from the club after three seasons (Twitter link).
Malhotra’s experience in the NHL kicked off with his seventh-overall selection by the New York Rangers in the 1998 NHL Draft – a part of a top 15 that also featured Vincent Lecavalier, David Legwand, and Alex Tanguay. Malhotra would go on to play in 991 career games across 18 seasons and seven teams. He spent three-or-more seasons with four different teams, including the Vancouver Canucks, who he appeared in 159 games with between 2010 and 2013. Malhotra was never a strong scorer, with a measly career-high of 35 points posted in the 2008-09 campaign, but his intangibles are what made him distinct. He was a defensive specialist and boasted a dazzling 59.7 percent on faceoffs in the final eight years of his career – dating back to when the stat was first tracked.
Teams were eager to bring those traits behind the bench when Malhotra announced his retirement in the 2015-16 season. He didn’t wait long to kick off his coaching career as a result, joining Vancouver as an assistant coach in the 2017-18 season. He’d stay in Vancouver until 2020 when he moved east to join Toronto. Malhotra will now assume an Abbotsford lineup full of potential, largely thanks to the trio of top prospects Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Aatu Raty, and Danila Klimovich. Vancouver has made it clear that they want to offer the chance for prospects to crack the NHL lineup next season, though it will be Malhotra in charge of developing the ones who don’t make it.
Meanwhile, former Chicago Blackhawks head coach Colliton is back on the market after a pair of seasons in the minor leagues. Colliton became the youngest head coach since 1995 when he took over the Blackhawks in 2018, at the precise age of 33 years and 299 days. He was highly praised at the time, but quickly lost steam after totaling a 86-83-24 record over three seasons in Chicago. He hasn’t returned to an NHL role since, though that could be poised to change soon, with San Jose reportedly already engaging the AHL bench-leader. He becomes one of many coaches looking for new roles – joining a list of free agents now headlined by Todd McLellan, Dean Evason, and Jay Woodcroft.
Jets Name Scott Arniel Head Coach
The Winnipeg Jets have officially named Scott Arniel as the fifth head coach in modern franchise history (Twitter link). The deal was first reported by TSN’s Darren Dreger (Twitter link). Arniel served as an associate coach under Rick Bowness this season, stepping in during Bowness’ two personal leaves this season.
Arniel presided over 18 games in relief of Bownesss, posting a 10-5-3 record. It was his first time serving a head coach since the 2012-13 season, when he led the AHL’s Chicago Wolves to an 11-25-5 record. That season capped off a seven-year span of head coaching roles for Arniel – including two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets where he posted a combined 45-60-18 record. Arniel moved on from head coaching to join the New York Rangers as an associate coach in the 2013-14 season – bolstering the team’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals. He’d go on to serve five seasons with the Rangers before flipping to the division rival Washington Capitals, where he spent another four seasons.
Bowness would bring Arniel onto his staff when he joined Winnipeg in 2022. The pair have since led the Jets to two first-round exits, though they’ve posted a 98-57-9 record. Arniel, who played in six seasons with the Jets during his 11-year playing career, was reportedly a front-runner for Winnipeg’s vacant head coach role ever since Bowness announced his retirement. And while the club did look externally, holding interviews with Todd McLellan and Craig Berube, their next bench-leader will come from within the organization.
Arniel will take on an incredibly talented Jets lineup, headlined by star forward Mark Scheifele and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who both signed long-term extension with the club last summer. But it’s a lineup subject to change, with the Jets currently carrying 10 pending free agents – including Cole Perfetti, Sean Monahan, and Tyler Toffoli – with just $13.353MM in cap space. The team is reportedly considering moving top winger Nikolaj Ehlers‘ $6MM cap hit to help free up some cap space – a potentially substantial move following Ehlers’ 61-point season. Arniel will luckily have strong supporting cast to lean on even without Ehlers, with Winnipeg still boasting each of Kyle Connor, Gabriel Vilardi, Alex Iafallo, and Josh Morrissey under contract for next season.
It’s been four years since the Jets advanced past the first round of the playoffs, and they’ve only made the Western Conference Finals once in the 13 years since taking over for the Atlanta Thrashers. Arniel will look to buck that trend next year with a strong roster next year, though cap constraints could make it a tougher lift than he’s hoping for.
Kings Sign Taylor Ward, Joe Hicketts To One-Year Contracts
The Los Angeles Kings have announced the signing of forward Taylor Ward and defenseman Joe Hicketts to matching one-year, two-way, league-minimum contracts. They also confirmed the previously-reported signing of forward Kaleb Lawrence to a three-year, entry-level deal yesterday.
Both Ward and Hicketts have become familiar faces in the AHL over the last three seasons. Ward stepped into pros with a one-year, entry-level contract signed in March of 2022 – a deal he earned with a strong performance on an amateur try-out agreement with the Ontario Reign, following his Senior year at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He’s since appeared in 158 AHL games, recording 23 goals and 68 points. That includes his career-high 11 goals and 32 points posted in 71 games this season. Ward is still awaiting the first NHL call-up of his career – a feat his new contract keeps him eligible for. He added a good deal of physical confidence, especially in front of the net, last season and could be a go-to depth option, should L.A. need extra forwards next season.
Meanwhile, Hicketts will look to fight his way back to the NHL on this new deal. The 28-year-old defender also began his career as an undrafted free agent, signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings after a strong performance as a training camp invitee in 2014. He made his NHL debut a little over three years later, appearing in 22 games with the Red Wings between 2018 and 2020. Hicketts only posted five points, all assists, in those outings, adding four penalty minutes and a collective -9. He’s since spent the last four years in the minor leagues, on tours with the Griffins, the Iowa Wild, and the Reign. The stable role has led to strong results, with Hicketts posted a career-high 42 assists and 48 points in 72 games with in Iowa last season – and 20 points in 30 games with the Regin this year, after missing three months with an early-season injury. It will be that momentum that Hicketts enters the 2024-25 season with, looking to fight for an NHL role among a crowded Kings defense group.
Evening Notes: Hiller, Smith, NCAA
Los Angeles Kings general manager Rob Blake has revealed the details of Jim Hiller’s new head coaching contract, confirming to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta that the deal is a three-year contract with a fourth-year option (Twitter link). That’s a hardy deal for Hiller’s first NHL head coaching contract – made even more impressive when juxtaposed with fellow rookie head coach Drew Bannister’s two-year deal in St. Louis.
Hiller has earned the confidence of the Kings organization after leading the team to a playoff berth on the back of a 21-12-1 record. His guidance brought the best out of most of the team’s offense, most notably increasing Pierre-Luc Dubois’ scoring to 0.59 points-per-game, from his 0.42 points-per-game in 48 games under Todd McLellan. Hiller also guided much more ice time to the team’s top prospects, with Jordan Spence playing in 22 games, Alex Turcotte playing in 18, and Brandt Clarke playing in 10 during his reign. And while their success was varied, their ice time was nonetheless a welcome boost of youth to the Kings’ lineup. Los Angeles is now entering the offseason with nine pending free agents – including Quinton Byfield, Viktor Arvidsson, and Matt Roy – and just $15MM in cap space. They’ll have to make their moves wisely, as they now look to build behind a lineup with playoff aspirations under Hiller.
Other notes from around the league:
- Blake also confirmed to Pagnotta that D.J. Smith will return as an assistant coach (Twitter link). The Kings hired Smith in early February, after he was dismissed from the Ottawa Senators head coaching role in December. Smith had led Ottawa’s bench since the 2019-20 season – a role he took over after spending four years alongside Hiller as assistant coaches for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He will again remain on Hiller’s side, serving as his assistant coach alongside Derik Johnson.
- More and more collegiate players are being invited to NHL development camp rosters with the NCAA season now concluded. Per the New England Hockey Journal’s Mark Divver, four Dartmouth players have joined the list (Twitter link). They include: defenseman C.J. Foley invited to the Florida Panthers camp, winger Nikita Nikora and defender Eric Charpentier to the Washington Capitals camp, and centerman Luke Haymes to the Tampa Bay Lightning camp. Divver also shared that Brown University’s Ryan St. Louis will join the Pittsburgh Penguins camp, while forward Tyler Kopff and defender Alex Pineau are headed to the Vegas Golden Knights’ camp (Twitter link). Finally, Vermont will be sending defender Duncan Ramsay and winger Jens Richards to the Capitals camp (Twitter link).
Canucks Announce Offseason Plans
Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin and head coach Rick Tocchet spoke with the media on Thursday about the team’s plans for the upcoming off-season. Coming off their most successful season in nine years, Allvin started interviews by emphasizing that the team needs to enter the summer with the mindset that they only managed to reach the second round. As shared by Pass It To Bulis’ Daniel Wagner, Allvin said “I’m not happy sitting here today…we lost our last game and it was only in round two.”
The team’s off-season plans will reflect that high bar, with Allvin most notably sharing that they’re looking to bring in a top-six winger, shares Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor (Twitter link). Allvin added that the team is also looking to bring in more speed, while Tocchet spoke to needing more creativity and shooting out of the lineup. Each of those attributes could be met by pending Carolina Hurricanes free agent Jake Guentzel, who Vancouver was reportedly very interested in ahead of the Trade Deadline.
The Hurricanes ultimately acquired Guentzel in exchange for Michael Bunting, top prospects Vaisili Ponomaryov and Cruz Lucius, and second-and-fifth-round picks in 2024. That’s a tall price to pay for a Spring rental, and there’s no doubt Carolina will make a hardy push to extend Guentzel after he posted a combined 34 points in 28 games with the club. But Guentzel left the door open to other destinations in his exit interview, acknowledging that hockey is ultimately a business. He’ll almost assuredly be due for an enthusiastic call from Allvin, should he decide to enter the open market.
The search for a top-six winger will headline Vancouver’s summer, with Allvin sharing that the team wants to retain its pending free agents otherwise, per
Batchelor (Twitter link). Allvin went on to name Nikita Zadorov, Tyler Myers, and Dakota Joshua as specific free agents the team is looking to retain. There shouldn’t be any pushback from the player’s side, with Joshua’s agent expressing a desire to return on the Donnie & Dhali Show while Zadorov speaking openly about his love for Vancouver during exit interviews. The trio are a part of Vancouver’s 11 pending free agents – a list that most notably includes Elias Lindholm and backup goaltenders Arturs Silovs and Casey DeSmith. The Canucks paid a pretty penny to acquire Lindholm earlier this season, while Silovs earned expanded opportunity with his fantastic playoff run. If and how the Canucks are able to lock up both players will be a major factor in how their 2024-25 roster is constructed.
Among his other thoughts, Allvin also made sure to mention the team’s top prospects – sharing that the team wants to create opportunity for those players. While he didn’t name any players outright, it’s not hard to reason that reigning SHL ‘Rookie of the Year’ Jonathan Lekkerimaki is among the top to earn a chance. Lekkerimaki recorded 31 points in 46 SHL games this season, adding two points in six AHL games following the end of Orebro’s season. He signed a three-year, $4.3MM entry-level contract in early May and could be one of Vancouver’s most exciting breakout candidates next season. Other top prospects Aatu Raty, Danila Klimovich, and defenseman Elias Pettersson could also push for an added role.
Vancouver’s postseason berth was just their second of the last nine seasons, and just their seventh time making it to the second round this century. It seems the team’s leadership core is ready to carry that winning mentality forward, looking at making impacts with externally, internally, and prospect decisions.
Afternoon Notes: Stars, Ovchinikov, ECHL
Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer has designated both Roope Hintz and Jani Hakanpaa as day-to-day with injuries ahead of the Western Conference Finals, per Lia Assimakopoulous of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). Hintz suffered an upper-body injury during Game 4 of the Second Round, since missing Dallas’ last two games, while Hakanpaa has missed the team’s last 26 games with a lower-body injury.
Dallas managed to pull past the Colorado Avalanche in Hintz’s absence, though there’s no doubt that he’s sorely missed. Hintz has managed six points in 11 postseason appearances while commanding a strong line of Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston. Hintz hit the 30-goal mark for the third consecutive season this year, posting 30 goals and 65 points through 80 games. He’s emerged as a core pillar of the Stars lineup over the last three seasons, and could be a pivotal piece of Dallas’ push to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Hintz’s injury has made space for Radek Faksa, while Hakanpaa has opened a spot for Nils Lundkvist and Alexander Petrovic to compete for a role. Hintz will slot immediately into the lineup when he’s ready to return, while Hakanpaa’s status could be more up in the air after such a long absence.
Other notes from around the NHL:
- Minnesota Wild prospect Dmitry Ovchinikov has signed a one-year deal with the KHL’s Sibir Novosibirsk, per Kyle Cush,am of The Score (Twitter link). Ovchinikov has spent parts of the last three seasons with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, though each season has been limited – totaling 12 points across 32 career games in the AHL. He’ll now return to the KHL, where he played he’s already appeared in 103 career games and scored 17 points. Ovchinikov was part of a Trade Deadline swap that sent Connor Dewar to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but stayed loaned to the Marlies for the remainder of the season.
- The ECHL has announced that Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations Joe Ernst will depart from the league at the end of the postseason. The news will end Ernst’s storied career in the ECHL, stretching across 33 of the league’s 36 years of existence. He originally served in 16 seasons as a referee before being promoted to Vice President of Hockey Operations in 2011 and to his current role in 2018. Ernst’s role in the league runs so deep that he is not only in the ECHL Hall of Fame – inducted in 2011 – but also serves on the ECHL Hall of Fame Committee. He is stepping away to take on a senior management role with Zawyer Sports and Entertainment, who own and operate four different ECHL clubs – the Jacksonville Icemen, Savannah Ghost Pirates, upcoming Tahoe Knight Monsters, and Allen Americans.
AHL Notes: Konowalchuk, Armstrong, Forrest
The AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds have named Steve Konowalchuk as their head coach. Konowalchuk becomes the fourth head coach in Springfield’s seven-year history, taking the torch from interim coach Daniel Tkaczuk, who took over for Drew Bannister following his promotion to the St. Louis Blues in December. Tkaczuk led the Thunderbirds to a 18-29-3 record, following Bannister’s 12-8-0 start. The Thunderbirds haven’t yet provided details on which assistant coaches Konowalchuk will retain.
Konowalchuk is best known for his years as a player, becoming a staple of the Washington Capitals lineup between 1992 and 2003. He was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2003-04 season and was forced to retire due to a heart condition in 2006, after missing much of the 2005-06 campaign. He returned to the team in the 2009-10 season, spending two years as an assistant coach before moving into a head coaching role with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. Seattle was where Konowalchuk made his mark, leading the team to the playoffs in five seasons straight – capped off with a WHL Finals appearance and championship win respectively in his final two seasons. Konowalchuk managed an impressive list of Thunderbirds alums, including Shea Theodore, Mathew Barzal, Keegan Kolesar, and Ethan Bear. He’d move back to the NHL in the year following his 2017 WHL Championship, joining the Anaheim Ducks as an assistant coach for one season before returning to the WHL and then spending last season in an AHL assistant role.
Konowalchuk will now take on his biggest role yet, taking the reigns of a Springfield Thunderbirds team just two years removed from a race to the Calder Cup Finals. They’d ultimately get swept by the Chicago Wolves but have held on to their playoff hopes in the seasons since. Konowalchuk found consistent success the last time he coached a Thunderbirds roster, and could be poised for big opportunity should he find a groove again.
Other notes from around the minor leagues:
- The Florida Panthers have signed forward Jamie Armstrong to a one-year, two-way contract. He’s expected to join the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, adding to their long list of depth forwards. Armstrong – son of Utah general manager Bill Armstrong – is coming off of his graduate year at Boston College, where he recorded 12 points in 32 games. It was his first year as an Eagle, having spent the previous four years of his collegiate career across the road with Boston University. He totaled 26 points across 84 games with Boston University, filling in as stout bottom-six depth.
- Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach J.D. Forrest is a candidate to fill the Rochester Americans’ coaching vacancy, shares Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). Lysowski added that the Buffalo Sabres are hoping to have their AHL coach solidified prior to June’s NHL Draft. Forrest would take over for former Rochester coach Seth Appert, who was promoted to Lindy Ruff’s staff in early May. Both Forrest and Appert have deep roots in USA Hockey, with Appert previously serving as the head coach of the U.S. National Team Development program (NTDP), while Forrest is a former NTDP assistant coach and led Team USA to a Silver Medal at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship.
Bruins Notes: DeBrusk, Pastrnak, Grzelcyk, Maroon
Pending free agent Jake DeBrusk didn’t speak much to his future with the Boston Bruins during exit interviews, except to tell Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic that he thought an extension would have been done by now (Twitter link). DeBrusk, who’s been entrenched in rumors for years, added that he’s still hopeful a new deal in Boston can get done.
DeBrusk is set for free agency once again, with his last move to the open market being halted by a two-year, $8MM contract extension signed in March of 2022. He’s performed well on the ‘prove it’ contract, recording 50 and 40 points – and 27 and 19 goals – in the last two seasons respectively. The performances continued the potential DeBrusk showed in the 2021-22 season, when he managed 25 goals and 42 points in 77 games. He’s become a role player, capable of putting up strong goal-scoring from the middle of the lineup. And in case Boston had any remaining hesitations, DeBrusk made sure to finish his contract with a stellar postseason performance – posting 11 points through 13 games, stepping up in the absence of team captain Brad Marchand.
Boston is entering the off-season with 10 pending free agents, including starter Jeremy Swayman, who expressed interest in a long-term deal during closeout interviews. That deal, DeBrusk’s signing, and the wealth of depth options Boston will mull through could quickly eat up their $20.1MM in cap space.
Other notes out of Boston:
- Bruins forward David Pastrnak spent the season battling with recurring groin injuries, shares Shinzawa (Twitter link). And while persistent, the injuries can’t be bugging the Czech star too much, as he’s expected to join Team Czechia at the World Championships alongside Bruins teammate Pavel Zacha. Pastrnak continued to thrive in his starring role, posting 47 goals and 110 points while appearing in all 82 games. It was the fourth season where he’s scored 40-or-more goals in the last five years, though it was also a notable step back from his 61 goals last season. He’ll look to return to the conversation of historical goal-scoring when he’s back to full health next season.
- Speaking of injuries, it was revealed that defenseman Matt Grzelcyk suffered a torn oblique in the postseason, shares Shinzawa (Twitter link). Grzelcyk missed 10 of Boston’s postseason games, after appearing in just 63 regular-season games. It was, as a result, a drab year for the 30-year-old defender, who posted a career-low 11 points through a combined 66 games on the year. He’s one of Boston’s many pending free agents, though the promise of improved health could be enough to earn the Massachusetts native a new deal.
- Of the many Bruins discussing interest in returning next year, winger Pat Maroon may be among the biggest surprises. The hefty forward lauded the team in his closeout interviews, telling Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com that he’d love to return to the team next year (Twitter link). Maroon played in two regular season, and 13 postseason, games with the Bruins after joining them at the Trade Deadline. He posted just two assists in the combined efforts, adding 18 penalty minutes. At 36, the list of options is likely running slim for Maroon. He’ll be one of the many cheap depth forwards available to Boston as the summer rolls on.