John Moore Out For The Season
After Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated earlier this week that John Moore had undergone surgery, the nature of the procedure and recovery time weren’t specified. That has now been revealed as the team announced that the defenseman elected to undergo hip arthroscopy and labral repair with an expected recovery time of five to six months.
The 30-year-old has been limited to just five games this season due to the injury and his time as a healthy scratch. Moore simply hasn’t fit in with Boston since signing with them in 2018, notching just 18 points over 90 games in his three seasons with the team. That’s hardly the type of return they were hoping for when they handed him a five-year, $13.75MM contract.
One small silver lining for Boston is that Moore’s $2.75MM AAV is now eligible to be placed on LTIR. It’s a move that they don’t need to make now as they can currently add someone making just over $4.4MM per CapFriendly so transferring Moore to LTIR now wouldn’t accomplish anything. However, if they make a deal that brings in someone making close to $4.4MM, they could then transfer Moore to LTIR, giving them the flexibility to make another acquisition of someone making under his $2.75MM AAV.
On the other hand, this announcement makes any potential offseason buyout trickier as Moore won’t be fully recovered by the time the buyout window opens up in July. Players need to be healthy in order to be bought out so if this was an avenue that GM Don Sweeney was intending to pursue, he will have to wait. The Bruins do have the potential for a second buyout window later in the summer with multiple arbitration-eligible restricted free agents and by then, Moore will be within the recovery window where a buyout could become possible.
John Moore Undergoes Surgery
Bruins defenseman John Moore last suited up on February 26th and it appears that will be the last game he plays for a while. Head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed to reporters, including Matt Porter of the Boston Globe (Twitter link), that Moore recently underwent surgery. The nature of the injury nor the timeline for a return were specified. It’s the latest in what has been a series of frustrations since he inked a five-year, $13.75MM contract back in the 2018 offseason. Since then, Moore has held a limited role in the lineup, spending time as a healthy scratch.
With how much time he has missed and now the news that he has had surgery, the Bruins are eligible to transfer Moore to LTIR. It’s a move that they don’t need to make for now as they’ve had ample cap space to recall a short-term replacement but if it happened to be a season-ending injury, it would give GM Don Sweeney a bit more flexibility heading into next month’s trade deadline. For now though, Moore is one of four Boston blueliners currently on IR, joining Brandon Carlo, Jeremy Lauzon, and Kevan Miller.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/21/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the complete, updated list for today:
Boston – Sean Kuraly, Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci, David Pastrnak, Craig Smith
NY Islanders – Noah Dobson
NY Rangers – Phil Di Giuseppe (plus their coaching staff)
St. Louis – Zach Sanford
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: Alexandre Texier, Columbus
It’s certainly encouraging that there were no new additions to the list from Boston given their recent outbreak or from anywhere else in the league. Things went in the right direction today with Texier being activated and immediately sent to the taxi squad, a move that may be more procedural than anything else since the youngster only missed two games while being in the protocols.
*denotes new addition
East Notes: Ullmark, Zucker, Kuraly
The Buffalo Sabres have a new coaching staff in place and could be getting back a key player from injury soon as interim coach Don Granato said that starting goaltender Linus Ullmark is expected to join the team for their four-game road trip starting on Monday, according to NHL.com’s Jourdon LaBarber.
“We need to integrate him into practice. That’s the next step here,” said Granato.
That doesn’t sound like Ullmark is ready to play, but getting on the ice with the team would be a big step for a player, who has only appeared in 12 games this season and hasn’t seen the ice since Feb. 25. Ullmark was playing quite well with a 5-4-2 record, a 2.44 GAA and a .919 save percentage. If he can return soon, that could be a huge boost for a team that has lost 13 in a row.
- Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said that forward Jason Zucker continues to progress in his rehab from a lower-body injury. The winger was placed on LTIR, retroactive to Feb. 23, according to PGPSportsNow’s Matt Vensel. Sullivan said that Zucker dressed in full gear Sunday and skated with the taxi squad, suggesting he’s getting closer to a return. Regardless, it looks like Zucker should be able to return before the end of the season. The 29-year-old has four goals and seven points in 17 games, but should supply a big boost to the team’s top-six once he returns.
- Boston Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy writes that sources suggest that the Boston Bruins are willing to move fourth-line forward Sean Kuraly in any package and the team could find a taker in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Columbus might be interested in Kuraly, who is a local kid, and could provide the team with solid two-way play. The scribe writes that the team feels they have younger players who look ready to step in as fourth-line options.
COVID Protocol Related Absences: 03/20/21
Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the complete, updated list for today:
Boston – Sean Kuraly, Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci, David Pastrnak, Craig Smith
Columbus – Alexandre Texier
NY Islanders – Noah Dobson
NY Rangers – Phil Di Giuseppe (plus coaching staff)
St. Louis – Zach Sanford*
As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:
(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol
Players removed today: None
The outbreak in Boston remains a concern, but no additional Bruins and no Buffalo Sabres being added to the list today is encouraging. The hopes is that Boston, who will remain quarantined until Wednesday, will then be able to move forward and the NHL can get back to trending toward an empty CPRA list.
They did move in the wrong direction today, though. Sanford’s addition in St. Louis adds a ninth player and fifth team to the list. However, if this is another case of a false positive then Sanford’s stay could be short. In the meantime, Sanford will miss the Blues’ Saturday night match-up.
*denotes new addition
Bruins Will Self-Quarantine Through Tuesday
- The Bruins provided an update with regards to their COVID-19 situation. The team has returned to Boston and will self-quarantine through Tuesday when their situation will be re-assessed. The five players that are currently on the CPRA list have also returned to Boston but did not travel with the team. The Bruins are next scheduled to play on Thursday after their game against the Sabres today and on Tuesday against the Islanders were postponed.
NHL Postpones Two More Boston Bruins Games
The NHL has announced that the next two Boston Bruins games, one against the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow and one against the New York Islanders on Tuesday, have been postponed. Four additional Bruins players have entered the league’s COVID Protocols today after Sean Kuraly was listed yesterday. Despite Kuraly’s placement in the protocol and a Sabres staff member also being placed in them, the game between the two teams went on as scheduled last night.
The league expected the Bruins will be able to re-open their facilities for practice on Wednesday, March 24. The team has not released the identities of the four additional players, though they will be included in the list published later this evening.
Buffalo of course was the organization that was “furious” with the NHL earlier this season after a pair of games were allowed to be played against the New Jersey Devils despite a player entering the protocol. The Sabres then had their own outbreak, shutting down the team’s operation for some time. Hopefully, that sort of thing will not be repeated here.
Buffalo, Boston Cancel Morning Skates Due To COVID
12:30pm: Both the Sabres and Bruins have announced that after further testing and tracing, tonight’s game will go on as scheduled.
9:50am: Both the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins canceled their morning skates today due to separate COVID-19 situations. The Sabres were first, canceling their practice due to a staff member entering the COVID protocols, according to John Vogl of The Athletic. The team immediately began contact tracing. Just a few minutes later, the Bruins announced they would also not hold a morning skate as one of their players has entered the protocol.
The two teams were set to play each other this evening in the first of a two-game series. It is not clear yet if the game will be played but it is currently still scheduled.
Boston has not released any information about who has entered the league’s protocol, but it will be made public when the COVID Protocol Related Absences list comes out later today.
Bruins, Jets Among Teams Interested In Mattias Ekholm
One of the top prizes of the trade deadline – if he ultimately gets dealt – is Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm. A top-four blueliner is hard to come by at this time of year, especially one that’s on an affordable contract for next season. Accordingly, there will be no shortage of suitors, even in a salary cap environment where most contenders can’t afford to add anyone of consequence without offsetting money. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 31 Thoughts column that the Jets and Bruins are among the teams that are interested in Ekholm’s services.
The 30-year-old has been a minutes-eater for several seasons now, logging more than 23 per night over each of the last four seasons, a number that hasn’t dipped much this year as Ekholm is at 22:18 per game in 2020-21. He’s playing at a 33-point pace offensively, a mark that he has reached in four of the last five seasons as well. Often matched against top lines from other teams, he’s someone that can conceivably slot onto the top pairing which will have many contenders intrigued.
The easy parallel to draw in terms of what the cost will be is Toronto’s acquisition of Jake Muzzin two years ago. Muzzin’s contract situation was similar to Ekholm’s deal ($3.75MM this season and next before being UFA-eligible) and Friedman notes that Nashville is using Muzzin’s return as a template for these talks. That would include a first-round pick plus a pair of quality prospects.
There is definitely a case to be made for both Boston and Winnipeg to pay that price. The Bruins never replaced Torey Krug who left for St. Louis in free agency last summer which has left a vacancy in their top-four. Their younger blueliners have held their own in that role but if they have eyes on contending, they’d be in better shape with a proven veteran in that spot. Jarred Tinordi, a recent waiver claim to cover for some recent injuries, suffered an upper-body injury tonight against Pittsburgh as well.
As for the Jets, defense has been a considerable weakness for them the last couple of years with the exodus of talent they’ve had. Two years ago, Dustin Byfuglien, Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, and Ben Chiarot were all fixtures on their back end but all four are gone now with Neal Pionk being the only impact blueliner added since then. Ekholm would form a nice one-two punch on the left side with Josh Morrissey and give that unit some stability. Of course, there is the quarantine period to contend with but GM Kevin Cheveldayoff indicated yesterday that it’s not a concern for him; they’ve already made one big move this season with that in place as it is.
Ekholm has made it known that his preference is to remain in Nashville but as Friedman puts it, the veteran may be the ‘belle of the trading ball’ at the moment. If that’s the case, GM David Poile may eventually be offered an offer that’s too good to pass up on between now and next month’s trade deadline which means the defenseman may not get his wish.
Injury Notes: Bozak, Trocheck, Bruins, Kings
After a month-and-a-half on the sidelines, St. Louis Blues forward Tyler Bozak is finally making some progress toward a return. Speaking to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, head coach Craig Berube displayed optimism when discussing the health of his veteran center, who was back at practice on Friday. “He’s gonna get some work here in the next few days and he could be available soon,” Berube said. “It’s good to see him out there and working… making some real good progress.” Bozak has not played since January 26th, when he was forced out of game against the Vegas Golden Knights with an apparent concussion. With the Blue about to embark on a six-game road trip, they will have to decide if bringing Bozak is the right move or if he requires additional time before his return. While St. Louis also just got Vladimir Tarasenko back and Oskar Sundqvist returned from a short-term injury, they could still use all the help they can get. Colton Parayko, Jaden Schwartz, Ivan Barbashev, Robert Thomas, Jacob De La Rose, and more are still among the Blues’ injured.
- The news on Carolina Hurricanes forward Vincent Trocheck does not sound as optimistic. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour tells The Athletic’s Sara Civian that Trocheck’s recent upper-body injury will keep him sidelined for “longer than hoped”. The coach held back on providing any definitive timeline, but any long-term absence for Trocheck will be a major loss for the team. In his first full season with the Hurricanes, Trocheck has been a point-per-game player and is tied with Sebastian Aho for the team’s scoring lead. If there is one silver lining for Carolina, it is that the injury occurred before the trade deadline; with a considerable amount of cap space, the ‘Canes still have time to bring in help to make up for an extended period without Trocheck.
- Back on the positive side, the Boston Bruins have been dealing with an onslaught of injuries for some time, but there could be some help on the way. Head coach Bruce Cassidy announced today that veteran defenseman Kevan Miller has resumed skating and is likely to travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. Miller has been resting his surgically-repaired knee, but seems like he is ready to get back on the ice. Cassidy also said that defenseman Brandon Carlo is “coming around” and, while he is unsure if it will happen, there is at least some consideration that he could travel as well. This is the first concrete update on Carlo since he was hospitalized by a high hit from Washington’s Tom Wilson, but its seems that Carlo will not be out for a lengthy period as many feared.
- It’s a scary time for any unknown illness given the shadow of the Coronavirus, so the Los Angeles Kings played it safe and cancelled practice this morning, citing an “illness” spreading around the group. Head coach Todd McLellan and the Kings do not believe that this is COVID, but a seasonal virus. However, the team will wait to see what their latest batch of test results say. Defenseman Olli Maatta is currently on the league’s COVID Protocal Related Absences list, though Alex Iafallo missed the team’s last game with similar symptoms and did not test positive for COVID. Obviously, the hope of all involved is that this is what McLellan believe it to be: some unrelated bug going around the locker room.