- Bruins center David Backes has started to skate and train in recent days but head coach Bruce Cassidy suggested to Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald that there is still a possibility that Backes will need surgery. Backes has yet to play this season due to diverticulitis. Still with Boston, Cassidy noted to Harris that although center Patrice Bergeron skated on his own on Friday, he’s listed as doubtful for tonight’s game versus Arizona.
Bruins Rumors
Overseas Notes: Da Costa, Streit, Steen
Yet another NHL veteran who was trying to hold out for a new contract in North America is now close to settling for European employment. The Swiss Hockey News reports that Stephane Da Costa is nearing an agreement with Geneve-Servette of the Swiss NLA. Da Costa, 28, was a superstar at Merrimack College from 2009 to 2011 and looked to be the next great story in the NHL after signing with the Ottawa Senators – an undrafted player coming from a non-traditional hockey country of France. While Da Costa proved to be a lethal producer in the AHL, he could never quite stick in Ottawa and left the NHL in 2012. Da Costa spent the past three years with CSKA Moscow of the KHL, putting up solid numbers, but it has been his international play on the part of France that has really turned heads. Beginning with a stellar 10-point performance at the World Championships last spring, Da Costa had reportedly been drawing interest from NHL teams and fully planned on playing with the world’s best this season. Yet, with the new season underway, those offers never came and it seems Da Costa is now ready to move on. While Geneve-Servette is off to a tough start in the NLA – second-to-last currently – they are not without considerable talent up front, including NHL veterans Nathan Gerbe, Nick Spaling, and Cody Almond, as well as San Jose Sharks prospect Noah Rod. Da Costa could help kick start a team that typically performs near the top of the NLA and made it to the final of the 2017 Swiss Cup tournament.
- Da Costa hasn’t yet signed with Geneve-Servette, but by the time he does he may no longer be the biggest name in terms of recent additions. With Mark Streit being placed on waivers by the Montreal Canadiens yesterday (with a very good chance of clearing today), it seems more likely that the veteran defenseman will ask for his release than be assigned to the AHL but the Canadiens. Given that the soon-to-be-40-year-old could have simply rode off into the sunset after winning the Stanley Cup last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, it is clear that he wants to keep playing. That opportunity will likely come in his native country of Switzerland, where Streit has suited up for the NLA’s HC Davos, ZSC Lions, and SC Bern over his career. A return home to much fanfare and a chance to play in the Olympics seems like much more fitting end for Streit than playing in the minors
- A seemingly minor move in the KHL could be of some interest to Boston Bruins fans. In a round-up of their minor transaction over the past few days, the league revealed that the rights to forward Oskar Steen, Boston’s sixth-round pick in 2016, had been acquired by SKA St. Petersburg. While Steen has been playing for Farjestad of the SHL for three years now, an opportunity to play for SKA may be tough for the young Swede forward to pass up. Farjestad is no slouch, but SKA has been wildly successful in recent years, winning two of the past three KHL titles and again tearing up the league with a 17-point lead over the next-best team. SKA graduated players like Vadim Shipachyov and Evgeni Dadonov to the NHL this off-season, but still carry top prospects like Nikita Gusev and Igor Shestyorkin and talented veterans like Ilya Kovalchuk, Viktor Tikhonov, Sergei Plotnikov, and even long-time defenseman Maxim Chudinov, former property of the Bruins. Joining that mix could be a good career-move for the under-utilized Steen, could give SKA a further boost, and could help round out yet another promising prospect to add to the Bruins’ ranks.
Morning Notes: Bergeron, Girard, Honka
The Boston Bruins will be without top center Patrice Bergeron for at least one more game, according to head coach Bruce Cassidy. Bergeron hasn’t played yet this season, but is “aiming for the weekend” to return to a struggling Boston lineup. The team could use him, as they looked sluggish in their 4-0 loss at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche yesterday.
Danton Heinen, recalled today to help out the offense was practicing on the wing of Sean Kuraly today, while Riley Nash moved up to Bergeron’s spot on the first line. That also meant the much maligned trio of Matt Beleskey, Ryan Spooner and Frank Vatrano were back together as the team’s third line. While things aren’t set in stone, the team could use Bergeron back as quickly as possible to help push some depth options back into the positions that suit them best.
- The Nashville Predators, dealing with injuries of their own will have game-time decisions on captain Roman Josi and Colton Sissons. That means youngster Samuel Girard is expected to make his debut according to Adam Vingan of the Tennessean. The 19-year old defenseman dominated the QMJHL to the tune of 75 points in 59 games last season, before jumping to the AHL for the stretch run. He is a dynamic skater and playmaker, but comes in at just 162-lbs. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact he can have right away, especially if the team is without Josi’s minute-munching presence.
- Another debut—this time of the seasonal variety—is here in Dallas, as Julius Honka will get his campaign underway. Not only was Honka expected to have a full-time role on this team, but some even considered him a potential Calder Trophy contender as one of the league’s best rookies. Honka possesses an excellent two-way game, and will be in the lineup in Dan Hamhuis’ stead tonight. Hamhuis is dealing with a groin injury.
Boston Recalls Heinen, Signs White To PTO
The Boston Bruins continue to make minor moves to tweak their lineup. Today, the team has recalled Danton Heinen from the Providence Bruins of the AHL, while signing Ryan White to a professional tryout. White had previously been on a PTO with the Vancouver Canucks this fall.
Yesterday, with the return of Torey Krug the Bruins sent Matt Grzelcyk back down to Providence, which opened a potential roster spot. They’ll add Heinen to lengthen out their forward depth, especially in the wake of their 4-0 loss at the hands of Colorado yesterday. The team was out of sorts offensively, really feeling the absence of Patrice Bergeron on their top line.
While Heinen isn’t a Bergeron replacement by any means, he does have youth and skill on his side. The fourth-round pick put up 44 points as an AHL rookie last season, and will help to provide some center depth. While there is no word on whether he’ll be inserted into the lineup, he could potentially take Austin Czarnik’s spot should head coach Bruce Cassidy so choose.
White on the other hand will just try to fight to earn a two-way contract with the club. The bang-and-crash forward split last season between the Arizona Coyotes and Minnesota Wild, recording 16 points and 187 hits. The 29-year old forward can contribute in a fourth line role, but could also just have been brought in as a motivating tactic for Cassidy’s team.
Boston Bruins Assign Grzelcyk To Providence, Make Four IR Transactions
The Boston Bruins have sent Matthew Grzelcyk to the AHL, while also flipping around their injured reserve statuses. Noel Acciari and David Backes have been placed on IR, while activating Austin Czarnik and Torey Krug.
Grzelcyk suited up for Boston’s opener, but played just 12 minutes on the third pairing. The 23-year old has a bright future after starring at Boston University and finding success in his first season in the AHL last year, but will have to wait for another chance to present itself. With Krug’s return, the need for an undersized puck moving defenseman is filled.
Krug broke his jaw late in training camp, but thanks to a useful quirk at the beginning of the year will likely only miss one game. The Bruins opened their season on Thursday October 5th but haven’t played since. They’ll take on the Colorado Avalanche tonight.
Backes was diagnosed with diverticulitis and will miss several weeks, a rough start to what was supposed to be a bounce-back campaign for the 33-year old. Last season—the first of a five-year, $30MM contract—Backes recorded just 38 points, his lowest total in a full season since 2007-08. The Bruins will be paying him $8MM this season, before his salary starts to decrease in his front-loaded contract. Still, the $6MM cap hit the team will have to deal with for the next four seasons has to start paying dividends or it will seriously limit their salary structure.
Vegas Goaltending Coach Wanted Subban
- Cat Silverman of The Athletic (subscription needed) writes that Vegas Golden Knights’ goaltending coach Dave Prior was a big fan of recently claimed Malcolm Subban and might be the reason why the team swapped backup goaltenders recently. Subban, a flashy, quick-moving goaltender becomes Prior’s long-term project. The goaltender has only two games of NHL experience, but had solid numbers for the Providence Bruins and had a good preseason. According to Silverman, Prior was not overly thrilled to work with Calvin Pickard, who lacked the speed and was a more by-the-book goaltender. Pickard has since been moved to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
2017-18 NCAA Players To Watch
Just like their professional and junior counterparts, the college hockey season is underway. With each passing year, the NCAA’s influence on the world of hockey grows, and in 2017-18 the college ranks contain an impressive amount of talent:
The Recent Draft Picks
D Cale Makar, UMass (COL) – The fourth overall pick this past June, Makar arguably has the highest upside of any player in his draft class. He’s even drawn comparisons to Erik Karlsson. He would be a big deal at any school, but for a Minutemen team that has struggled greatly in recent years, Makar stands to revolutionize coach Greg Carvel’s program. Fans in Amherst hope that Makar won’t be “one and done”, but the Colorado Avalanche need him just as much as UMass does. This exceptional skater could be an offensive force in the NHL sooner rather than later.
C Casey Mittelstadt, Minnesota (BUF) – Mittelstadt may have slipped in the 2017 draft, but the eighth overall pick is a dynamic offensive talent with speed and creativity. Perhaps more than anything, Mittelstadt thinks the game at an advanced level. The Gophers have a special talent on their hands and he could make waves in the NCAA this season. The only concern is whether the high school star yet has the physical tools to play at a high level.
C Ryan Poehling, St. Cloud State (MTL) – The college ranks have already seen a year’s worth of Poehling, but as the two-way threat enters his sophomore season, he’s primed to show more of his offensive ability. The 25th overall pick is as solid a center as can be found at his age and simply needs to bring the same knack for scoring as he brings to defense. He’s developing into the type of player that Canadiens head coach Claude Julien loves. If Montreal struggles to acclimate to their new coach’s defense-first system, Poehling could even be a late-season addition.
The Soon-To-Be Draft Picks
RW Brady Tkachuk, Boston University – The trend of NCAA freshman going early in the draft may reach a new high in 2017, with Tkachuk leading the charge. The son of Keith Tkachuk and brother of Matthew Tkachuk, Brady brings the same physicality and knack for scoring to his power forward role. Already 6’3”, 200-lbs. and still growing, Tkachuk will one day be a force in the NHL like his family members, but first he’s going give the college game a run for its money. Tkachuk will be fun to watch this season, especially for fans of teams looking like lottery candidates.
D Quinn Hughes, Michigan – Hughes will push Tkachuk to be the first college player selected next June, but in reality both players could easily be top ten, even top five picks. An undersized, but unbelievably skilled blue liner, Hughes could be one of the top scoring defenseman in the NCAA. The Wolverines have become the recruiting capital for top American defenseman and Hughes is their poster boy. Expect a big season from the 17-year-old.
LW Michael Pastujov, Michigan – Joining Hughes in Ann Arbor is the Florida-native Pastujov, a raw, but high-ceiling forward. An underrated member of last year’s U.S. National Development team behind the likes of Tkachuk and recent draft picks/current college players Josh Norris, Grant Mismash, and Evan Barratt in the forward corps, Pastujov’s successes were often lost in the mix. However, Michigan may be strong on defense, but ranked only 42nd in scoring last year. Alongside Norris, the San Jose Sharks’ first-round pick whom he should have some leftover chemistry with, Pastujov could be one of the top offensive threats for the Wolverines. He’s primed for a breakout campaign that could vault him into first-round consideration.
2017-18 Primer: Boston Bruins
With the NHL season now underway, we continue our look at what each team has done this summer and what to watch for in 2017-18. Next up in our team-by-team primers is the Boston Bruins.
Last Season: 44-31-7 record (95 points), third in Atlantic Division (lost in the first round to Ottawa)
Remaining Cap Space: $271K per CapFriendly
Key Additions: F Anders Bjork (Notre Dame, NCAA), D Paul Postma (free agency, Winnipeg)
Key Departures: F Jimmy Hayes (buyout, New Jersey), D John-Michael Liles (free agency, unsigned), D Colin Miller (expansion, Vegas), F Dominic Moore (free agency, Toronto), D Joe Morrow (free agency, Montreal), F Drew Stafford (free agency, New Jersey)
[Related: Bruins Depth Chart From Roster Resource]
Player To Watch: D Charlie McAvoy – Not many rookies drafted outside of the top two or three have a lot of pressure on their shoulders in their first NHL season but that isn’t the case with McAvoy. After a strong showing in the playoffs against Ottawa back in April, expectations are quite high.
It’s not often that teenage defensemen jump into a top-four right away but Boston’s defensive depth isn’t the strongest in terms of proven talents just yet so that’s the role they’re asking him to take on. Early returns suggest he should be up to the task but if not, GM Don Sweeney may have to look to the trade market to find a more suitable top-four fit.
McAvoy has been a high-end point producer wherever he has played and the Bruins are certainly hoping that he will continue that trend in the NHL where he and Torey Krug could become a very potent one-two punch that most other teams can’t match up with. That would also help offset the decline at the offensive end of Zdeno Chara who isn’t the high-end threat he was just a few years ago. McAvoy may be a rookie but he already looks to be a key cog on their back end which is certainly putting a lot of pressure on someone who was playing college hockey just six months ago.
Key Storyline: While there is definitely a shift towards playing the rookies like McAvoy, Bjork, and Jake DeBrusk, there is also a trio of veterans who are looking to bounce back from below average seasons.
David Backes’ first season with the Bruins did not exactly go as planned. His production was his lowest full-season output in nearly a decade while he played a lesser role than he did with the Blues. They’re certainly banking on a rebound from their top free agent signing in 2016 although he’s currently out for a few weeks with diverticulitis.
Matt Beleskey’s first year in Boston wasn’t bad but his second one (2016-17) was a disaster. He was banged up at times with knee trouble while at others he was a healthy scratch. All in all, he totaled just eight points which was hardly what they were expecting.
Ryan Spooner was the subject of frequent trade speculation during the year as he saw his role reduced and the talk of a possible deal carried over into the summer. He wound up signing a one-year, $2.825MM contract but a slow start could have him back in the rumor mill quickly.
The Bruins are undoubtedly hoping that their youngsters will progress through the season but the key to their overall success may come from some of their veterans rebounding to provide them with a much deeper attack. If that doesn’t happen, Sweeney will be hard-pressed to add some help considering how tight they are to the salary cap.
Noel Acciari Undergoes Surgery, Out Six Weeks
Bruins winger Noel Acciari has undergone surgery to repair a left index finger fracture, the team announced. As a result, he is expected to be out of the lineup for the next six weeks. The injury was sustained in their season opener back on October 5th. He becomes the second winger that Boston has lost this week after David Backes was diagnosed with diverticulitis.
Acciari had cracked the opening night lineup after splitting last season between the Bruins and their AHL affiliate in Providence. He played in 29 NHL games in 2016-17, recording five points (2-3-5) and 16 penalty minutes while also collecting a goal in four postseason contests.
While the team will have an open roster spot when he’s placed on injured reserve, they sit just $270K under the salary cap at the moment which doesn’t give them enough room to call anyone else up unless they choose to place Acciari on long-term injury reserve. However, they should have Patrice Bergeron (lower body) back soon while Austin Czarnik (illness) skated with the team today so they shouldn’t need to call anyone up right away to take Acciari’s place.
Minor Transactions: 10/05/17
We’ll keep track of all the assignments around the league right here, as teams fine tune their rosters.
- The Golden Knights assigned Brandon Pirri to the Chicago Wolves after clearing waivers. The 26-year old forward was just signed to a contract yesterday, after failing to earn on in Florida’s training camp. For the Golden Knights, there is no risk to signing a former 20+ goal scorer to see if he can still compete at this level. The team may be weak on offense all year, and could look to Pirri to infuse some scoring touch on the powerplay at some point.
- The Boston Bruins sent Emil Johansson back to Providence, and will go with the more veteran Paul Postma as their extra defenseman. Johansson joined the organization last year after his European season was over, and played in six games for the P-Bruins down the stretch. A seventh-round pick, Johansson is highly regarded by the Bruins staff and could get his shot at the NHL at some point this year.
- The Calgary Flames made another move, sending Garnet Hathaway to the minor leagues in order to clear room for Jaromir Jagr. Jagr was introduced yesterday at a press conference but likely won’t suit up for the team until he gets a few practices under his belt. The Flames could have used his offense last night as they were shutout by the Edmonton Oilers, in a game where Hathaway played just 11 minutes.
- The Washington Capitals have loaned Chandler Stephenson to Hershey after clearing waivers, meaning the 23-year old will have to wait patiently for his next NHL opportunity. Since being drafted in the third round, Stephenson has only been given short chances at a job with the Capitals, playing in 13 games over the past two years. Still looking for his first NHL point, he’ll have to prove it at the AHL level once again.
- Grand Rapids will be getting some help, as the Detroit Red Wings have assigned Matt Lorito and Eric Tangradi to the AHL. Tangradi cleared waivers today, and will return to the team he helped take to the Calder Cup championship a year ago. In the playoffs for Grand Rapids, Tangradi scored 19 points in 19 games, and will try to do the same this year. The Griffins have also signed Matt Carey to a professional tryout, and sent Matej Machovsky to the ECHL.
- According to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver, the Avalanche have indeed sent Joe Colborne to San Antonio to begin the season. Colborne was among those who cleared waivers today, and will have to work his way up from the minor leagues if he wants to return to the NHL. It’s a far fall for Colborne, who was a 19-goal scorer in the league just two seasons ago with Calgary, but suffered the same fate as many Avalanche players and posted a career-low in points last season. Scoring just eight all year, his $2.5MM salary looks like a dreadful overpay.
- The Blue Jackets have assigned defenseman Markus Nutivaara to the AHL (via the Cleveland Monsters website). For the former seventh-round pick appeared in 66 games during his rookie campaign, collecting two goals and five assists. He also made his way into a pair of playoff games, compiling one goal and one assist.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.