Bruce Cassidy Placed In COVID Protocol
The COVID announcements are coming fast and furious this morning. After the Edmonton Oilers canceled practice for precautionary reasons, the Boston Bruins report that head coach Bruce Cassidy has entered the protocol. The Bruins are scheduled to take on the Detroit Red Wings this evening. Don Sweeney explained that Cassidy does have mild symptoms and Joe Sacco will take over primary coaching duties in his absence.
It’s certainly not an ideal time for Cassidy to be put in isolation, as the Bruins are win-starved lately and actually sit behind the Red Wings in the standings (though they’ve played four fewer games). Since the head coach has tested positive and is experiencing symptoms, he’ll be held away from the team for a minimum of ten days. That could mean five games without their bench boss, right as the Bruins’ schedule starts to ramp up after a slow first two months.
Remember the team is also without Brad Marchand after he was issued a three-game suspension, meaning the Bruins will be short-handed as they try to leapfrog Detroit and climb back up the Atlantic Division standings. Jake DeBrusk, who is currently hoping for a trade out of town, was at the morning skate and on the fourth line with Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar. The team actually doesn’t currently have the ability to recall anyone from the Providence Bruins, as that team is in their own COVID lockdown after positive cases reached double digits.
As with any COVID designation, but especially that of older coaches and executives, the focus obviously lies on Cassidy’s health. The hockey world hopes the 56-year-old comes through without any serious symptoms and is back on the bench in no time.
Jake DeBrusk Requests Trade
The Boston Bruins made Jake DeBrusk a healthy scratch again over the weekend, and it appears as though there is finally a split coming between the two sides. Ryan Rishaug of TSN confirmed with DeBrusk’s agent that he has requested a trade out of Boston, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet notes that the two are working to find him a fresh start.
DeBrusk, 25, is one of the infamous three first-round draft picks the Bruins made in 2015 and for quite some time, was regarded as the only one that had “worked out.” While Jakub Zboril and Zachary Senyshyn toiled in the minor leagues, DeBrusk was playing in the NHL, recording 62 goals over his first three seasons in the league.
Those numbers have dropped considerably since the start of 2020-21 though, with just eight goals and 20 points in 58 games over the last two seasons. With that decreased production the winger has also found inconsistent playing time, moving up and down the lineup.
On the second season of a two-year, $7.35MM ($4.675MM AAV) deal signed in November 2020, DeBrusk can become a restricted free agent once again next summer. It’s just a “could” because whatever team owns his rights at that point would need to issue him a $4.41MM qualifying offer just to retain them as an RFA. That’s certainly not a slam dunk given the way he’s played recently, especially when it would also come with the risk of arbitration.
Still, it’s easy to see how a team would think they can squeeze a top-six player out of DeBrusk. He has all the skills to score at a high level, as shown by his 27-goal season in 2018-19, he can be a physical presence when he wants to be, and there’s powerplay upside if deployed properly. If the asking price isn’t prohibitive, both contending teams and those that are rebuilding could be interested in the winger.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Brad Marchand Suspended Three Games
The Department of Player Safety has issued a three-game suspension to Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson last night.
As the accompanying video explains:
It is important to note that there are many occasions during the course of a game where players use either their legs or their stick and upper body to restrain or impede opponents, or to gain leverage during a puck battle. When these players rise to the level of being illegal, the vast majority of them can be adequately punished with in-game penalties.
What causes this play to rise to the level of supplementary discipline, is Marchand’s use of both his upper and lower body to take Ekman-Larsson to the ice in a dangerous fashion and the speed at which the players are traveling towards the boards.
While the video includes reasoning on why it rises to the level of supplementary discipline, it’s Marchand’s lengthy history with the DoPS that makes it a three-game ban. The Bruins forward has been suspended six times in the past, including once for a slew foot in 2015.
Ekman-Larsson did not suffer a serious injury on the play. Marchand was also not penalized, but he will have to sit down for the Bruins next three games and forfeit more than $90K in salary.
Brad Marchand To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety
The Department of Player Safety still has Brendan Lemieux to deal with tomorrow, but will focus on Brad Marchand today. The Boston Bruins forward will have a hearing today for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver-Ekman Larsson.
The incident occurred partway through the first period of last night’s game and Marchand did not receive a penalty on the play. Ekman-Larsson also did not suffer a serious injury, going on to play more than 24 minutes in the game.
This is not the first slew foot to draw the attention of the DoPS this season, in fact, it appears as though this season is going to be ruled by the offense given how often it has been in the headlines so far. P.K. Subban has been involved in several incidents (which were notably referred to as trips, not slew foots), while Ryan Hartman earned a $4,250 fine recently. Kevin Labanc is the only one to have earned a suspension for a slew foot this season, drawing a one-game ban for his incident earlier this month.
In Labanc’s video explanation, the league used the following language to explain the suspension:
What causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the speed the players are traveling, and their proximity to the boards.
Ekman-Larsson also collided with the boards after the Marchand incident, though the pair weren’t traveling at an exceptional speed. It will be interesting to see if the league decides on a fine or suspension in this case.
What Your Team Is Thankful For: Boston Bruins
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season heads towards the one-quarter mark. 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.
What are the Bruins most thankful for?
A light early schedule.
Normally, if you said that November was coming to an end and the Bruins were seven points out of a divisional playoff spot, alarm bells would be ringing all across Boston. But with just 15 games played so far–tied for the lowest total in the league–there’s plenty of time to make up that ground. In fact, the Bruins have played five fewer games than the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings, two teams ahead of them in the Atlantic standings. Sure, things aren’t going perfect for Boston through the early part of the year with a 9-6 record, but it’s not panic time just yet.
Who are the Bruins most thankful for?
The “Perfection” line.
Despite two of its members being in their mid-thirties, the Bruins’ top line is just as devastating as ever. Brad Marchand is off to an incredible start with 20 points in his first 15 games (a points/game pace that has him fifth in the league), David Pastrnak has 15 points despite shooting at a career-low 7.6%, and Patrice Bergeron continues to be arguably the most effective two-way center in the league. The 36-year-old Bergeron has 13 points in 15 games, has been on the ice for just six goals against at even-strength (compared to 11 for), and has won 62.7% of his faceoffs to this point, easily the highest mark in the league from any full-time center.
Like they have for years now, the top line of the Bruins is carrying the offensive load while they try to figure out the rest of the lineup. While players like Craig Smith and Erik Haula struggle to find the back of the net, Pastrnak, Bergeron, and Marchand are keeping the team in the top half of the league for goals for per game. It’s not going to last forever, but it still is for now.
What would the Bruins be even more thankful for?
Tuukka Rask‘s return.
One of the biggest differences in Boston this year is the goaltending tandem, a brand new duo of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. Neither one has been exceptional, or even above-average so far, with a flat .908 save percentage for each of them. That’s not the end of the world, but it’s also not what the Bruins have been used to for the last decade-plus. In each of the 12 seasons that Rask played at least 23 games for the team, he posted a save percentage of at least .913. Overall in his career, that number was .921, one of the best in the history of the NHL.
It doesn’t mean Swayman and Ullmark can’t play to a level better than they have so far, but there’s certainly no guarantee that they will. The issue is, there’s also no guarantee that Rask can play up to the level he has in the past, even if he comes back to the team in 2022 at full strength. The veteran netminder has been clear about his desire to play for Boston once he recovers from hip surgery, even skating at their facility lately. If the Bruins have their eyes set on another postseason run, it still seems likely that it will include Rask, at least in some fashion.
What should be on the Bruins’ Holiday Wish List?
A second-line center.
If the change in net was the most noticeable, perhaps the most important was the one at the second-line pivot position. David Krejci‘s departure and subsequent return to the Czech Republic left a massive hole in the Bruins lineup, one that to this point has been filled mostly with Charlie Coyle. It’s not that Coyle has played poorly in that role, in fact quite the opposite, he leads all non-first-line Bruins’ forwards in goals and points through the first 15 games. But the team has said many times in the past that they think he is most effective on the wing, and having him there or even on the third line instead would only help to lengthen out what has become a top-heavy group.
By acquiring a legitimate top-six center at some point, it would slot everyone else in the Bruins’ lineup down a peg and make them seem like a much more well-rounded group. It’s not always easy to find that kind of player, but the team does actually have some extra cap space this time around to make an addition at the deadline. In fact, if they don’t make any drastic changes over the next few months, they could have more than $10MM in space to make a big splash. Whether they’ll have the assets to do that is another question, as is whether they’ll be in the right spot standings-wise for it to make sense.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Minor Transactions: 11/23/21
Once the hockey season kicks into full gear, few transactions outside of NHL trades, claims, recalls, and reassignments garner much attention from the masses. Yet, some notable moves in other league do continue throughout the year. A handful have taken place today in fact:
- The rare AHL trade has not been as uncommon so far this season, as the third trade of the season has been completed. As the narrative of the Senators’ poor organizational depth on the blue line continues to be an issue for both Ottawa and Belleville, the farm team brought in some help today. The AHL Senators announced that they have acquired defenseman Jack Dougherty from the Providence Bruins in exchange for future considerations. Dougherty is a name familiar to fans in Belleville, having played for the team the past two seasons. He only played one game with Providence this season, so his usage could have just as much to do with the deal to send him back to Belleville as does the Senators’ own needs. Dougherty, 25, was a second round pick of the Nashville Predators back in 2014 and a standout for both the U.S. National Team Development Program and in the WHL for the Portland Winterhawks. While he never panned out, with no NHL experience to speak of, Dougherty has settled nicely into a role as a useful, two-way defenseman in the AHL.
- Sometimes very capable pros slip through the cracks in the off-season and are forced to settle for ECHL contracts and the hopes of proving on AHL injury loans that they can still play at a high level. Such is the case for goaltender Jon Gillies and forward Nick Lappin, who have both joined the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms on PTO’s today, on loan from their respective ECHL clubs. Gillies, 27, was on a PTO this fall with the New York Islanders that did not result in a contract. His time with the Maine Mariners has actually been spent mostly with their AHL parent club, the Providence Bruins, where he posted stellar numbers in three games, but again without a new contract in the end. The accomplished collegiate goalie and experienced pro is hoping Lehigh Valley finally takes notice of his ability and rewards him with an AHL deal. Lappin is hoping for the same result from his time with the Phantoms. The 29-year-old forward is not the same player he was as a regular call-up of the New Jersey Devils for several years, but also hasn’t had the chance to play a complete season in the past two years. Lappin will try to take advantage of this AHL opportunity to show he still plays with the same physicality and grit and that his scoring touch is not lost.
- In a quirk of the transfer process in Switzerland’s National League, former NHLer Chris DiDomenico has already signed a new contract… with a different team… for next year. The 32-year-old journeyman has signed a two-year deal with SC Bern, but first will complete the current season with HC Fribourg-Gotteron in a strange arrangement. DiDomenico actually made his name initially in Switzerland (and Italy) from 2012 to 2017 before signing with the Ottawa Senators. When he left North America after two seasons with the Sens, he returned immediately to Switzerland and started producing at an elite level once again. As dangerous as he looks this season with Fribourg, tallying 26 points in his first 24 games, he could be even better next year in Bern with fellow former NHLers Cory Conacher, Kaspars Daugavins, and Dominik Kahun.
Snapshots: Rask, Housley, Carrier
TSN’s Chris Johnston notes on Thursday’s edition of Insider Trading that free agent goaltender Tuukka Rask is working his way back after offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum and could be ready to return to game action as soon as January. Johnston notes specifically that Rask could be an option for Team Finland at the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, potentially a huge boost to an already strong Finnish program. While Johnston reports that Rask’s main focus in his “mind and his heart” remains with the Boston Bruins, the door isn’t completely closed on other options, either. Regardless, it’s good to see one of the league’s best goalies of his generation working his way back to health for what could be his last chance at a championship.
More notes from around the league:
- Arizona Coyotes assistant coach Phil Housley has entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol, per the team’s public relations department. He won’t travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. He’ll miss three games, including a back-to-back set against the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators this Friday and Saturday. Arizona’s next home game is a week from today against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and pending test results, Housley could be available to return then.
- According to the team, Nashville Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier is out for Thursday night’s game against the St. Louis Blues with an upper-body injury. The Predators note that he’ll be evaluated further when the team returns home. Carrier blocked a shot that hit him up high during Wednesday night’s game against the Dallas Stars and did not return.
Snapshots: Eichel, Rask, Hajek
It didn’t take long for new Golden Knight Jack Eichel to get his way in Vegas. The Associated Press reports that Eichel will undergo his preferred neck surgery, an artificial disc replacement, on Friday. Eichel’s surgical plans for his herniated disc was really the lynchpin topic of the crumbling relationship between Eichel and the Sabres that led to the Buffalo star requesting a trade after nearly a year out of action. While the disc replacement surgery has never been performed on an NHL player before, it is not an unheard of procedure and provides a number of potential benefits that the alternative fusion procedure. Eichel hopes that his saga with the Sabres will pave a path for players to have more input into their healthcare. “I think my situation shined light on maybe some things that could be changed, and I hope that they are in the future,” Eichel said. “I don’t necessarily agree with the team having the full say in what to do with medical treatment. I think it should be a collaboration.” Vegas was willing to acquire Eichel at a sizeable price and still allow him to have the surgery of his choice, an example of a team allowing a player to call the shots in his own rehabilitation.
- Tuukka Rask was back in action on Monday, skating with – who else – the Boston Bruins. The veteran goaltender is still recovering from offseason hip surgery, but the expectation has always that he would return to his team at some point this season. That return could come sooner rather than later with Rask at Bruins practice today (though still technically a free agent). Rookie Jeremy Swayman and substantial free agent addition Linus Ullmark have played well thus far, combining for a .911 save percentage and a 2.45 GAA, but Boston has maintained that Rask will be welcomed back if he is healthy and able to return. The team clearly feels that the future Hall of Famer has enough left in the tank to improve their play in net for another year.
- Even before the season began, there were reports that Libor Hajek had lost his starting job in New York and could be on his way out, either by trade or waivers. The first part of that assumption has proven true, as the 23-year-old has not played a game so far this season, yet Hajek is still a member of the Rangers. The team has opted not to test Hajek on waivers, protecting the once-promising blue liner from their competition, but wasting a roster spot and keeping the defenseman cold are not great strategies either. As a result, the team has announced today that Hajek will head down to the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack on a conditioning stint. Whether this could be precursor to another move involving Hajek remains to be seen, but getting Hajek some game action certainly can’t hurt the Rangers.
Nick Foligno Returns To Practice
- Bruins winger Nick Foligno returned to practice on Friday, relays Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty. The veteran has been dealing with an upper-body injury that sidelined him in the second game of the season and while he has been ruled out for tonight’s game against Toronto, he could be an option to return soon after that, perhaps as early as Tuesday versus Ottawa.
Bruins Loan Callum Booth To ECHL Maine
- The Bruins have loaned goaltender Callum Booth to Maine of the ECHL, per the AHL’s transactions log. Booth has made one appearance this season after just playing twice in 2020-21 which is hardly ideal for a prospect so going to a lower level to get some more regular action certainly makes sense from a development standpoint.