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Waivers: 10/04/22

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After all of the players from yesterday cleared, there is a new batch of talent on waivers today. Placement here is usually indicative of a training camp cut, though not necessarily. It gives teams the option to send a player to the minor leagues, but that doesn’t have to happen right away. Until a player spends 30 days on the active roster or plays in ten regular season games, they won’t have to clear waivers again.

Here are the players on waivers today:

Boston Bruins

Oskar Steen
Nick Wolff
Connor Carrick

Buffalo Sabres

Sean Malone

Chicago Blackhawks

Luke Philp
Nicolas Beaudin
Dylan Sikura
Brett Seney

Columbus Blue Jackets

Brendan Gaunce

Minnesota Wild

Zane McIntyre

Montreal Canadiens

Alex Belzile
Anthony Richard
Mitchell Stephens

New Jersey Devils

Tyler Wotherspoon
Robbie Russo
Joseph Gambardella
Jeremy Groleau

Pittsburgh Penguins

Taylor Fedun

Vancouver Canucks

Collin Delia
John Stevens
Noah Juulsen
Brady Keeper
Guillaume Brisebois

Injury Updates: Bruins, Ducks, Flames

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The Boston Bruins issued two injury updates, one of which could have a major impact on the team’s calculations for their opening-night roster. Bruins coach Jim Montgomery told the media today that top prospect Fabian Lysell was out day-to-day, with a target returning to play Wednesday against the New York Rangers. He also revealed that star winger Taylor Hall was injured and would be out with a week-to-week designation.

It’s the Hall injury that’s most significant here, especially since the team is already without winger Brad Marchand due to injury. This leaves the Bruins without their top two left wingers to start the season, absences that could significantly alter the complexion of the team’s top-six early in the year. With Hall and Marchand out, it’s possible that players such as Jake DeBrusk and Pavel Zacha are leaned on more heavily to create offense, and this injury could also increase the odds of Lysell making the team for at least a nine-game trial.

Some other injury updates from across the NHL:

  • The Anaheim Ducks issued injury updates on two of their players: Trevor Zegras and Urho Vaakanainen. For Vaakanainen, the team said that he was released from the hospital on Friday and “continues to improve.” For Zegras, the team revealed that he is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury but will be on the ice for today’s activities. This is good news for Vaakanainen, who hopefully is on the path to a safe recovery after he suffered a scary injury Friday when he was stretchered off the ice.
  • The Calgary Flames issued three injury updates today, regarding forwards Emilio Pettersen and Martin Pospisil, as well as defenseman Dennis Gilbert. Per the team, all three players are considered day-to-day as they continue to battle for roles in training camp.

Taylor Hall, Fabian Lysell Suffer Minor Injuries, Out 1-2 Days

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This afternoon saw a preseason rivalry contest with the Boston Bruins playing host to the Philadelphia Flyers. For the most part, things went the Bruins’ way, as they defeated the Flyers 4-0 with young forwards John Beecher and Marc McLaughlin each netting a pair of goals. Despite the promising performance, the team did have a couple of injury scares when both Fabian Lysell and Taylor Hall were forced to leave the game with injuries.

However, it looks like Boston avoided the worst with these injuries. In speaking to the media, including The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said both players only have minor injuries. Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now adds that both will be out only one or two days. Injuries are never good news, but for a Boston team trying to compete despite a myriad of long-term injuries already on the books, missing a dynamic forward like Hall and a top prospect trying to make the team like Lysell for only a few days is certainly a relief.

Injury Update On Connor Carrick

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  • The Boston Bruins signed defenseman Connor Carrick to provide a different look to the competition for a depth spot on their blueline as well as to shore up their defense in AHL Providence. Today, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery told reporters (including Conor Ryan of Boston Sports Journal) that Carrick suffered an upper-body injury and will be out with a day-to-day designation. While this injury is unlikely to have a long-lasting impact on Carrick’s season, it could hurt him in his effort to beat Jakub Zboril and Mike Reilly out for a depth role on the Bruins’ opening-night roster.

Brett Harrison Sent Back To OHL

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We’re just one day away from the official start of the NHL’s preseason calendar, with a unique slate of games scheduled for tomorrow. In addition to the Boston Bruins paying a visit to the Philadelphia Flyers, the Arizona Coyotes and St. Louis Blues will face-off against one another from Wichita, Kansas in a neutral-site contest. Perhaps most interesting are the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, who seem to have pulled a page right out of the baseball playbook with the team’s playing a split-squad, day-night doubleheader including a 1:00 pm and 7:00 pm puck drop in Toronto. With all that action, there are several notes from around the league worth mentioning, primarily related to the opening of camp and the beginning of games, which we will keep track of here:

  • Also sent back to juniors was Boston Bruins prospect Brett Harrison (link). A third-round pick in 2021, Harrison may have had the opportunity to raise eyes in training camp with Boston, however the forward projects to be a standout with the Oshawa Generals this season after tallying 61 points in 65 games last season. Oshawa kicks off its 2022-23 regular season in Barrie this Thursday.

Boston Bruins Sign Anton Stralman To PTO

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Saturday: The Bruins have made the PTO official with a release on their site this morning. Boston visits the Philadelphia Flyers this evening for their first preseason contest, but it doesn’t appear Stralman will draw in, as he wasn’t skating at practice this morning, details The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa.

Friday: The Bruins have made a late addition to their training camp roster, signing veteran defenseman Anton Stralman to a professional tryout agreement, per The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.

Stralman had been lingering on the market as an unrestricted free agent to this point, and while some speculated that retirement could be a possibility for the 36-year-old Stralman communicated a clear desire to continue his career.

In Boston, Stralman will vie for a chance to reinforce a blueline that will be without two crucial players at the start of the regular season. Both Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk are expected to remain unavailable by the time the Bruins take on the Capitals on October 12th. This could give Stralman a leg up as he competes for a role on the Bruins’ defense, as the team could prefer to have Stralman, who has nearly 1,000 games of NHL experience, in their lineup rather than less experienced in-house options such as Jakub Zboril or Jack Ahcan.

Stralman isn’t the quality top-four blueliner he once was, but on a talent-poor Arizona Coyotes team last season Stralman scored a healthy 23 points in 74 games and played more than 21 minutes per night. In a more limited role in Boston, he could find success.

For Stralman, this PTO signing leaves him less secure in his future than a regular NHL contract would, but he nonetheless has a strong opportunity in front of him to earn NHL time.

The Bruins are a good team who also, at least on paper, look to have room for him to win a spot on their blueline. If Stralman can have a good camp and show up well in the preseason, he could see himself wearing Bruins colors for longer than just the preseason.

Snapshots: Hague, Pastrnak, Jets

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When Vegas Golden Knights training camp opens tomorrow morning, defenseman Nicolas Hague won’t be there as he awaits a new contract. The Athletic’s Jesse Granger reports that he isn’t expected to be on the ice with his teammates Thursday morning at City National Arena, the team’s practice facility.

Hague is one of the few remaining restricted free agents in the NHL, alongside Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Rasmus Sandin and Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson as the marquee names. Granger expertly notes that Hague missing camp is more detrimental than in previous seasons, as new head coach Bruce Cassidy will be installing a completely foreign defensive system from what the Knights have been used to in past seasons. Hague, the 34th overall pick in 2017, had 14 points in 52 games last season.

  • Speaking today during preseason media availability, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney says it’s a priority for him to get pending free agent winger David Pastrnak signed as soon as possible. Pastrnak, while he’s expressed a strong desire to stay in Boston, hasn’t shared the same urgency in negotiations in previous reporting. Pastrnak, who’s notched 40 or more goals in his last two full seasons, will be in line for a substantial raise, and it may behoove Sweeney to get a deal done before his value rises even further.
  • The Winnipeg Jets have made three scouting hires, including the first woman scout in team history, Sydney Daniels. Daniels joins the team as an NCAA scout, having previously served as the assistant coach for the women’s team at Harvard. The team also brought on Jari Kekalainen, brother of Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen, as a European scout, and former Toronto Maple Leafs scout Tony Martino as a USHL scout.

Zdeno Chara Signs One-Day Contract With Boston Bruins; Announces Retirement

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One of the most legendary players in NHL history has officially called it quits today. Zdeno Chara has announced that he will be retiring from professional hockey, signing a one-day contract this afternoon with the Boston Bruins to do it as a member of the team he is connected to most.

In a post on Instagram, “Big Zee” released the following:

After 25 seasons of professional hockey 1,680 NHL regular season games, 200 Stanley Cup Playoff games, and hundreds of international games I am proud to announce my decision to retire from the National Hockey League. In doing so, I am honored to return to TD Garden today to sign a one-day contract with the Boston Bruins and officially finish my career with the team that has meant so much to me and my family.

There are so many people that have helped contribute to my success, including all of you, and I look forward to properly thanking everyone this afternoon.

Starting his career with the New York Islanders back in 1997 after being selected in the third round, Chara would eventually find his way to the Ottawa Senators where he became a true star. After four years patrolling the blueline of Canada’s capital, he would join the Boston Bruins where he would spend the next 14 seasons and 1,023 games.

In total, his 1,680 regular season games put him seventh all-time in NHL history, first among defensemen. Even as he entered his mid-forties, he was still playing regularly for the Washington Capitals and, finally, the Islanders once again, as a bookend for his career.

The winner of the 2009 Norris Trophy, and a finalist on five other occasions, Chara should not have to wait long to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He got close to the Stanley Cup several times, but only lifted it once, in 2011 with the Bruins.

There are few players that have ever been more imposing, more dominant, or more recognizable than Chara, whose 6’9″ frame will be missed by many on NHL rinks moving forward. With 209 goals, 680 points, and 2,085 penalty minutes, there was something unique about the gigantic defender.

Brad Marchand Resumes Skating

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  • Bruins winger Brad Marchand skated today for the first time since undergoing double hip surgery back in May, relays Matt Porter of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). However, his timeline for a return isn’t likely to be escalated at this point as his expected return date continues to be around late November.  The 34-year-old put up his sixth straight season of over a point per game in 2021-22 and Boston’s attack will certainly be weakened over the first six weeks with him unavailable.

Preseason Notes: Pastrnak, Eklund, Canucks Centers

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One of the biggest stories that could play out this upcoming season is the contract situation between the Boston Bruins and their star goal-scoring winger, David Pastrnak. Pastrnak, a Rocket Richard trophy winner, will play the 2022-23 season on the final year of his $6.66MM AAV deal, and is undoubtedly in line to receive a significant raise on his next contract. He will be eligible for  unrestricted free agency at the end of this season, which has led many to speculate that he could leave Boston in a similar fashion to the way other star wingers, such as Johnny Gaudreau and Artemi Panarin, have left their teams as free agents.

According to Pastrnak, though, that’s not the ideal way for things to turn out. When asked today whether he was optimistic about an extension being finalized with the Bruins, Pastrnak answered yes, and added that he is “extremely happy” in Boston and that it’s an “honor” to wear the Bruins’ sweater. For the Bruins, getting Pastrnak signed to an extension has to be their number-one off-ice priority for next season. Pastrnak has scored at or above a point-per-game rate for the past four seasons and at 26 years old should have many prime years ahead of him. If the Bruins want to have any hope of remaining competitive in the next several years, they’ll need to find a way to keep Pastrnak around.

Now, for some other notes about preseason rumblings:

  • 2021 seventh-overall pick William Eklund spent most of last season playing in the SHL, but that won’t be where he’s playing in 2022-23. As relayed by Corey Masisiak of The Athletic, Eklund has said that he is “definitely” staying in North America and will either play for the Sharks in the NHL or the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL, wherever the organization deems he should be. Eklund endured a difficult campaign last year as his SHL club, Djurgardens, was relegated to the Allsvenskan. His choice to make the transition to North American hockey is wise, as he’ll have the chance to continue his development under the watchful eye of the Sharks’ development staff.
  • The Vancouver Canucks made headlines when they signed center J.T. Miller to a long-term extension, and the deal left many wondering if Elias Pettersson’s future was on the wing, since it was presumed that the Canucks would opt to keep Miller and Bo Horvat as centers. While that was a reasonable thing to wonder, it seems that the Canucks are planning to play Pettersson as a center for next season. Per Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre, Canucks coach Bruce Boudreau plans on deploying Miller, Horvat, and Pettersson as centers, believing that he is able to do so thanks to the team’s “upgraded top-nine.” Pettersson’s last two seasons have been rockier than he’d likely have hoped, so the Canucks are seemingly hoping that allowing Pettersson to center and drive his own line will help stabilize his game.

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