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Zach Senyshyn Re-Signs With Boston Bruins

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The Boston Bruins have signed restricted free agent forward Zachary Senyshyn to a one-year, two-way contract worth $700K at the NHL level. Senyshyn was not eligible for arbitration.

Senyshyn, 23, has still yet to establish himself as a true NHL option for the Bruins, five years removed from being the 15th overall selection. In 2019-20 he played in four games for Boston, recording two assists while averaging a little over eight minutes a night. Even his minor league numbers haven’t grown to the level that was expected, with Senyshyn scoring just seven goals and 16 points in 42 games for Providence this year.

The idea of the former Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds star becoming an impact top-six winger for the Bruins is pretty much dead at this point, but perhaps he can still carve out a role at the NHL level. The team brought in Craig Smith to give them another option on the right side but will likely be missing David Pastrnak for the beginning of the season after recent surgery.

Even without much production, it wasn’t time for the Bruins to give up on the young forward. He’ll join a growing group of prospects that will battle for roster spots at training camp (whenever that is) and have to wait patiently for his next opportunity.

Boston Bruins Re-Sign Karson Kuhlman

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The Boston Bruins have re-signed depth forward Karson Kuhlman to a two-year contract worth an average of $725K at the NHL level. Kuhlman’s deal will be two-way in 2020-21 and one-way in 2021-22.

The 25-year-old forward was an undrafted free agent signing out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth in 2018 and has played 49 games for the Bruins over the last two seasons, including playoffs. In that time he’s contributed just 14 points but is an energy option that can be inserted into the lineup without hurting you.

In fact, Kuhlman has posted strong possession numbers whenever he does get a chance to play and saw a little bit of time on the penalty kill this year. It will be hard for him to ever really secure a full-time spot in the lineup without an injury to someone else on the roster, but as an extra forward that is still waiver-exempt, he’s a nice option.

Atlantic Notes: Chara, Maple Leafs, Danault

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With a big four-year extension for Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, the Bruins continue to work on their defense after the departure of Torey Krug. Of course, much of that work relies on a decision by veteran Zdeno Chara, who is still considering what he is going to do for the 2020-21 season.

Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty writes that Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said that the team can do nothing, but wait to hear from Chara about what his offseason plans are.

“We have communicated consistently with Zdeno and [his agent] Matt Keator,” said Sweeney. “We’re just waiting for him to initiate what he’d like to do moving forward. I feel very comfortable allowing [the decision-making process] to take the necessary time and let Zdeno make his own decisions along that route.”

Of course, Keator did say that Chara has received multiple inquiries from other teams and the veteran is considering all options, according to The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required), which isn’t good for Boston who will need the 6-foot-9, 250-pounder to help stabilize their defense after losing Krug to St. Louis more than a week ago and lack the financial abilities to bring in a solid replacement.

  • In a conference call with reporters as well as NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said that he doesn’t foresee the team making any more roster moves, which includes adding more players or having to move a player out. The GM said the Maple Leafs will now focus on signing their own restricted free agents with next week’s arbitration case of Ilya Mikheyev on tap next, followed by focusing on working out a deal with defenseman Travis Dermott.
  • The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required) writes that Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin has now signed defenseman Jeff Petry and forward Brendan Gallagher to long-term deals. He also managed to swap forwards Max Domi and Josh Anderson, signing the latter to long-term deal as well. When asked what his next task would be, Bergevin replied that he was thinking about going on vacation, sounding like his work this offseason is finished. Basu writes that can’t be good news for center Phillip Danault, who is on his last year of a three-year, $9.25MM contract and has said he would like to stay long-term as long as his role on the team is guaranteed. The 27-year-old has posted 25 goals and 100 points combined over the last two seasons, but with young centers Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Nick Suzuki ready to step into more significant roles in the near future, there may not be a big role remaining for Danault.

Bruins Re-Sign Matt Grzelcyk

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The Bruins have taken care of one of their remaining restricted free agents,  announcing that they’ve re-signed defenseman Matt Grzelcyk to a four-year, $14.75MM contract, avoiding a salary arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Tuesday.  The deal means he more than doubles the $1.4MM he made on his most recent deal.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the deal breaks down as follows:

2020-21: $2.25MM
2021-22: $4MM
2022-23: $4.25MM
2023-24: $4.25MM

The 26-year-old has been a fixture on Boston’s back end in recent years, albeit in a more limited capacity.  Last season, Grzelcyk had a career-high four goals and 17 assists in 68 games for the Bruins while averaging a little over 18 minutes per game in playing time.  While he was limited to just a single assist in 12 postseason contests, his playing time jumped to nearly 20 minutes a night.

While it seems unlikely that Grzelcyk will be able to produce as much as he did at the college level (including one year with Charlie McAvoy), it’s possible that there is still another level he can get to offensively.  With Torey Krug gone to St. Louis in free agency and Zdeno Chara’s fate uncertain for next season, Grzelcyk stands to be in line for a bigger role for 2020-21 as things stand with John Moore being the only other NHL regular on the left side of their back end.  This deal clearly recognizes that potential while buying out three years of UFA eligibility.

With the move, Boston has roughly $6.5MM to $7.5MM in remaining cap space depending on various projections of filling out their roster.  However, they still have a restricted free agent of note to re-sign in winger Jake DeBrusk which should take up a good chunk of that amount.

Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now was first to report that the two sides were close to an agreement.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bruins Have Shown Interest In Karl Alzner

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With some uncertainty surrounding the state of the left side of their defense corps, the Bruins have shown some interest in defenseman Karl Alzner, reports Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now.  The 32-year-old was bought out of the final two years of his contract by Montreal earlier this month.

Alzner joined the Canadiens on an ill-fated five-year, $23.125MM contract back in 2017 after spending nine seasons with Washington.  While he held down a regular spot on their back end in his first season, he cleared waivers multiple times since then and has spent the majority of the last two years in the minors with AHL Laval with only 13 NHL appearances in that span.

On the surface, it may seem odd that Boston may be interested in him but there could be a need for a veteran depth option.  Zdeno Chara’s future with the Bruins is uncertain with his agent stating recently that all options (including ones outside of Boston) are being considered.  Between that and the departure of Torey Krug off the left side, there are some holes to fill.

While Alzner certainly wouldn’t be able to step into one of those vacated spots, he’d at least serve as some veteran insurance in case prospects like Urho Vaakanainen and Jakub Zboril need more time at the minor league level.  Plus, given the last couple of years he had, it shouldn’t cost more than the minimum salary of $700K (or a training camp PTO) to bring him in which wouldn’t impact their efforts to re-sign restricted free agents Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk.  It also wouldn’t affect any attempts to try to re-sign or replace Chara as with or without Alzner, GM Don Sweeney will still likely be looking to add a top-four option on that side in the coming weeks.

Boston Bruins Announce Three Contracts

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The Boston Bruins have announced three contracts today, signing Jakub Zboril, Greg McKegg and Callum Booth. Zboril has signed a two-year contract with an average annual value of $725K, while McKegg and Booth have both inked one-year, two-way deals worth $700K at the NHL level.

The fact that Zboril has signed a one-way contract only strengthens the idea that he will get a chance to grab a spot on the Bruins blue line. With Torey Krug gone to St. Louis, Zdeno Chara unsigned and Matt Grzelcyk awaiting his arbitration hearing, John Moore is the only other left-handed defenseman currently signed to a one-way deal.

It’s been a long wait for Zboril (and Bruins fans) since he was selected 13th overall in 2015. The Czech defenseman was one of the infamous three consecutive first-round selections by the Bruins, along with Jake DeBrusk and Zachary Senyshyn. While DeBrusk has become a full-time NHL option, the other two have combined for just eight games. That pain was only increased when Mathew Barzal, Kyle Connor and Thomas Chabot, the next three picks in the draft, all became stars.

There is still time for Zboril to become a valuable member of the Bruins, but it’s hard to really imagine he’ll ever be a top option. The 23-year-old has played two games for Brno Kometa in the Czech league this fall.

McKegg meanwhile joins the organization on a two-way deal after establishing himself as an NHL player. The 28-year-old forward played in 41 games for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018-19 and then 53 for the New York Rangers in 2019-20, also suiting up in the postseason for both clubs. It will be interesting to see what the Bruins plan to do with the depth center, as he would need to clear waivers to be sent to the minor leagues.

Booth, 23, comes to the Bruins as a depth goaltending option that has spent the majority of his career in the ECHL. He’s likely just expected to serve as organizational filler at this point, with much more exciting prospects in the system ahead of him.

Bruins Among The Teams Interested In Mike Hoffman

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Seravalli notes that at that price point and term, the Bruins, Blue Jackets, and the Predators are among the teams showing the most interest in Hoffman’s services.  He added that the Canucks are looking for help on the wing and also have shown some interest in the veteran but that they would have to clear some cap space first to do so; he also pegs the Canadiens as a team in that situation but after their addition of Tyler Toffoli yesterday, the fit with them may not be as strong as it previously was.

David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand Underwent Offseason Surgeries

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The Boston Bruins have announced that three of their most important players have undergone offseason surgery. Brad Marchand underwent a sports hernia repair on September 14 and has been given a four-month recovery timeline, while David Pastrnak underwent a right hip arthroscopy and labral repair on September 16 and will be out five months. Charlie McAvoy, who underwent a right knee arthroscopy on September 8, has already been cleared to resume normal offseason activities.

Both Pastrnak and Marchand are now questionable for the start of the 2020-21 season, given their proposed timelines (to be clear, these are from the date of surgery). That could change based on when the NHL decides to start things off, but the current target date is still January 1, 2021.

Losing either or both would have a dramatic effect on the Bruins attack, though obviously, it’s a good thing that they had surgery so quickly after elimination from the bubble. Both should be back without missing a huge chunk of the season, hopefully at full strength.

Latest On Taylor Hall

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3:46 PM — NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty reports that Boston has offered a short-term contract to bring in Hall. However, that could be a problem financially with the team still needing to sign Debrusk, Grzelcyk as well as bringing back Zdeno Chara.

3:08 PM — There are plenty of unrestricted free agent forwards parked, waiting for Taylor Hall to make a decision on where he intends to play next season. Hall, the top free agent forward on the market is considering short-term offers with contending teams and is hoping to take that and bet on himself to cash in on a bigger contract after the pandemic settles down.

While many were expecting that the Colorado Avalanche would be high-stakes players in landing Hall, that isn’t expected to happen now, according to Adrian Dater of ColoradoHockeyNow, who writes that with the acquisition of Brandon Saad from Chicago Saturday, it’s extremely unlikely the team will spend even more money on another high-priced forward, even on a short-term deal.

Saad’s acquisition likely fills the team’s need for forwards and it’s likely that if the team does go after another free agent, it’s going to be on defense. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline also adds that the Columbus Blue Jackets are not likely a candidate to sign Hall despite the available cap room that the team has.

Dater writes that the two leading candidates to sign Hall are the Nashville Predators and the Boston Bruins.

Nashville makes sense as the team has traded away or bought out several players, including Nick Bonino, Kyle Turris and Austin Watson, while also allowing Mikael Granlund and Craig Smith to depart via free agency. The moves opens up a potential fit for the Predators. On top of that, Hall is believed to be close to both Ryan Ellis. The two played junior hockey together for three years and won a Memorial Cup together. He also has spent time playing alongside center Matt Duchene, who he played in the Ivan Hlinka and in U-18’s with.

Boston already signed Smith to a three-year deal, but the addition of Taylor Hall would be a big boost to the Bruins’ second line and for a big run with the veteran players they already have on board. The team does still have $11MM in cap space to work with, although they do have a number of restricted free agents to sign, including Jake Debrusk and Matt Grzelcyk.

Boston Bruins Re-Sign Kevan Miller

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Sunday: CapFriendly has clarified how the bonus structure works for Miller this season, including a never-before-seen bonus. As previously reported, Miller’s one-year contract carries a $1MM base salary, but he can earn up to $2MM with bonuses. One of those bonuses is a “roster bonus”. As Miller spent the entirety of the 2019-20 season on the injured reserve, he will retain that label heading into the new season. However, if Miller is finally deemed healthy enough to be activated from the IR and is not assigned to the AHL, he will gain a $250K bonus for spending just one day on the NHL roster. This bonus acts as a signings bonus rather than a performance bonus, meaning when/if Miller is added to the Bruins’ roster, his cap hit will automatically be $1.25MM rather than $1MM. As for his remaining bonuses, they are all tied to games played. Miller can make another $250K for playing in 10 games, $125K for 20 games, $100K for 30 games, and $75K for 40 games.

Friday: No games in 2019-20? No problem. Boston has brought back career Bruin and fan-favorite defenseman Kevan Miller, who missed the entirety of this past season due to injury. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that it is an incentive-laden one-year deal for Miller, who must prove that he is healthy enough to be a contributor once again. If he is able to return to form, Miller can earn up to $2MM including bonuses. If not, he can fall back on a $1MM base salary.

When healthy, Miller has been a solid defensive player throughout his NHL career. An aggressive player who hits hard and often, blocks shots, and has never posted a minus season, Miller can be relied upon in his own end in all situations. Miller has also flashed some modest offense from time to time and has 20-point potential if he were to play a full season.

Of course, the problem is that Miller hardly ever plays a full season. His physical style has led to a number of lingering injuries and even when he is feeling healthy he tends to get hurt by putting himself in harm’s way by blocking shots or starting fights. Overall, Miller has endured a laundry list of ailments, including the broken knee cap that kept him out for over a year. If the Bruins can bring Miller back slowly, perhaps starting him in the minors to begin the year, and can limit his play time when possible, maybe they can keep him healthy and have his effective defense ready for the postseason.

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