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East Notes: Steen, Fenton, Patrick

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Another young player will suit up overseas to begin the season as Boston Bruins minor league forward Oskar Steen has been loaned to IF Bjorkloven in the Swedish second league. Steen has one year left on his entry-level contract and has still yet to make his NHL debut, but did have a decent debut in the AHL. In 2019-20 the 22-year-old forward recorded 23 points in 60 games.

Steen will return to North America for training camp, though it’s still not exactly clear when that will be. Given he dominated the SHL the last time he played in Sweden, the sixth-round pick should find the Allsvenskan easy enough as long as he is given quality minutes.

  • Bill Zito is in charge of the Florida Panthers now and he may be bringing in a former NHL GM to help. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Paul Fenton is “on the radar” to join Florida, and Chris Johnston points out that the former Minnesota Wild executive worked with Zito in Columbus this season as a scout. The first thing anyone thinks about when Fenton’s name is brought up is that infamous (and incredible) feature by Michael Russo of The Athletic, which detailed the 14-month period when he was in charge of the Wild. It’s easy to forget that before he was hired by Minnesota, Fenton was one of the most well-respected assistant GMs in the NHL, spending close to two decades beside David Poile with the Nashville Predators. Though his time in Minnesota will certainly color many expectations, it shouldn’t surprise many that he is in the mix for another NHL job.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers season didn’t come to the end many were hoping for, but there are reasons for optimism moving forward. Namely, the health of Nolan Patrick, which continues to improve according to GM Cliff Fletcher. Patrick missed the entire season due to a migraine issue, but has been skating for the past few months and is apparently on the road to recovery. Still, Fletcher admitted that his future is still unclear until he starts practicing with contact. Patrick is a restricted free agent and will need a contract this offseason, but has just 61 points in 145 career games to this point.

Bruce Cassidy Wins 2020 Jack Adams Award

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Bruce Cassidy is the winner of the 2020 Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in the NHL after leading the Boston Bruins to the league’s best regular season performance. Cassidy takes home the award over the other two finalists, John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Alain Vigneault of the Philadelphia Flyers.

This decision may come as a surprise to many, given our poll on the subject had Cassidy in last place out of the three. The award is voted on by the NHL Broadcasters Association and is given to “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success.”

Cassidy received 37 first-place votes, with Vigneault and Tortorella receiving 32 and 28 respectively. Craig Berube of the St. Louis Blues and Jared Bednar of the Colorado Avalanche rounded out the top-5.

Even though many expected a different outcome, there’s no denying how worthy Cassidy is of the award. Since taking control of the Bruins during the 2016-17 season, he has put up a 161-66-34 record in the regular season. He also led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final last year, though overall Cassidy actually has a losing record in the postseason as the head coach of Boston.

This marks the first Jack Adams win of Cassidy’s young career and the fourth overall for the Bruins franchise.

Free Agent Focus: Boston Bruins

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While the official start date of free agency remains in flux depending on when the playoffs end (the later of October 9th or a week after the completion of the Stanley Cup Final), many teams are already looking ahead to when it opens up.  There will be several prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign. Boston’s core is aging but the Bruins were still the best team in the regular season and will be looking to return as Stanley Cup contenders.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Jake DeBrusk – Which DeBrusk are the Bruins signing this offseason? The 27-goal sophomore star that was the team’s most important weapon behind the top line in 2018-19, or the 19-goal depth scorer who put up only 35 points in 2019-20? It looked for a while like DeBrusk was heading towards a huge payday on his second contract, but after more than 200 games in the NHL it’s still not exactly clear what the Bruins have. There’s no doubt he’s an important part of the roster but he was included in a group of names that GM Don Sweeney “has to listen” on in Fluto Shinzawa’s latest for The Athletic. Though Shinzawa ultimately lists the likelihood of a DeBrusk trade as low, his pending free agency and the Bruins cap situation still keeps it a possibility.

D Matt Grzelcyk – There are few defensemen in the NHL that are playing fewer minutes than they deserve. Usually, because of the lack of quality options, blueliners are skated to their last breath, ridden until the wheels fall off. In Grzelcyk, the Bruins appear to have one of the rare defensemen ready to take on more responsibility. The 26-year-old averaged just over 18 minutes a night this season but could be in for a huge increase, especially with the man-advantage. Grzelcyk is an in-house replacement for Torey Krug, who will be featured below, and could be a bargain given he’ll be negotiating this summer on three relatively unproductive NHL seasons. In 197 games Grzelcyk has managed to score just 54 points, a number that could nearly double if given the reins to PP1 in 2020-21 (although, Charlie McAvoy may have something to say about that assignment).

Other RFAs: F Brett Ritchie, F Zachary Senyshyn, F Karson Kuhlman, F Brendan Gaunce, F Peter Cehlarik, D Jakub Zboril, D Wiley Sherman

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Zdeno Chara – There isn’t much to say about the 43-year-old Bruins captain. Chara wants to return and is willing to work with the team on a salary that fits their financial situation. Even if he’s not the perennial Norris Trophy contender he was in his prime, Chara is still a useful option for the Bruins and was their leading penalty killer in 2019-20. An irreplaceable leader on the blueline, he’ll likely be back on another one-year deal.

D Torey Krug – Krug is where the real focus will be, given how well he has played for the team and his status as one of the best free agents on the market. Over the last five seasons, only five defensemen have scored more points than Krug. Three of them are up for the Norris this season and the other two are Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. The 2020-21 cap hits of those five names: $11.5MM, $9.06MM $8MM, $8MM, $7.875MM. You can bet that Krug’s representatives will bring those names up in the negotiations, though given Sweeney’s comments today the two sides may still be far apart.

Other UFAs: F Joakim Nordstrom, D Kevan Miller, F Ryan Fitzgerald, D Alexander Petrovic, G Maxime Lagace

Projected Cap Space

The Bruins actually have some money to spend this offseason, with just $66MM committed to the 2020-21 season, but will have to tread very carefully with long-term deals. That’s because even bigger negotiations are right around the corner with McAvoy and fellow defensive rock Brandon Carlo, while a decision will have to be made in net at some point. Both Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in 2021.

David Pastrnak also has just three years remaining on his below-market contract, though by the time he’s up the team will have said goodbye to some of their more troublesome deals. Still, it’s not like the team can go out and splash seven-year deals across the headlines with the league’s top free agents unless they’re willing to say goodbye in other areas.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Overseas Notes: Hajek, Zboril, Plekanec, Sulzer

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Add a pair of young defensemen to the ever-growing list of players heading to Europe to begin their 2020-21 seasons. Michael Kosturik of Czech source iSport reports that the New York Rangers’ Libor Hajek and the Boston Bruins’ Jakub Zboril with join HC Kometa Brno of the Czech Extraliga ahead of the start of the NHL season. Hajek, 22, is under contract with the Rangers for the coming season and the two teams are currently hammering out the details on a short-term loan. Zboril has joined the squad on his own accord as an impending restricted free agent. However, Kosturik does add that the Bruins are interested in an extension with the first-round prospect. Zboril has played in just two games for Boston, but has been a steady, consistent defender for the AHL’s Providence Bruins over three pro seasons. Hajek on the other hand played the majority of his games with New York this season and has 33 NHL games total on his resume. While offense has been hard to come by at any level, Hajek is growing into a reliable stay-at-home defenseman. The pair will provide a major boost to Brno to begin the season, who at this point have not been able to recruit any other NHLers on short-term loans or contracts.

  • Long-time NHLer Tomas Plekanec played last season in Brno, but will now return to Rytiri Kladno of the Czech 2nd League, with whom he spent part of the 2018-19 season. Due to family reasons, Plekanec announced last month that he would be leaving Brno to return to his hometown of Kladno. However, it was unclear whether he would continue playing or not. Plekanec was very successful last season with 33 points in 50 games, but at age 37 no one would have been surprised to see him opt to retire. Yet, it seems his friend and legendary player-owner of Kladno Jaromir Jagr, 48, has convinced him to give it one last try – or more accurately two – as the club has announced a two-year deal with Plekanec. Plekanec and Jagr worked hard to get Kladno elevated from Czech2 to the Extraliga in 2018-19 only for the team to be relegated this past season in Plekanec’s absence. The duo will undoubtedly have their sights set on getting the club back to the top level again this year.
  • One former NHLer who is calling it a career is defenseman Alexander Sulzer. Sulzer, 36, played in 131 NHL games with four teams over seven seasons in North America. One of the best defensemen to ever come out of Germany, representing the country twice at the Olympic Games, Sulzer returned home to play in the DEL in 2014-15. He spent five seasons with Kolner Haie before moving to Dusseldorfer EG last season. However, he never played for the team as he required surgery to remove a tumor on his spine last summer which caused him to miss the entirety of the season. In the year since his operation, Sulzer has come to the decision not to try to return to play and the DEL announced that he has officially retired. A big, balanced defenseman, Sulzer made an impact in the NHL and an even greater impact in his native Germany over a long career.

Atlantic Notes: Stamkos, Domi, Debrusk

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There seems to be plenty of questions surrounding Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who has yet to make his playoff debut after undergoing core muscle surgery in early March and now has been listed as “unfit to play” with a lower-body injury. Now it looks like that if he will play in the playoffs it will have to be in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Lightning and head coach Jon Cooper announced that Stamkos will miss the entire Eastern Conference Finals due to his undisclosed injuries, adding that he will update that status if anything changes. There was plenty of hope that Stamkos might be ready to return to the team and supplement the offensive powerhouse Lightning against the stingy defense of the Islanders. However, that won’t happen here and the team will have to win the series without him if they have any hopes of him returning for the playoffs.

If or when he returns, however, The Athletic’s Joe Smith believes that Stamkos will likely begin on the team’s second line and center both Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli as they likely won’t want to breakup the impressive play of the first-round combo of Brayden Point, Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov.

  • With plenty of rumors swirling around Montreal Canadiens forward Max Domi after a disappointing second season with the team, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports on Hockey Night in Canada Saturday night that Domi’s agent, Darren Ferris, and Canadiens’ general manager Marc Bergevin met to discuss Domi’s future. Friedman notes that Domi is not requesting a trade out of Montreal. “The news got out that Max Domi has a new agent — he’s now represented by Darren Ferris,” Friedman said. “He met with Marc Bergevin, he didn’t really want to say too much about the meeting, but the one thing he was willing to say was that Max Domi has not asked for a trade from the Montreal Canadiens. I don’t know where this is going to go, but Domi has not asked to be traded.” Domi saw a 11-goal and 28-point decline in his statistics last year, something the team wasn’t thrilled about as Domi saw his playing time in the playoffs drop significantly to 14:21 of ATOI.
  • The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) writes the Boston Bruins are likely going to have a challenging time finding a new contract with restricted free agent Jake Debrusk. The forward is averaging 1.09 goals per 60 minutes of play on the team, the fourth-highest number on the team, besides the team’s top-line players. However, his inconsistency has showed at times as he has also been put on the team’s third line at times. However, with impressive numbers, he is in line for a contract similar to that of Travis Konecny (six years, $33MM) and Brock Boeser (three years, $17.63MM). However, with the flat salary cap, Debrusk may have to accept less in a short-term deal.

Bruins Notes: Krejci, Injuries, Wagner

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After yesterday saw Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, and others speak with the media, several other Boston Bruins were on a conference call with reporters today to talk about what went wrong in their series against the Tampa Bay Lightning and what the future will hold. David Krejci, an incredible playoff performer once again, a reputation he has rightly earned over the last decade, was asked about what he’ll do when his current contract expires. The 34-year-old center, who is signed through 2020-21, told Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com that he “definitely” wants to keep playing past next season.

In 145 playoff games with the Bruins, Krejci has now recorded 115 points and tied for the lead this year with Brad Marchand. His 911 career regular season games have all come with the spoked B on his chest, but for the last several years his name has continuously been in trade speculation. With a $7.25MM cap hit Krejci doesn’t come cheap but continues to rack up points and strong possession numbers for the Bruins. He’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

  • Two more players spoke about injuries today, including David Pastrnak admitting to Benjamin he was dealing with a lower-body injury the whole time. Sean Kuraly’s ailment that kept him out of the last few games was a groin injury. Both players weren’t quite up to their respective standards in the postseason, though Pastrnak did still record ten points in ten games.
  • Perhaps more shocking was Chris Wagner’s revelation that he had dealt with an irregular heartbeat that sent him to the hospital before game five of the series. Wagner explained that he does not believe there will be long-term effects, but “when it comes to your heart, you really gotta be careful.” The 29-year-old will receive further testing to determine whether the incident will happen again. Wagner is set to begin a three-year contract extension that will pay him an average of $1.35MM through the 2022-23 season.

Zdeno Chara: “I Want To Stay In Boston”

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The Boston Bruins have several questions to answer as they examine what went wrong against the Tampa Bay Lightning, including how a team known for their defensive structure and strong goaltending allowed 17 goals in four straight losses. Two of the biggest decisions of the offseason sit on that defensive unit, as Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug are both scheduled for unrestricted free agency.

In Chara’s case at least, there’s nowhere he’d rather be than Boston. The 43-year old captain explained just that to reporters today including Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com:

I want to stay in Boston. I want to be a Boston Bruin.

Chara has played on consecutive one-year deals the past two seasons and earned just $2MM in base salary for 2019-20. His effectiveness in the playoffs was questionable at best, but the legendary defenseman still logged more than 21 minutes a night throughout the regular season, usually taking long shifts on the Bruins penalty kill. His possession numbers plummeted, but as a depth defenseman, it will be hard to turn him down.

If Chara does return, he will be working to become just the 13th player in NHL history to suit up for more than 1,600 regular season games. Currently sitting at 1,553 he reached his 1,000th in a Bruins uniform this year and will likely be headed to the Hall of Fame when it is all over.

Krug on the other hand isn’t quite as sure of his return. In fact, today he repeated a line he’s used in the past, saying he’s not sure what the future holds. Krug did make it clear that he would not consider taking a one-year deal because of the cap uncertainty, explaining that he has “bet on himself before.”

The 29-year old defenseman will be one of the very best free agents on the market and is coming off another outstanding offensive season. Krug tallied 49 points in 61 games, taking his streak to seven consecutive seasons (every full campaign of his career) of at least 39 points. One of the best powerplay quarterbacks in the league, Krug has shown his talents in the playoffs before, racking up 52 points in 75 career postseason contests.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

David Pastrnak Played Through Lingering Lower-Body Injury

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  • Bruins winger David Pastrnak played through the postseason with a lingering lower-body injury that also played a role in his limited participation during training camp, relays NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty. Despite the injury, he was still productive in their series loss to Tampa Bay, picking up two goals and four assists in the five games.  Head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated that he doesn’t believe that Pastrnak, or any of Boston’s other players that are banged up, will need surgery.

Snapshots: Dubnyk, Ritchie, Wagner, Rakell

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The Minnesota Wild have an interesting offseason approaching with little cap room and little roster space. While general manager Bill Guerin is expected to make changes to the roster, there is the question of whether the team will consider buying out a player or two.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required) writes that one player who is a candidate for a buyout is goaltender Devan Dubnyk. The scribe adds that if Minnesota opts to buyout Dubnyk, it likely would be to open up a roster space as opposed to saving on cap space. Dubnyk was the starting goaltender at the beginning of the year, but struggled immensely this season in 30 appearances with an 3.35 GAA and a .890 save percentage. Granted, the veteran still has one more year at $4.3MM. However, more importantly, the team may want to move on from Dubnyk with Alex Stalock taking over the starting role. They also have AHL Goaltender of the Year in Kaapo Kahkonen ready as well as the potential to go out and get a goaltender such as Braden Holtby or trade for Matt Murray.

  • The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that the Department of Player Safety took a look at the hit from Boston Bruins forward Nick Ritchie on Tampa Bay’s Yanni Gourde during Game 3 Saturday. There will be no suspension as the hit was timed at .6 seconds from the time the puck was released. Gourde was clearing a puck during the second period when he was hit from behind by Ritchie in a shoulder-to-back hit, sending Gourde flying forward into the boards where he hit his head. However, the league rarely suspends players for hits at .6 seconds, especially ones that don’t include head contact.
  • The Bruins won’t have it easy as they face elimination on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, down 3-1. The Associated Press’ Stephen Whyno reports that fourth-line forward Chris Wagner won’t be available for Game 5 due to an undisclosed injury. Wagner missed Sunday’s practice along with Ritchie, while Sean Kuraly did skate with the team after missing two games. Both Ritchie and Kuraly are day-to-day, but Wagner is definitely out, according to Bruins’ coach Bruce Cassidy. Wagner played quite well in the round-robin series scoring two goals, but has not tallied a point in the Tampa Bay series and boasts a minus-five plus-minus.
  • The Athletic’s Eric Stephens (subscription required) took a look at players destined to stay with the Anaheim Ducks and those who could find themselves elsewhere next year. One interesting observation is the inclusion of 27-year-old forward Rickard Rakell, a two-time 30-goal scorer. Of course, Rakell’s last two seasons have been quite disappointing with just 33 goals in his last 134 games and he could find himself being the scapegoat for the past two years of losing. On top of that, Rakell would be quite an attractive trade chip for playoff teams that could offer him more talent up front to work with.

Central Notes: Jets’ Offseason, Zadorov, Bishop

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The Winnipeg Jets have quite a few of their franchise players under contract for the next four years, so the team is in a win-now mode. With all the injuries and distractions the team suffered during the 2019-20 season, many were thrilled that head coach Paul Maurice and the Jets even managed to make the playoffs. However, having just won two of their last six playoff series in the last few years, Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet writes that the Jets must make changes to their roster to return to the top of the Central Conference.

One way to do that, suggests the scribe, would be for the team to use what remaining cap room that it has and spend on a top free agent defenseman. There will potentially be a few difference-makers available and with the salary cap leveling out at $81.5MM, the Jets could take advantage of several cap-strapped teams and bring in a big-name player.

There are two key possibilities, including St. Louis Blues’ Alex Pietrangelo and Boston Bruins’ Torey Krug. Both are looking for big paydays and may have to look outside the organization unless their respective teams are ready to move out salary to accommodate them. Wiebe notes that Pietrangelo might be a better fit for the Jets as he is right-handed and would be a good fit leading the team’s power play. Both players could be persuaded to sign in Winnipeg with big short-term offers.

  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said that defenseman Nikita Zadorov is expected to play tonight in Game 4 of their series against the Dallas Stars, according to Adrian Dater of Colorado Hockey Now. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound blueliner didn’t play during the third period of Game 3 on Wednesday due to an undisclosed injury, but is expected to be ready now. The 25-year-old had a goal and an assist in that game, but it will be his physical presence the team will need if Colorado hopes to even the series against Dallas.
  •  Speaking of the Stars, Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News reports that there has been a slight change in the status of starting goaltender Ben Bishop. The netminder skated, but remains unfit to play. The team, however, hasn’t been forced to rush Bishop back as backup Anton Khudobin is playing quite well in his place. Khudobin has a 6-4 record with a 2.75 GAA and a .913 save percentage. “Dobby’s been great, but listen, Bish is unfit to play,” said coach Rick Bowness. “It’s as simple as that. I think we’ll just leave it right there.”

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