Morning Notes: Pastrnak, Hamilton, Colorado
Exhale, Boston Bruins fans. David Pastrnak is back. The superstar winger is expected to practice with the team today in Toronto as they prepare for their round-robin games. Pastrnak has been sitting out after coming in contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19. Ondrej Kase, who has also been sitting out, has not yet joined the team in Toronto and will hopefully meet them at a later date. Remember, Kase will be subject to a four-day hotel quarantine after arriving in Toronto–whenever that is.
The Bruins will start their official games on Sunday when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers, trying to lock up the top seed that they held when the season was paused. They’ll have to watch and see who comes out of the qualification round before knowing which team is their first-round matchup.
- It could potentially be the Carolina Hurricanes, but winning that qualification round may be a bit tougher for Rod Brind’Amour‘s squad, given that they’re still missing Dougie Hamilton. The defenseman suffered an apparent injury last week during training camp and is still “unfit to play” according to his head coach. Hamilton is on the 31-man roster for the Hurricanes, which also includes Brett Pesce who is dealing with his own injury rehab. Pesce underwent shoulder surgery in March that gave him a four-to-six month recovery timeline.
- Speaking of interesting 31-man rosters, the Colorado Avalanche included several young players that could be interesting difference-makers if inserted into a lineup. Shane Bowers, Bowen Byram and Conor Timmins all made the cut, while Vladislav Kamenev did not. Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic examines what exactly that means for the future of each prospect, while also looking at other pressing issues for the Avalanche like the goaltending battle between Pavel Francouz and Philipp Grubauer.
Bruins Unsure If Ondrej Kase Will Be Able To Travel To Toronto
- Bruins winger Ondrej Kase was expected to add some depth to their attack when they acquired him from Anaheim. However, the pandemic limited him to just six games with his new team. Now, he hasn’t been able to participate in practice due to being ‘unfit to participate’ and head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters, including NBC Sports Boston’s Joe Haggerty, that he’s unsure if Kase will even be able to travel to the East’s hub in Toronto. A decision on that front is expected on Sunday. If he can’t participate, one of Anders Bjork or Karson Kuhlman could slot into a regular spot in the lineup.
Morning Notes: Romanov, UBS Arena, Bruins
The Montreal Canadiens have announced a change in plans for young prospect Alexander Romanov, who was previously on his way to Toronto to serve his quarantine. Instead, Romanov will serve it in Montreal before hopefully joining the Canadiens in the bubble city.
Though he will not be allowed to play in the playoffs, Romanov is expected to stay with the Canadiens to get accustomed to the team and organization before battling for a roster spot next season. The 20-year old defenseman has generated incredible hype thanks to his outstanding performances at the World Juniors and regular playing time in the KHL.
- When the New York Islanders take the ice at their new arena in Belmont Park, it will be named UBS Arena. The $1.5 billion redevelopment is set to be ready for play in the 2021-22 season, giving the Islanders a permanent and exciting new home.
- According to Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports, Boston Bruins president Cam Neely doesn’t expect David Pastrnak or Ondrej Kase to be with the team until they get to the bubble city, as they still deal with their individual quarantines. In Neely’s estimation that is especially disappointing for Kase, who didn’t have much of a chance to solidify a role on the team after arriving at the trade deadline. Kase played just six games with the Bruins before the season was put on pause, recording a single point.
NHL Releases Qualifying Round, Round Robin Schedules
July 20: The NHL has announced some minor changes to the schedule for the round robin. The Boston Bruins-Washington Capitals game that was scheduled for August 8 will now be played on August 9. The Philadelphia Flyers-Tampa Bay Lightning game that was originally scheduled for August 9, will now be played on August 8.
July 14: After revealing the schedule earlier today for the exhibition games occurring after the conclusion of training camp, the NHL has followed up with the schedules for the games that actually matter. The league has announced the full schedule for the best-of-five qualifying round match-ups, four each per conference between the teams seeded No. 5 to No. 12, as well as the six round robin games per conference between the teams seeded No. 1 to No. 4. As a reminder, the qualifying round will serve as a knockout round to trim the list of postseason teams to 16 for a standard playoff format while the round robin games will serve as a means to seed the top team in each conference. Teams will re-seed following the conclusion of the qualifying round and each subsequent round.
The full schedule is as follows (all times ET):
Saturday, Aug. 1
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 1, 12 p.m.
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 1, 4 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 1, 8 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 1, 3 p.m.
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 1, 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 2
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Round-robin
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins, 3 p.m.
Best-of-5 series
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 1, 8 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Arizona Coyotes vs, Nashville Predators, Game 1, 2 p.m.
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 1, 10:30 p.m.
Round-robin
St. Louis Blues vs. Colorado Avalanche, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 3
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 2, 12 p.m.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 2, 8 p.m.
Round-robin
Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, 4 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 2, 2:30 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 2, 10:30 p.m.
Round-robin
Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights, 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 4
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 2, 12 p.m.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 2, 4 p.m.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, Game 3, 8 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators, Game 2, 2:30 p.m.
Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets, Game 3, 6:45 p.m.
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 2, 10:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 5
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers, Game 3, 12 p.m.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 3, 8 p.m.
Round-robin
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins, 4 p.m.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes, Game 3, 2:30 p.m.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 3, 10:30 p.m.
Round-robin
Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Game 3, TBD
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Rangers, Game 4*, TBD
Round-robin
Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild, Game 3, TBD
Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets, Game 4*, TBD
Round-robin
Vegas Golden Knights vs. St. Louis Blues, TBD
Friday, Aug. 7
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Islanders vs. Florida Panthers, Game 4*, TBD
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens, Game 4*, TBD
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, Game 4*, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes, Game 4*, TBD
Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild, Game 4*, TBD
Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks, Game 4*, TBD
Saturday, Aug. 8
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes, Game 5*, TBD
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Winnipeg Jets vs. Calgary Flames, Game 5*, TBD
Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche, TBD
Sunday, Aug. 9
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Florida Panthers vs. New York Islanders, Game 5*, TBD
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, TBD
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Best-of-5 series
Minnesota Wild vs. Vancouver Canucks, Game 5*, TBD
Arizona Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators, Game 5*, TBD
Round-robin
Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues, TBD
With round robin games scheduled through August 9, the first round will not begin until August 10 at the earliest. However, given that exhibition games don’t even begin until July 28, the NHL is about to cram a lot of hockey into a span of just a dozen days.
Atlantic Notes: Coyle, Pastrnak, Stamkos, Paquette, Hyman
After an inconclusive COVID-19 test and being forced to sit out Saturday’s practice, Boston Bruins’ Charlie Coyle looks like he will be fine. The forward followed the inconclusive test with a negative test, according to The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) upon talking to Coyle’s agent, Bob Norton. The team is not expected to practice Sunday, yet several players who didn’t practice Saturday did skate today, which includes Coyle, according to NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty.
Coyle was one of nine players who were not permitted to practice Saturday, including Coyle’s linemates, Sean Kuraly and Nick Ritchie. David Pastrnak, Ondrej Kase, David Krejci, Chris Wagner, Torey Krug and goaltender Tuukka Rask. Coyle had a solid season in Boston with 16 goals and 37 points.
General manager Don Sweeney did say the team hopes to get Pastrnak back on the ice with the team soon. He hasn’t practiced so far and was seen practicing with Kase with non-NHLers at a suburban rink, but Sweeney said both players were still under Phase 2 and were able to train on their own.
- Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos was on the ice for a full practice for a second straight day after undergoing core muscle surgery on March 3. The Athletic’s Joe Smith reports that it’s a good sign that he is back out for a second straight day as it suggests that he’s close to being deemed healthy and ready to go for the upcoming tournament. The 30-year-old Stamkos had 29 goals and 66 points in 57 games before going down with the injury.
- Sticking with the Lightning, NHL.com’s Bryan Burns notes that forward Cedric Paquette, who was out both Friday and Saturday, was still not with the main group in practice Sunday, but did skate in the morning session. The team will not release any information on his health due to the NHL’s new injury update policy. He also reports that center Mitchell Stephens also skated this morning, but didn’t join the main group.
- TSN’s Kristen Shilton reports that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman was back in practice Sunday after missing Saturday’s training camp activities. Hyman was forced to leave Friday’s practice session after taking a shot off his leg. The 28-year-old tied his career high with 21 goals, but in 20 less games from last season.
David Pastrnak Held Out Of Bruins Practice Due To COVID Exposure
League-leading goal-scorer David Pastrnak has missed his second straight day of practice with the Boston Bruins after missing the early part of the week due a league-mandated quarantine period for players returning from Europe. While Pastrnak himself has tested negative for COVID-19, as it turns out he is back in quarantine after coming into contact with an individual who had tested positive, according to The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.
Pastrnak, as well as fellow European returner Ondrej Kase, missed Monday and Tuesday while in quarantine but returned Wednesday to re-join the team. However, head coach Bruce Cassidy announced on Thursday that the duo had been labeled “unfit to participate” and would be out for an indeterminate amount of time. It has since been clarified that Pastrnak was not permitted to practice with the team due to contact with a positive COVID-19 individual. It is unclear whether Kase has been missing for the same reason.
Meanwhile, the two worked out together privately at a local rink Friday. The team certainly hopes that the pair will be at full speed by the time they depart for Toronto to begin round robin play, whether they are able to resume group practice soon or not. Pastrnak is obviously one of the more dangerous scoring forwards in the league and a crucial part of Boston’s offensive attack, while Kase was acquired from the Anaheim ahead of the trade deadline for a hefty price and is expected to be a key piece moving forward. Kase was quiet through six games with the Bruins before the league suspended play, but the hope is that he will be the fit at right wing alongside David Krejci that the team has been searching for.
2020 Vezina Trophy Finalists Announced
The NHL continues to release the finalists for the major regular season awards, this time announcing the nominees for the Vezina Trophy. The award is given to the best goaltender in the NHL and is voted on by the league’s general managers.
The finalists are Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins.
Vasilevskiy took home the award last season after putting up a .925 save percentage in 53 games, but couldn’t maintain quite the same level this time around. His save percentage dropped to .917, though he led the league in wins for the third consecutive season with 35. The Russian goaltender has had just about as much success as anyone to start his career, recording 159 regular season wins in his first 260 games. Amazingly, that already puts him 118th all-time despite not turning 26 for another week. A three-time Vezina finalist, he’ll likely be in the conversation for a while longer.
Hellebuyck meanwhile is only a little over a year older than Vasilevskiy and has experienced his own prolonged success to start his career. He led the NHL in starts this season with 58, putting the Jets on his back for long stretches when they were trying to patch a defensive corps together with spare parts. His .922 may not lead the league, but his 1,656 saves do as did his six shutouts. Hellebuyck could potentially be a candidate for the Hart Trophy as one of the most valuable players in the league given where the Jets would be without him.
Rask, 33, is an aging veteran compared to the two other finalists, but he is not slowing down in terms of performance. The Bruins netminder has benefited from having a strong backup the last few years and played just 41 games this season, but posted an incredible .929 save percentage in those appearances. After raising his career save percentage to .922, Rask is now third all-time behind only Dominik Hasek and Johnny Bower (among goaltenders with recorded shot totals). He already won the Jennings Trophy as part of the goaltending duo with the lowest goals against average, and took home the Vezina in 2014.
Latest On Torey Krug’s Pending Free Agency
It’s hard to know just how many more games Torey Krug will play for the Boston Bruins. He’ll be there when the team plays their round-robin against the other top teams in the Eastern Conference to determine playoffs seeding. He’ll be there in that first-round matchup with whoever comes out of the qualification games. But after that, there’s no guarantee he ever suits up for the black-and-gold again. Krug’s contract will expire at the end of the season and with a salary cap that will stay exactly where it is, re-signing him might be a challenge for the Bruins.
Krug understands those challenges and when he spoke with reporters yesterday including Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (subscription required) he explained that he doesn’t know any more than the fans who want to keep him:
I don’t really know what’s going to happen. I’m just trying to take it day by day and worry about the playoffs right now. I’ll have to probably prepare for free agency. Then we’ll see what happens there. In terms of what’s going on with the Bruins and everything else, that’s probably a question for someone else.
There’s no doubt that Krug would love to stay in Boston, he has expressed that multiple times in the past. But as he heads into free agency as one of the best available defensemen—perhaps the best if Alex Pietrangelo re-signs with the St. Louis Blues—preparing is the only prudent option.
The Bruins do have some room to play with when it comes to next year’s salary cap. They currently have just over $63.5MM committed to 18 roster players (and David Backes‘ retained $1.5MM), but there are some other contracts needing fresh ink. Jake DeBrusk is one of the team’s restricted free agents that will need a new deal, plus captain Zdeno Chara if he wants to play another year.
There is also the question of what will happen in net beyond 2020-21, when Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak are both scheduled to become unrestricted free agents and will be in their mid-thirties. The Bruins have some promising young goaltending prospects, but will they be ready to take on a large role and save the team some money?
Players on expiring contracts will become free agents on the later of October 9th or seven days after the Stanley Cup is awarded. That doesn’t leave a ton of time to get an extension in place if the two sides don’t negotiate during the playoffs. Still, losing Krug would be a hefty blow even with some young players pushing for more playing time.
The 29-year old has now recorded seven consecutive seasons with at least 39 points, an impressive accomplishment in a league that has such turnover among point-producing defensemen. He’s been a constant on the Bruins powerplay during that entire stretch, tallying 136 of his 270 total assists with the man-advantage. It’s the playoffs though where he has perhaps been even more impressive, recording 46 points in 62 career games. He even led the field with 16 assists during last year’s Stanley Cup Finals run.
Krug will get at least a few more games to prove he can do it again for the Bruins in the playoffs. But beyond that, nothing is clear.
Steven Kampfer Opts Out Of Postseason
Slipping through the cracks of a refreshingly busy weekend for NHL roster news of many varieties was the announcement that Boston Bruins defenseman Steven Kampfer has joined the list of those players who have opted out of participation in the upcoming postseason. Kampfer took to Twitter to state that he has made the difficult decision not to return to the Bruins for their upcoming postseason run. The veteran revealed that his wife and son suffer from a congenital heart defect that can be complicated by the effects of COVID-19. For that reason, he made a decision that no one can fault him for to put his family’s health and safety first.
Kampfer, 31, is a veteran of 211 NHL games, including ten this season with Boston. While he had not played a major role this season with the Bruins, the team valued his presence last season as they dealt with consistent injury issues on the back end. Kampfer was one of a dozen defensemen to suit up for the Bruins in the 2018-19 season, playing in 35 regular season games as well as three playoff games. His experience and intelligent puck-moving came in handy in tough spots for the Bruins last year and the team rewarded him with a two-year extension last summer. They undoubtedly would like to have him this postseason in case the going gets tough again. Instead, they will have to make do without him for now and hopefully welcome him back next season.
However, the Bruins are in good shape on the blue line, especially given the time off to enter the playoffs fully healthy for the first time in several years. While the team will be missing Kampfer and Kevan Miller, out all season due to injury, Boston’s training camp roster features ten defensemen with NHL experience. This includes their regular top five of Charlie McAvoy, Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo, and Matt Grzelcyk, a trio of dependable options to fill out the starting lineup in John Moore, Jeremy Lauzon, and Connor Clifton, and top prospects Urho Vaakanainen and Jakub Zboril.
Atlantic Notes: Alzner, Bruins, Petan, Johnsson, Foote
The Montreal Canadiens announced that defenseman Karl Alzner has chosen to opt out of the Return to Play Plan and will sit out both Phases 3 & 4. The decision isn’t a big surprise, considering that he wasn’t likely to receive much, if any playing time and has young children at home.
Alzner has been quite a disappointment since general manager Marc Bergevin signed the veteran defenseman to a five-year, $23.1MM deal back in 2017. He struggled in his first year with the Canadiens and since then has appeared in just 13 games with the team mostly keeping his contract buried in the AHL. He played 53 games with the Laval Rocket this year, compared to just four NHL games.
- Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said that he will speak to all of his upcoming restricted and unrestricted free agents throughout the Return to Play and said that if signing someone to an extension makes sense, he will do that, according to Matt Porter of the Boston Globe. The team has a number of unrestricted free agents, including Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara, Kevan Miller and Joakim Nordstrom as well as a few key RFA’s, including Jake Debrusk, Anders Bjork, Zachary Senyshyn, Karson Kuhlman, Matt Grzelcyk, Jakub Zboril and Dan Vladar. NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty adds that Sweeney said he was not going to be aggressive about potential re-signings. While a Krug signing would seem unlikely, especially with the league planning to stick to a $81.5MM flat cap next season, the team may be forced to let some of those players go unless they can get some players to take lesser contracts.
- With the Toronto Maple Leafs’ training camp roster released, there were few surprises on their list, although The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler noted the absence of forward Nic Petan. The 25-year-old did spend more time with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, but still played 16 games with the Maple Leafs and was having a solid offensive year with the Marlies (10 goals, 31 points in 25 games). NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger also points out that with a six-month timeline for his knee injury, the team will not see forward Andreas Johnsson during the Return to Play until possibly the second round.
- Perhaps the biggest surprise on the roster for the Tampa Bay Lightning was defenseman Cal Foote. The 21-year-old wrapped up his second pro season with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) writes that while there is no guarantee that Foote will see any playing time, but with the Lightning’s cap situation for next season, there is a strong chance he makes the team for the 2020-21 season and could use the practice time as a learning experience.