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Eastern Notes: Kovalchuk, Marner, Smith, Rasmussen

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Could the Boston Bruins be the front-runners for Russian free agent and former NHL superstar Ilya Kovalchuk? Evidently, the Sports Hub’s Ty Anderson thinks so.

As reported by NBC Sports, Anderson appeared on Toucher & Rich on 98.5 and said he believes the Bruins are currently the leading candidates to get the 35-year-old winger due to the Bruins cap space. While the Bruins are listed by CapFriendly as having just $6.5MM in available cap space, the team has few free agents of their own to deal with and a loaded roster, including multiple talented veterans such as Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron and a core of youth of which many had solid rookie years last season.

Kovalchuk, who tallied 31 goals for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL has been touring NHL cities, looking for a new home. While his preference has been to stay on the East Coast, especially either New York or Florida, he’s broadened his search this year including a trip to Los Angeles and San Jose as he’s made it clear that he wants to win a Stanley Cup as soon as possible.

  • Kevin McGran of The Star interviewed Mitch Marner about multiple topics, but the 21-year-old star said that there has been no discussion yet with management about a potential contract extension. The fourth-overall pick from the 2015 draft will be eligible for a contract extension on July 1 along with teammate Auston Matthews, but there is no word on whether Marner will sign an extension this year or will have to wait until next year. “Nothing has been said yet, but nothing you can do,” said Marner. “If nothing happens, you still have a year to play under your rookie contract. Just go out there and try to prove you can make the team better.”
  • While the New York Rangers are looking for defense, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks writes that veteran defenseman Brendan Smith has stayed in New York following the season and has been working with fitness trainer with Ben Prentiss to get into better shape. Smith, who was placed on waivers on Feb. 9, after signing a four-year, $17.4MM contract in the offseason, came into camp out of shape and struggled on the Rangers’ blueline all season long. The scribe writes that the Rangers not only expect him to compete for a job at training camp, but they expect him to return to the status of the player they handed that contract to.
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press writes she believes it looks promising that 2017 first-round pick Michael Rasmussen makes the Detroit Red Wings team out of training camp this year. The ninth-overall pick last year put up 31 goals and 58 points for the Tri-City Americans of the WHL and even got some time at the wing position during the season because Detroit would likely like for him to start at the wing if he makes the team next season. What’s more impressive is that he scored 16 goals and 33 points in just 14 playoff games, suggesting he might be ready for Detroit. If he doesn’t make the team, he will have to return for one more year to Tri-City.

 

Western Notes: Trouba, Kovalchuk, Canucks

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While the Winnipeg Jets are coming off an exemplary season in which it reached the Western Conference Finals with a young, talented team, now comes the hard part. The team is full of key restricted free agents which could start taking up what was once an ample amount of cap space. The team has already all but said they don’t intend to re-sign trade deadline acquisition Paul Stastny and for good reason. The team must lock up a number of key players, including all-star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, Adam Lowry, Joel Armia, Marko Dano, Tucker Poolman, Josh Morrissey, Joseph Morrow, and oh, Jacob Trouba.

Two years ago, the contract negotiations between Trouba and the Jets went south, as Trouba ended up holding out for an entire month of the season before coming back and signing a below-value two-year bridge deal. Now, with Trouba’s stock sky-high as one of the top defensemen on the team, things could get even more dicey, according to Winnipeg Free Press’ Paul Wiecek. Trouba and his agent are expected to ask for about $7MM per year, while the Jets hope to keep it between $5MM and $6MM. The question is whether the Jets can afford to give him a big, long-term contract, considering that his offense isn’t even close to his defense after posting three goals and just 24 points on the year.

The team not only has to lock up these younger players, but must eventually lock up captain Blake Wheeler as well as pay youngster Kyle Connor in one year. The money will start to dry up soon. The scribe suggests the team consider moving Trouba now to save some of that money, considering his value is at a premium. Bringing back a big haul could save the team some cap space and fill some of its holes in one swoop.

  • While there was a rumor mentioned by Pierre LeBrun recently about the St. Louis Blues’ interest in Ilya Kovalchuk, NHL.com reports that general manager Doug Armstrong confirmed the team’s interest in the veteran KHL winger. “There’s certainly intrigue there because he’s been such a dominant player internationally and he was a hell of a player when he left [the NHL],” Armstrong said. Kovalchuk, who has played in Russia for the past five seasons is looking for a new home and has already visited the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, while other teams like the Boston Bruins have expressed interest in the 35-year-old veteran, who has tallied 417 goals in 816 NHL games with the Atlanta Thrashers and the New Jersey Devils.
  • Mike Halford of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Vancouver Canucks, who have always been adept at mining organizations to get quality players, need to continue to do that more than ever with the retirement of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. With a lineup full of holes, the scribe writes that the team needs to continue mining other organizations for their unwanted, forgotten or unfulfilled talent like in previous years. Over the last few years, the team has picked up several key players such as Sven Baertschi, Markus Granlund, Nikolay Goldobin, Derrick Pouliot and Brendan Leipsic. The scribe goes on to point out three players the team should look into during the offseason and pry them away for late picks include Winnipeg’s Nic Petan, Columbus’ Sonny Milano and the New York Islanders’ Michael Dal Colle. All three are on the outside looking in within the organization and might need a franchise to give them a new chance.

Bruins Re-Sign Matt Grzelcyk To Two-Year Deal

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The Boston Bruins have locked up one of their many impressive young players, announcing an extension for defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. The deal carries a $1.4MM AAV and will keep the Boston native with his hometown team for at least two more years.

While Grzelcyk may not be one of the most talked-about young players in the league or even in Boston, the small but capable blue liner was a pleasant surprise as a rookie in 2017-18. A 2012 third-round pick and a former pair-mate of fellow Bruin Charlie McAvoy’s at Boston University, the Bruins always had high expectations of Grzelcyk. However, few could have expected that his performance would thrust him into a starting role and leave veterans like Adam McQuaid and Paul Postma as afterthoughts for much of the season. Grzlecyk skated in 61 games for the Bruins, contributing 15 points along the way. He also posted a +21 rating, tied for third-best on the team with two-way star Patrice Bergeron. In the postseason, Grzelcyk played in all but one of Boston’s games as well and didn’t look out of place.

Perhaps the greatest attribute that Grzelcyk showed as a rookie – and one that caught the eye of those in tune with advanced analytics – was his possession ability. Grzelcyk finished the year with a top 25 Corsi For rating (among players with at least 300 minutes of ice time) of 55.67%, which was third best among rookies behind only McAvoy and Columbus’ Pierre-Luc Dubois. Grzelcyk even held the best relative shot differential among all defenseman in the NHL for a significant span of time mid-season. While not an overly physical player nor a player with huge offensive upside, Grzelcyk showed himself to be a safe puck-handler and a player that can be relied on to create offense and suppress the opposing offense.

Moving forward, Grzelcyk’s role may change. The Bruins continue to show a desire to add a top-four left-handed defenseman, likely to pair long-term with McAvoy at the top of the depth chart. This would likely shift Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug down, as McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, and Kevan Miller form a solid grouping on the right side. The result could be Grzelcyk becoming an extra man rather than a starter for the next year or two. Grzelcyk’s skill set and ceiling could make him an ideal seventh defender in his career, if that is the role he is asked to play. However, the value of this contract and the speed with which both sides agreed upon the terms indicates that the Bruins have plans for Grzelcyk, likely short-term or long-term. The young defenseman is just getting started with his NHL career and will get plenty more chances to show himself in Boston.

Boston Bruins Getting Interest In David Krejci

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The Boston Bruins have reportedly set up a meeting with Ilya Kovalchuk and is looking for a way to help his team get over the hump next season. One way that might happen is through trade, and today on WGR 550 in Buffalo, Darren Dreger of TSN spoke about how Bruins’ GM Don Sweeney has gotten several calls about center David Krejci:

I know that there are teams calling on David Krejci as well. The Bruins would like to move [David] Backes. I think they’re again a little reluctant to consider trading David Krejci, but every player has a price tag. I think we need to look at Don Sweeney, the GM of the Bruins, as being perhaps a team and a GM that could be very active in the days ahead. 

Reluctance to the idea of trading Krejci shouldn’t come as a surprise, given his continued production and stabilizing presence down the middle for the Bruins. Though the team certainly has some young forwards ready to take on bigger roles, the duo of Krejci and Patrice Bergeron at center allows the team to match up well against nearly anyone in the Eastern Conference. Krejci is coming off a season in which he recorded 44 points in just 64 games, and was excellent for the Bruins in the playoffs once again.

His contract though does cause some concern, and likely keeps Sweeney on the phone a little longer than he would normally stay. Though Krejci is an excellent player for the team still, he’s now 32 years old and is still under contract for three more seasons at a $7.25MM cap hit. While the actual salary drops a bit next season, he would be an extremely expensive asset if his play were to decline at all over the next few seasons. Trading him now, if teams are offering legitimate packages, may actually be a good idea.

Still, Krejci has a full no-movement clause for this season and a partial no-trade clause moving forward. He generally holds his future in his own hands, and has never made any indication that he would want to be moved out of Boston. With the Bruins not extremely interested in moving him, it seems like a very small chance that he’ll be playing on another team come the start of the 2018-19 season.

The fact that they want to trade Backes also doesn’t come as much of a surprise. The physical forward fought through injury this season but was relatively effective when he played, registering 33 points in 57 games. Still, he struggled in the playoffs and is now a 34-year old injury risk that doesn’t have a clear spot in the lineup. He currently carries a $6MM cap hit with three years remaining on his current contract, and it seems unlikely that he’ll ever return to the 30-goal, 60-point player he was in St. Louis. A trade may have to wait a year though, as Backes also holds a no-movement clause for the next year before seeing it drop to an eight-team trade list in the summer of 2019. At that point the salary also drops, and after paying him a signing bonus on July 1st, 2019 Backes will be owed just $5MM total over the last two seasons of his contract. If you were to acquire him right now, that number is $14MM for the last three years.

The Bruins find themselves without a first-round pick in this year’s draft thanks to the trade to acquire Rick Nash, one that Sweeney likely wishes he could take back given the power forward’s disappearance down the stretch and in the playoffs. Instead, the team would have to use other assets to acquire the talent that they want for next season, be that through trade or free agency.

Snapshots: Islanders, Gudlevskis, Lucic, Canadiens

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The New York Islanders have made a coaching move, but not the anticipated one. Still lacking a head coach for his team, Lou Lamoriello has nevertheless made another change to the coaching staff, firing assistant Greg Cronin. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple confirmed the move, but added that no other coaching decisions have been made yet at the NHL or AHL level. Staple also had nothing to say about any of the motivations behind Cronin’s departure. Ironically, if Lamoriello was to tab Boston Bruins’ assistant Jay Pandolfo as his head coach, the Boston native Cronin would be an easy fix to replace him.

  • The Islanders have struggled in net for too long and need to make a change at goalie. That all but rules out recycling any of their unrestricted free agent goaltenders. Jaroslav Halak, Christopher Gibson, and Kristers Gudlevskis are all set to hit the open market and of the three, Gudlevskis faces the lowest chances of finding employment again in the NHL. Once a highly-regarded prospect for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Gudlevskis play in the AHL simply never reached an elite level that would have warranted an extended look at the highest level. This past season, he performed poorly and was handily outplayed by Gibson. As such, he may not have many opportunities in North America next season. It is no surprise then that Latvian news outlet OlyBet reports that Gudlevksis has had preliminary talks with Dinamo Riga, the KHL team in his native country. Gudlevskis was brought up in the Riga junior ranks and even appeared in two games with the big league team before coming overseas. Gudlevskis has never returned to Europe since and his preference would likely be to stay in the NHL, but it would be a natural fit with Dinamo if the offers don’t come from NHL teams this summer.
  • In today’s edition of TSN’s “Insider Trading”, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger have set the record straight about the trade market for Edmonton Oilers forward Milan Lucic. It was previously believed that the Oilers were shopping Lucic in hopes of ridding themselves of his contract, but in speaking with several team executives, LeBrun and Dreger feel that is not the case. Instead, they have heard that Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli is seeking hockey trades rather than cap dump trades for Lucic. This would indicate that it is Lucic who has requested the trade and Edmonton is simply trying to oblige him.
  • One team rumored to be in on Lucic is actually out, according to LeBrun. The Montreal Canadiens, who pursued the power forward and former Bruins enforcer vigorously when he initially hit free agency, were speculated to again be interested in acquiring Lucic. The Habs could use some size up front and Lucic shared a strong rapport with coach Claude Julien when the pair were in Boston. However, LeBrun states that they are definitively “out” on Lucic.

Bruins To Meet With Ilya Kovalchuk

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The Boston Bruins have already been linked to Russian free agent and former NHL superstar Ilya Kovalchuk this off-season, but GM Don Sweeney confirmed the interest today, telling NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin that he will speak with Kovalchuk and his camp in the coming days. The Bruins are seeking to add a veteran scoring winger to their top six for next season and, if they don’t resign trade deadline acquisition Rick Nash, Kovalchuk could be a suitable replacement. Kovalchuk has already met with the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, while the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, and Dallas Stars are among others who would like to outbid the Bruins for the big-name import.

Kovalchuk, 35, has been one of if not the best player in the KHL since he bolted from the New Jersey Devils in 2013. Sweeney still believes that the veteran sniper has the ability to left to translate those numbers back to the NHL. A big, strong shooter, Kovalchuk would not only add more talent and some balance to the Bruins roster, but would also be a great stylistic role model for a player like Jake DeBrusk, who he would likely skate beside with center David Krejci. However, the Bruins also liked the chemistry that those two players shared with Nash prior to his concussion late in the regular season. Sweeney stated that they remain in communication with Nash and that financially a deal with one of Nash or Kovalchuk would all but rule out the signing of the other.

If the decision were left up to Ty Anderson of The Sports Hub, he would gladly take Kovalchuk. The Bruins beat writer believes that the Russian goal scorer is the exact kind of gamble that Boston should take this summer to add a difference-maker that can balance their top six. Anderson notes that the Kovalchuk played right wing alongside Zach Parise in New Jersey and found great success and could do the same in Boston. His scoring touch could be what it takes to bring together a Bruins’ second line that paled in comparison to the league’s best line – Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak– last year.

Both Sweeney and Anderson note that the financial flexibility may be needed to sign Kovalchuk – or Nash – to his desired contract. TSN’s Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun said the same on “Insider Trading”  today, adding that the Bruins would like to move David Backes this summer and may even consider trading Krejci in the right move to free up space. The duo also bring up an interesting twist that the Kovalchuk sweepstakes is having on the trade market. They feel that the suitors for Carolina Hurricanes winger Jeff Skinner are largely the same as those talking to Kovalchuk. They name the Bruins, alongside the Kings and Sharks, as the teams that could look at Skinner if they were to miss out on Kovalchuk. Nash, Kovalchuk, Skinner, and the off-season is just getting started in Boston. A big move could be on the horizon for the Bruins.

Martin Bakos Signs One-Year Deal With Boston Bruins

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After a season that included trips to the IIHF World Championship and Olympic Games, Martin Bakos has now signed his first NHL contract. The Boston Bruins announced today that they’d signed the Slovakian forward to a one-year, two-way deal that carries a $700K cap hit.

Bakos, 28, is an extremely skilled forward who has been playing in the Slovak, Czech and Russian professional leagues for almost a decade. This season he recorded 40 points in 52 games, while scoring another 10 goals in Champions League matches. He wowed hockey audiences all over the world this spring with an incredible shootout move against France, and could inject some more skill into the Bruins organization.

It’s interesting to see where he is positioned for the Bruins, as 28-year old forwards with a long career in the European professional leagues rarely come to North America looking for a spot in the minor leagues. Whether Bakos can make an impact at the NHL level though is still to be determined, especially with a group as deep as Boston’s forward unit. With more young players ready to make their mark this season, Bakos would need to have an incredible camp to step into a full-time role with the Bruins in 2018-19.

Boston Bruins Sign Urho Vaakanainen To Entry-Level Contract

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The Boston Bruins have inked one of their top prospects, signing 2017 first-round pick Urho Vaakanainen to a three-year entry-level contract. The deal will carry a $925K NHL cap hit, plus any performance bonuses that he might achieve.

Vaakanainen, 19, was the 18th-overall selection a year ago and spent the season playing in Finland’s highest league. An extremely talented skater, he uses that ability to easily attack oncoming opponents and shut down rushes well before they even get started. While his offensive game is still raw, he does show a good first pass and can be an effective zone-exit option with the puck on his stick. He registered 11 points in 43 games this season, but there is some potential for even more production there if given a bigger opportunity.

Should Vaakanainen come to North America this season, he’ll likely be ticketed for the Providence Bruins at first where he could adapt to the AHL game before eventually making the jump to the NHL. While that jump to Boston isn’t guaranteed at this point, his first year of development since being drafted went well and there certainly looks like there could be a future for him beside star rookie Charlie McAvoy. Even if Vaakanainen doesn’t turn into a top-pairing option, the Bruins will have several other openings on the blue line over the next three years as they move on to the next wave of defensemen.

Offseason Keys: Boston Bruins

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With the Stanley Cup now awarded, the offseason is now in full swing.  What storylines lie ahead around the league in the weeks to come?  Our Offseason Keys series continues with a look at the Boston Bruins.

Last summer, the Bruins were fairly quiet as they opted to improve from within and give their youngsters some opportunities to make their mark.  They were rewarded for their patience as they nearly won the Atlantic Division while making it to the second round of the postseason before being ousted by Tampa Bay.  Now, GM Don Sweeney will be tasked with adding some pieces to help them take that next step forward.  Here are the keys to their offseason.

Re-Sign Or Replace Nash

In an effort to bolster their attack in advance of the postseason, the Bruins paid a hefty price to acquire winger Rick Nash.  The 33-year-old didn’t play poorly but he didn’t exactly move the needle either while he also battled a concussion.  Boston must now decide whether or not to re-sign him or try to fill that vacancy through other means.  At the very least, he is going to be taking a significant pay cut from the $7.8MM AAV he has had for the past eight years after failing to hit the 40-point plateau for the past three seasons.

Boston could opt to follow what worked for them this past season and earmark that spot for a youngster like Anders Bjork, Zach Senyshyn, or Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson.  However, with Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen already locked in as regular wingers and Ryan Donato appearing likely to have a regular spot as well, doing so could run the risk of having too many young players in important roles.  If it worked out, they’d be in great shape but if not, they may be forced to pay the price again next trade deadline.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them go after another winger if they can’t get Nash locked up.

Then there’s the other Nash.  Center Riley Nash emerged as a legitimate two-way threat for the first time in his career, posting 41 points in 76 games.  (For perspective, his previous career high was 25 points.)  With a weak market down the middle, the 29-year-old has positioned himself for a big raise from the $900K he made in 2017-18.  With big money tied up already in Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and David Backes (who has played center plenty in the past), can they afford to have another pivot making above average dollars?  On the flip side, given how important he was to them, can they afford to let him go?  While Rick Nash gets most of the attention given his history, Riley is an important player they need to decide on as well.

Find A Backup Goalie

History has shown that starting goaltender Tuukka Rask has struggled when he is leaned on to play too many games.  In 2017-18, he showed that with more rest, he can still be one of the better starters in the league.  The strong play of Anton Khudobin allowed Rask to have a few more games off but the backup netminder is set to hit free agency as one of the better players available in a fairly weak goalie market.

The 32-year-old is coming off of the third-largest workload of his career after making 29 starts while posting a respectable 2.56 GAA with a .913 SV%.  Those numbers may not stand out but overall, they’re pretty good for a career backup.  As teams around the league look to take more pressure off their number ones, a player like Khudobin who has shown he can handle a larger workload than a typical backup is going to garner a fair amount of interest.

If they aren’t able to bring Khudobin back, it’s likely that they will look elsewhere in free agency as they don’t really have anyone ready to step up and take over in their system.  Zane McIntyre, once viewed as a potential number two of the future, has seen his development largely stall at AHL Providence and their other minor pro options are just starting out.  Given how important rest is to Rask, expect the Bruins to follow the recent trend of paying a bit of a premium for an above-average backup whether it’s Khudobin or someone else.

Add A Top-Four Left Shot Defenseman

In the short-term, a one-two punch of Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug on the left side isn’t too bad.  However, there are some risks if they do start next season with those two in their familiar roles.  While Chara is still defying Father Time, he can’t be asked to log well over 20 minutes per night for much longer.  Eventually, he needs to drop down the depth chart.  Meanwhile, Krug’s offensive skills are a huge plus but his play in his own end is suspect at times which rules him out from really ascending to that top pairing.  Matt Grzelcyk has shown some promise but he’s not ready for that type of role yet either.

While they didn’t get him at the deadline, they did have interest in Ryan McDonagh and a player with his skill set would go a long way to really strengthening their back end.  Unfortunately for Boston, McDonagh is unlikely to be available this summer and there isn’t anyone like him in free agency so the trade route will be the way to go here.  With the surplus of quality youngsters up front, Sweeney will at least have some trade chips at his disposal.

On the right side, Boston is in great shape long-term with Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo leading the way.  Both players have five years of team control remaining so the team can afford to shift their focus to shoring up their left side and giving a quality back end a real boost.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Several Teams Linked To Ilya Kovalchuk

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This weekend a report surfaced that Ilya Kovalchuk was visiting the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. There wasn’t any indication whether those teams would eventually land the Russian sniper, but he was at least willing to speak with them ahead of his signing period that begins on July 1st. Now, in a report from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription required) the market for Kovalchuk becomes more clear.

LeBrun lists the Kings, Sharks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers as the “top contenders” for the 35-year old sniper, with a second group of interested parties including the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks. Darren Dreger of TSN also believes that Detroit is in the mix, while Craig Custance of The Athletic (subscription required) has heard that the Red Wings want to bring him aboard. Custance also lists the Tampa Bay Lightning as a possibility if Kovalchuk is willing to sign a short-term deal.

Interestingly, the New York Islanders were not listed among the interested teams despite Kovalchuk’s obvious connection with GM Lou Lamoriello. Arthur Staple of The Athletic added to that when he tweeted that the Islanders were “not in the main circle of interest” something that doesn’t seem so surprising when they have their own star free agent to get under contract in the coming weeks. While no Lamoriello-run team should ever be counted out of anything because of a lack of information, the Islanders don’t appear to be the best fit for Kovalchuk, who wants to win a Stanley Cup and doesn’t have a lot of years left to do it.

Kovalchuk can agree to terms with anyone in the league right now, but will have to wait until July 1st to actually sign a contract. He’s obviously taking his time to speak with anyone interested, but it seems as though there are plenty of teams willing to take a chance on him. Remember any contract he signs will count against the cap regardless of whether he retires or not, while he can only receive performance bonuses if he agrees to a one-year deal.

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