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Bruins Begin Extension Discussions With Charlie McAvoy

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The Bruins have started discussions regarding a contract extension for defenseman Charlie McAvoy, reports Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos (video link).  He noted that the blueliner wants to avoid going the route of a bridge contract so a long-term deal is the focus here.

The 20-year-old is only in his second full NHL season after he burned the first year of his entry-level pact in 2016-17 when he suited up in six postseason contests.  He’s off to a very strong start to his sophomore campaign with six points in seven games while logging just shy of 21 minutes per night on a fairly deep Boston back end.

However, his overall lack of NHL experience (just 76 games between the regular season and playoffs combined – less than one full season) could certainly complicate things.  While there is cause for optimism that McAvoy will become one of the better offensive blueliners in the league, the lack of a track record in the pros could give Boston GM Don Sweeney some pause if the asking price comes in too high.

Kypreos suggested that Florida’s Aaron Ekblad could be a comparable second contract that McAvoy’s camp might push for.  He is in the midst of an eight-year, $60MM pact that has really been a market-setter for defensemen coming off of their entry-level deals.

However, Ekblad had two full seasons under his belt at the time that deal was signed and has the draft pedigree of being a first overall selection, elements that aren’t in place here for McAvoy.  However, their platform seasons are somewhat similar in terms of point production – McAvoy averaged 0.51 points per game last season while Ekblad checked in at 0.46 in his second year.

Even with that, it would be hard to envision McAvoy getting that much of a commitment this early from the Bruins.  However, it could certainly be used as a starting point of negotiations which are likely to pick up in the weeks to come.

While McAvoy is Boston’s most prominent potential restricted free agent, they have three other notable youngsters that are also going to see their entry-level deals expire after the season in blueliner Brandon Carlo as well as wingers Ryan Donato and Danton Heinen.  They have just shy of $64MM committed to 16 players for next season per CapFriendly so while it’s going to cost a lot to get McAvoy locked up long-term, they have the financial flexibility to get a deal done without causing much of an issue when it comes to the salary cap.

While Sweeney will certainly be keeping an eye on the trade market in the weeks and months to come as he likely will be looking to add before the trade deadline, a new deal for his top young defenseman is also going to be near the top of his priority list at that time.

Atlantic Notes: Backes, Kotkaniemi, Cholowski

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A last minute scratch on Saturday has many people worrying that Boston Bruins forward David Backes might have a more serious problem when they look back to a hit that Backes took a shoulder to the head in Thursday’s game against Edmonton from defenseman Matt Benning in the first shift of the game. He was checked for a concussion and cleared to return, but only skated 6:28 during the game.

While the 34-year-old participated in Saturday’s morning skate, there are many concerned that Backes, who has suffered numerous concussions over the course of his career, has another, according to Matt Porter of The Boston Globe. Head coach Bruce Cassidy said he was “absolutely” worried about Backes.

“We’ll list it as an upper-body injury,” Cassidy said. “I think we all saw the hit. You want to be cautious, first of all. This is a player’s health, that left at the end of last year with a concussion.”

  • The Montreal Canadiens got a great game out of 18-year-old Jesperi Kotkaniemi despite losing to Ottawa Saturday. The third-overall pick in this year’s draft is starting to show his skills and while he only has three points in seven games so far, he is clearly making a positive impact on the Canadiens, according to The Athletic’s Marc Dumont (subscription required). Throw in the fact that Kotkaniemi has made fewer than a half dozen mistakes on the ice, Montreal has a big piece in place for the future.
  • Another player receiving quite a bit of praise is Detroit Red Wings defenseman Dennis Cholowski. The 20-year-old has received a big opportunity with injuries to Mike Green, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericsson and Danny DeKeyser, and has taken advantage of it, according to Detroit Free Press’ Helene St. James. The 2016 first-round pick has shown off smooth skating and on-ice intelligence and has shown an offensive instinct, posting two goals and five point in six minutes. Dylan Larkin believes that Cholowski is a big piece to their future. “His head is always up and he’s always there to make passes and get it in the forwards’ hands,” Larkin said of Cholowski. “He reminds me a lot of Zach Werenski in that sense, where their posture with the puck is almost if you’re forechecking him, you don’t know what he is going to do because he’s got his head up and his feet are moving. It’s awesome having him back there.”

Eastern Notes: Aho, Rasmussen, Bruins Offense, Blue Jackets’ Defense

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One player the Carolina Hurricanes are keeping a close eye on is William Nylander. While the Hurricanes wouldn’t mind acquiring the restricted free agent if Toronto opts to move him, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun (subscription required) writes that the Hurricanes are also keeping a close eye on whether the team even signs him as Nylander’s contract (assuming he signs) could have a huge effect on one of their own players — Sebastian Aho.

Aho’s entry-level deal runs out after this year and with the way the 21-year-old has developed, could command a high price from Carolina this offseason. With Carolina well known to be frugal when it comes to handing out long-term deals, Aho is a must. The forward has started strong this season, scoring four goals and eight assists in the team’s first seven games, suggesting he could have another breakout season after scoring 29 goals a season ago. Regardless, Nylander’s contract could be a significant comparable for Carolina in the coming weeks or months. If Nylander’s holdout is successful, it could cost the Hurricanes quite a bit as well.

  • In a mailbag series, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Detroit Red Wings are still discussing what to do with rookie forward Michael Rasmussen. The 19-year-old either has to stay with the team or be returned to juniors, but Rasmussen has struggled so far in transitioning to the NHL. He has just one assist in six games and has seen his ice time dip to just 9:56 on Thursday against Tampa Bay. The scribe writes that the team would prefer not to return him to the Tri-City Americans of the WHL, but Rasmussen only has three more games to prove himself to management, before they have to make a decision. If Rasmussen reaches 10 NHL games, he burns his first year of his entry-level deal.
  • In a mailbag of his own, NBC Sports Joe Haggerty writes that the Boston Bruins are in need of another quality top-six player and believes the Bruins should look to make a trade. He suggests the team should be open to moving one of their young talents as part of any package, including Anders Bjork, Danton Heinen, Ryan Donato or even Matt Grzelcyk to make a deal happen. The scribe also believes that the team needs to move David Backes from the second line into their bottom-six.
  • With Seth Jones close to returning to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ lineup, The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports that head coach John Tortorella has already said that Jones will return to the top defensive line opposite of Zach Werenski. The coach also admitted that he loves the combination of Marcus Nutivaara and Ryan Murray as the team’s second pairing. Which means that David Savard will move out of the team’s top-four.

Minor Transactions: 10/20/18

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It’s a busy Saturday around the NHL with 13 games on tap so there is likely to be plenty of roster movement throughout the day.  We’ll keep tabs on those moves here.

  • Late last night, the Ducks announced that they had sent winger Troy Terry down to San Diego of the AHL and recalled winger Pontus Aberg to take his place on the roster. Terry had yet to record a point with Anaheim in six games so they’re hoping a trip to the minors will get him going.  He’s off to a good start after posting three points on Friday night.  Meanwhile, Aberg was claimed by the Ducks late in training camp but they re-waived him shortly thereafter.  He has a goal and an assist in two games with the Gulls so far this season.
  • With just six defensemen on their active roster, the Senators were expected to bring someone up in advance of tonight’s game against Montreal. They’ve now done so, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve summoned blueliner Christian Jaros from AHL Belleville.  Jaros has already played in two games with the big club after making the team out of training camp, collecting an assist while averaging 10:32 per night.
  • The New Jersey Devils also made a couple of moves late last night as well, as the team announced they have assigned forward John Quenneville to the Binghamton Devils of the AHL, while recalling forward Kevin Rooney. Quenneville, the team’s 2014 first-round pick, made the team out of training camp, but hasn’t recorded a point in four games. The team hopes to get his offense going in Binghamton. Rooney, the 25-year-old penalty-killing forward scored 14 goals with the Binghamton Devils last season and had two assists in five games this year.
  • The Dallas Stars assigned forward Roope Hintz to the Texas Stars of the AHL, according to NHL.com’s Mark Stepneski. The 21-year-old had played five games with Dallas to start the season, but has failed to tally a point so far, especially Friday when he was given the opportunity to play on the team’s first line next to Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn with Alexander Radulov out. Hintz played a career-high 17:26 and only posted two shots, a hit and a block. “You get an opportunity like that, you got to be pressuring pucks, you got to be creating more turnovers,” said Dallas head coach Jim Montgomery (via SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks). “Didn’t see enough. It wasn’t a bad game.”
  • With neither Charlie McAvoy or Kevan Miller having skated during the pre-game skate, the Boston Bruins announced they have recalled defenseman Urho Vaakanainen from the Providence Bruins of the AHL on an emergency loan. The 19-year-old is the team’s 2017 first-round pick and has two assists in six games in his first season in North America.

Goaltender Cameron Rowe Commits To North Dakota

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Aaron Dell, Zane McIntyre, Cam Johnson, …Cameron Rowe? The young goaltender certainly hopes that he will be the next in a line of recent stud goalies to come out of the University of North Dakota. The U.S. National Development Program announced today that their keeper has committed to join the Fighting Hawks next season.

Rowe, 17, is a draft-eligible prospect who is regarded as one of the handful of goalies guaranteed to be selected in the 2019 NHL Draft. The Illinois native is in his second season with the USNTDP and led the U-17 squad with 43 appearances last season. This year, he’s sharing the U-18 net with fellow draft-eligible stopper Spencer Knight. Knight, who many feel is the top goalie prospect in the 2019 draft class and looks like a presumptive first-round pick next June, actually began making U-18 starts last year and has outperformed Rowe so far this year. The Boston College commit may even have the inside track to starring for the U.S. World Junior squad this year. While Rowe has had a tough time adjusting to the tougher competition so far this season, he continues to get his fair share of starts next to Knight and will likely improve as the year goes on, even if he remains overshadowed.

If anything, the fact that North Dakota was interested in Rowe is proof enough that he is a talented goaltender. The collegiate powerhouse has had immense success developing goalies of late. San Jose Sharks backup Dell was the first in line, helping the team to conference championships in each of his three seasons from 2009 to 2012, in addition to several individual accolades. Current Boston Bruins’ third-string McIntyre came next and in 2014-15 won the Mike Richter Award as the best goalie in the NCAA and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award as the best player in college hockey. Most recently, New Jersey Devils prospect Johnson led the team to a National Championship in 2015-16. Interestingly enough, Dell and Johnson were never drafted and McIntyre was a seventh-round flier. Rowe, considered a legitimate NHL prospect already, may just have a chance to be the best of the bunch.

Edmonton Oilers Place Matt Benning On Injured Reserve

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The Edmonton Oilers are set to make some changes on the back end, at least for the time being. The team announced today that they have placed defenseman Matt Benning on the injured reserve. The nature of Benning’s injury has not been disclosed and the team gave no timeline for a return, but the injury did occur in last night’s game against the Boston Bruins and his IR assignment means Benning will miss at least ten days and the Oilers’ next five games. In a corresponding move, Kevin Gravel has been recalled from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

Benning’s injury is somewhat ironic. The 24-year-old blue liner was actually the aggressor on a questionable hit up high on Boston forward David Backes early in Thursday night’s 3-2 overtime win for Edmonton (video). Benning received neither a penalty nor a second look from the league on the hit, which sent Backes to the locker room for the the remainder of the period. Backes returned later on, yet it was Bruins draft pick Benning ruled out not long after with an undisclosed injury. Now, Benning lands on the injured reserve even though he nearly landed a serious head shot on Backes. It is worth noting that Benning, teammate Ty Rattie, and Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller all left last night’s chippy contest.

Benning’s absence will allow free agent addition Gravel the chance to re-establish himself at the NHL level. A signing from the Los Angeles Kings, Gravel fully expected to have a role in Edmonton to begin this season. However, the emergence of rookie Evan Bouchard and a successful tryout from veteran Jason Garrison forced Gravel down to the AHL to begin the year. A physical, stay-at-home defender, Gravel has skated in 70 NHL games over the past three seasons and contributed 93 hits and 84 blocked shots as a gritty presence on the back end. The 26-year-old brings a different skill set from Benning, but should provide an edge and a solid game in his own end for the Oilers while he replaces his injured teammate. A strong showing could earn Gravel a long-term stay in Edmonton.

Jan Kovar Signs Professional Tryout With Providence Bruins

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The New York Islanders made a quick decision in training camp that Jan Kovar had been a mistake, terminating his contract just a few months after signing him to a one-year $2MM deal. Many expected Kovar to return overseas to play in the KHL or another European league after clearing waivers, but as Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports, he’s now signed on with the Providence Bruins of the AHL on a professional tryout agreement. That would suggest that the Boston Bruins are at least willing to take a look at him to see if he can help their organization, either at the NHL or AHL level.

Kovar, 28, signed out of the KHL but ended up failing to make the Islanders out of training camp. When the team tried to send him to the minor leagues, he didn’t report and eventually agreed to a mutual termination. It’s interesting that he’s now willing to play at the AHL level, after refusing to do so just a few weeks ago with the Islanders. His agent, Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey, tweeted out that Kovar plans on playing for Providence for a few weeks before evaluating his “NHL options.” It was believed that there was more than one suitor who approached the Czech forward this summer, and perhaps someone else will come forward with a new contract.

It’s not hard to see why there was interest, given Kovar’s success in the KHL. Though his 2017-18 was a down year with just 35 points, he’d recorded four straight seasons of at least 20 goals and 50 points prior to that, and had previously dominated the Czech professional league as well. There’s plenty of talent there, and experience at the international level against some of the world’s best players. Kovar has competed in several World Championships for the Czech Republic, and even suited up at the last Olympic Games, leading his country with five points in six games.

If there’s enough there for the Bruins to take a look, one has to wonder if they would sign the veteran forward to try and give the team another offensive option lower in the lineup. Sometimes referred to as a “one line team” this season, Boston has been relying heavily on the trio of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak to create offense. In fact, David Krejci is the only other forward on the team with more than two points, and even he hasn’t scored a goal this season. Giving Kovar a place to play for a few weeks doesn’t hold much risk, and could potentially pay off for the team in the long run.

Bruins Hoping To Add A Veteran Center

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  • 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.

Boston Bruins Still Not Planning On Signing Lee Stempniak

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Though he had attended camp with the team on a professional tryout and was still hanging around town, Lee Stempniak hasn’t earned a contract with the Boston Bruins. That’s not going to change anytime soon according to head coach Bruce Cassidy, who told reporters today that the team has no plans on signing the veteran forward as of this moment.

Stempniak, 35, was forced to experience the minor leagues for the first time in more than a decade last season when he was demoted by the Carolina Hurricanes. Though he played just a single game for the Charlotte Checkers, it was a clear sign that his NHL career was coming towards an end and he may have to look elsewhere for employment. Still, he performed well enough in Bruins camp to make some believe that he would earn a spot on the team, especially given the revolving door of the bottom six in Boston. Stempniak is just a year removed from a 16-goal, 40-point campaign in Carolina, numbers that he had seemingly put up for his entire career. Before 2017-18, the oft-traded winger had put up double digit goal totals in every full season of his career, even reaching a career-high of 28 in 2009-10. In parts of 13 seasons, Stempniak has 469 points in 909 NHL games and has generally been a positive and versatile contributor.

Boston meanwhile has received very little in terms of production from their bottom three lines, instead relying on the trio of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak to handle all the offense. Only one other forward, David Krejci, has more than two points on the season while several have been held completely off the score sheet. There’s no guarantee though that Stempniak could change that, and for now there is no plans to give him an opportunity to try.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Dvorak, Maple Leafs

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The NHL has handed out the Three Stars for the second week of the season, and once again a center from the Atlantic Division leads the way. Following in Auston Matthews’ week one honors is Patrice Bergeron, who gets the first star after a nine-point week with the Boston Bruins. Bergeron’s brilliance was on display in full force when he sent a backhand saucer pass to David Pastrnak for a tap in on Monday night against the Ottawa Senators. It wasn’t the first time the Bruins center is included in these awards, and it certainly won’t be the last.

Behind Bergeron were two more Eastern Conference opponents in Morgan Rielly and Sebastian Aho. Both players continued their scorching hot starts by adding seven points in three games, and helping the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes to league-leading records. While both have been good before, each could be experiencing another breakout in performance that could lead to playoff success for their clubs.

  • Christian Dvorak of the Arizona Coyotes has suffered a setback in his rehab from a lower-body injury according to Matt Layman of AZ Sports, who notes that the team will give an update on his status later in the week. Dvorak hasn’t played yet this season as he tries to make good on the six-year, $26.7MM extension he signed this summer, and will likely now be held out of the lineup even longer. Now on the final year of his entry-level contract, Dvorak is looked to as a leader on the Coyotes and one that was expected to take a step forward from the 15-goal, 37-point performance of 2017-18. The 22-year old will need to perform at an even higher level in order to eclipse that if he misses much more of the season.
  • The Maple Leafs were forced to recall minor league goaltender Eamon McAdam today to fill in while Frederik Andersen deals with a minor knee injury, and as CapFriendly points out are using one of their two goaltender exemptions for the year. The team is sitting at 24 players on the roster since they didn’t move Andersen to injured reserve, and will now have to be even more careful going forward. McAdam will serve as backup tonight while Garret Sparks makes his second start of the season.

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