Boston Bruins

Morning Notes: Seguin, Bruins, Hurricanes

By Gavin Lee | at September 4, 2018 11:58 am

While the Winnipeg Jets have locked up one of the premiere 2019 UFA forwards by signing Blake Wheeler to a five-year extension, talks have started up in Dallas again regarding Tyler Seguin. John Shannon of Sportsnet reports that the Stars and Seguin’s camp spoke about an extension this past weekend and noted that “things will get interesting” when Seguin returns to Dallas on Wednesday.

Seguin’s public comments about being disappointed in his contract situation likely didn’t do Dallas any favors, but there was always an expectation something would be worked out between the two sides. If nothing is announced before training camp begins in a few weeks though, you can be sure that there will be daily rumors over whether Seguin is intending on testing the free agent waters. With Wheeler off the market, another big name is removed from what at one point looked like the most impressive free agent class ever. Seguin’s signing would only further that decline.

The Boston Bruins announced that it’s not just Patrice Bergeron who won’t be travelling to China for their upcoming preseason contests. Noel Acciari, Zdeno Chara, Danton Heinen, Torey Krug and Sean Kuraly all will not be there when the Bruins take on the Calgary Flames. Several Bruins are coming off late season injuries and will be trying to guarantee their presence on opening night, something far more important than the brand-building exercise in China. That’s all the better for many of the young players though, as Trent Frederic, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Jack Studnicka will all be heading overseas.
In Carolina, Hurricanes fans aren’t waiting on news of a contract extension or an injury update but instead will be given a new captain to cheer for. Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer reports that a captain will be named when the whole team arrives to begin training. The team had been using Jordan Staal and Justin Faulk as “co-captains” last season, but new head coach Rod Brind’Amour immediately told reporters that he would be naming just one after getting the job back in the spring. When we polled the PHR community, Staal was the leading candidate for the job though Justin Williams also received more than 30% of the vote.

Bruins Notes: Seguin, Heinen, Krejci, Leach, McQuaid

By Holger Stolzenberg | at September 2, 2018 10:19 am

With Dallas Stars’ Tyler Seguin showing unhappiness recently that he hasn’t signed an extension yet, speculation is beginning to increase that Seguin may be considering taking the same course that John Tavares took this offseason before eventually signing a seven-year, $77MM deal. Seguin, who is coming off a 40-goal, 78-point season and at 26 years old, could garner as much as Tavares after his contract expires at the end of the year.

The Boston Herald’s Steve Conroy writes that while the team did make an offer to Tavares, he doesn’t think it would make sense to make a similar offer to the former Bruin. The scribe does admit that Peter Chiarelli made a big mistake when he and Boston’s brass traded away Seguin, who at 21, showed immaturity and a lack of professionalism. A more mature Seguin has shown over the last five years that the Bruins probably should have held onto him. Regardless, Conroy said Seguin wouldn’t be worth such a big, long-term deal, although a rental situation at the trade deadline might be a different story.

NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty adds that he also wouldn’t recommend for Boston to attempt to bring Seguin back despite the fact that he still has several friends on the team, including Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. While current GM Don Sweeney was just an assistant GM when Seguin was traded, there are still enough personnel remaining in the organization that probably wouldn’t want Seguin to return to the franchise. However, he added never say never.

Joe McDonald of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that the Bruins are still considering whether they want to break up their top line after their super line of Bergeron, Marchand and David Pastrnak were shut down by the Tampa Bay Lightning, and no other line was able to step up. The idea has been suggested to move Pastrnak to the second line to create a more balanced attack. If that’s the case, McDonald feels that Danton Heinen might be ready to replace Pastrnak on the first line. Heinen had a solid rookie season, scoring 16 goals and 47 points last season.
Haggerty also wonders how much longer center David Krejci can hold onto the No. 2 center position? The team made an obvious attempt to sign Tavares this offseason, suggesting that they are interested in eventually moving on from Krejci in that spot with the hopes of dropping him to their third line. However, at the moment, they lack a player who is ready to challenge him for that spot. The team’s third-line center position is going to be a battle among rookies, including Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Jack Studnicka and Trent Frederic.
The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) writes that Providence Bruins’ coach Jay Leach continues to work to develop those three prospect centers. The coach has been sending Forsbacka Karlsson, Studnicka and Frederic videos of Bergeron, the young Bergeron, for the three to study in hopes of teaching them everything they need to know about adjusting to the NHL. “Honestly, if you’re looking for a centerman to show you how to do things,” Leach said of Bergeron, “this is the guy. Just little things of nuances this guy can do.”
In another article, Haggerty questions whether defenseman Adam McQuaid will remain with the Boston Bruins. With eight viable blueliners on the roster, McQuaid, who has played nine seasons in Boston, could find himself elsewhere by the start of the season. The 6-foot-4 physical grinder only saw 38 games last season and with a plethora of right-shot defensemen, he could be the player to sit in the press box on most nights unless the team attempts to find him a better home. The team already has Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Kevan Miller on the right side, which also was a reason why McQuaid saw his minutes drop from 18:15 to 15:42 last season. However, the 31-year-old still managed to get 80 hits and block 56 shots last season, which could make him an option for a team looking for defensive depth and a penalty killing option.

4 comments Boston Bruins Dallas Stars Adam McQuaid Brad Marchand Brandon Carlo Charlie McAvoy David Krejci David Pastrnak John Tavares Kevan Miller Patrice Bergeron Peter Chiarelli Trent Frederic Tyler Seguin

Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs’ Defense, McAvoy, Bruins’ Rookies, Drouin

By Holger Stolzenberg | at September 1, 2018 2:27 pm

With most of the media attention drawn towards the Toronto Maple Leafs’ signing of John Tavares, many people didn’t notice that the team didn’t really address their defensive issues this last offseason. The main reason for that is that general manager Kyle Dubas feels the answers to their defensive problems are more likely to be found within their own organization.

The Star’s Mark Zwolinski writes that the team has their top four of Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, Ron Hainsey and Nikita Zaitsev, but they also have an overabundance of talented blueliners who are ready to step in and fill in those final two spots as well as help out if one of those top four struggle next season. The team can look to a number of defensemen, including Travis Dermott, Igor Ozhiganov, Connor Carrick, Timothy Liljegren, Justin Holl, Jordan Subban, Andreas Borgman, Calle Rosen, Martin Marincin and Andrew Nielsen, who all have the capabilities of checking in if needed.

The scribe writes that one major advantage for all these players is they’ve had at least one year (except for Ozhiganov) of experience with defensive coach D.J. Smith, who was voted in a players’ poll as the assistant coach best suited to become a head coach.

After seeing Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin sign a six-year, $29.7MM deal ($4.95MM AAV) on Thursday evening, The Athletic’s Joe McDonald (subscription required) wonders what it might end up costing the Boston Bruins to lock up defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who is playing out the final year of his entry-level deal this season. If Hanifin makes that much, McAvoy, who has been quite an impact for the team already in just one-plus season, should be able to get an even bigger deal. The scribe writes that the Bruins had already started extension talks at $6MM over seven years, but are more likely to work out an even longer-term deal after this season, which could be an eight-year deal between $7.5MM and $8MM.
In a team preview, The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) writes that it looks like a rookie will be centering the Boston Bruins’ third line next season after having Riley Nash centering it last season. It just comes down to who wins that job between Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka. All are expected to have significantly better offensive skills than Nash, but all have no NHL experience so far. The 21-year-old Forsbacka-Karlsson was inconsistent in his first season in the AHL last year. The 20-year-old Frederic is considered to be more of a grinder after two seasons at the University of Wisconsin, while the 19-year-old Studnicka still lacks both size and strength and may not be ready for an NHL role yet, despite excellent offensive skills. If none are ready, Sean Kuraly or Chris Wagner would have to assume the role.
Patrick Hickey of the Montreal Gazette, in a series on key players the Montreal Canadiens need to get a better season from, suggests that the team must get a major improvement out of center Jonathan Drouin this season. One reason the highly-touted Drouin struggled was because the 23-year-old spent the previous summer training with Max Pacioretty with the assumption they would be linemates, but learned early on that they weren’t very compatible together as well as the fact that some within the organization felt he would be a better winger, while others wanted him playing center. Now, a full-time center, Drouin has been training for this season all offseason. “Last year, I came in and I had no feel for what was going on,” Drouin said earlier this week. “As the year went on, I felt more comfortable knowing what do in some areas, at some points in the game. At the end of the year, things were starting to work out and I want to continue like that.”

0 comments Boston Bruins Calgary Flames Montreal Canadiens Rookies Toronto Maple Leafs Andreas Borgman Calle Rosen Charlie McAvoy Chris Wagner Connor Carrick Jake Gardiner John Tavares Jonathan Drouin Jordan Subban Martin Marincin Max Pacioretty Morgan Rielly Nikita Zaitsev Noah Hanifin

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Boston Bruins

By Zach Leach | at August 31, 2018 8:31 pm

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Current Projected Cap Hit: $76,540,667 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry Level Contracts

D Charlie McAvoy (one year, $917K)
D Brandon Carlo (one year, $789K)
F Jake DeBrusk (two years, $863K)
F Danton Heinen (one year, $873K)
F Ryan Donato (one year, $900K)
F Anders Bjork (two years, $925K)

Potential Bonuses:

McAvoy: $500K
DeBrusk: $425K
Heinen: $213K
Donato: $850K

Total: $1.99MM

Under $5.5MM in salary and under $2MM in potential bonuses for that group of players? It would be hard to find any team in the league who wouldn’t be excited about that scenario. Carlo has played a top four role for the Bruins for two seasons already and McAvoy asserted himself not only as the top defenseman on the team as a rookie last year, but one of the best defenders in the league; they’re both just beginning to show what they can be. The other four forwards will likely make up the bulk of the top nine in Boston this season. Heinen and DeBrusk finished fourth and sixth respectively among Bruins forwards in scoring last year, each with 40+ points, and noticeably improved as the season wore on. Bjork began the year in the top six and scored at a pace that would have put him at 30+ points on the year, if not for a roster crunch and later on an injury that kept him out of the lineup for much of the year. The latest addition is Donato, who joined the team down the stretch after leading both the NCAA and Winter Olympics in goals per game. If the Bruins’ top prospect finds chemistry with a scoring line and earns substantial ice time, he could be a legitimate Calder Trophy threat.

Of course, the caveat to all of this is that the Bruins can only enjoy most of these bargain deals for one more year. All but DeBrusk and Bjork will be due extensions by this time next year. McAvoy is in line for an expensive, long-term contract that could easily surpass the six-year, $29.7MM contract just recently signed by the Calgary Flames’ Noah Hanifin. Carlo will be due a much more modest raise, but a raise nonetheless. The real intrigue lies with Heinen and Donato. If Heinen is again the best non-first line forward on the Bruins this season, he will have cemented himself as a crucial piece of the core and will be able to command a hefty bump in salary. A regression and being overshadowed by other young forward could keep his next cap hit at a more comfortable level. The same goes for Donato, who could meet his lofty expectations as a rookie and significantly raise his asking price or could fail to stand out against Boston’s other young forwards and sign a more modest second contract. Perhaps even the Bruins don’t know which outcome they would prefer: their impending RFA’s playing incredibly well and boosting their value or instead playing secondary roles and staying reasonably priced? Either way, the team will at least be glad to have DeBrusk and other incoming prospects at ELC cap hits in 2019-20.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry Level

D Zdeno Chara ($5MM, UFA)
D Adam McQuaid ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Noel Acciari ($725K, UFA)

Not much is going to change on the Bruins roster between 2018-19 and 2019-20 if unrestricted free agency is any indicator. Given how few current players are impending unrestricted free agents and the number and value of the likely RFA contracts that they will need to hand out, it will probably be a quiet summer in Boston next year.

Of this group, the one departure that seems certain is McQuaid. As it stands now, McQuaid might not only be a bench player for the Bruins this season but could even be considered the team’s #8 defenseman and very well could land on the trade block or even waivers over the course of the campaign. The loyal veteran is one of the remaining holdovers from the team’s 2011 Stanley Cup title and has only ever played hard-nosed, competent hockey in Boston. However, frequent injuries paired with the development of Kevan Miller into a better version of McQuaid has all but made the original superfluous. Now, Boston may not carry eight defenseman all season long and if someone other than McQuaid is traded, that would open up some more opportunity for the physical veteran. However, it still seems that – given the players signed on the blue line as it is and the crop of prospects in Providence (AHL) pushing for play time – that McQuaid’s days in Boston are numbered one way or another.

Counting the days until Chara retires may be a pointless effort, though. The 41-year-old continues to defy nature in every regard. Chara led all Boston skaters in ice time with 23 minutes per night and has been the team’s average ice-time leader for a whopping twelve years straight. While his offense remains in decline, his defensive game made a major comeback last season and the league’s oldest defenseman even garnered Norris Trophy votes. In all likelihood, the Bruins will look to reduce Chara’s role this year in an effort to make him even more effective in limited minutes. If that proves successful, don’t be surprised to see Boston give Chara incentive-laden one-year contracts until he finally decides to hand up his skates. At this rate, it could be another year or two after this current contract expires.

Some may discount what spark plug Acciari brings to the Bruins and consider his impending free agency to not be much of a factor. Yet, Acciari is considered by many to be one of the more underrated defensive forwards in the league. A versatile player and punishing checker, Acciari is an ideal fourth-liner who frustrates the opposition without landing in penalty trouble or ending up on the wrong side of turnovers. Acciari logged 152 hits last season versus just four minor penalty minutes and recorded 20 takeaways to just nine giveaways. Few players in the league are so efficient with their defensive play. Acciari is a local product who fits the style and culture of the Bruins well and could certainly wind up with a multi-year extension. With that said, the Bruins’ addition of Chris Wagner this summer adds a lot of the same ability that Acciari brings to the table. If cap space or roster space becomes an issue, Acciari is not guaranteed a new contract.

Two Years Remaining

D Torey Krug ($5.25MM, UFA)
D Kevan Miller ($2.5MM, UFA)
D Matt Grzelcyk ($1.4MM, RFA)
F Chris Wagner ($1.25MM, UFA)
F Joakim Nordstrom ($1MM, UFA)
G Jaroslav Halak ($2.75MM, UFA)

Although their contracts expire in just two years, it is far too early to tell what the future holds for any of these players. The easy prediction would be that in two years time, the Bruins will have homegrown products ready to replace the unrestricted free agents, with Grzelcyk sliding into the offensive defenseman role that Krug has dominated for so long. However, things rarely work out that simply. On the blue line, the Bruins do have a lot in the pipeline with three recent first- or second-round picks at the AHL level and another overseas, not to mention Grzelcyk currently slated for extra man duty. The hope would be that all or some combination of Chara, McQuaid, Krug, and Miller will be allowed to depart over the next two seasons, with McAvoy, Carlo, Grzelcyk, and John Moore leading a new group of rearguards, but only time will tell. In the meantime, roster restrictions could mean that one of McQuaid, Krug, or Miller are traded away in the coming season.

Up front, Wagner and Nordstrom have yet to take the ice for the Bruins. While Wagner is a bona fide bottom-six commodity who seems like a natural fit, Nordstrom is less so. Unless he surprises, the veteran forward seems more likely to land on waivers over the next two years than he is to earn an extension. Finally, there is Halak, who was brought in to lessen the burden on starter Tuukka Rask, who has proven to be a far superior player with more rest. Boston needs to bridge the gap to a class of young goaltenders with promise, but still in need of much development. Halak, 33, is out to prove that he can still be a great goaltender behind a competent defense. If he succeeds, he’ll likely be looking for a chance to start when he next hits free agency. If he fails, the Bruins won’t retain a washed-up, aging keeper anyway. Halak is perhaps the only player of this group that is for sure only in Boston for two years maximum.

Three Years Remaining

F David Krejci ($7.25MM, UFA)
F David Backes ($6MM, UFA)
F Sean Kuraly ($1.275MM, RFA)
G Tuukka Rask ($7MM, UFA)

Outside of Kuraly, the collection of players in this category are those most often maligned by critics both in and outside of Boston. Krejci, the highest paid player on the Bruins, has begun the aging process far sooner than many expected. The 32-year-old has seen a drop off in production every year since 2013-14 and is visibly slower and less dynamic on the ice. While he played well with DeBrusk and for a time Rick Nash last season, the Bruins still have yet to find the right line mates to spark his game the way that long-departed players like Milan Lucic, Nathan Horton, and Loui Eriksson did. Backes has certainly not been the answer, and while the 34-year-old has struggled with health issues in his two years since coming to Boston, it is hard to imagine him even at his healthiest surpassing the 30-40 point capability he has shown of late. At $6MM for three more years, that could be a hard pill to swallow. Krejci and Backes are still capable of turning their current trends around and making the most of the next three years. Regardless, they won’t be back once their current contracts expire.

Rask could be a different story. For all of the criticism that Rask gets for inconsistent play and poor postseason performance, the 31-year-old has the second-best career save percentage in NHL history behind only Dominik Hasek and is the active leader in both save percentage and goals against average. On top of that, his career playoff numbers are actually even better – .924 and 2.25 compared to .922 and 2.26. Like any goalie, Rask is simply the easiest person to blame when things don’t go well for the Bruins. The other source of ire is that, at $7MM, the aging Rask is paid like a top five goalie when of late he has performed more like a top 10 or 12 goalie. Any rumor of a Rask trade right now is nonsense and likely will remain so through this contract. At that point, the Bruins will have to address the development of their prospect goalies and the options on the market, but could very well return to a then-34-year-old Rask for another contract, this one shorter and more affordable.

The odd man out in this group, fortunately, is Kuraly. Some were surprised when the Bruins handed a three-year term to a fourth-line player, but Boston has a recent history of finding success with consistent energy line groupings. They have clearly pegged the capable Kuraly as a mainstay in the bottom-six moving forward. At a very reasonable cap hit, there is nothing to be concerned about with this contract.

Four Or More Years Remaining

D John Moore ($2.75MM through 2022-23)
F Patrice Bergeron ($6.875MM through 2021-22)
F David Pastrnak ($6.67MM through 2022-23)
F Brad Marchand ($6.125MM through 2024-25)

Just like the group of entry-level players under contract in Boston, there aren’t many general managers around the league who would turn down this group of long-term contracts. The entirety of the most dangerous line in the NHL are all signed for four or more years at under $7MM apiece. Bergeron, the best two-way forward of his generation and arguably of all-time, centering two wingers that finished with 80+ points last year in Marchand and Pastrnak. Marchand, who has seven years left on his contract, has blossomed into one of the most potent scorers in the league while still maintaining a style that frustrates oppositions and causes turnovers. Pastrnak, 22, will be 27 when his contract expires and has only just begun to show his true potential. When that time arrives, the Bruins will likely be happy to throw another eight years at him. To a lesser extent, the same goes for Bergeron, who in all odds will get the Chara treatment of never-ending extensions so long as he remains effective. This trio looks ready to dominate for a long time.

As for Moore, very rarely is a long-term deal signed that carries so little risk. At $2.75MM, Moore chose term and security over market value. The 27-year-old defenseman has dealt with injuries and inconsistency in his career, but has also had stretches of top pair-caliber play. Most of the time, he is simply a sound presence on the back end who does everything well, even if he doesn’t do anything great. At his best, Moore could be a long-term partner for McAvoy who provides solid defense that allows the No. 1 defenseman to take more offensive risks. At his worst, Moore can be a steady stay-at-home mainstay on the third pair while the Bruins bring up other young, inexperienced defenseman. Either way, as the salary cap increases, Moore’s salary will become more and more of a bargain, especially if his health issues are in the past. The Moore contract was surprise, but not a mistake by Don Sweeney and company.

Buyouts

D Dennis Seidenberg ($1.17MM through 2019-20)
F Jimmy Hayes ($867K in 2018-19)

Retained Salary Transactions

F Matt Beleskey ($1.9MM through 2019-20)

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Pastrnak (Excluding entry-level contracts)
Worst Value: Backes

Looking Ahead

How the Bruins’ impending restricted free agents perform this year – and next – will go a long way in dictating how the Bruins are constructed and fare with the salary cap moving forward. The team faces the tough task, though anyone would take it, of managing a crop of talented young roster players and a pipeline of promising prospects with a solid group of veterans signed long-term. Doing so won’t be without bumps and bruises and Boston will likely be right up against the salary cap ceiling for some time to come, but the benefit of effectively rebuilding on the fly by bringing in a new young core to support an older core of capable veterans will be years more of contending seasons for the Bruins. The likes of Marchand, Pastrnak, McAvoy, Carlo, DeBrusk, Heinen, Donato, not to mention several more exciting prospects, likely aren’t going anywhere and the team will have to focus on building around them. It’s working with the contracts of players like Backes, Krejci, Chara, Krug, and Rask that could present challenges.

2 comments AHL Boston Bruins Free Agency Injury NCAA Olympics Prospects RFA Salary Cap Deep Dive 2018 Transactions Waivers Adam McQuaid Anders Bjork Brad Marchand Brandon Carlo Charlie McAvoy Chris Wagner David Backes David Krejci David Pastrnak Dennis Seidenberg Jake DeBrusk Jaroslav Halak Jimmy Hayes John Moore Kevan Miller Loui Eriksson Matt Beleskey Matt Grzelcyk Milan Lucic Nathan Horton Noel Acciari Patrice Bergeron Salary Cap

NHL Rookie Tournaments Set For Early September

By Zach Leach | at August 31, 2018 5:35 pm

8/31: The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders have joined to fray, as their rookie camps will clash in prospects game on September 12th at the Isles’ practice facility, the teams announced. This leaves only the Florida Panthers without a competition for their rookies in the coming weeks.

8/24: Before team training camps open up for veterans, the rookies get some work in each year with various rookie tournaments and exhibition games taking place around the continent. This is where you can catch your favorite team:

The most well-known preseason rookie tournament is obviously the Traverse City NHL Prospect Tournament. The annual tournament hosted by the Detroit Red Wings is in its 20th year of existence. The format consists of two four-team “divisions” who play a round-robin tournament with the winner of each group earning a berth in the championship game. Featured this year are the Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, and St. Louis Blues. The games run from September 7th to September 11th.
Buffalo is again set to host the Sabres’ Prospect Challenge Tournament. Running from September 7th to 10th, it is a single group round robin tournament with the Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, and Pittsburgh Penguins joining the Sabres on their home ice. This will be the first game action for top overall pick and preseason Calder Trophy favorite Rasmus Dahlin.
Across the border, the three eastern Canadian teams are set to square off in Laval, Quebec, the home of the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the Laval Rocket. The Habs announced a set of three games featuring themselves, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Ottawa Senators on September 7th, 8th, and 9th.
On the other side of the country, a previous rookie tournament has been split in half. The NHL Young Stars Tournament, held in Penticton, British Columbia, will now contain only the Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks, as well as a pair of collegiate teams in a three-day series of games from September 7th to 9th. The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames chose not to participate this year and will instead face-off in one singular game in Red Deer, Alberta on September 12th.
The Vegas Golden Knights are set to host the first of a revolving tournament among U.S.-based Western Conference teams. Nicknamed the Vegas Rookie Faceoff, Sin City will be the location of this year’s tournament which also features the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks. It will be a three-day, nine-game series taking place on September 8th, 9th, and 11th. The tournament is expected to head to Anaheim next year.
Finally, the NHL’s southeastern squads will square off in Estero, Florida at the home of the ECHL’s Florida Everblades. The Prospect Showcase will be four days of games between the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, and defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals, taking place from September 8th to 11th.

For all updates on rookie tournament rosters, check in with Roster Resource and their running tracker of roster announcements.

2 comments Anaheim Ducks Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Calgary Flames Carolina Hurricanes Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Columbus Blue Jackets Dallas Stars Detroit Red Wings Edmonton Oilers Florida Panthers Los Angeles Kings Minnesota Wild Montreal Canadiens Nashville Predators New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Ottawa Senators Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Prospects Rookies San Jose Sharks Schedule St. Louis Blues Tampa Bay Lightning Toronto Maple Leafs Utah Mammoth Vegas Golden Knights Washington Capitals Winnipeg Jets Rasmus Dahlin

Snapshots: Bergeron, Vilardi, Rielly

By Gavin Lee | at August 31, 2018 1:50 pm

Patrice Bergeron was back on the ice today for the Boston Bruins as they prepare for training camp, but he won’t be going to China with the team for their upcoming preseason games. The Bruins are scheduled to open the preseason on September 15th in China against the Calgary Flames, but instead of travelling with the team Bergeron will be continuing his rehab after offseason surgery.

Bergeron is aiming to be ready for the start of the regular season, but as Joe McDonald of The Athletic writes he may have a different winger beside him to open the year. Danton Heinen has apparently been preparing to play either wing this offseason, and could get a look on the top unit beside Bergeron and Brad Marchand if the Bruins decide to move David Pastrnak onto a different line. Heinen may have been overlooked in an incredible rookie class last year, but still recorded 47 points in his first full-season which led all forwards outside of the top line.

Los Angeles Kings fans may have to wait even longer to see top prospect Gabe Vilardi on the ice as his back injury could keep him out of rookie camp next week. That’s according to Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times, who reports that the 19-year old forward experienced a “flare-up” of the injury this summer. Vilardi missed a good chunk of his junior season last year with this chronic injury, and the Kings want to be as careful as possible. The 11th-overall selection in 2017, Vilardi has the talent to become a dominant offensive player in the NHL if he can stay healthy enough to continue his development. He is a “day-to-day” situation at this point, just two weeks until training camp begins.
Kristen Shilton of TSN sat down with Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly recently, and asked the alternate captain about the recent news that Auston Matthews would accept the captaincy if offered it by the coaching staff. Rielly spoke incredibly highly of Matthews’ maturity and drive, and admitted that he’d already a leader on the team. The Maple Leafs have been without a captain since trading away Dion Phaneuf in the middle of the 2015-16 season, and lost two alternates in Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov to free agency this summer.

1 comment Boston Bruins Injury Los Angeles Kings Snapshots Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews Gabe Vilardi Morgan Rielly Patrice Bergeron

Minor Transactions: 8/28/18

By Zach Leach | at August 28, 2018 8:00 pm

August is almost over and training camps are right around the corner. Yet, players continue to make decisions on where they’ll play this season. On a day with a surprising amount of signing news, here are some other smaller moves around the hockey world:

The AHL’s Providence Bruins have added another body up front. Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports that the team has signed center Brett McKenzie to his first pro contract. An unsigned 2016 seventh-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks, McKenzie just wrapped up an OHL career that featured 224 points in 328 games. Most recently, he led the Owen Sound Attack in playoff scoring with eight goals and eight assists in just eleven postseason contests. The big pivot also plays a strong physical game and can make a living lower in the lineup. The P-Bruins are already an extraordinarily deep AHL team and McKenzie may spend some time down in the ECHL, but could fight his way into a consistent role with the team during the season.
AHL teams tend to be more interested in adding younger players out the junior and college ranks as bottom-six contributors than recycling past AHLers. Hayden Hodgson is a case in point, as the former Cleveland Monsters grinder was unable to find another AHL deal this off-season. Instead, Hodgson has signed with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, the league announced. Hodgson spent some time in the ECHL last year and will be able to play a bigger role at the lower level. It remains to be seen whether he can show the offensive upside to ever climb back up the hockey ranks though.
The most common route for elite American prospects in recent years has been through the U.S. National Development Program and then into the NCAA or right into the NHL. However, that path didn’t yield the desired results for young defenseman D.J. King. Despite having great size and playing a prominent role on the blue line for both the U-17 and U-18 squads this past season, King went undrafted in June. This likely points to a lack of belief in his offensive abilities, as he produced little in the way of scoring for the USNTDP. In an effort to improve that image before his next go-round in the draft, King has signed with his junior rights holder, the defending OHL champion Hamilton Bulldogs. Hamilton has announced the deal with King, who they are excited to bring in after spending a second-round pick on him back in 2016. Former NHL defenseman and Bulldogs President and GM Steve Staios spoke to King’s upside as a prospect, citing his leadership, toughness, and puck-moving ability. Perhaps a change of scenery is all the big defender needs to boost his production this season.

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Atlantic Notes: Point, Athanasiou, Halak, Alzner

By Holger Stolzenberg | at August 26, 2018 1:00 pm

With his entry-level contract set to expire at the end of this season, Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point may only get better as he looks towards a bigger contract next season. In only his second season, the 22-year-old quickly and quietly moved into the No. 2 center position last season and went from 18 goals and 40 points in his rookie campaign to 32 goals and 66 points in his sophomore campaign last year.

Now armed with the incentive to take another big step in his development as he will get a chance to earn himself a hefty raise next season, don’t be surprised if Point takes that next step to become a point-per-game scorer in the league, according to NBC Sports Scott Billeck. Point likely wouldn’t be in this position had it not been for the unfortunate injury of Steven Stamkos in 2016-17 as Point received the roster spot in wake of Stamkos’ injury. He has made the most of it. One other reason, his growth is likely to continue is because of his impressive playoff performance last year where he posted seven goals and 16 points in 17 games.

MLive’s Ansar Khan writes that Detroit Red Wings winger Andreas Athanasiou could find himself a trade candidate in the coming months if he can’t prove to be a more consistent player. The 24-year-old is coming off a disappointing season in which he went from an 18-goal scorer in 2016-17 to a 16-goal scorer last season, even though he played seven more games. However, Khan writes that missing training camp and the first 10 games of the season due to a contract impasse last year might have a lot to do with his struggles. If the team was going to trade him, Khan believes the team wouldn’t be interested in draft picks as they were when they moved out Tomas Tatar to Vegas at the trade deadline. Instead, the Red Wings may be on the lookout for a defenseman, who can help their struggling defense.
Don’t be shocked if Boston Bruins’ new backup Jaroslav Halak turns in a solid season this year behind starter Tuukka Rask and maybe fights him eventually for the starting job. NBC Sports Joe Haggerty writes the 33-year-old may have struggled immensely the past two years with the New York Islanders, but he should be in a much better situation, defensively, in Boston. While never having been a backup before, Halak is expected to eat into some of Rask’s playing time this year. He is likely to be asked to play between 30-35 games this year, which should give him a easier workload as opposed to the 54 games he played in New York. Behind the Islanders shaky defense, Halak finished with a 3.19 GAA and a .908 save percentage. The starting job in the future may depend on how each goalie fares this year.
NHL.com’s Matt Cudzinowski interviewed Montreal Canadiens defenseman Karl Alzner who signed with the team last offseason, but struggled in Montreal in his first season there. The 29-year-old said he was disappointed in his play in the first year and attributed much of it to needing time to get comfortable and adjust to the way the Canadiens play. “There were definitely some growing pains,” Alzner said. “It wasn’t a very fun year of hockey. People maybe had some expectations for me that were a little bit unrealistic. I know what I can bring to this team when I’m playing well. I just need to stay under the radar and do the right things, do the little things right. That’s success for me.”

6 comments Boston Bruins Detroit Red Wings Montreal Canadiens New York Islanders Tampa Bay Lightning Andreas Athanasiou Brayden Point Jaroslav Halak Karl Alzner Steven Stamkos Tomas Tatar

Atlantic Notes: Vasilevskiy, Eichel, Backes, Evans

By Holger Stolzenberg | at August 25, 2018 5:30 pm

Despite an impressive season in the net, Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy learned one valuable lesson by the end of the year: Rest is a good thing. The 24-year-old netminder put up amazing numbers, including playing in a career-high 65 games and posting a .920 save percentage (also a career-high) which was good enough to earn him third place in the Vezina Trophy voting. Regardless, Vasilevskiy wore down in the second half, saying he was both physically and mentally fatigued by the end of the season.

Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription required) writes the response was to take two months off from hockey this summer. Vasilevskiy had never played more than 50 games in a season before last year and finished fourth in games played behind Cam Talbot, Frederik Andersen and Sergei Bobrovsky. Tampa Bay goaltending coach Frantz Jean said the ideal number should be between 55 to 65 games. However, Vasilevskiy has changed many of his routines within the last six months in order to rest his body more and more, including doing post-game workouts immediately after games, so he can rest his body completely on off days.

“I think it was hard for him in the past to step back, but I think last year once we got to that second half of the season, I think he was actually open to taking a little more time off,” Jean said. “When we’re going in practice, we go hard. We work hard. I think he understood he needed that rest time, to allow his body and mind to kind of refresh.”

Count Jack Eichel as a player that is really looking forward to training camp this season after a successful offseason for the Buffalo Sabres, according to NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin. The 21-year-old superstar who saw his team struggle with constant losing the last couple of years sees an immediate change in the clubhouse. The Sabres drafted Rasmus Dahlin with the first-overall pick this year, traded for Jeff Skinner, Conor Sheary and signed goaltender Carter Hutton as well as add quite a bit of veteran depth to the team. “There’s a lot of new faces in there,” Eichel said. “So I think a lot of the people with a sour taste in their mouths from the last few years have either gotten over it or aren’t in the locker room anymore. I think it’s a good opportunity for us to just prove ourselves to the League and prove ourselves to ourselves.”
After an injury plagued year for the Boston Bruins, forward David Backes re-dedicated himself this offseason, according to Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont. The 34-year-old winger has seen his game decline over the past three years and found himself putting up just 14 goals and 33 points in 57 games. However, he lost 10 pounds to his 6-foot-3 frame and now stands a much leaner 210 pounds, which he hopes can help him increase his speed and help him avoid injuries this season. Backes, who is signed for another three seasons at $6MM per year, is hoping to move up from the third line last year to a top-six role this season. “I’ve played with a 220-pound frame for 8-10 years in the league, and now it’s going to be a little lighter and a little leaner,” Backes said. “It’s my attempt to adapt to what changes have gone on in the league. It might just swing back the other way and be a heavier, harder league. But it’s certainly more skillful and quick, and that’s just the realization I had to make.”
NHL.com’s Matt Cudzinowski writes that Montreal Canadiens center Jake Evans has high hopes to make the team out of training camp this year. The 22-year-old, who finished four years at Notre Dame, last offseason is finally healthy after requiring surgery in May to repair a sports hernia and now hopes he can take on his next challenge as he’s been practicing with Dallas’ Tyler Seguin and Washington’s Tom Wilson this summer. As a senior, he tallied 13 goals and 46 points last season for the Fighting Irish and now hopes to take his talents directly to Montreal. “I want to go in with a mindset of making the Canadiens, but I also need to go in open-minded and ready to learn from guys who’ve been there for a long time – how they handle their bodies, how they act,” concluded Evans.

1 comment Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Injury Montreal Canadiens Tampa Bay Lightning Andrei Vasilevskiy Cam Talbot Carter Hutton Conor Sheary David Backes Frederik Andersen Jack Eichel Jeff Skinner Rasmus Dahlin Sergei Bobrovsky Tom Wilson Tyler Seguin

Bruins May Need To Dip Into The Tryout Market

By Brian La Rose | at August 25, 2018 11:44 am

Given that the Bruins will be basically playing split-squad games to start the preseason with games in China and at home, Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe suggests that the team could wind up adding a veteran or two on a PTO to start training camp. Although most of the top players will be in China, Boston will still have to meet the veteran minimum rule for their North America-based games as well. Accordingly, even though they’re fairly deep up front and on the back end, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them active in the tryout market over the next couple of weeks.

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