Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Bruins Rumors

Montreal Canadiens “Very Active” As Deadline Approaches

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The Montreal Canadiens, losers of four of their last five games including three at the hands of the Boston Bruins, are now 19-22-6 on the season and well out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. In his latest 31 Thoughts column for Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman reports that GM Marc Bergevin is more active than normal trying to “get something going.”

Friedman lists only Carey Price, Shea Weber, Victor Mete and Jonathan Drouin as unlikely to be traded, making the rest of the roster ripe for speculation. Max Pacioretty has obviously been in the news quite a bit recently, something Alex Galchenyuk has dealt with for years. There are also lesser-known names like Paul Byron, Andrew Shaw and Brendan Gallagher who would all draw interest as well as expiring contracts for Tomas Plekanec, Jakub Jerabek and Antti Niemi.

Montreal has had a season to forget, but Friedman points out that everyone in the league can see what Colorado is doing this year. After putting up historically bad numbers in 2016-17, the Avalanche are now on a ten game winning streak and find themselves right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff run. Montreal knows first hand what that bounce-back can be, after struggling without an injured price in 2015-16 only to return to the playoffs a year later.

If anything, the Canadiens are more likely to reload than rebuild, as Price’s huge extension kicks in next season and there is plenty of other money tied up in Weber, Drouin, Jeff Petry and Karl Alzner. Even if they do move out some significant pieces, you can bet Montreal won’t be tearing down the whole thing.

Charlie McAvoy Undergoes Procedure To Treat Heart Condition

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Boston Bruins rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy underwent a procedure today to treat an “abnormal heart rhythm” that was first noticed after a game on November 26th. McAvoy will remain in hospital overnight, and has a recovery timeline of two weeks.

McAvoy was diagnosed with a supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and though it was not immediately dangerous, a decision was made to treat it now before any recurrence. The 20-year old had obviously continued to play after the initial diagnosis, but underwent a procedure called an ablation today according to the team.

The Bruins, who have been the hottest team in the NHL for quite some time, will have to adjust to playing without their young Calder nominee, who had been logging big minutes and playing a key role on their blue line. The first-round pick has 25 points on the season and was averaging more ice time than any Bruin not named Zdeno Chara. He was a replacement candidate for Victor Hedman in the All-Star game, but won’t be able to take part now.

Snapshots: Neal, Chara, Berra

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Vegas Golden Knights winger James Neal scored his 20th goal of the season last night in the team’s match-up with the Florida Panthers and, while 20 goals in nothing for a former 40-goal scorer, the mark actually puts Neal into quite the impressive group. This is now the tenth season in a row – for the ten-year veteran – that Neal has scored at least 20 goals in a season. From his early years in Dallas through his All-Star seasons in Pittsburgh and several strong campaigns in Nashville, Neal has always had a knack for finding the back of the net and it hasn’t stopped with the expansion Knights. There only five other active players who have scored 20+ goals in each of their first ten seasons: Jaromir Jagr, Thomas Vanek, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews. That’s some Hall of Fame caliber company that Neal has joined.

  • Another player quietly dominating is none other than Zdeno Chara. Sure, the 6’9″ 40-year-old is one of the most well-known players in the NHL, but after a few seasons where the talk was that Chara had lost a step, the Norris Trophy-winner looks like his old self again, even if his play isn’t grabbing headlines. As Sportsnet’s Eric Engel writes, Chara’s success has gone largely unnoticed mostly because of the immediate success of his new pair mate, rookie Charlie McAvoy. With McAvoy in the fold, as well other impact young players like Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo, and Matt Grzelcyk, Chara has been able to play fewer minutes this season, take a backseat role on the power play, and overall focus less on offense. The result has been a rejuvenation of Chara’s elite shutdown game, which pairs perfectly with the smooth-skating puck-mover McAvoy. Less than two months away from turning 41, Chara has played in every game for the Bruins, leads the league with a +24 rating, and is on pace for his most hits in over a decade. He’s back to being one of the most feared opponents in the NHL and it’s no surprise that the Bruins are strongly considering an extension.
  • Another player who may have earned an extension – even in just a small sample size – is veteran goalie Reto Berra. Swiss reporter Marc-Andre Berset relays that Berra has received an extension offer from the Anaheim Ducks, who Berra suited up for in four games early this season when backup Ryan Miller was injured. In those four appearances, Berra looked as good as he had in years. The 31-year-old journeyman posted a .932 save percentage and 2.27 GAA and earned a win in his one start. His performance for the AHL’s San Diego Gulls has been slightly less outstanding, but he still remains a solid veteran depth option. While Berra surely would like to be playing a greater role, a multi-year deal in Anaheim could result in his return to a regular NHL role, with Miller’s contract expiring after next season. Playing for his third NHL organization in three years, it would be no surprise for Berra to opt for a long-term situation rather than continue moving around. However, Berset also seems to imply that Berra has options waiting for him back in Switzerland, as NLA club HC Fribourg-Gotteron could come calling with a starting opportunity. Only time will tell what Berra decides to do next with his hockey career.

Atlantic Notes: Danault, Dubois, Hedman, Panthers

at CDT | by 2 Comments

Montreal forward Phillip Danault was released from the hospital this morning and is resting at home after he was hit in the head by a 124 kilometers-an-hour slapshot by Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, tweets Arpon Basu of The Athletic. The 24-year-old was just 10 feet away with 1:37 remaining in the second period when he tried to block the blistering shot only to have it hit him in the head.

Danault was motionless for some time, then slowly tried to get up to the applause of the Montreal fans, only to have him collapse again. With blood all over the collar of his jersey, he was wheeled off in a stretcher and taken to the hospital. While indications after the game was that he was OK, that was confirmed this morning by the team. No word yet on whether he will miss time.

  • In the Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos says the Montreal Canadiens still have high aspirations to trade for Columbus Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Canadiens who have a desperate need for center help on their team have long coveted the former third overall pick from the 2016 draft. While there is talk that Columbus does like Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk, Kypreos says Columbus currently has no interest in moving their young center, at least until they find themselves fully healthy. Alexander Wennberg only came back a couple of games ago and the team still has other missing players as well.
  • In the same segment, Kypreos also added that with Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman out for the all-star game, the NHL is considering two replacements for him, including Toronto’s Morgan Rielly and Boston’s Charlie McAvoy.
  • The Florida Panthers intend to put a lot of stock into the next 16 games (number of games before the trade deadline) before they determine whether to bolster their roster, according to Sun Sentinel’s Craig Davis. The team, currently six points out of a playoff spot, has enjoyed great success with their top line of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgeni Dadonov, but hasn’t seen the same production from their second line despite a solid season from center Vincent Trocheck. The scribe writes the team wouldn’t be against acquiring a winger like it did a year ago when it traded for Thomas Vanek, but general manager Dale Tallon said any deal would have to factor into their long-term plans. One other factor is that Florida has been playing well of late, having gone 6-3-1 over the past 10 games.

 

Snapshots: USA Hockey, Florida-Boston, Hyka

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Recently young Colorado prospect Cale Makar turned down the opportunity to head to Pyeongchang with the Canadian Olympic squad, but as Mike Chambers of the Denver Post reports, Troy Terry didn’t hesitate. Terry will be part of Team USA at the Games in the middle of another exceptional season at the University of Denver.

Interestingly, Chambers notes that USA Hockey was hesitant to select two players from the same college program meaning Dylan Gambrell—also having an excellent season with DU, scoring 27 points in 22 games—won’t be heading overseas. Gambrell, a second-round pick of the San Jose Sharks has scored at better than a point-per-game pace since he entered the NCAA.

  • The Florida Panthers-Boston Bruins game that was cancelled due to inclement weather recently has been rescheduled for April 8th, extending the NHL season by one day. The original schedule had all teams finishing by April 7th, while the playoffs are set to begin on April 11th.
  • Tomas Hyka has been added to the AHL All-Star roster in place of Brandon Pirri, an impressive accomplishment for the first-year player. Hyka was signed out of the Czech professional league in the offseason, and has 23 points in 26 AHL contests. He earned an NHL call-up in December, but didn’t get into a game for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Bruins Won't Make Trades Involving Their Top Youngsters

at CDT | by 3 Comments

As the Bruins continue to work their way up in the Atlantic Division, they’re looking to add a top-six center or a top-four defenseman, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on an NHL Network appearance (video link).  However, they are telling teams that they are unwilling to move their top prospects in any deal.  That will take away several of their top trade chips although they could conceivably still move future draft picks to get a deal done.  Given GM Don Sweeney’s patience for building the team up slowly but steadily though, it be may be more prudent to expect a smaller deal, similar to their acquisition of Drew Stafford at the deadline last year, over a bigger one.

2018 All-Star Rosters

at CDT | by 29 Comments

The NHL released the rosters for this year’s All-Star game in Tampa Bay, leading to an inevitable onslaught of discussion over who missed out and who didn’t deserve to go. The event will take place on January 27-28th. The full rosters can be found below:

Atlantic Division:

F Steven Stamkos – Tampa Bay Lightning (captain)
F Nikita Kucherov – Tampa Bay Lightning
F Auston Matthews – Toronto Maple Leafs
F Aleksander Barkov – Florida Panthers
F Brad Marchand – Boston Bruins
F Jack Eichel – Buffalo Sabres
D Victor Hedman – Tampa Bay Lightning
D Erik Karlsson – Ottawa Senators
D Mike Green – Detroit Red Wings
G Andrei Vasilevskiy – Tampa Bay Lightning
G Carey Price – Montreal Canadiens

Head Coach: Jon Cooper

Metropolitan Division:

F Alex Ovechkin – Washington Capitals (captain)
F Taylor Hall – New Jersey Devils
F Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins
F Josh Bailey – New York Islanders
F John Tavares – New York Islanders
F Claude Giroux – Philadelphia Flyers
D Seth Jones – Columbus Blue Jackets
D Noah Hanifin – Carolina Hurricanes
D Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins
G Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers
G Braden Holtby – Washington Capitals

Head Coach: Barry Trotz

Central Division:

F Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon – Colorado Avalanche
F Blake Wheeler – Winnipeg Jets
F Brayden Schenn – St. Louis Blues
F Eric Staal – Minnesota Wild
F Tyler Seguin – Dallas Stars
D P.K. Subban – Nashville Predators (captain)
D Alex Pietrangelo – St. Louis Blues
D John Klingberg – Dallas Stars
G Pekka Rinne – Nashville Predators
G Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets

Head Coach: Peter Laviolette

Pacific Division:

F Connor McDavid – Edmonton Oilers (captain)
F Johnny Gaudreau – Calgary Flames
F Brock Boeser – Vancouver Canucks
F James Neal – Vegas Golden Knights
F Rickard Rakell – Anaheim Ducks
F Anze Kopitar – Los Angeles Kings
D Drew Doughty – Los Angeles Kings
D Brent Burns – San Jose Sharks
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Arizona Coyotes
G Jonathan Quick – Los Angeles Kings
G Marc-Andre Fleury – Vegas Golden Knights

Head Coach: Gerard Gallant

Morning Notes: Duclair, Ceci, Bruins-Panthers

at CDT | by 1 Comment

We’ve heard previously that the Arizona Coyotes are looking to give Anthony Duclair a “fresh start” somewhere else around the league, and now Craig Custance of The Athletic reports that it is because the young forward requested a trade out of the desert. Duclair hasn’t been able to reproduce his breakout 2015-16 season in which he scored 20 goals and 44 points, but is still young enough to have an impact in the right situation.

The Coyotes, who seem happy with their development even in the face of another wasted season, are again one of the most likely sellers at the upcoming trade deadline. Though Duclair has just seven goals and 13 points on the year, he’s the kind of acquisition who could explode if given an opportunity in the second half. The fact that he’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights is no small thing, as his future salary is still very much up in the air.

  • Darren Dreger was on TSN 1260 radio this morning, and suggested that Edmonton had pursued a Taylor Hall-for-Cody Ceci trade before eventually dealing the winger to the New Jersey Devils for Adam Larsson. For the Ottawa Senators, who have had trouble scoring over the last few years, adding a player like Hall may have changed some fortunes. Still, Ceci is a player who continues to see his name bandied about in trade rumors around the league, despite the Senators being quite happy with his play. If Ceci is dealt this year, surely it won’t be for a piece as big as Hall.
  • The game tonight between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers has been cancelled due to inclement weather, as a huge snow storm is headed for the Boston area. The city could get up to 18 inches of snow, and travel to and from the game isn’t safe. It has yet to be rescheduled.

Boston Bruins Assign Anders Bjork To AHL

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In a move that seemed inevitable, the Boston Bruins have sent rookie Anders Bjork to the minor leagues. Bjork came into the season with high expectations after signing following a huge season at Notre Dame, but has seen his role on the team reduced dramatically of late, even spending several games as a healthy scratch over the last month. Boston meanwhile is one of the hottest teams in the league, and has done it without much contribution from Bjork, playing him fewer than 11 minutes in seven of his last eight appearances.

A stint in the AHL may be the best thing for the 21-year old, who came out firing this season with seven points in his first nine games, but registered just five—including just one goal—in the following 20. Bjork was one of just four waiver-exempt forwards on the team, and had clearly the smallest role out of the group. Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk have made immediate impacts offensively with 28 and 19 points respectively, while the older Sean Kuraly is a key penalty killer for the Bruins.

Even if Bjork does spend substantial time in the minor leagues, his future still looks bright in Boston. After being selected 146th-overall in 2014, he carved out an impressive college career that ended with his 52-point season for Notre Dame last year. Bjork was the best forward on that team, which also included Montreal prospect Jake Evans, who could be headed to Pyeongchang for the Winter Olympics as a part of Team Canada. Bjork will try to find that scoring touch with the Providence Bruins, who have three games in three nights this weekend, starting with a matchup against Hartford on Friday night.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Greenway, Parsons

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The NHL named it’s Three Stars of the Month for December today, honoring Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask as the First Star, Islanders surprise scorer Josh Bailey as the Second Star, and Tampa Bay dynamo Nikita Kucherov as the Third Star. All three were immensely successful this month and bear watching as the season continues.

The Bruins were on fire in December, posting a 10-2-2 record and are currently on an eight-game streak without a loss. After early season struggles, Rask was a major part of that success, recording an impeccable .955 save percentage and 1.22 goals against average. Rask allowed more than two goals only once in his eleven appearances and posted two shutouts one either end of December. After that performance, Rask has joined some of the league’s best goalies this season with a top-five GAA and top-ten SV%. The 2014 Vezina winner and the holder of the best career save percentage in NHL history (.923), Rask looked more like his elite self this past month than he has in two years.

Meanwhile, there’s no similar history that could have predicted this surge from Bailey. The long-time Islander had a career-high 56 points last season, but is already only six points away from matching it in 2017-18 and on pace for over 100 points. Bailey’s 50 points trails only Kucherov in the NHL and his 38 assists are tops in the league, feeding his talented linemates John Tavares and Anders Lee. In December alone, Bailey led the league with 22 points, including seven multi-point games and an 11-game point streak. Bailey’s breakout has been great for the Isles, but will be even better for the 28-year-old who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Kucherov’s nod is less of a surprise; the Lightning sniper is well-known as one of the league’s best players. Kucherov has an NHL-best 25 goals and 56 points already this season. After posting a career high 85 points in 2016-17, he’ll easily leave that mark in the dust and could flirt with 120 points this year. The early Hart favorite found the score sheet in all but one contest in December as the Bolts went 11-2-0 and continued to dominate the league. The ceiling is the roof for the uber-talented Russian forward and his Tampa Bay teammates this season.

  • Another player to keep an eye on in the coming months is Minnesota Wild prospect and recently-named member of the U.S. Olympic team Jordan Greenway. As ESPN’s Emily Kaplan writes today, when Greenway suits up in Pyeongchang, South Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, he will do so as the first ever African-American on the U.S. men’s hockey team. In the 98-year history of the men’s hockey tournament, Greenway is the first to don the red, white, and blue – a major step for the inclusiveness of the game. Of course, Jarome Iginla played for Canada in multiple Olympic Games and P.K. Subban made an appearance as well, but no African-American has had the same opportunity for the U.S.A. The big Boston University forward has represented the U.S. on the international stage before at several junior tournaments, but the Olympics are a whole other level. This could just be the beginning for the talented winger as well. By all accounts, Dustin Byfuglien is the best American-born African American in NHL history, with former grinder Mike Grier likely next in line and a ways behind. By the end of his promising pro career, Greenway could be known as the best American-born African-American in NHL history. He gets his start on the big stage in a matter of weeks.
  • One last guy to keep an eye out for is young Calgary Flames keeper Tyler Parsons. The Flames’ recent acquisition of New Jersey Devils defenseman Dalton Prout was not-so-secretly more about ridding themselves of goalie Eddie Lack as it was bringing in an asset. Having solved their logjam in net, Calgary was finally able to promote their 2016 second-round pick from the AHL today, per the ECHL transactions page. The 20-year-old Parsons has been buried since turning pro late last season after leading the United States to a World Junior Championship title. Parsons’ path to the NHL is not without roadblocks remaining though; he still has to prove that he is the heir apparent to veteran Mike Smith by outperforming current big-league backup David Rittich and AHL competition Jon Gillies and Mason McDonald, all of whom are 25 or younger and very well regarded.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top