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Bruins Notes: Swayman, PTOs, Spicer

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The Boston Bruins are planning to enter training camp without a confirmed starter, with general manager Don Sweeney sharing that there are still no updates on a new deal – only telling Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, “We’ll talk [with Swayman] next week.” Boston begins their training camp on September 18th and will be doing so with Joonas Korpisalo as their top netminder, pending a sudden change.

That’s certainly not what the team could have planned when they traded former Vezina Trophy-winner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, clearing a path for Swayman to finally take on the starting role. The two have split time for the last three seasons, with Swayman managing a dazzling .919 save percentage in 132 games over the stretch. He played in a career-high 44 games last season but still sits without a legitimate test in a starting role. That’s likely one of, if not thee, biggest pieces holding up negotiations – though a rumored high asking price and lack of comparable contracts don’t make matters easier.

Other notes out of Boston:

  • Sweeney also shared with NHL.com’s Mark Divver that the team isn’t expecting to sign any more PTOs, though he didn’t rule them out entirely. That would leave former Stanley Cup-winner Tyler Johnson as the team’s only try-out this camp, potentially opening more opportunity for fringe players like Justin Brazeau, John Beecher, and John Farinacci to get noticed. The quartet will are a part of a crowded competition for ice-time in Boston’s bottom-six, after the team lost an endless list of depth pieces this summer.
  • Bruins prospect Cole Spicer took the ice with the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints on Saturday night, making his first appearance since stating that he’d be stepping away from the game indefinitely for personal reasons. Spicer was listed as the Saints’ top-line center in Dubuque’s final game of the pre-season. He’s spent the last two seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, recording a measly 15 points in 49 appearances. A return to the USHL would make Spicer one of the league’s older players, though it could also mark a necessary change of scenery after two down years. The feisty centerman will be one to watch as the season rolls around, as he looks to gather his footing in the hockey world and begin fighting his way up the Bruins organization.

Snapshots: Crosby, Ullmark, Perfetti

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Elliotte Friedman spoke on his 32 Thoughts podcast about Sidney Crosby’s contract negotiations with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Friedman believes that Crosby will sign a short-term deal because he doesn’t want to leave the Penguins in a difficult salary cap situation if his play was to fall off. Friedman adds that he has talked to sources who’ve said that Crosby doesn’t want to do anything that would affect the long-term outlook for the Penguins or his legacy with the team. Crosby is coming off one of the finest seasons ever for a 36-year-old after posting 94 points in 82 games and appears more open to playing into his 40s, however, no one knows if that is his intention.

In other news from around the NHL:

  • Elliotte Friedman reported on the 32 Thoughts podcast that the Boston Bruins traded Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators before signing Jeremy Swayman, because they were concerned that if they waited until July, Ullmark could change his no-trade list and put Ottawa on it. Boston did not have to ask the former Vezina Trophy winner for permission to move him to the Senators, however, it did create a situation where they now rely solely on Swayman for starting goaltending this season, which could be problematic if Swayman misses any length of time due to a contract dispute.
  • The Winnipeg Jets and forward Cole Perfetti appear to have a gap in the financials regarding the 22-year-old’s contract extension (as per Elliotte Friedman). Perfetti is reportedly negotiating a bridge deal with the Jets, and while they appear to be on the same page with regard to terms, the two sides have room between them when it comes to dollars. Perfetti is coming off his third NHL season and posted 19 goals and 19 assists last year in 71 games while averaging just 13:35 of ice time per game. He was benched down the stretch last season but does seem poised for a breakout this year, particularly if he can continue to generate chances in the offensive zone and post good defensive numbers.

Bruins Planning To Use Merkulov At Center

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  • The Bruins intend to use Georgii Merkulov at center at training camp, relays Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. The 23-year-old made his NHL debut last season, getting into four games with Boston where he was held off the scoresheet but he was quite productive with AHL Providence, notching 30 goals and 35 assists in 67 games.  Boston signed Elias Lindholm to anchor the top line this summer while they acquired Mark Kastelic who should hold down the center spot on the fourth line.  With Charlie Coyle still in the mix presumably the center on the second trio, it appears that Merkulov will have to beat out Matthew Poitras and PTO Tyler Johnson to land a regular role in the lineup.

Atlantic Notes: Lysell, Marchand, Laine

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The Bruins opened rookie camp today without 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell. That’s by design, however, writes Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic. AHL Providence head coach Ryan Mougenel told Shinzawa that the organization wants Lysell “extremely ready” when veterans report to training camp next Wednesday, signaling Boston’s front office fully intends on Lysell pushing for a spot on the opening night roster.

“He knows how well he can play,” general manager Don Sweeney told Shinzawa. “He knows how much we were proud of the steps he had taken. He had a good camp last year. He’s just still got to continue to work on his complete game. One-on-one skills stuff and some of the stuff he can do to change a game are really good.”

Lysell, 21, is entering his third professional season but has yet to make his NHL debut. He’s been tearing up the farm under Mougenel in Providence, though. He finished fourth on the team in scoring last season with 50 points (15 goals, 35 assists) in 56 games.

The 21st overall pick three years ago remains a high-upside playmaking option for Boston at right-wing – a current position of weakness after Jake DeBrusk left for the Canucks in free agency. He’ll look to push players like Justin Brazeau, Trent Frederic, or Morgan Geekie down the depth chart to start the Bruins’ season opener in a second or third-line role.

There’s more from the Atlantic Division:

  • Brad Marchand reaffirmed to reporters today that he expects to be ready for the Bruins’ season opener on Oct. 8 in Florida after undergoing a trio of offseason surgeries, per Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. The captain revealed his injuries to the media early last week, disclosing that he underwent elbow, abdominal, and groin procedures over the past few months.
  • Canadiens AHL head coach Pascal Vincent told “The Sick Podcast” with Tony Marinaro that fresh trade acquisition Patrik Laine, whom he oversaw with the Blue Jackets last season, is the “most talented player he’s ever coached” (X link). It’s undoubtedly a bold assessment to make after Laine played just 18 games last season, Vincent’s only campaign at the helm in Columbus, but it gives a bit of optimism that the Habs have the internal tools to help Laine rediscover his 30-to-45-goal potential after an incredibly trying 2023-24 season for the Finnish winger.

Dreger: Bruins, Jeremy Swayman Closer To Deal Than Previously Reported

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After a long summer of contract negotiations between the Bruins and restricted free agent netminder Jeremy Swayman, cautious optimism is slowly building about the two sides coming to an agreement. Speaking on TSN 1050 Toronto’s “First Up” segment today, TSN’s Darren Dreger didn’t go so far as to say a deal before training camp is imminent but did report that “negotiations are probably closer than what we’re reading about” (stick taps to The Fourth Period).

As referenced by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on last week’s “32 Thoughts” podcast and first reported by Ryan Whitney of the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast, the Bruins hadn’t reportedly moved much from an initial four-year, $24.8MM ($6.2MM AAV) offer they used to open talks at the beginning of the offseason. Swayman’s camp, meanwhile, has been looking for a longer-term pact in the $8.5MM AAV range, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff said last month.

Regardless of how highly the Bruins value the 25-year-old Swayman, whose .918 SV% ranks third in the league over the past two seasons among goalies with over 50 appearances, they can’t commit to his ask without making a corresponding transaction. They have one open roster spot left for the goalie, but cap space would become an issue with $8.64MM in projected room, per PuckPedia.

While Dreger thinks negotiations are closer than that multi-year, multi-million-dollar gap, he wasn’t clear about which side was more willing to deviate from their ask. Last month, Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe opined a shorter-term deal with an AAV more similar to the Predators’ Juuse Saros, who inked an eight-year extension with a $7.78MM cap hit earlier this summer, could end up being what gets Swayman between the pipes before opening night.

And, while all indications still point to an agreement coming before then, it’s significantly less certain that Swayman will be in attendance when training camp opens next week. The netminder said on a podcast last month that he doesn’t want to drag down other goalies’ earning potential in the future by taking a lesser deal that could hurt their comparables.

With tandem partner Linus Ullmark out the door to the Senators, Swayman will be an undisputed No. 1 netminder for the first time this season – very clearly the root of Boston’s hesitancy to shell out superstar-level cash, even if his play has warranted it in lesser usage. He did make the slight majority of starts for the Bruins last season with 43, posting a 25-10-8 record and .916 SV% en route to finishing seventh in Vezina Trophy voting.

Atlantic Notes: Peterka, Kostadinski, McCue

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The NHL has ramped up its visits overseas coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, they often make an effort to reunite foreign-born NHLers with their home countries and, even in some cases, their former teams.

That’ll be the case for emerging Sabres winger John-Jason Peterka, who spoke to NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika about getting the chance to suit up in his native Germany and play a preseason game against EHC Munich of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, where he played in 2019-20 and 2020-21.

“I was always there with my parents cheering for the team,” Peterka told Cotsonika. “We were in the stands all the time. It was so special for me to play for Munich because I’m from there [and grew] up there. Yeah, having the chance now to go back there, play against them, play in front of all the fans again, yeah, it’s going to be really special.”

After their exhibition game in Munich, the Sabres will open the regular season with a back-to-back against the Devils in Prague, Czechia. It’s the start of a crucial campaign for Peterka, who’s entering the final season of his entry-level contract after scoring a career-high 28 goals and 50 points last season.

Other items of note from around the Atlantic:

  • Bruins defense prospect Kristian Kostadinski has committed to Boston College, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal and NHL.com. Boston drafted the 6’6″, 220-lb stay-at-home defender in the seventh round of the 2023 draft. The Gothenburg, Sweden native spent last season at home with Frölunda HC’s U20 club and will touch down in the North American juniors circuit this season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League. The 19-year-old will head to BC for his freshman campaign in 2025-26.
  • Maple Leafs seventh-rounder Sam McCue has a real chance to outperform his draft slot, opines Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff for The Leafs Nation. McCue, 19 next month, was taken 216th overall a few months ago after posting 37 points in 68 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s Peterborough Petes and Owen Sound Attack last year. But despite those conservative point totals, Ellis believes McCue has NHL upside in his game as a “high-motor winger.”

Brad Marchand Underwent Multiple Offseason Surgeries, Expected To Be Ready For Season

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Bruins captain Brad Marchand underwent a trio of surgeries this summer, he told reporters at an informal skate Tuesday (via Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub). The winger may be slightly limited to start training camp later this month but expects to be ready for opening night, per Scott McLaughlin of WEEI.

The first procedure Marchand had done was to repair a torn tendon in his elbow that plagued him for the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign, he said. He also underwent abdominal and groin surgeries to repair injuries he sustained late in the regular season.

Those injuries barely cost Marchand any playing time. For the second time in his career, he played in all 82 regular-season games, but he missed two playoff games with what the team called an upper-body injury. That one was presumably addressed with abdominal surgery.

Marchand slowed offensively in 2023-24, but whether that was because of his injuries or age remains to be seen. The 15-year veteran is entering his age-36 season and posted 67 points (0.82 per game) last year, his lowest per-game rate since 2015-16. He still managed to finish second on the team in scoring behind David Pastrňák and helped lead the Bruins to their first playoff series win since 2021 in his first season as captain following Patrice Bergeron’s retirement.

He’ll reprise his top-six role this season, but likely not on a line with Pastrňák with free-agent signing Elias Lindholm down the middle. Marchand said he expects to start the year back on the team’s second line, centered by Charlie Coyle (via Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe).

It’s an important campaign for Marchand as he kicks off the final year of the eight-year, $49MM extension he signed back in 2016. General manager Don Sweeney said in May that signing Marchand to an extension was one of his top priorities this summer, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Could Marchand Look To Maximize Earnings On Next Deal After Taking Team-Friendly Agreement Previously?

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While Jeremy Swayman’s contract situation is rightfully getting the attention in Boston right now, Ken Campbell of The Hockey News highlights the other contract of note the Bruins will have to work out, which is an extension for Brad Marchand.  At the time he signed his team-friendly deal that carries a $6.25MM AAV, the talk was about how their top players left some money on the table to keep the core together.  Since then, David Pastrnak ($11.25MM AAV) and Charlie McAvoy ($9.5MM AAV) have signed pricey deals with Swayman believed to be looking for $8MM or more as well.  While Marchand is nearing the end of his career (he’ll be 37 when his next contract starts), Campbell wonders if he could be inclined to look to maximize his potential earnings this time around.  He adds that there have been no discussions about an extension between the two sides so far.

Evening Notes: Swayman, Dubois, Flames

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The Boston Bruins could opt for a short-term, bridge deal with starting goaltender Jeremy Swayman, as contract talks drag into Labor Day weekend, shares Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. Dupont mentioned that the $7.74MM cap hit on Juuse Saros’ recent eight-year extension could be a guiding light for the Bruins and Swayman, though there’s no definitive way to know what’s inspiring negotiations. A short-term deal would certainly be easier to price out, and give Boston the comfort of not committing much to a goaltender who hasn’t yet played a 50-game season.

But Swayman has commanded a lot of respect through just three full NHL seasons. He’s posted a .919 save percentage in 132 career games and has already won the William Jennings Trophy and earned top-10 Vezina Trophy consideration – all before his 26th birthday in November. That impressive precedent, Linus Ullmark’s move to Ottawa, and some well-timed studying of the CBA has Swayman inevitably positioned for a hefty contract. Boston could cut into the total salary with a short-term deal, but they’d run the risk of walking the still-young Swayman into long-term negotiations after the likes of Igor Shesterkin and Jake Oettinger set the bar for elite-goalie salaries. The Bruins currently have $8.64MM in available cap space, with no remaining free agents besides Swayman.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Washington Capitals are preparing for summer acquisition Pierre-Luc Dubois to play alongside hard-nosed winger Tom Wilson, head coach Spencer Carbery shared with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. Carbery added, “I think those two guys playing together – big bodies, guys that can hold onto the puck – could be a good duo.”  That assignment likely means that Dubois is headed for Washington’s top line, one season after his top-line opportunity with the Los Angeles Kings turned into muddling third-line minutes and broken relationships. Dubois scored just 40 points last season, 20 fewer than his totals in the two prior years. Playing with Wilson should give Dubois the space to rediscover that scoring this season, though Washington will have to be careful with their usage – as the two players have combined for 562 penalty minutes over the last three seasons (Dubois – 253; Wilson –  309).
  • The Calgary Flames are still open for business on the trade market, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period shared during an appearance on NHL Tonight. Pagnotta went on to mention a string of players that may be on the trade block, including lineup pillars Nazem Kadri and Rasmus Andersson, indicating that the Flames could be heading for a more true-to-form rebuild, as they look to build around top youngsters like Dustin Wolf, Zayne Parekh, and Samuel Honzek.

Bruins Sign Tyler Johnson To PTO

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With training camps now less than three weeks away, it’s expected that there will be an uptick in PTO activity over the coming days as players look to catch on somewhere.  The Bruins are getting involved in the tryout market as the team announced that they’ve signed veteran forward Tyler Johnson to a tryout agreement.

[Related: 2024 Professional Tryout Tracker]

The 34-year-old spent the last three seasons with Chicago after being acquired from Tampa Bay in a salary cap-clearing move.  Staying healthy had been a challenge for Johnson in his time with the Blackhawks which certainly didn’t help his cause on the open market.  Nonetheless, he managed to put up 32 points in 56 games in 2022-23 and followed that up with 17 goals and 14 assists in 67 contents last season while logging 15:32 per night.

Before that time, Johnson spent nine seasons with Tampa Bay, being a key secondary scorer for most of his tenure with them.  Over his 12-year career, he has 193 goals and 238 assists in 738 games between the Lightning and Blackhawks.  With that track record and a decent showing offensively when healthy with Chicago over the last two years, it’s a little surprising that he wasn’t able to secure a guaranteed contract for the upcoming season.

Earlier this month, we took a closer look at Johnson’s free agency and highlighted the Bruins as one of the possible fits.  While Johnson has spent more time on the wing than down the middle in recent years, he can still play center and would represent some insurance on Matthew Poitras who missed 38 games last season due to shoulder troubles.  If they want Poitras to ease in on the wing to start the season – or even start at AHL Providence – Johnson could serve as some low-cost insurance on that front.

At the moment, the Bruins have around $8.64MM in cap space, per PuckPedia.  However, most of that will be earmarked for RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman; they will need to sign him before they can get a better sense of what they might or might not be able to spend on a contract for Johnson or any other veteran free agents that they might have their eye on.  In the meantime, Johnson will at least have a shot at suiting up in the preseason and making a case for a contract either with Boston or elsewhere.

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