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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.

Bruins Sign Craig Smith

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The Bruins have added some secondary scoring, announcing the signing of winger Craig Smith to a three-year contract.  The deal carries a cap hit of $3.1MM, a drop from his previous $4.25MM AAV.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that the contract breaks down as follows:

2020-21: $2MM
2021-22: $3MM
2022-23: $4.3MM

The 31-year-old is coming off a bit of a quieter season offensively but he still managed to put up 18 goals and 13 assists in 69 regular season games despite playing less than 14 minutes per game.  Prior to this contract, Smith had spent the entirety of his nine-year NHL career with the Predators, playing in 661 games.

The Bruins have long been on the hunt to add secondary scoring and Smith should be a strong fit in that role.  Despite the dip in point production in 2019-20, he has reached 18 goals in six of his last seven seasons, eclipsing the 20-goal mark in five of those.  For context, only three Boston players hit 20 goals a year ago in Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, and Brad Marchand.  Smith should settle in on either the second or third line in Boston and give them another offensive boost beyond their top trio.

Smith checked in at 18th in our Top-50 UFA rankings with his deal coming in a bit lower than our projection of three years and $11MM.

Goalie Notes: Rask, Talbot, Darling

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Cross off one option from the list of potentially available goaltenders. Vezina Trophy runner-up Tuukka Rask isn’t going anywhere. Although Rask opting out of the 2020 postseason raised some questions about his future in Boston, especially with just one year remaining on his current contract, the Bruins reiterated that they expected the elite goaltender to be back with the team next season. Rask himself has now taken control of the narrative, telling Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald that he does not want to play for any team but the Bruins. This would seemingly back up recent rumors that Rask had stated to the Bruins that he would retire if traded. It seems unlikely that the Bruins were pushing too hard to trade Rask anyhow, given that he was statistically the best starting goalie in the NHL this season and the team would struggle to replace him. It’s doubtful that the team would be able to get fair value in any deal for Rask as well. Rask will be back in Boston this year, but beyond 2020-21 remains a mystery.

  • One goalie who will be available is Cam Talbot. Despite an impressive comeback season with the Calgary Flames, the two sides have been unable to agree on terms for an extension. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that talks have broken off for now with the salary gap too far apart. Talbot will test the market and may very well end up elsewhere. Calgary is still in need of a goaltender and could circle back to Talbot if they miss out on bigger free agent or trade targets.
  • An available name getting some surprise attention is Scott Darling. Once one of the top backups in the NHL, Darling’s stint as a starter with the Carolina Hurricanes was an unmitigated disaster and led to a buyout last season and a complete lack of NHL interest. Darling went overseas and joined Austria’s HC Innsbruck of the EBEL. Although his numbers were not all that impressive, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that there are teams who might be willing to give Darling a second chance. Given the increased importance of goaltending depth in what is expected to be a condensed 2020-21 schedule, an experienced No. 3 like Darling could be valuable.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson Places Deadline On Potential Trade

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The Arizona Coyotes have been trying to trade captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson over the past few weeks, asking him to give them a list of teams that he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to go to. The star defenseman has given them an option of just the Vancouver Canucks or Boston Bruins and has now put a clock on the negotiations as well.

Ekman-Larsson’s agent Kevin Epp of Titan Sports Management has contacted several media members including Darren Dreger of TSN, explaining that his client wishes to be traded before free agency opens on Friday. If a deal cannot be completed before then, Ekman-Larsson will remain in Arizona.

The 29-year-old defenseman is heading into just the second season of an eight-year, $66MM contract extension he signed in 2018 to stay in Arizona. When Ekman-Larsson signed that contract and included a full no-movement clause throughout, he likely believed that he would spend his entire career with the Coyotes, the team that drafted him sixth overall in 2009.

Instead, new management approached him this offseason with the potential of a trade, likely due to the need to cut payroll drastically after the coronavirus shutdown. Ekman-Larsson is the Coyotes’ highest-paid player and will be entering the most expensive years of his contract after this season. In each of the three seasons following 2020-21, he is owed $10.5MM in total salary, before his contract starts to fall off. Getting out from under that now would save Arizona plenty of cash, plus hopefully recoup several valuable assets.

If they’re going to pull it off, it’s going to have to happen quickly. Notably, the Coyotes do not have a selection in the first three rounds of tonight’s entry draft.

Latest On Oliver Ekman-Larsson Trade

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With the complexities of a trade involving Arizona Coyotes’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson increasing between the two teams the defenseman put on his short list, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday evening on Sportsnet’s Hockey Central that Arizona went back to their captain and asked him to expand his list of teams. His response was ’No.’

“Ekman-Larsson is only willing to stay at Boston or Vancouver, so that’s how Arizona has to proceed if it wants to get this done,” said Friedman.

Friedman also notes that Arizona Coyotes’ new general manager Bill Armstrong was with the St. Louis Blues when they acquired center Ryan O’Reilly from Buffalo in which there was some money exchanged as Buffalo had to take back Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka. However, essentially, the team got a prospect, a first-round pick and a second-round pick as the key to that deal. That is what the Armstrong is looking for in an Ekman-Larsson deal.

“Berglund and Sobotka were part of that deal, but it was Tage Thompson, a first and a second and that’s what he would like to do, I think, if he can,” said Friedman. “I believe that the Coyotes like the prospects in Boston better than they like the prospects in Vancouver. But I think that at this point in time, Vancouver might be the team that’s more eager to get the deal done than Boston in terms of the want.”

While that might be a case, getting a deal done won’t be easy. The Canucks have plenty of cap issues to deal with that that’s without factoring in Ekman-Larsson’s $8.25MM AAV for the next seven years, which they have to factor in. The team still has three key unrestricted free agents to deal with, including Tyler Toffoli, Jacob Markstrom and Chris Tanev, and little cap room to accommodate all three, plus a number of restricted free agents, including Jake Virtanen. The Canucks also have to consider soon-to-be RFA’s Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes to long-term deals next year, as well as the fact that they are still paying $3.04MM for the next two years on the recapture penalty from Roberto Luongo. The Canucks also lack some of the necessary draft capital with no first or second-rounder to deal in the upcoming draft on Tuesday and Wednesday. The team may also be hesitant to move future picks.

Regardless, the team would still be interested in bringing in Ekman-Larsson, who along with Hughes, would give the team a solid No. 1 and No. 2 defenseman on the left side for the next seven years. The team has little depth on their defense after the 2020-21 season. The team has Tyler Myers locked up at $6MM until 2023-24, but veterans Alexander Edler and Jordie Benn will both be unrestricted free agents in one year.

While Boston was considered the frontrunners only a few days before, Friedman reports that the Bruins may not be ready to make a strong offer as the team can just bring back UFA Torey Krug as a less costly option rather than trade prospects and picks to get Ekman-Larsson.

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