- Steven Harris of the Boston Herald writes that just three weeks removed after having part of his colon removed, Boston Bruins’ David Backes returned to practice today in a non-contact sweater. Despite an eight-week prognosis, Backes was skating, shooting and handling pucks. “The doc’s advice (was), if it doesn’t hurt, I can continue to progress and add more workload on,” said Backes. “I haven’t been notified that the timeline has changed at all. So I’m just going to keep putting in the work.”
Bruins Rumors
Bruins, Blackhawks To Meet in 2019 Winter Classic
The NHL announced today that the 2019 Winter Classic will be played at Notre Dame Stadium between the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 1, 2019.
The Bruins and the Blackhawks, two historic Original Six franchises, will meet outdoors for the first time ever. While it is the first time they will meet outdoors against each other, the Blackhawks will be making their fourth Winter Classic appearance. The Bruins have appeared in the annual game three times. It will be the 11th Winter Classic.
The two teams will get a chance to play in the 80,000 capacity Notre Dame Stadium as it’s likely this will have the biggest live audience of any NHL game ever.
The New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres will be meeting at the 2018 NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field in Queens, New York on Jan. 1, 2018.
Poll: Which Team Needs Help At Forward The Most?
In last night’s Insider Trading on TSN, the panel—comprised of Pierre LeBrun, Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger—spoke about the increased demand for top forwards around the league. According to them, the supply isn’t quite there for all these teams to go out and acquire someone impactful, so it’ll have to come down to the highest bidders.
The list of ten teams that McKenzie gave that are in the market for a forward include some surprises like Tampa Bay—who LeBrun clarified are currently looking for a winger to play with Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn—and obvious choices like Anaheim and Montreal.
Columbus put together a trade offer for Matt Duchene, and as LeBrun stated on TSN radio yesterday they’re still in the hunt for an upgrade down the middle. There’s no clear option at center as impressive as Duchene (or Kyle Turris, who was included in the same trade), but players are sure to shake loose as the season progresses.
So, who on this list needs the forward help the most this year? While deciding your vote, make sure to not just take in the offensive struggles but the proximity to Stanley Cup contention for each club. Which team will be the most willing to spend at the deadline, and go after the big fish to put them over the edge?
We’ve included all the teams on McKenzie’s list, but if you feel strongly that another should join the pursuit of another forward make sure to leave your comments below.
[Mobile users click here to vote!]
Snapshots: Bruins, Sabres, Flames
Some assorted notes from around the NHL this evening…
- The Bruins are going to be missing a pair of weapons for the next several games. Head coach Bruce Cassidy said today that Brad Marchand and Anders Bjork will miss at least the next two games (via Flip Livingstone of The Score). The duo were both injured during the team’s loss to the Maple Leafs on Saturday, although details of the injuries haven’t been disclosed. The pair have combined for 11 goals and 13 assists this season.
- After missing five games with a lower-body injury, right winger Justin Bailey is headed to Rochester. John Vogl of The Buffalo News writes that the Sabres are hoping the 22-year-old can find some consistency in the AHL. The former second-rounder started the season on fire, compiling two goals and three assists in his first four games. However, he had no points in the following three games. “I thought he started out really well the first couple games,” said coach Phil Housley. “I thought his played dipped a little from that, that urgency he had on the forecheck, using his speed and even in providing a physical element…[h]e’s going to go down, work on that, get his timing back.”
- We heard yesterday that the Flames were back to full health, but the injury bug has hit once again. According to Sportsnet 960 The Fan (via Ryan Pike of FlamesNation.ca), goaltender Mike Smith did not travel with the team to Detroit. While Smith hasn’t been placed on injured reserve and may be able to return before the end of the team’s road trip, the Flames are still expected to promote a goalie. Pike points to Jon Gillies or David Rittich as the main candidates to be promoted.
Maple Leafs Notes: Andersen, Rielly, Marner, Rask
The Toronto Maple Leafs started the season scoring tons of points, but still finding it hard to close out games as their defense and their goaltending was under constant scrutiny. Things looked even worse last week when they team wrapped up its road trip and allowed 11 goals in two games against the St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Kings combined. However, the tide seems to be turning and suddenly the goaltending seems to have shaken their rust off, according to Eric Koreen of The Athletic (subscription required).
The scribe points out that starting goaltender Frederik Andersen has steadied the ship on their recent three-game homestand in which Andersen has allowed just seven goals in three games, a much stronger percentage that previously. With a save percentage hovering well under .900, Andersen seems to have settled down in net this week with a .930 save percentage. Even backup Curtis McElhinney got into the act, putting up a strong performance Saturday against the Boston Bruins, stopping 38 of 39 shots for the win.
Koreen admits that Toronto’s defense has improved, but the goaltenders have had to make quite a few big saves during the games, suggesting that if the goaltenders can keep it up, the team should find itself continually atop of the Eastern Conference standings.
- Howard Berger of Between the Posts praises the offensive play of Toronto Maple Leafs’ Morgan Rielly. He notes that Rielly is the unsung hero of the team as he has quietly put up 16 points in 19 games so far this year. Only John Klingberg, Kevin Shattenkirk and Erik Karlsson have more points for a defenseman that Rielly, who is on pace to amass 74 points on the year, which would be the fourth-highest number for a Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner. Rielly’s highest points total in his career is 36 points, which he attained in the 2015-16 season.
- James Mirtle of The Athletic writes that the Maple Leafs have high hopes that Mitch Marner can get back on track after a quality performance against the Boston Bruins on Friday night. He points out that after 55 games last year, Marner was 22nd in scoring, but then got injured and has never really seemed the same since then. In fact, he’s had just five goals in his last 39 games from that point on. He finished the season with 19 goals and 61 points, but has struggled this season. However, with Auston Matthews down, Marner stepped up and has started to show his skills on the ice. He added his second goal of the season last night, suggesting he might be ready to be a key contributor to the team going forward.
- Lance Hornby of The Toronto Sun writes that the Maple Leafs are beginning to find some success against goaltender Tuukka Rask, best known to be one of the worst trades the team has made in a long time. Rask’s rights (he was a first-round pick in 2005) were traded back in 2006 in exchange for goaltender Andrew Raycroft, who started one year for Toronto and put up a 2.99 GAA that year before taking a backup role the next year. The team, however, has had some success against the now-veteran, 10 years later, as they have bested him in their last four meetings, dating back to last year.
Bruins Unlikely To Shop Zdeno Chara As Rental Player
Although the Bruins currently find themselves on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, it’s not likely to change their plans regarding team captain Zdeno Chara, suggests Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston. Even if they don’t climb their way back into the postseason picture, they’re still expected to attempt to re-sign the 40-year-old for another season and not make him available as a rental player by the trade deadline. Chara is still logging heavy minutes in Boston this season (averaging 23:28 per game) and while he’s slowing down, he still should be able to contribute for at least one more year beyond this one.
Minor Transactions: 11/06/17
As always, we’ll keep an eye on the minor transactions around the league right here. Keep checking back to stay updated on all the movement in the NHL.
- The Boston Bruins have recalled Rob O’Gara from the AHL. The 24-year old defenseman played in one game earlier in the year for the Bruins, but has spent most of the season in Providence. A fifth-round pick from 2011, O’Gara played four seasons at Yale University before making his NHL debut last year.
- The Bruins have also terminated Ryan White’s professional tryout, ending any chance he had of signing with the team. White will now try to find another opportunity to continue his career, after being unable to find an NHL contract this summer. A veteran of 313 games, White split last season between the Arizona Coyotes and Minnesota Wild, but has never been much more than a fourth-line depth player.
- Boston seems to be the only team making minor moves today, as they’ve also moved David Krejci to injured reserve while recalling Zane McIntyre on an emergency basis. Krejci hasn’t played since October 19th and isn’t expected to be back this week even if the IR stint has been backdated. Anton Khudobin’s availability is still up in the air, leading to the team needing McIntyre for insurance purposes. Tuukka Rask is still expected to make the start tonight against Minnesota.
- The Winnipeg Jets have activated Adam Lowry from injured reserve after several weeks without the 24-year old forwad. Lowry last played on October 12th and has suited up just four times in totals this season. An important part of their depth down the middle, the Jets nevertheless have gone one a successful run without Lowry. The team now sits at 7-3-3 and are looking like a potential playoff team in the Western Conference.
- The Ottawa Senators have recalled Nick Paul and Marcus Hogberg for their upcoming games in Sweden. Each team is allowed to carry an emergency goaltender on the trip in case of injury, and with Andrew Hammond traded to Colorado (ironically, the team they’ll face in Sweden) Hogberg is next up. It’ll be nice for the Swedish-born goaltender to be with the team in his home country, especially after spending most of this season in the ECHL.
Atlantic Notes: Price, Spooner
Carey Price is day-to-day with a “minor” injury. That was the message Friday after a Montreal Canadiens’ practice. And normally, the fact that the team’s superstar player is out would be a matter of major concern. However, it probably seems that no one is holding their breath like they normally would. Price, who posted a 2.33 GAA in 62 games a year ago and then proceeded to sign an eight-year, $84MM deal, has definitely had his share of problems this year. Through 11 games, Price has a 3-7-1 record with a 3.77 GAA and a .877 save percentage. Not your ordinary numbers for a prized goalie.
Perhaps a break might fix the goaltender. While much can be made about the Canadiens’ porous defense, the team has high hopes their goalie can figure it out and fix a lot of the team’s problems on his own, according to Arpon Basu of The Athletic (subscription required).
“I have no concern about the fact Carey will find his game and will be a big part of our success,” head coach Claude Julien said. “We know he’s going through a tough time, we won’t hide it. No one is hiding from it. But we know what kind of goalie he is. Unfortunately, a forward or a defenseman can go through something like this and it’s always a little harder to tell because he’s not the last person left to stop a goal. So when it’s a goalie, it’s obviously always worse.”
Basu, however, notes that we’ve seen these struggles before out of Price — in fact, it was just last year. From Dec. 22, to Jan. 21 of last season, Price had a 3-5-3 record with a 3.53 and an .877 save percentage — very similar to his present numbers. He allowed 38 goals in that 11-game span and compared to this span, he’s allowed 39 goals.
The scribe writes that the biggest difference is that his present day numbers are at the beginning of the year and you can’t hide those statistics, but he overcame them to have a dominant season. What he did to break out of that slump a year ago is unknown, but maybe a game or two off will make the difference.
- Mike Lofus of the Providence Journal writes that Boston Bruins center Ryan Spooner, who was expected to miss four to six weeks on Oct. 15 after tearing a groin adductor, skated briefly this morning for the first time since the injury. While nothing official has been said, it’s possible me might be closer to the four-week estimate rather than the six-week estimate. Spooner has only appeared in five games this season, putting up one assist. Last year, the 25-year-old put up 11 goals and 39 assists.
David Backes To Undergo Colon Surgery, Out Eight Weeks
The horror-filled season of David Backes continues, as today the Boston Bruins announced that he would need colon surgery to help prevent a recurrence of diverticulitis. Backes will have the surgery—which will remove a portion of his colon—tomorrow, and will be out approximately eight weeks. In addition, Bruins have recalled Jordan Szwarz and Zane McIntyre on an emergency basis, because both David Krejci and Anton Khudobin are absent from practice.
Backes was held out until October 19th with his second bout of diverticulitis, but eventually got back into the lineup and has played the last five games for Boston. Recording just one point, he nevertheless saw plenty of ice time and was clearly an important part of the team’s forward group. To miss the next two months will test the Bruins depth, as they’ve already fallen to 4-3-3 on the season..
Signed to a five-year, $30MM contract in the summer of 2016, Backes hasn’t exactly worked out as the team had planned. Though he was a center for most of his time in St. Louis, Boston has used him almost exclusively on the wing through his time there and saw him register just 38 points in 74 games last season. While you can’t dismiss that total entirely, Backes had played at a 55-point season pace over the last eight years and scored at least 20 goals in each of the last five non-lockout shortened seasons. At 33, now facing another long rehab period one can only wonder how much time he has left as an effective option—or at least one worth his $6MM cap hit.
Bruins Send Agostino, McIntyre Back To AHL
The Boston Bruins have assigned forward Kenny Agostino and goaltender Zane McIntyre back to Providence of the AHL, after both dressed for the team last night. McIntyre backed up Tuukka Rask, while Agostino played just under six minutes up front. Both will return to the P-Bruins, where they were having excellent seasons.
With Anton Khudobin dealing with just a minor injury, McIntyre was never expected to stay up with the NHL club for much longer. He’ll serve as the third goaltender for the Bruins organization all season, but hopefully not need to start many games for the big club. The 25-year old goaltender has a .928 save percentage with Providence this season, something he’ll look to continue now that he’s back in the AHL.
Agostino is a more interesting story. Last year’s AHL MVP and scoring leader, he signed a one-year, one-way $875K contract with the Bruins this summer and looked like he had an inside track for a role up front. That all disappeared in training camp when several young players showed they were ready, and Agostino has been limited to just five games and 12 minutes a night for Boston. He’s registered just one point in those games, but has generated 11 shots. While there are obvious shortcomings to his game, he does have offensive upside that could feature at some point this season.
For now, he’ll have to continue his domination of the AHL and prove that he’s ready to take the next step. At 25, Agostino now has seasons of 43, 57 and 83 points in the minor leagues and was off to a hot start with seven points in his first three games for the P-Bruins. If there ever was such a thing as a “Quad-A” player in hockey, he is it.