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Latest On Linus Ullmark, Craig Smith

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The Boston Bruins today became the first team in NHL history to record twelve straight home wins to start a season, but amid that history-making came some bad news. Number-one goalie Linus Ullmark, whose heroics this season have played a major role in the Bruins’ rise, went down with an injury and needed to be relieved by backup netminder Jeremy Swayman. Additionally, forward Craig Smith also left the game with an injury.

Thankfully for Boston, though, the team is optimistic about the status of their two players. Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub reports that the Bruins believe both Ullmark and Smith are out on just a day-to-day timeline. That being said, though, he does add on that they “don’t know anything definitive yet.” While the Bruins remain optimistic about their two injured players, this will definitely be something to monitor moving forward.

Nikita Zaitsev Assigned To AHL, Two Placed On Waivers

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November 18: After clearing waivers last week. the Senators have now officially sent Zaitsev to the AHL’s Belleville Senators.

November 9: Three players have hit waivers today, including some rather expensive defensemen. Mike Reilly has been waived by the Boston Bruins for the second time this season, now that his clock needed to be reset. If a player suits up for 10 NHL games or spends 30 days on the active roster after clearing waivers, they must clear again before being sent down.

With Charlie McAvoy expected to be activated in the coming days, the Bruins needed to open a roster spot and some cap space. Reilly’s $3MM won’t come off the books entirely if sent down to the minor leagues, however, meaning the team may need to make another transaction like moving Derek Forbort to long-term injured reserve to make the financials work.

The Ottawa Senators have also placed Nikita Zaitsev and Magnus Hellberg on waivers, a disappointing outcome for the former who signed a seven-year, $31.5MM contract in 2017 only to see his play deteriorate substantially in the seasons since. Zaitsev has played in seven of the Senators games this season and saw fewer than 12 minutes of ice time last night against the Vancouver Canucks. He was on the ice for two goals against despite those limited minutes and has been unable to provide consistent defensive effort for the team.

If he clears, the veteran defenseman can be sent to the minor leagues, giving the Senators a bit of cap relief. He will still make his entire salary in the AHL, however, not something that Ottawa likes to do with high-priced talent.

Hellberg, meanwhile, seems like the most reasonable target of the three for any team that is looking for some goaltending help. Nabbed from the Seattle Kraken before the season began, he stopped 29 of 30 shots in his only appearance with the Senators and recently had a long run of success in the KHL. The 6’6″ netminder wasn’t needed anymore with Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg healthy, but could be an asset for other teams.

What Your Team Is Thankful For: Boston Bruins

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As Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, PHR will be taking a look at what teams are thankful for in 2022-23. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Boston Bruins

Who are the Bruins thankful for?

Jim Montgomery.

The Bruins made one of the most controversial moves of this past offseason when they fired head coach Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy had taken the Bruins to within one win of a Stanley Cup championship in 2019 and had not missed the playoffs in any of his seasons coaching the Bruins. But after a disappointing first-round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, with rumors of friction between Cassidy and the organization generating buzz, GM Don Sweeney made the choice to initiate a coaching change.

Out went Cassidy, and in came Montgomery. The 53-year-old Montgomery was the former head coach of the Dallas Stars and was hired off of Craig Berube’s St. Louis Blues staff having helped the Blues orchestrate one of their best offensive seasons in team history.

More than anything else, Montogomery represented a complete stylistic departure from Cassidy. While Cassidy was known to be a demanding coach whose style could sometimes wear players thin, Montgomery was a more laid-back, player-friendly option who was viewed as a breath of fresh air for their locker room.

At this point in the season, it’s safe to say that despite Cassidy’s initial disappointment at his Bruins exit, this seems to be a coaching move that has worked out well for all parties involved. Montgomery has the Bruins at the top of the NHL standings at this early stage, and their locker room is seemingly in great shape.

As for Cassidy, he moved on to take a role as head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, and he has the NHL’s 31st team sitting first in the Western Conference. While it’s definitely a major risk to fire a clearly talented coach like Cassidy, the risk seems to have paid off for Boston, as they look to have a new coach who is giving them many reasons to be thankful.

What are the Bruins thankful for?

Their training staff.

A team’s training staff is an extremely important part of an NHL organization, but they often don’t receive the attention or praise they deserve. A training staff is responsible for managing the injury situations of a team’s players, and the Bruins this year have heavily leaned on theirs. Star players such as Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman have all missed time, and yet the Bruins’ haven’t missed a beat.

In fact, both Marchand and McAvoy have returned earlier than when many may have expected them to return when their injuries were first revealed. Their recovery processes for their respective injuries seem to have gone extraordinarily well, and now the Bruins are near full health as they look to continue their scorching hot start.

While the players themselves undoubtedly deserve credit for the quick turnaround in the face of their injuries, the Bruins have to be thankful for their medical and training staff at this point in their season.

The team has capably navigated the challenge posed by the significant injuries they were hit with and the roster has returned to close to full health faster than anyone could have reasonably expected.

Injuries are inevitable over the course of an NHL season, but the Bruins’ staff has ensured that they are prepared to weather any storm injuries could force them through. That’s not something many teams can boast, and it means the Bruins’ training staff is definitely something for the team to be thankful for.

What would the Bruins be even more thankful for?

Progress in their prospect pool.

The Bruins have been a competitive team for the better part of a decade and were in the Stanley Cup Final in 2019. The cost of the team’s pursuit of another Stanley Cup championship has been that their prospect pool has suffered significantly. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman ranked the Bruins’ prospect pool last in the NHL, while EliteProspects.com ranked them 30th.

Winning games, of course, is far more important than winning prospect pool rankings. No fan would sacrifice the record of success the Bruins have had since 2011 for better placement in farm system rankings.

But that being said, a lackluster player development pipeline does hurt the Bruins’ ability to maximize their current competitive window. Their ability to win a trade deadline bidding war for a top player is limited, and the Bruins’ lack of young, cheap, developed talent may have forced their hand and led them to sign some relatively expensive contracts (Nick Foligno, Mike Reilly) to fill spots lower in their lineup.

With so much going right so far in the Bruins’ season, there aren’t many things that could happen that would make the team even more thankful. But if there’s one thing they could hope to add to what has already been a magical start to their season, it would be some accelerated progress for the team’s top prospects.

A few of Boston’s top offensive prospects, namely Georgii Merkulov and Fabian Lysell, are playing above expectations, but some, such as 2019 first-rounder John Beecher, have disappointed.

If players such as 2022 second-rounder Matthew Poitras or 2021 third-rounder Brett Harrison could take emphatic steps forward in their development, the Bruins would have that much more to be thankful for this season.

What should be on the Bruins’ holiday wish list?

Trade interest in Mike Reilly.

The Bruins don’t have any major immediate need to trade Reilly, such a trade would pose some major benefits. Sure, they would lose their top depth defenseman who they can shuffle between the NHL and AHL based on need, but in exchange, they would be rid of the $1.875MM cap hit Reilly currently costs when his salary is buried in the AHL.

Reilly is clearly no longer in the Bruins’ long-term plans and is reportedly hoping for a trade in order to resolve his current situation. Reilly’s $3MM base cap hit for this season and next complicates things and is likely the reason that he hasn’t been moved to this point, especially considering he cleared waivers.

If a team were to suddenly have interest in acquiring Reilly with limited retention required on Boston’s part, that would certainly ease the Bruins’ precarious current cap position. Reilly had 17 points in 70 games last season and could be a bounce-back possibility for some teams.

But given his $3MM cap hit and the overall shortage of cap space around the league, it seems a potential Reilly trade that doesn’t require the Bruins to attach sweetener assets is more in the “wish list” territory than the realm of realistic possibility.

Photo Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Boston Bruins Activate Jeremy Swayman

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After missing the last two weeks with an injury, Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman is back in the fold. Per a team announcement, Swayman has been activated off of injured reserve.

In a corresponding move, the Bruins have sent Keith Kinkaid to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Swayman, 23, has been out with a lower-body injury, an injury that was originally classified as week-to-week.

The Bruins haven’t lost a step in Swayman’s absence. Backstopped by Linus Ullmark, who is off to a hot start with a .936 save percentage, and Kinkaid (who contributed one start, a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres) the Bruins boast a 9-1 record in their last ten games and sit top of the NHL with 28 points.

Swayman has been just a small part of the Bruins’ early success, having gotten into just four games with a .878 save percentage. That being said, though, Swayman is sure to be an important part of the Bruins’ season moving forward. Swayman went 23-14-3 last season with a .914 save percentage and a 2.41 goals-against-average.

Swayman is part of a tandem setup with Ullmark and should help ease the load the Bruins place on Ullmark’s shoulders moving forward now that he’s back to full health.

As for Kinkaid, he heads back to Providence having put a quality NHL start on his resume. At the AHL level, Kinkaid has played in four games and has a .922 save percentage. The P-Bruins have gotten elite goaltending so far this season from Kinkaid, Kyle Keyser, and Brandon Bussi, meaning a player may need to be shuffled to the ECHL level without his performance truly meriting the demotion.

With Kinkaid back in Providence, it looks like that will be Bussi, who will head back to the ECHL’s Maine Mariners having gone 4-0 in four AHL starts with a .947 save percentage.

Boston Bruins Announce Independent Review Of Player Vetting Process

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Last week, we covered the potential developments regarding a path forward in terms of severance between the Boston Bruins and prospect Mitchell Miller. Today, the Bruins released a statement announcing an independent review of their player vetting process, led by former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

The Bruins signed Miller early this month despite public knowledge that Miller was convicted of extreme allegations of bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a Black classmate with developmental disabilities. The conviction was serious enough to cause the Arizona Coyotes to rescind his rights after selecting him in the 2020 NHL Draft, yet the Bruins still proceeded to sign him as a free agent. Boston has pledged to release the results of the investigation upon completion.

Reilly Not Playing In Providence, Hoping For A Trade

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While the Bruins sent Mike Reilly back to AHL Providence earlier this week, he’s not in their lineup tonight and Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reports (Twitter link) that the defenseman is hoping for a trade.  Reilly cleared waivers back in training camp in large part due to his contract which carries a $3MM AAV through next season.  Unsurprisingly, no one wanted to pick up that full deal but if Boston is open to retaining part of the salary, then a swap might become more palatable.  The Bruins are currently carrying a $1.875MM cap charge with the 29-year-old being parked in the minors so being able to offload even some of that would help alleviate a tight cap situation.  Divver notes that it’s unknown if there is something in the works at the moment.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Boston Bruins

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2022-23 season and beyond.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Boston Bruins

Current Cap Hit: $84,435,581 (under the $82.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

G Jeremy Swayman (one year, $925K)

Potential Bonuses
Swayman: $150K

Swayman had a very nice rookie season that saw him serve as part of an effective platoon which was the role he was expected to play this year although an early injury has stalled that somewhat.  Generally speaking, a fairly limited track record should limit him a bit on his next contract (almost certainly a bridge deal) although his camp will be using Spencer Knight’s three-year, $13.5MM extension as a comparable.  Something a bit less than that could certainly be doable.

Signed Through 2022-23, Non-Entry-Level

F Patrice Bergeron ($2.5MM, UFA)
D Connor Clifton ($1MM, UFA)
F Nick Foligno ($3.8MM, UFA)
F Trent Frederic ($1.05MM, RFA)
G Keith Kinkaid ($750K, UFA)
F David Krejci ($1MM, UFA)
F Tomas Nosek ($1.75MM, UFA)
F David Pastrnak ($6.67MM, UFA)
F Craig Smith ($3.1MM, UFA)
D Anton Stralman ($1MM, UFA)
F Chris Wagner ($1.35MM, UFA)
F Pavel Zacha ($3.5MM, UFA)

Potential Bonuses
Bergeron: $2.5MM (already reached)
Krejci: $2MM ($1MM already reached)

Bergeron and Krejci agreed to team-friendly one-year deals that gave this core one last chance to go for it but the downside is the bonus overage penalty that is on the way.  You might have noticed above that $3.5MM in bonuses have already been hit while Krejci will hit another $500K within the next few weeks if he stays healthy and the other $500K is attainable if they make the playoffs which is looking likely.  Both players could get considerably more on the open market if they wanted to but have made it clear they don’t want to go anywhere else.  They could sign similar contracts next summer or the Bruins might have quite a vacancy to fill next summer.  Right now, they’re benefitting quite nicely from these contracts with the big hit coming in 2023-24 when those bonuses will hit the cap.  Zacha was brought in to potentially audition for one of Bergeron’s or Krejci’s spots a year from now but he continues to be hit or miss in the offensive zone, a trend he has had throughout his career.  Still, as a young center with size, there will be lots of interest but it’s likely to come around the $3.5MM mark on a multi-year agreement.

Pastrnak is the most notable player of the many on this list.  While there are some prominent wingers that are set to hit the open market this summer, Pastrnak is the best of them all (and also the youngest).  Heading into the season, an extension around the $10MM mark looked possible but with the start that he’s having to his year, that feels like it could be on the low end now, especially with there being some speculation that the salary cap may jump a bit more than the expected $1MM next summer.  Could Artemi Panarin’s $11.643MM (the record for a winger) be attainable?  If he keeps up the current pace, he’ll have a very strong case to make to eclipse that mark on a max-term deal.

Foligno’s first season with Boston was nothing short of a disaster as he had just two goals in 64 games.  To his credit, he has gotten off to a better start this season and already passed the two-tally mark but at this point of his career, he’s closer to being a fourth liner than an impact middle-six option and his market should correct accordingly next summer.  Smith is usually good for double-digit goals and 30-plus points each year and is the type of player that can fit on a third line and move up in a pinch.  The market for those players has really cratered in recent years so a dip in pay seems likely although he could still get a multi-year deal.

As for the other forwards, Nosek continues to be a faceoff specialist that can kill penalties and even with limited production, he’ll still have some suitors.  That said, as fourth lines get cheaper, he might come up a bit short of this price next summer.  Wagner is currently in the minors but as a physical energy player, he’ll have some interest in July but it’s likely to be on a deal that’s either at or a little under $1MM.  Then there’s Frederic, the lone RFA in this group.  He has settled in as a capable fourth liner and while that’s not a great return on a first-round pick, he should be able to get a small increase on his $1.15MM qualifying offer.

Clifton has been a role player for most of his career, working his way into a regular spot on the third pairing.  Generally, that profile tends to stay around this price tag.  However, he has picked a great time to take a step forward and has done well in a top-four role in the early going this season.  If that holds up, he could market himself as a 28-year-old top-four right-handed defender.  That could push him past the $3MM mark if the demand is high.  Stralman took a PTO deal and eventually got converted to a full contract but has played sparingly this season.  If that holds up, he’ll be hard-pressed to make this much on his next deal.

Kinkaid is currently on the roster because of Swayman’s injury so he gets a quick mention here.  He has been a serviceable third-stringer in recent years which should allow him to get a good two-way agreement that guarantees more than half of what his NHL pay would be, similar to the deal he has now (which has a $400K AHL portion).

Signed Through 2023-24

F Jake DeBrusk ($4MM, UFA)
D Derek Forbort ($3MM, UFA)
F A.J. Greer ($762.5K, UFA)
D Matt Grzelcyk ($3.6875MM, UFA)
D Mike Reilly ($3MM, UFA)
D Jakub Zboril ($1.1375MM, UFA)

After some prolonged stretches and a lengthy trade request that was eventually rescinded, DeBrusk is starting to produce more consistently.  If he can score 25 goals this year and next (matching his 2021-22 total), he’ll be in good shape to command a pricier contract with a longer-term agreement than he has been accustomed to at this point of his career.  Greer is getting his first taste of regular NHL action and is doing rather well.  If that continues, he could have a chance at doubling his price tag.

Grzelcyk never really has been able to take a big step forward offensively but he has settled in nicely as a second pairing player that will chip in with 20-25 points per season on average.  He’s also a strong skater which helps in this era of teams coveting mobility from the back end although, at 5’9, he’s one of the smaller defenders in the league.  That might hurt his market a bit in the end but he should be able to get a bit more than this in free agency.  Forbort is more of the old-school type of defender, bigger and more physical but he has had a bit more of a limited role with Boston compared to his time with Winnipeg or even Los Angeles earlier in his career.  It’s possible that in 2024, he’ll be viewed more like a fifth option which would make it difficult to get as much as he is now at that time.

Reilly has been a depth defender for most of his career but turned a strong 2020-21 year into this contract, one that is on the pricey side right now.  Clearing waivers notwithstanding (cap troubles mean a lot of quality players would clear), he’s someone that should settle in closer to half this price tag on the open market.  Zboril dealt with injuries last season, putting Boston in a spot where they could get him on the cheap.  He has been a sixth or seventh defender in the early going, similar to his usage before this season.  If that continues, this could wind up being close to his ceiling in terms of his next contract.

Signed Through 2024-25

F Taylor Hall ($6MM, UFA)
F Brad Marchand ($6.125MM, UFA)
G Linus Ullmark ($5MM, UFA)

Marchand is another veteran that has long been on a team-friendly contract.  It’s fair to surmise that he might slow down by the end of this (he’ll be 37 when he next is UFA-eligible) but even if he does, they’ve gotten enough surplus value to make up for it.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see history repeat itself with Marchand taking a cheaper team-friendly one-year deal in 2025.  Hall never really was able to get back to the level of his Hart-winning year with New Jersey although he has settled in as a quality second liner.  This price tag is reasonable for that role and with the cap expected to be much higher by 2025, a similarly-priced contract could be achievable if he’s still playing at a similar level by then.

There was some risk cooked into Ullmark’s contract considering he had all of 117 career NHL appearances at the time and had never made 34 starts in a season.  This is an expensive contract for a platoon goalie although with the way he’s playing this year, he looks like more of a true starter.  Swayman will eventually cut into his playing time but Ullmark’s performance early on with the Bruins should be enough to convince a team he’s a legitimate starter which will either make him a good trade candidate in a couple of years or help him earn at least a small raise on the open market.

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Bruins Place Forbort On LTIR

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  • The Boston Bruins had to clear some extra cap space to activate Charlie McAvoy, and PuckPedia confirms that they have moved Derek Forbort to long-term injured reserve to do it. That doesn’t really solve the issue but does give them a bit more time to figure out how they will make everything fit. Mike Reilly, after clearing waivers today, was sent to the minor leagues to clear a bit more space.

Charlie McAvoy Set To Make Season Debut Tomorrow

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The Boston Bruins are rolling to start the year despite a predicted slow start due to injuries to key players. Their 11-2-0 record is good enough for 22 points and first place in the Eastern Conference, and as if things haven’t been good enough, they’re about to get the final key piece of the puzzle back in their lineup. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy is set to make his season debut tomorrow against the Calgary Flames, marking his return from offseason shoulder surgery.

Latest On Mitchell Miller’s Contract

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On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski reported that defenseman Mitchell Miller currently remains under contract with the Boston Bruins and assigned to AHL Providence, as the team’s path to contractually walking away from him remains murky. Miller was convicted of assault in 2016 for bullying, harassing, and abusing Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a Black classmate with developmental disabilities. The Bruins announced Sunday night that the team was parting ways with Miller after signing him to an entry-level contract earlier in the week.

Wyshynski outlined three options for the Bruins and Miller to legally part ways, although he won’t be playing in the NHL or AHL prior to his release. The first option is a buyout at the end of the season, which would result in a salary cap charge of $287,222 through 2027, or twice the remaining length of Miller’s entry-level contract. In this case, the Bruins would still owe Miller his contract money for the 2022-23 season, which would likely consist of his $95,000 signing bonus and $82,500 minor-league salary.

The second scenario is a settlement that allows Miller to become a free agent, worked on in conjunction with the NHLPA and Miller’s agent, Eustace King. Wyshynski notes a prospective settlement falls under NHLPA jurisdiction, despite Miller being assigned to the AHL and having no NHL experience.

The obvious last option is a traditional contract termination filed due to Miller’s past behavior, similar to the legal situation – not the backstory – between the San Jose Sharks and Evander Kane last season. Wyshynski notes that also similar to the Kane situation, the NHLPA is expected to file a grievance on behalf of Miller if the Bruins opted to terminate his contract. The NHLPA would also reportedly file a grievance if the Bruins opted to suspend Miller for the length of his contract without pay. In the case of Kane, he received a one-time payment of an undisclosed amount from the Sharks.

Wyshynski expects the legal action surrounding the situation to pick up later this week.

 

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