- Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal suggests (Twitter link) that there are trade rumors surrounding Bruins prospect Brett Harrison at the OHL level. The 19-year-old was a third-rounder back in 2021 and has already signed his entry-level contract. Harrison has 29 points in 24 games with Oshawa this season but with the Generals sitting in last in their division (even though they still hold a playoff spot), they’re expected to be sellers prior to the January 10th trade deadline.
Bruins Rumors
Boston Bruins Recall Craig Smith
Dec 21: Smith is back with the big club, though he never really left. Recalled from the minor leagues, he will be available for tomorrow’s game (as long as they don’t send him down again).
Dec 20: The Boston Bruins will try and save a little cap space over the holiday break, assigning Craig Smith to the AHL after the veteran forward cleared waivers yesterday. Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now reports that Smith remains with Boston for the time being, even though his contract has officially been loaned to the Providence Bruins.
Since the Bruins are no longer using any long-term injured reserve relief, they can accrue cap space every day they spend under the ceiling. By sending Smith’s contract down, $1.125MM of the $3.1MM cap hit will come off the books.
The 33-year-old will still be able to collect his full $4.3MM salary, but it certainly would be something to see him suit up for Providence. It’s been a decade since Smith played in the minor leagues, and even then he only spent four games in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2009 draft, he became a star at the University of Wisconsin and stepped directly into the NHL after signing with the Nashville Predators, scoring 14 goals and 36 points as a rookie in 2011-12. The only reason he was even in the minor leagues the following season was because of the lockout-shortened season, and ever since he has been one of the most reliable middle-six forwards in the league.
After recording double-digit goals and at least 29 points in each of the last nine seasons, Smith had just four points in 18 games this year. Over an 807-game career, he has scored 192 goals and 402 points. At the end of the season, Smith’s three-year, $9.3MM deal will come to an end, leaving him an unrestricted free agent.
Craig Smith Placed On Waivers
Perhaps the most intriguing name on this list is Smith. A veteran of 12 NHL seasons, the forward is in the final year of a three-year, $3.1MM AAV contract he signed with the Boston Bruins prior to the 2020-21 season. The 33-year-old has struggled to start this season with just four points in 17 games, playing just 9:51 per night, far less than his career 14:44 average. By placing him on waivers, it’s likely the Bruins, who are operating right along the edge of the salary cap ceiling will be hoping Smith is claimed, relieving them from his cap hit.
Given the Bruins impeccable start to this season and the possibility of their competitive window closing shortly, considering Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s age and David Pastrnak’s uncertain contract status, one would think the team will be looking to make a splash at or before the trade deadline. Having Smith claimed isn’t the be-all-end-all of making a big acquisition, but would get the ball rolling in Boston, or at the very least, allow them to hand off his cap hit without having to give up an asset to do so.
David Krejci Out Sunday, Should Play Tuesday
- Prior to their game tonight against Vegas, the Bruins announced (Twitter link) that center David Krejci is out due to a lower-body injury sustained on Friday against Arizona. Fortunately for Boston, the absence is likely to be short-lived as the team hopes he’ll be ready to play in their next game on Tuesday. Krejci’s return to the NHL has been a very good one so far as the 36-year-old has 21 points in 23 games so far, the highest point-per-game average of his 16-year NHL career.
Five Players Clear Waivers
Dec 9: All five players have cleared, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Rooney, Benson, Kaut, and Carpenter can now be assigned to the minor leagues, while Berglund’s contract will be terminated.
Dec 8: It’s a busy Thursday on the waiver wire, as Kevin Rooney of the Calgary Flames, Tyler Benson of the Edmonton Oilers, Martin Kaut of the Colorado Avalanche, and Ryan Carpenter of the New York Rangers are all available for claim, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Boston Bruins defenseman Victor Berglund has also been placed on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a contract termination.
Rooney, 29, has not worked out quite as well as the Flames had hoped when they signed him to a two-year, $2.6MM contract in July. After scoring six goals and 12 points in 61 games last season for the New York Rangers, the depth forward has just a single assist in 17 matches for Calgary.
With today’s recall of Matthew Phillips, it appears as though the Flames will go in a different direction for their bottom six. Rooney’s contract will likely keep him from being claimed, though, meaning he can stay with the organization and try to get his game back on track. By moving him to the minor leagues, $1.125MM of his $1.3MM cap hit would come off the books.
For Benson, it’s not quite so rosy. The 24-year-old has played two games with the Oilers this season, barely seen the ice during them, and has no contract security past this year. The 32nd overall pick from 2016 has never been able to stick in the NHL despite strong numbers in the minor leagues, and appears to be a potential non-tender candidate next summer as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent.
Kaut, 23, already cleared waivers at the beginning of this season, but had landed a regular spot in the Colorado lineup since and needed them again to go back to the minor leagues. The 2018 first-round pick has three points in 18 games this year, and was on the ice for multiple goals against in last night’s 4-0 loss to the Bruins.
The Avalanche haven’t been able to find any mix of depth forwards they are happy with, and continue to make changes on a near-daily basis. Kaut’s waiver placement doesn’t necessarily mean he’s headed back down, given all of the injuries they have. He also could be claimed, given his relatively young age and draft pedigree.
Carpenter, like Rooney, hasn’t been able to find the same level of play he had last season with his new team. The Rangers forward has just three points in 21 games and has become a fringe option, moving in and out of the lineup. Even with his familiarity with head coach Gerrard Galant, the Rangers can’t keep putting Carpenter out there without some more consistent play.
Berglund, 23, was picked 195th overall in 2017 and signed his entry-level deal in 2020. It is set to expire at the end of the year and he has barely played this season, meaning the two sides are just splitting a little early so he can chase a job somewhere else. The Swedish defenseman will be an unrestricted free agent and is likely headed back to Europe.
Victor Berglund's Contract Termination Could Pave The Way To An NHL Deal For Luke Toporowski
- NHL.com’s Mark Divver wonders if the Boston Bruins termination of Victor Berglund’s contract could pave the way to an NHL contract for forward Luke Toporowski. As Divver points out, this will leave the Bruins with 47 contracts, perhaps enough flexibility to add one back in that of Toporowski. NHL teams are allowed to carry a maximum of 50 contracts within the organization, but generally prefer to stay away from having 50, or even 49, in order to give them flexibility in certain situations. Divver adds there is interest from other teams in Toporowski, but Boston has exclusive rights with him until January 1st, and even thereafter can match any other offer Toporowski accepts. A product of both the WHL and USHL, Toporowski went undrafted but signed on with the Providence Bruins this offseason after scoring 35 goals in just 49 games between the Spokane Chiefs and Kamloops Blazers last season. The 21-year-old has 17 points in 21 AHL games so far this season.
Bruins Have Been Asked To Loan Fabian Lysell For World Juniors
- With the World Juniors fast approaching, Sweden has approached the Bruins about winger Fabian Lysell, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 19-year-old is playing with AHL Providence this season and is off to a nice start to his first professional campaign as he sits third on the team with 14 points in 17 games. While some teams hesitate to loan their players from the NHL, it’d be a little surprising if Boston wasn’t amenable to loaning the 19-year-old for his final opportunity to play in that tournament.
Boston Bruins Activate Derek Forbort
The Boston Bruins have officially activated Derek Forbort from long-term injured reserve, sending Anton Stralman down to the Providence Bruins at the same time. Stralman cleared waivers earlier today, meaning his entire $1MM cap hit can be buried in the minor leagues.
Many followers of the Bruins were confused when head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters including Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe that the team would not need any other moves to activate Forbort, since at first blush the CapFriendly page appeared to show a lack of cap space for the move. But that space was based on the $82,091,667 accruable cap space limit that the team set before the season when they first entered LTIR. With Forbort back, the team is now completely out of LTIR, and has a total cap hit of $82,454,167, just under the regular cap ceiling of $82.5MM.
It’s close, but the team doesn’t need to make another move and can continue with a 22-man roster.
Forbort, meanwhile, is coming back after a month on the shelf, last playing November 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The veteran defenseman had three points in his first ten games and was averaging more than 20 minutes a night, holding the fort while the team waited on some other pieces to return. Now that everyone is healthy, he’ll likely assume a lesser – but still important – role on the club, and try to help them continue their torrid start.
Stralman, meanwhile, is headed to the AHL for the first time in more than a decade. The last time he suited up in the minor leagues was during the 2008-09 season with the Toronto Marlies, before he had really established himself as a regular in the league. Nearly 900 games later and he’s headed back, though it will be interesting to see if another club goes after him as a trade target, now that he has cleared waivers.
Anton Stralman Clears Waivers
Nov 29: Perhaps surprisingly, Stralman has indeed cleared waivers and can be assigned to the minor leagues to make room for Forbort.
Nov 28: After playing just 8:44 in his last appearance with the Boston Bruins, Anton Stralman finds himself on waivers today. The veteran defenseman is available for claim, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, which would potentially open up a roster spot for the soon-to-return Derek Forbort.
Stralman, 36, signed a one-year, $1MM contract with the Bruins in October, giving the team a veteran defenseman to lean on while they dealt with injuries. Now, after eight relatively underwhelming appearances, the team needs the cap space and the roster spot. Stralman failed to record a point in his games as a Bruin, though seven of the eight did result in wins. In two of those, he even logged more than 19 minutes, though the ice time has been more difficult to come by as the season progressed.
It will be interesting to see if a defense-needy team takes a shot on the veteran right-hander. Stralman has more than 900 games of NHL experience and was once a top-pairing two-way option, capable of supporting more offensive-minded players. In 2014-15, skating for much of the year next to a young Victor Hedman, he finished 13th in Norris Trophy voting.
That defenseman is long gone, but there’s at least reason to believe he could still help a team’s bottom pair. As recently as last season, he logged more than 21 minutes a night for the Arizona Coyotes, racking up 23 points despite brutal deployment numbers – receiving almost nothing but defensive zone starts to help protect some of the team’s younger options. For teams dealing with multiple injuries on the back end, he could add some stability.
Linus Ullmark Practicing, Craig Smith Day-To-Day
- Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery says goalie Linus Ullmark is healthy enough for backup duty tomorrow night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. After leaving Friday’s come-from-behind win against the Hurricanes with an upper-body injury, Ullmark was back with the team today at practice. His 13 wins, .935 save percentage, and 2.00 goals-against average all lead the NHL. Forward Trent Frederic was also back at practice today after missing two games, while Craig Smith will miss tomorrow’s game with an upper-body injury suffered against the Hurricanes and is day-to-day.