Brad Marchand Undergoes Hip Surgery
There’s some significant injury news in Beantown after the team was eliminated in the First Round a couple of weeks ago. The Boston Bruins announced today that star forward Brad Marchand underwent successful hip arthroscopy and labral repair on both of his hips. The recovery process is slated to take six months, making it likely Marchand is out for nearly the first two months of the 2022-23 regular season.
Marchand’s projected unavailability next season only adds to what’s bound to be an offseason of chaos for the Bruins. With the future of captain Patrice Bergeron up in the air, the team can’t really have a plan yet of how to attack the offseason and free agency.
On the ice, losing Marchand for any amount of time is a staggering blow for this Bruins team. Not only does Marchand bring all the intangibles that he’s so well known for, but he also remains one of the most offensively skilled left-wingers in the league. He scored 80 points in 70 games last season for his sixth straight season above a point per game pace.
Off the ice, moving Marchand to long-term injured reserve for the start of the regular season could buy the Bruins some time. The team has under $3MM in cap space this offseason, and while they have few roster spots to replace, the aging team needs to modify their roster to stay competitive in a tough Atlantic Division. Most importantly, there’s the matter of re-signing or replacing Bergeron, and the latter option will likely be much more costly. If the Bruins can buy some more cap space for the start of the season, it would allow them a few months into the year to figure out some trade scenarios for players to free up space.
Regardless, at 34 years old, the Bruins just hope Marchand is able to rebound to his previous level of play after what was a decently intensive surgery.
Overseas Notes: Blankenburg, Verbeek, Merkulov
Nick Blankenburg‘s World Championship is over. Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch reports that the Blue Jackets’ rookie defenseman has left Team USA due to injury. Blankenburg sustained a knee injury during the international tournament in Finland and decided to return home. However, Hedger adds that the injury is not supposed to be severe and that Blankenburg’s health by the start of next season is not in doubt. Even with the early exit from the Worlds, Blankenburg has had quite the unforgettable year. The 24-year-old defender had a career season as the senior captain of Michigan, recording 14 goals and 29 points in 38 games en route to a Frozen Four appearance. He then signed with Columbus as an undrafted free agent and proceeded to record three points in seven NHL games down the stretch. Blankenburg earned a spot with Team USA at the World Championship and played in four games with the team. He will look to continue his success streak by winning a regular role with the Blue Jackets next season.
- Hayden Verbeek‘s uncle may be the new GM of the Anaheim Ducks, but the young forward won’t wait around for NHL free agency in hopes of a family deal on a new contract. Verbeek has opted to leave North America altogether and sign a one-year deal with Slovakian club HK Spisska Nova Ves, the team announced. Verbeek is no stranger to Slovakia, having played in the Extraliga early in 2020-21 while awaiting the delayed AHL season. While Verbeek played exclusively in the AHL after returning last year, he did spend some time in the ECHL this season, which could have been the deciding factor in his move overseas. Four seasons into his pro career, including the first three on an NHL contract, Verbeek has played largely in the AHL but has been demoted to the ECHL in three seasons and has seen no NHL action. Looking for a more consistent role in a top league, Verbeek will try his hand again in Slovakia next season.
- When Georgi Merkulov, a star prospect out of the MHL, left Russia in 2020 to embark on a development path in North America with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms and then the NCAA’s Ohio State Buckeyes, the odds that he would one day star in the KHL slipped. Then-rights holder HK Sochi decided to trade Merkulov to Amur Khabarovsk, doubting that he would ever suit up for the team. When Merkulov surprisingly turned pro after just one college season, signing with the Boston Bruins this spring, those odds fell even further. Amur has now decided to move on as well. KHL powerhouse CKSA Moscow, whose youth system Merkulov developed in, has decided to take a long-term gamble, acquiring the rights to their former prospect, per the KHL. In exchange, Amur received minor league defenseman Ilya Dervuk. Merkulov recorded 20 goals and 34 points in 38 games this season for Ohio State as one of the top freshmen in the NCAA and then added five points in eight AHL games with the Providence Bruins. Boston certainly hopes that this scoring prowess translates to the NHL and that these KHL trades are ultimately meaningless.
Lazar: Mutual Interest In A Contract For Next Season
- Bruins center Curtis Lazar told reporters, including Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (subscription link) that there is mutual interest in signing a new contract. The 27-year-old had eight goals and eight assists in 70 games this season while chipping in with 186 hits and is the type of energetic depth player that should garner some interest on the open market this summer. Lazar will be coming off a deal that paid him $800K and he should be able to get a little bit more than that at least either from Boston or someone else in free agency.
Latest On Boston Bruins Management, Coaching
After a few days of player, coach, and management press availabilities, Boston Bruins president Cam Neely took the podium today to speak with the media and updated the status of some high-level employees. Neely admitted that he and Bruins ownership were disappointed in how the team bowed out of the first round, and that changes may be on the horizon.
On general manager Don Sweeney, who does not yet have a contract for next season, Neely indicated that they would sit down and work out a deal in the coming days. He praised the work that Sweeney did at the deadline to give the Bruins a better chance and expects to reach an extension without issue. Sweeney said earlier this week that he expected a resolution in “short order” suggesting that he too thinks there won’t be an issue with working out a new contract.
With regards to head coach Bruce Cassidy, Neely was a little more uncertain. He told reporters that while he believes Cassidy is an excellent coach, there is a need for change in terms of how the team plays. He suggested that it will ultimately be Sweeney’s decision whether to bring Cassidy back next season, and that the two hadn’t really spoken about it to this point because of Sweeney’s own uncertain future throughout the year.
Cassidy, 56, has one year remaining on his current contract and is owed $3MM next season. He took over as head coach of the Bruins during the 2016-17 season and has led them to plenty of success, including a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2019, which they ultimately lost to the St. Louis Blues in seven games. It’s likely the results since then that have put some doubt into Neely’s mind, especially this year’s game seven performance that he mentioned specifically several times.
There is of course a long list of highly qualified coaching candidates available, including names like Barry Trotz, Pete DeBoer, Paul Maurice, Mike Babcock, Jeff Blashill, Joel Quenneville, Claude Julien, John Tortorella, and many more. While there is no indication that the Bruins will make a change just yet, that deep pool of candidates likely has several executives around the league at least considering their options.
Bruins Notes: Sweeney, Marchand, DeBrusk
The Boston Bruins climbed back into their first-round series several times before ultimately falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games, and now face an offseason of uncertainty. Captain Patrice Bergeron is a pending unrestricted free agent, and though he has explained he wants to return, will turn 37 in July. David Pastrnak could also use a new contract, as he is only signed for one more year before potentially hitting the open market in 2023.
But before those situations are dealt with, it’s another key member of the organization that needs a new deal. General manager Don Sweeney does not yet have a contract for net season, and when asked today about the situation, he told reporters including Matt Porter of the Boston Globe that he expects the situation to be resolved “in short order.” Sweeney has been in charge of the team since 2015.
- Like every team after a long grueling season, there are also injuries to deal with. Brad Marchand has a hip issue that may require offseason surgery, according to Porter, though the final decision has not been made on a treatment path. The 34-year-old forward had another outstanding season for the Bruins this year, scoring 32 goals and 80 points, before being their most effective player in the postseason as well. While some of the other players on the Boston roster may still get more press (at least for their positive accomplishments), it’s Marchand that has been one of the most consistent forces in the entire league the last six seasons.
- It’s not just contract negotiations and injury timelines though, the Bruins are also still dealing with the Jake DeBrusk situation. The 25-year-old winger put in a trade request some time ago, and despite some late-season success after moving higher in the lineup, things don’t appear to have officially changed. DeBrusk told reporters earlier this week that he hadn’t really thought about it since the deadline, but Sweeney explained today that he doesn’t think anything has changed, “other than he’s happier.” Whether that means he’ll rescind the request and stick around is unclear at this point, but he already has a contract extension through 2023-24.
2022 Selke Trophy Finalists Announced
The NHL has announced the finalists for yet another of its end-of-year awards, the Frank J. Selke Trophy. Always a hotly-contested and highly-debated award, the Selke Trophy is voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association on the basis of “the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.”
This year’s finalists are Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers, Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames, and Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins.
Barkov took home the award last season after previous top-five finishes and is one of the best two-way players in the league. His offensive numbers took another step forward this season, while his defensive play stayed quite high. Paired at times with rookie Anton Lundell on the penalty kill (a player who might find himself on the Selke ballot eventually), Barkov averaged more than two minutes of short-handed time a night for the Panthers, and was once again one of the most dominant faceoff men in the NHL. His 56.9% win percentage in the dot was the best of his career and continued a five-year trend of improvement in that area.
Lindholm, meanwhile, is a Selke finalist for the first time after anchoring the best even-strength line in the NHL this season. When he was on the ice alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, the Flames were nearly unstoppable, scoring more than twice as often as the opponents. The trio finished 1-2-3 in +/- rating, with Lindholm dragging his career number back into the black with a +61. While his linemates have a lot of impact on that overall success, the 27-year-old came into his own as a shutdown center, and also logged more short-handed ice time than any other Flames forward.
It always comes back to Bergeron though, who is now a Selke finalist for the 11th season in a row. Now 36, some would have expected his game to take a step backward at some point, but that wasn’t this season. The Bruins captain had one of the (if not the) best defensive seasons of his career, completely smothering the opponent whenever he was on the ice. Winning more than 60% of his draws for the fifth time in his career, dominating possession even more than in previous years, and actually setting a career-high with 78 hits, Bergeron will be tough to beat again this season.
With four Selke wins in the past, Bergeron has a chance to pass Bob Gainey and become the all-time leader with five trophies should he take it home this year. Barkov could become just the tenth player to win more than one.
David Pastrnak Joins World Championship
After being eliminated in a heartbreaking game seven over the weekend, David Pastrnak‘s season of hockey isn’t quite over. The Boston Bruins forward will join the Czech national team at the IIHF World Championship on Wednesday, in time for them to play their fourth group stage game on Thursday.
Given the yearly success of the Bruins in the postseason, it has been quite a few years since Pastrnak has represented Czechia but he has been quite committed to them throughout his career. In 2018, after scoring 20 points in 12 postseason games with the Bruins, he still managed to join the World Championship team for another handful of games. He’s represented his country at several other tournaments, including the 2016 World Cup and three World Juniors.
Interestingly enough, Pastrnak is another example of this wave of NHL superstars that have never received a chance to play in the Olympics. That is despite being selected for the 2022 team, before the league decided to pull out of the event at the last minute. Pastrnak, Ondrej Palat, and Jakub Voracek were the three players that Czechia had named to the club ahead of time.
Given their schedule, he’ll be arriving just in time. The Czechs finish off the group stage with very important games against the U.S. and Finland, which could determine their fate in the event.
Anton Blidh Frustrated With Role, Playing Time
Boston Bruins forward Anton Blidh expressed frustration over his role and ice-time with the team through the last few weeks of the regular season and in the playoffs. In talking to Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic, Blidh mentioned that he did not appreciate being scratched in all seven of the Bruins’ playoff games, as well as 11 of the final 12 regular season games, and even said that at times, he would have preferred to be in the AHL, where he could have played regularly. Shinzawa suggested that while Blidh did have his positives and perhaps could have challenged forward Nick Foligno for ice-time, he did have his drawbacks and Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy ultimately preferred to go with Foligno’s experience in these situations.
A pending UFA, Blidh does not have to endure his frustrations with the Bruins any longer if he chooses not to. Originally a sixth-round draft pick of Boston in 2013, Blidh has played parts of six seasons with the team, tallying four goals and eight assists in 70 career games in that time. Some of Blidh’s frustration can be understood, as a look back at the last three seasons shows that Blidh has played in 49 NHL games in that period, but just 15 AHL games. This season, Blidh played in 32 contests for Boston, but played zero AHL games. Even with COVID-shortened seasons, playing in just 64 games over three seasons could foreseeably be frustrating for any player.
Jeremy Swayman Joins Team USA At World Championships
- Also headed to the World Championships is Jeremy Swayman, who will join Team USA (link). Swayman’s Boston Bruins were recently eliminated in seven games by the Carolina Hurricanes. The goaltender will join former Carolina netminder Alex Nedeljkovic to form a formidable goaltending duo for the United States in the tournament. As the Bruins look to answer some questions about their future plans with their season ending, Swayman has been a question-answered in net, recording a .914 save-percentage and 2.41 goals-against average over 41 regular season games in a breakout 2021-22.
Bruins Notes: Bergeron, Marchand, Grzelcyk
After the Boston Bruins fell in seven games to their first-round opponent Carolina Hurricanes, the conversation surrounding the team and its future has centered around its captain: Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron, who turns 37 on July 24th, is one of the franchise’s biggest stars and one of the most widely respected players in the modern history of the game. He’s also set to become an unrestricted free agent at the beginning of the new league year, as the eight-year contract extension he signed in 2013 is expiring. So, naturally, given his age and contract situation, there is a significant amount of attention fixated on Bergeron’s future with the only NHL club he has ever known.
There is at least some uncertainty here. As relayed by The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, Bergeron said today that he will need time to make a decision about his future and whether he will continue playing. But, with that in mind, when asked if he could imagine playing for another team if he chooses to continue his career, there was no hesitation from Bergeron. He gave a simple answer: “no.” While Bergeron may be now well into his late-thirties, his game is still at an elite level. He is expected to be among the top contenders for a Selke Trophy once again, and he was productive offensively, scoring 25 goals and 65 points in 73 games. So, he would likely have many suitors on the open market if he sought to explore other options. But based on his comments today, it seems that he is making it clear to the hockey world that he will remain a Boston Bruin for the rest of his playing days.
Now, for some other notes regarding the Bruins:
- It seemed that Bergeron’s longtime partner in crime Brad Marchand was his normal self in the team’s playoff series versus the Hurricanes, agitating opposing players and fans while stuffing the net to the tune of eleven points in seven games. But in reality, despite that production, Marchand was not his normal self, at least regarding his health. Marchand revealed today, per Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now, that he had been playing through an injury to his shoulder since suffering the ailment due to a hit from Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway in the regular season. While he remained productive throughout the rest of the regular season and the playoffs, Marchand did say that there was the possibility that he may require surgery this summer. He noted that he would need to “get it checked” with doctors first, though.
- Marchand is not the only Bruin who was playing through an injury in the first round. Today Matt Grzelcyk revealed (per Matt Porter of the Boston Globe) that he had been playing through a dislocated shoulder, and that he would need surgery this offseason. He also noted that his recovery from that surgery could cause him to miss the start of next season. Grzelcyk only got into five games against the Hurricanes and did not manage to score a point, play that could be reflective of the toll the injury was taking on his game. Grzelcyk did have a productive regular season, though, and ranked second among Bruins defensemen in points. He has grown into one of the more important defensemen the Bruins have, so getting him back to health will be crucial if Boston wants to hit the ground running at the start of next season.