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David Backes To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety is back on the job after the holiday season, and have some work to do today. The league announced that Boston Bruins forward David Backes will have a hearing today with the DoPS regarding his illegal check to the head of New Jersey Devils forward Blake Coleman last night. As Coleman was moving the puck out of the slot, Backes tried to deliver a clean check but appeared to catch the head of the New Jersey player. A similar play resulted in a two-game suspension recently for San Jose Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson, and could lead to some more time off for Backes.

Backes was suspended just last March for three games following his hit on Frans Nielsen of the Detroit Red Wings, making him a repeat offender in the eyes of the league and open to additional punishment. The physical veteran forward hasn’t been able to add much offensively this season, but still provides some stability in the Boston bottom-six and a respected leader on the bench.

The Bruins already have to make a decision today on who to send down, given they are currently over the roster limit of 23 players. That was allowed during the holiday freeze, but not any longer. A suspension for Backes doesn’t remove him from that number, meaning the team will have to play a man down for the next few games depending on how long the ban is.

Zdeno Chara Set To Return For Boston Bruins

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The Boston Bruins will be without Charlie McAvoy tonight as he deals with some “lingering effects” after blocking a shot, but the team will not be without reinforcements. Zdeno Chara, Kevan Miller and Jake Debrusk are all set to return to the lineup for the Bruins. The team is taking on the New Jersey Devils tonight at home as they try to catch the Buffalo Sabres in the Atlantic Division.

Chara, 41, has been out since November 14th with a knee injury but had been playing extremely well for the Bruins through the early part of the season. The ageless veteran defenseman had logged an average of more than 22 minutes going into the game he suffered the injury, and was the team’s most important penalty killer. While not the same offensive threat he was in his prime, Chara still moves the puck effectively and can smother offensive players in the Boston end. Getting him and Miller back will do wonders to help a defense corps that has been beaten up all season long.

While health on the blue line matters, getting Debrusk back might be even more important for the Bruins. The 22-year old forward hasn’t played since December 6th, but is an integral part of the Boston forward group. His offense, while inconsistent this season, is needed for the team to become more balanced up front and not rely solely on the “big three” (or four, given David Krejci’s recent resurgence). Debrusk’s 10 goals still puts him fourth on the entire roster, five ahead of Joakim Nordstrom and Ryan Donato who come in tied for fifth. That’s not a lot of secondary scoring, something the Bruins will need to find if they want to go deep into the playoffs.

Eastern Notes: Vanek, Bruins, Hickey, Ennis

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It’s been a quiet year for Thomas Vanek who was signed to a one-year deal by Detroit to provide some veteran scoring while the team waits for its young talent to develop. However Vanek, who has scored 20 goals in 11 of his last 13 seasons in the NHL, hasn’t really done much of that. Despite scoring the lone goal in Detroit’s 2-1 loss to Florida on Saturday, Vanek has just five goals and is on a pace to score a career-low 14 goals this year.

Granted, the winger is 34 years old now and is averaging just 13:24 minutes per game, a career-low as well. However, with recent injuries to players like Mike Green, Anthony Mantha and most recently Andreas Athanasiou, Vanek needs to get going and he says he’s losing sleep over his dropping numbers, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan.

“It’s been a frustrating year,” Vanek said. “Even tonight, I felt good and should’ve had two, should’ve had three, and I walked away with one. It’s frustrating. I’m losing sleep over it, but at the same time, I got to stay positive and keep getting to the net, and hopefully it will turn quick.”

  • The Boston Bruins announced that while Jake Debrusk, Kevan Miller and Zdeno Chara would all be out for today’s game against Carolina, head coach Bruce Cassidy said that all three could be back immediately after the Christmas break on Thursday when they play New Jersey. Debrusk hasn’t played since Dec. 6, while Miller has been out since Nov. 26. Chara has been out the longest since Nov. 14. If all three come back, the Bruins might be as close to fully heathy as they ever have been.
  • Newsday’s Aaron Gross writes that New York Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey, who has been out for a week with a concussion, participated in the team’s optional morning skate. He also skated on Friday and hasn’t suffered any setbacks in his recovery. There is no timeline yet for his return, but the team hopes it will be soon.
  • While the Toronto Maple Leafs have already recalled forward Trevor Moore, the youngster could find himself with the team for quite a bit longer than a simple cup of coffee after Saturday night’s injury to Tyler Ennis. Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported late last night that Ennis broke his ankle on a shot from Morgan Rielly in the second period. Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock said “he’ll be out a while.” Ennis was having a impressive season in a bottom-line role as he already had seven goals and 11 points in 33 games.

Bruins Activate Patrice Bergeron Off Injured Reserve

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The Bruins will activate center Patrice Bergeron off injured reserve in advance of their game today against Nashville, head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters including NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin (Twitter link).  Center Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson will cede his place in the lineup.

Bergeron had missed the last 16 games due to a rib and sternoclavicular injury sustained last month.  The Bruins fared relatively well in his absence, posting a 9-6-1 record despite having several other key regulars out of the lineup as well and are still holding down a playoff position.  Despite missing that much time, he still sits fourth on the team in scoring with 26 points (9-7-26) in just 19 games; his 1.37 point per game average ranks tied for sixth league-wide.

Boston’s top six is still not at full strength, however, as winger Jake DeBrusk is still dealing with a concussion.  While the Bruins are believed to be looking to add a top-six forward between now and the trade deadline, GM Don Sweeney hasn’t had the luxury of having their full top six intact very often this season so he may want to wait until DeBrusk is also back and assess how things go after that before deciding when to pull the trigger on a trade.

The Bruins were carrying just 21 players on their active roster so they will not need to make any corresponding roster moves in order to activate Bergeron.

Urho Vaakanainen To Play For Finland At World Juniors

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Urho Vaakanainen is no longer listed on injured reserve on the Boston Bruins website, but he won’t be coming back to play in the NHL for the next little while. That’s because the 19-year old defenseman is off to join Finland at the World Junior Championship in Vancouver, adding another legitimate force to a team that has gained a few over the last week.

Vaakanainen hasn’t played since taking a Mark Borowiecki elbow to the head in late October, a play on which he suffered a concussion. He has been working his way back slowly and skating with the Bruins, but he’ll make his return to game action for Finland instead. That kind of an upgrade is incredibly important for the country’s hopes in the tournament, especially given the recent additions of Eeli Tolvanen and Henri Jokiharju as well.

In fact, Vaakanainen projects to play alongside Jokiharju on Finland’s top pairing, one that could very well challenge for the best in the entire tournament. The two have both shown an ability to compete at the NHL level already, and could very well return there after a medal run in early January. Boston has gotten a little more healthy on the blue line of late, but could decide to insert the 19-year old if they feel he can help.

At the very least, this is a good sign for Vaakanainen’s future after the uncertainty surrounding his concussion. It’s hard to know how early brain injuries can affect a player’s career, but we’ll get to see if he can shake off the rust quickly and show off his smooth defensive ability against some of the talented forwards around the world.

Gemel Smith, Garrett Wilson Placed On Waivers

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Wednesday: Both players have cleared waivers and can now be assigned to the minor leagues.

Tuesday: With the transaction freeze coming into effect tomorrow, the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins have both placed players on waivers. Gemel Smith and Garrett Wilson find themselves back on the wire again this season according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Smith was only claimed by the Bruins less than two weeks ago from the Dallas Stars, a team that could very likely reclaim him and try to send him to the minor leagues. The Stars will be allowed to do so if they are the only team to put in a claim, but that actually may be risky given the upcoming freeze. Any claiming team will not have time to get a different player through waivers and off the roster, though there are obviously other ways to clear roster spots (like injured reserve).

The 24-year old forward played three games for the Bruins since his claim, but registered no points and was a -3. A fringe bottom-six player, he couldn’t provide any punch to a forward group in Boston looking for someone to provide secondary scoring. That was Smith’s problem in Dallas too, as he has recorded just 20 points through 77 games with the Stars.

Wilson on the other hand cleared waivers before the season began, but needed them again given he has played 13 games with the Penguins this year. The veteran minor league forward has 12 points in 12 games with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, but only two points in those 13 games with Pittsburgh. Never more than minor league depth, those two points are actually Wilson’s first in the NHL (during the regular season at least), making him not much of a risk to be claimed.

Snapshots: Blues, Bieksa, Bakos

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For fans of the Blues, hoping that the team can turn the season around, as well as fans of other teams hoping for a chance at acquiring their top players, today’s news comes as a welcome change to the status quo in St. Louis. The Blues announced that three players were back at practice today and looking healthy and ready for game action. Alex Pietrangelo, Carl Gunnarsson, and Robby Fabbri all took the ice today and are expected to return to the lineup as early as tonight, when St. Louis takes on the Edmonton Oilers on the road. “Obviously we missed those guys tremendously”, said teammate Patrick Maroon, one of a number of Blues players who spoke about their excitement to have three difference-makers back at practice. Pietrangelo is clearly the greatest addition to the lineup, but Gunnarsson is also a regular on the Blues blue line and Fabbri has struggled with constant injurie issues for parts of three seasons and St. Louis would like to see him stay healthy for the rest of the campaign. At full strength, the Blues do have plenty of talent on paper and could put together a comeback of sorts this season. However, if that doesn’t happen, the team will continue to take calls on nearly anyone on the roster. GM Doug Armstrong won’t trade anyone whose value has dipped, so getting Pietrangelo and company back to health also improves his asking price should he decide to make some moves down the stretch.

  • On a recent appearance on the “31 Thoughts” podcast with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa made it clear that he is not retired. In fact, Bieksa has already committed to play with Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in Switzerland later this month. A strong performance from the 37-year-old could earn him a contract from a contender for the second half of the NHL season. Brian Gionta and Chris Kelly accomplished similar feats after the Olympics last year and Bieksa has the experience and claims to still have the physical conditioning to follow suit. The long-time Vancouver Canuck and Anaheim Duck was unwilling to sign long-term with any team far from his family in California this off-season, but on a half-season deal he will likely be more open to taking the offer that gives him the best chance at an elusive Stanley Cup title.
  • After his time with the Boston Bruins didn’t go according to plan due to an early-season injury and a lack of opportunity, Martin Bakos had his contract terminated last week after clearing unconditional waivers. He’s now on to a new opportunity, as HK Sochi of the KHL announced that they have inked Bakos to a contract for the remainder of the season. Bakos has several seasons of KHL experience on his resume, but this is first time playing for one of the league’s many Russian squads after previous stints with HC Bratislava in his native country of Slovakia, as well as a year in China with the Kunlun Red Star. Bakos only managed to record four points in 16 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, a skilled minor league squad, so it will be interesting to see how he performs on a Sochi roster that lacks much talent up front. Bakos joins recent NHLers Jyrki Jokipakka and Yohann Auvitu in Sochi, hoping to push for a playoff spot with the team this season.

Minor Transactions: 12/18/18

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Yesterday showed just how much parity there is in the NHL these days, as teams like the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders upset dominant Western Conference teams. Tonight 22 teams take the ice in a busy Tuesday to try and get in one last win before tomorrow’s holiday trade freeze. As we approach that deadline, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves made around the league.

  • Those Ottawa Senators have made a move to send Drake Batherson back to the minor league after their win last night. Batherson played just 9:24 in the win over the Nashville Predators, though did record a powerplay assist. The 20-year old forward has a bright future in Ottawa, but with the team off until Friday he will spend some time in the AHL.
  • After their 4-0 pummeling at the hands of the Boston Bruins, the Montreal Canadiens also made a move involving a young player. Victor Mete has been recalled by the team from the AHL, while Noah Juulsen is on his way back to the minor leagues. Mete will travel with the team to Colorado where they play tomorrow night.
  • Jean-Sebastien Dea is on his way back to the AHL, re-assigned by the Pittsburgh Penguins today. Dea has played sparingly for Pittsburgh since being reclaimed on waivers earlier this season, and has just six points on the season. The 24-year old winger will try to get his offense going with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
  • With the team finally approaching full health, including Zdeno Chara returning to practice, the Boston Bruins have opted to send rookie defenseman Jeremy Lauzon back to the AHL, the team announced. Lauzon played well in 15 games in Boston, especially considering that injuries pressed him into a top-four role for several games. However, Lauzon hasn’t played in nearly two weeks as the likes of Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo returned to the lineup and is in need of game action. Lauzon should return to a top spot for the Providence Bruins and will likely be Boston’s next man up on the blue line while Kevan Miller and Urho Vaakanainen remain sidelined.
  • The Toronto Marlies have added another veteran to their roster, at least for now, announcing that they have signed Tom Sestito to a PTO. The hulking forward has spent the past few seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins and their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but was unsigned this off-season. Sestito, 31, has shown to be capable of modest offense at the minor league level, in addition to his undeniable checking ability, and hopes to earn a contract with the Marlies by displaying both sides of his well-established game.

Snapshots: Sestito, Thomas, Letang, Koivu

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It looks like enforcer Tom Sestito will be getting another chance to work his way back to the NHL as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Toronto Marlies have signed the 6-foot-5, 228-pound forward to a professional tryout. A veteran of 154 NHL games, the 31-year-old had been playing in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the previous two years, but he wasn’t able to get a contract this year.

Friedman says that his source said he was thrilled that Sestito was getting one last shot to work his way back and referred to him as a great teammate. Sestito’s best season came in the 2013-14 season with the Vancouver Canucks when he played 77 games and scored five goals and nine points and accumulated 213 penalty minutes. He was probably best known for hits that netted him a pair of four-game suspensions, including one against New York Rangers’ Andre Deveaux from behind in 2011 and another one in 2017 when he boarded Winnipeg’s Toby Enstrom. His last NHL team was the Pittsburgh Penguins where he played 17 games in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons combined.

  • St. Louis Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said that forward Robert Thomas will not be loaned to Team Canada for the World Junior Championships, according to Fox Sports’ Andy Strickland. The 19-year-old has just two goals and seven points so far in his rookie campaign in St. Louis while averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time per game, so many have speculated the Blues could loan him out temporarily to get him extra playing time at the World Juniors. However, Thomas has seen a small spike in his playing time since head coach Mike Yeo was fired and replaced by Craig Berube as the team hopes that the 2017 first-rounder continues his development while learning on the bottom lines.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins got some good news on the injury that defenseman Kris Letang suffered Friday in the third period against the Boston Bruins when the blueliner collided with Boston’s Joakim Nordstrom and had his knee buckle. Fans began to get concerned when he wasn’t able to stand on his own. However, while he did miss tonight’s game, the Penguins announced that he’s day-to-day, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It could’ve been a lot worse,” coach Mike Sullivan said. The 31-year-old has been having a solid season this year with seven goals and 25 points in 30 games this season.
  • NHL.com’s Kevin Falness reports that Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau said that he expects center Mikko Koivu to return to the Wild’s lineup on Tuesday when they face San Jose. The 35-year-old has missed four games with a left leg injury, but a return could be a big addition as Koivu has put up solid numbers this year as he has four goals and 21 points in 27 games.

Minor Transactions: 12/15/18

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As always, Saturday features a busy slate on the NHL schedule with 20 teams in action.  As a result, there is bound to be plenty of roster movement throughout the day.  We’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • The Panthers announced a series of roster moves, recalling center Henrik Borgstrom and forward Jayce Hawryluk from Springfield of the AHL while returning wingers Dryden Hunt and Anthony Greco to the Thunderbirds. Borgstrom is one of Florida’s top prospects and is off to a good start in his first full professional season with 19 points in 21 games.  He did get into four games late last year so this won’t be his first NHL action.  That isn’t the case for Hawryluk, who is up for the first time following a great start to his season that sees him tied for the AHL lead in assists with 21.  Hunt has split the season between nearly equally between the NHL (13 games) and the AHL (15 games) but has been much more productive in the minors while Greco made his NHL debut earlier this week.
  • Defenseman Tyler Lewington is getting his first NHL shot as the Capitals have promoted him from AHL Hershey per a team release. The 24-year-old is in his fourth professional season and is among the AHL leaders in penalty minutes this season with 67.  He will likely serve as a reserve defender in the absence of Christian Djoos who underwent surgery on his thigh on Friday.
  • Veteran blueliner Kyle Cumiskey has inked a minor league deal with Boston for the rest of the season, reports Mark Divver of the Providence Journal (Twitter link). He had previously been with them on a PTO deal but did well enough to earn a guaranteed contract.  He’ll give the Bruins some extra depth in the minors and they have five remaining NHL contract slots if they ultimately need to bring him up to the big club.
  • The Sabres announced that they have recalled defenseman Matt Hunwick from his conditioning stint with AHL Rochester.  The veteran has yet to play this season for Buffalo due to a neck injury but played in two games with the Americans on the conditioning stint.  The team has an open roster spot so they won’t need to send someone down in order to activate the 33-year-old off of injured reserve. The team also announced they have activated defenseman Marco Scandella off of injured reserve and he is expected to play tonight. Scandella has missed the last eight games with a lower-body injury.
  • The Blues have assigned winger Zach Sanford to San Antonio of the AHL, per the AHL’s Transactions Page.  The 24-year-old has been relatively productive in a limited role in St. Louis with nine points in 24 games but the assignment will give him an opportunity to play considerably more than the 11:39 per night he’s averaging with the big club.

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