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Adam McQuaid

Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask Undergo Surgery

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The Boston Bruins kept things short and sweet in a press release today, as GM Don Sweeney announced that both Patrice Bergeron and Tuukka Rask underwent successful surgery over the past two days. Barring any unforeseen complications, both players are expected to make full recoveries and be ready for the start of the 2017-18 season.

Unlike defenseman Torey Krug, Brandon Carlo, and Adam McQuaid, whose injuries kept them out for the first round of the playoffs and seemed like the likely cause of the Bruins collapse at the hand of the Ottawa Senators, both Bergeron and Rask played through their ailments in the six-game series. It was revealed that Bergeron not only played through his injury, a sports hernia, for the postseason but the entire regular season as well. The Bruins’ alternate captain and perennial Selke candidate is no stranger to playing through pain; he memorably skated in Game Six of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final with a punctured lung. Rask is a different case, as he his physical and mental toughness has often been questioned by skeptics of the Boston keeper’s ability. Some minds may be changed after they find out that Rask played through a groin tear, perhaps the most taxing injury for a goalie, in the playoffs and still managed to post a .920 save percentage and 2.24 goals against average.

Luckily, both Bergeron and Rask – as well as half the defense – are on their way to health and should be ready to go for next season. Although Rask won a career-high 37 games, including a career-best and 2nd-best in the league 8 shutouts, and Bergeron scored 53 points, led the league in face-off wins, and was named a Selke finalist yet again, it was actually a down year for both players. Rask, the 2013-14 Vezina Trophy winner and the current holder of the best career save percentage all-time was streaky this season and helped him to finish a second straight season with an uninspiring .915 save percentage. Bergeron, who has the best Expected +/- all-time was just +12 on the year, third on the Bruins and outside the top 50 in the NHL. He also saw a drop off in goals from 32 in 2015-16 to just 21 in 2016-17 and with it a slight decrease in five-on-five and power play ice-time. Certainly neither player was disappointing this past season, but at full strength they can be better and the Bruins can build on their success this season with another impressive effort in 2017-18.

Atlantic Division Snapshots: Pastrnak, Brassard, Red Wings

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Despite a first round elimination at the hands of the Ottawa Senators, the 2016-17 campaign has to be considered a success for the Boston Bruins organization. The team returned to the postseason after back-to-back non-playoff seasons and showed tremendous resilience during their six-game series loss, nearly overcoming injuries to key regulars Brandon Carlo, David Krejci, Torey Krug and Adam McQuaid to push Ottawa to OT in game six. Perhaps the silver lining to the season was the development of young Czech winger David Pastnak, who in his third year saw a marked increase across the board in terms of offensive production, setting career-highs in goals (34) assists (36) and points (70). Pastrnak stuggled some in the postseason, finishing with just five shots on goal and regularly turning the puck over, but as Joe Haggerty of CSNNE writes, the 20-year-old will be a better player long term in part because of the playoff experience.

Pastrnak also wrapped up his ELC, making him a RFA this summer. Boston will have a decision to make; do they try to lock up the talented offensive right wing to a long term deal or employ a short term bridge contract to keep the AAV down? Should the team choose the latter, Haggerty speculates a deal similar to that given by Chicago to Artemi Panarin (two years, $12MM) could work for both sides. If Boston chooses the former, they might have to approach the value of the accord signed by Calgary winger Johnny Gaudreau last summer, in Haggerty’s estimation. According to Cap Friendly, the Bruins are projected to have around just $10MM in cap space available with Drew Stafford set to hit unrestricted free agency and Ryan Spooner joining Pastrnak as a RFA. The team should have room as it stands to accommodate a new Pastrnak contract regardless of whether it’s a lucrative long term pact or a shorter term bridge deal. Still, what Boston does will likely have a great impact on what other moves the team can make this summer to fill holes on the roster.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • One of the second round’s more interesting subplots involves Ottawa center Derick Brassard facing his old team, the New York Rangers, and the player for whom he was acquired just last July, fellow pivot Mika Zibanejad. Expecting to contend for the playoffs in 2016-17, Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion wanted to add the more experienced and established Brassard to his lineup. It also didn’t hurt that the skilled center from Hull, Quebec is a proven playoff performer known in some circles as “Big Game Brass.” For their part, the Rangers needed to get bigger and younger and did so by adding the talented Zibanejad to the team. Neither player had the regular season they hoped – Brassard finished with just 14 goals and 39 points while Zibanejad missed time with a broken leg and scored 37 points in 56 contests. With scoring expected to be at a premium in the series between Ottawa and New York, it was widely felt whoever performed better between the two would give their team a significant edge. Well, after one game, Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun has the two players even, though the Senators are up in the series. As Brennan noted, neither player registered a point and both finished with roughly 17 minutes of ice time. Brassard was credited with five shots on goal, Zibanejad with four. While it would be unfair to paint the winner of the series as also the winner of last summer’s trade, it’s evident the two players will be heavily relied upon to help their respective team advance to the Eastern Conference Final and at this point in the season that’s really all that matters.
  • With their 25-season playoff streak broken, the Detroit Red Wings enter the offseason with a lot of work to do to reshape their roster into a contender, and without the resources (i.e. cap space) to easily tackle the challenge. In all probability, the team will be forced seek roster improvement via the trade market and with limited chips the team can afford to move, it’s likely Detroit will have to deal one of their starting-caliber goalies, if for no other reason than to open up much-needed cap space. Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press expressed the same belief in a recent mailbag feature. As the scribe notes, the Wings are currently projected to have less than $6MM in cap space with key forwards Andreas Athanasiou and Tomas Tatar scheduled to be RFA’s. The offseason goalie market is expected to be full of starting options, with Pittsburgh likely to entertain a trade of Marc-Andre Fleury rather than risk losing Matt Murray in the expansion draft. Ben Bishop, Brian Elliott, Jonathan Bernier and Ryan Miller headline the UFA crop of netminders and could represent viable starting options for any team looking for a #1. Those factors will hamstring the Red Wings in their attempt to move either Jimmy Howard or Petr Mrazek in return for fair value. In all likelihood, the team will have to be satisfied primarily with cap relief as opposed to acquiring young assets to further their retooling effort. Although St. James does offer up one intriguing possibility, noting that current Stars GM Jim Nill, formerly an assistant GM in Detroit, knows Mrazek and Howard well from his time with the Wings and could pursue one in an effort to upgrade his options between the pipes.

Snapshots: McQuaid, Goldobin, Koules

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Adam McQuaid is one lucky man. When Boston Bruins’ forward David Backes was upended last night against the New Jersey Devils, his skate nicked the throat of McQuaid. As the big defender dropped his gloves and skated off immediately, there were images of Clint Malarchuk and Richard Zednik flashing through the minds of many onlookers. It didn’t seem as bad as those two though and as it turns out, it wasn’t.

McQuaid received 25 stitches to close the laceration on his throat, and expects to be in the lineup tomorrow against the Ottawa Senators. Head coach Bruce Cassidy called him a “tough customer,” and he’s proving just that. McQuaid has been given extra ice time and responsibility of late, including breaking the 20-minute mark twice in his last five games.

  • Nikolay Goldobin is already making an impact in Vancouver, after scoring his second NHL goal in his Canucks debut on Saturday night. It came on a breakaway, something the Canucks hope Goldobin will see often in his time with the team. The talented forward came over in the Jannik Hansen deal, and as Ben Kuzma of The Province reports, will help lead a youth movement in the next few years. With Brock Boeser, Olli Juolevi, Adam Gaudette and Jonathan Dahlen all set to make an impact sooner than later, the Canucks may have kick-started a rebuild of their own when they chose to sell off two expiring veteran contracts at the deadline. Goldobin is just the first of many in Vancouver, and he puts it best when talking about the style he’ll bring: “there are no words, just let me show you and that will be easier.”
  • The Columbus Blue Jackets have brought in Miles Koules, signing him to a tryout with their AHL squad today according to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch . The 22-year old forward is the son of former Tampa Bay Lightning owner Oren Koules, who you may recognize from the credits of the Saw movie franchise or Two and a Half Men. Koules had played in the ECHL this season, scoring 20 points in 36 games. He also played two contests for the Ontario Reign, in which he was held scoreless.

Devils-Bruins Notes: Lappin, Prout, Stafford, McPhee

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Ahead of tonight’s road match-up with the Boston Bruins, the New Jersey Devils have recalled rookie winger Nick Lappin on an emergency basis from the AHL’s Albany Devils. Lappin is expected to get the call tonight, as the 24-year-old forward has worked his way back into the lineup. Lappin has four goals and three assists in 35 games with New Jersey this season, but was sent down to the minors on January 12th and had yet to return to the lineup. While in Albany, Lappin was nearly a point-per-game player, with nine goals and eleven assists in 24 contests. Lappin is in just his second pro season since leaving Brown University, and no matter how many games he plays for the Devils down the stretch, he will not be eligible for exposure in the Expansion Draft. GM Ray Shero will have to look elsewhere on the roster for the solution to his coverage problem.

  • A pair of deadline day acquisitions will make their debuts tonight. With Andy Greene out of the lineup for personal reasons, Dalton Prout will get a chance to show the Devils what he brings to the table. The 26-year-old tough guy had only played in 15 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets this season before being traded for Kyle Quincey at the deadline, but brings a physical game and hard-nosed presence to any game that he is a part of. With another year left on his contract, Prout is looking to impress his new team and carve out a role for himself in the future. In the short-term, he is likely trying to play well enough tonight to get into the Devils’ lineup tomorrow, against his former Blue Jackets team.
  • On the other side of the ice, Drew Stafford will get into his first game with the Bruins since being acquired on Wednesday. It has been a tough season for Stafford with the Winnipeg Jets, as injuries have limited him to just 40 games, and he has managed to score just 13 points in that sample size. However, Boston knows all too well how dangerous Stafford can be when he’s on his game. As a member of the Buffalo Sabres, Stafford was a consistent goal-scoring threat and tended to have some of his best games against the Bruins. Coach Bruce Cassidy hopes that Stafford can get back to his productive ways skating on a line with Ryan Spooner and Frank Vatrano, who have both been on fire since the coaching change.
  • With the trade deadline over with, Vegas Golden Knights GM George McPhee is out scouting with a clearer picture of who might be available to his team on June 21st when the new expansion team will be picked. Tonight, he’ll be taking in the Devils vs. Bruins in Boston, likely with an eye on defenseman. Although Boston and New Jersey are not exactly known for their blue line depth, neither team looks to have many attractive options up front to be exposed in the Expansion Draft. Instead, the Devils will have to pick four of Greene, Prout, Damon Severson, John Moore, Ben Lovejoy, and Jon Merrill to expose, while the Bruins can only protect one of Adam McQuaid, Colin Miller, and Kevan Miller to go along with Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug.  

Bruins Scouting Ducks-Wild Game

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It would be a surprise to no one that the Boston Bruins’ brass are out watching other teams. While the Bruins are still clinging to a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, currently tied with the Ottawa Senators for second with 52 points, that position is only temporary. The Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, just two points behind, have six games in hand on Boston. They are currently doing battle with each other, which could result in a three-way tie with a Toronto win, a drop to third in the division with a Senators win, or the worst-case scenario, a Leafs OT-win in which both results would occur. Regardless, the Bruins are not going to be able to hang on to their spot long with the way they have been playing. Boston has lost three straight, including shutouts by the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders and a crushing 6-5 shootout defeat to the Detroit Redwings wherein they blew two three-goal leads. The Bruins have only won six of their last sixteen games and those six wins have come against four teams that are struggling as much or more than they are: the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Florida Panthers (twice), and Buffalo Sabres (twice). Beyond just wins and losses, there are rumors about coach Claude Julien, reported turmoil in the front office surrounding president Cam Neely, injuries on defense to Kevan and Colin Miller, a 16-game goal-less streak for early-season superstar David Pastrnak, and ongoing issues with line chemistry. The Bruins need a shake-up to save their season, and everyone knows it.

So, when Minnesota Wild beat writer Michael Russo reported that Bruins GM Don Sweeney was on the press box list at tonight’s game, with the Wild hosting the Anaheim Ducks, it came as no surprise. Both teams are known for their immense lack of talented depth on defense, something that Boston would definitely be interested in. While the team has been shut out three times this month, their scoring has actually been trending upward. Patrice Bergeron has begun to shake off his early struggles, Frank Vatrano has been a shot in the arm since his return from injury, and Brad Marchand and Torey Krug have remained on fire. The recent return of Matt Beleskey should help to add some scoring and balance out the forward lines (much-needed), while the AHL’s Providence Bruins, who won 9-1 tonight, have been explosive and could potentially offer support up front. That’s not to say that the Bruins, who will have about $17MM in cap space by the time the NHL Trade Deadline rolls around, won’t still look to add an impending free agent forward with some finish, but despite appearances, the offense should be able to figure itself out in the short-term. The defense is a different story. While the Bruins are loaded with defensive talent in the system, none of it is on its way this year and maybe not next year either, and the Bruins need some help now. Krug has four goals and 25 assists, but has also had his issues in his own end. His pair mate Adam McQuaid has had a nice bounce-back season, but offers little in the way of puck movement and offense. Same goes for the top pairing of Zdeno Chara and Brandon Carlo, who have been one of the better shutdown duos in the league this season, but are slowing down as a 39-year-old and a rookie respectively. John-Michael Liles, an impending free agent, has just recently returned from injury and has yet to make a major difference. Colin Miller, though he has upside, was in and out of the lineup even before his injury, and Kevan Miller, also injured, is likely better suited as an extra man. The Bruins need a legitimate top-four defenseman for this year and for the near future, and both the Wild and Ducks provide intriguing trade partners.

As it stands right now, Anaheim and Minnesota are both guaranteed to lose a top-four caliber defenseman in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft, if the Vegas Golden Knights choose to select that player. A team can either protect seven forwards and three defenseman or eight skaters total, allowing them to protect a fourth defenseman. Neither situation works out particularly well for either team. The Ducks will be forced to protect veteran Kevin Bieksa, due to his no-movement clause, and will likely choose to protect young cornerstone blue liners Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, and Cam Fowler as well, even if it means leaving a promising forward like Jakob Silfverberg exposed. However, Vegas could choose to instead take another good young defenseman in Josh Manson or potentially Simon Depres. Similarly, the Wild too are expected to protect four defenseman, selecting from Ryan Suter (a veritable lock), Jared Spurgeon, Jonas Brodin, Marco Scandella, and Matt Dumba. One way or another, one of those d-men will be exposed and almost certainly scooped up by the Golden Knights. So, with both teams fighting for position atop the Western Conference and with their eye on a Stanley Cup, Anaheim and Minnesota also have to be thinking about trading a defenseman. They would much rather get something in a trade rather than nothing in the draft, even if that means dealing away talent in a Cup-contender season. Armed with a deep prospect system and quality forwards they may willing to part with, such as David Krejci, Ryan Spooner, and Jimmy Hayes, the Bruins would be an interesting suitor for either team. With Don Sweeney in attendance, watching two teams that are facing a difficult situation and may feel like pressured to make a move, an important shake-up trade could be on the horizon in Boston. Could it be the revitalized Fowler? The youngster Dumba? A more Bruin-like player like Scandella or Manson? Only time will tell, but the connection between the Bruins and these defense-deep teams will be something to keep an eye on as we head toward the Trade Deadline in just over a month.

Atlantic Division Notes: Gallant, Ryan, Miller, McQuaid

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The Florida Panthers decision to fire head coach Gerard Gallant earlier this season was met with harsh criticism in some circles of the hockey community. It was widely assumed the dismissal was a reflection of the new front office structure’s belief in analytics, something the former player and long time coach may not have been completely on board with,  as opposed to Gallant’s coaching ability. Gallant is known as an old-school coach who values “intangibles” and other traits not ordinarily appreciated by analytically-driven front offices and it was assumed this generated a disconnect between management and the bench boss. However, according to Gallant his termination had little to do with his feelings on analytics and likely had more to do with his stubbornness, as Pierre LeBrun of ESPN wrote recently:

“I wasn’t fired because of analytics,” he continued. “I loved coaching the Florida Panthers and I’m a stubborn guy at times; maybe I said a little too much, maybe I gave my opinion a little bit too much. Maybe when they asked for my opinion, I have an honest opinion and sometimes it doesn’t help you. Maybe it wasn’t always what they wanted to hear. I don’t know where it went from there …”

Gallant, like many coaches, actually did utilize information provided to his staff by the team’s analysts and described analytics as “a tool.”

“For me, analytics is certainly part of coaching, but it’s not the whole thing. In my mind, if I take a job, analytics is part of it for sure, 25 to 30 percent, whatever percentage you want to put on it. It’s definitely a tool. If you get the right information, you’re happy with that. Every coach uses analytics. We all go over the same stuff.”

Of course it should be noted that while Gallant admitted to utilizing analytics, it can be inferred from his comments that it was done to assist with lineup decisions and on-ice strategies, leaving open the possibility that he didn’t necessarily agree with analytically-driven decisions made by the front office with regards to player acquisitions. It’s certainly possible Gallant voiced his displeasure over certain moves the front office made over the summer and that led in part to his dismissal.

Nevertheless, despite how it turned out in Florida, Gallant is respected within the industry and it’s likely he will have his choice of head coaching jobs this summer, assuming he isn’t offered and subsequently accepts a job prior to the offseason.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun examines the Senators recent decision to scratch forward Bobby Ryan, and wonders what the “bigger picture” is with the player and Ottawa. Brennan points out that Ryan, a four-time 30-goal scorer, ranks 12th on the team in scoring and theorizes his lack of production may have served as justification for the benching. However, as the scribe points out, Ryan’s ice time, or rather the lack thereof, has likely led to the 29-year-old right winger’s lackluster output. Ryan currently ranks eighth among Senator forwards in overall ATOI (Average Time On Ice) and is seventh on the team in power play ice time. For his career, Ryan has registered just more than one-quarter of his points on the power play but this season has just one goal and three points on the man advantage. Brennan wonders why the Senators, who rank 22nd in the NHL in goals, would not find a way to get one of their most skilled players more ice time. Ultimately, as Brennan writes, the situation is one that bears watching for the rest of the season.
  • The Boston Bruins, and in particular David Backes, were undoubtedly pleased to come away from St. Louis with a 5 – 3 win over the Blues. However the victory didn’t come without cost as the team lost right-shot blue liners Colin Miller and Adam McQuaid to injury during the game. As Jason Brough of Pro Hockey Talk writes, the losses of Miller and McQuaid forced the B’s to finish out the game with just four defenders. After the game, Claude Julien could provide no information other than the two were being evaluated by the team’s medical staff. Today the team announced that Miller is doubtful for tomorrow’s contest in Nashville. If he can’t go the Bruins could insert either John-Michael Liles or Joe Morrow into the lineup with the other available to draw in if McQuaid is ruled out.

The Boston Bruins’ Sudden Defensive Depth

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For those keeping up with the World Junior Championships, it’s a story line that has been one of the focuses of the tournament. Although the Boston Bruins couldn’t quite match the nine Philadelphia Flyers prospects who made their junior teams and were one of five NHL organizations with five prospects taking part, the Bruins sent a league-high four defensemen to the World Juniors. While many think of the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, or Anaheim Ducks when talking defensive depth, or maybe even the Carolina Hurricanes when considering the whole system, the Bruins have now entered the conversation as having maybe the best defensive depth in the NHL. A team that has struggled in their own end over the past few seasons has turned it around in 2016-17, a top five team in goals against all season, and there’s even more help on the way.

The Bruins do not just have okay defenders playing in the World Juniors, they have future stars. It starts with the United States, where 2016 first-rounder Charlie McAvoy and 2016 second-rounder Ryan Lindgren have been great. McAvoy, a sophomore at Boston University, has a goal and three assists so far in the tournament, which leads all U.S. defensemen and ranks fifth overall on the tourney’s best team so far. This season at BU, the 14th overall pick has 13 points in 17 games and is on pace to crush his freshman year totals. McAvoy projects as an elite puck-mover and play-maker (as well as a crushing open ice hitter) at the next level. Meanwhile, Lindgren is in his freshman year at the University of Minnesota and is developing into more of a shutdown defender. Lindgren has just one assist at the World Juniors, but his defense has drawn rave reviews. His play for the Golden Gophers has been similar – less offensive production and more defensive domination –  but the Bruins are always happy to have physicality in their lineup. Besides, they have plenty of offensive defenseman in the system. For example, Canada’s Jeremy Lauzon. Lauzon has a goal and an assist at the World Juniors, and has been nearly a point-per-game player as the captain of the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies this season, despite dealing with injuries. Last year, Lauzon finished the season with 50 points in 46 games for the Huskies and following that performance, nearly made the Boston roster out of camp this season. A late second-round pick in 2015, Lauzon appears to be a steal in the making for the Bruins. A more obvious 2015 selection was 13th overall pick Jakub Zboril, the fourth of the World Junior defenseman, from the Czech Republic. Zboril had somewhat of a down season in 2015-16 with just 20 points in 50 games for the QMJHL’s Saint John’s Sea Dogs. However, after a strong camp in Boston, he’s having a bounce-back year with 18 points already in just 20 games. He’s also added four assists for the Czechs at the World Juniors, good enough to tie for the team lead in points. As of now, Zboril may be the most complete defensive prospect in the Bruins system right now.

Armed with those four top blue line prospects, some of which might fight for a spot as soon as next season and some of whom will be ready in the next few years, the Bruins have some future depth stored up. Yet, they also have future depth on the team right now. Brandon Carlo has been a revelation for Boston in 2015-16. The 2015 second-round selection, the fourth of six picks in the first two rounds that year, is the first to make it to the NHL, and the Bruins are glad that he did. Carlo has stepped in immediately as a top pair defenseman and is quickly establishing himself as a future franchise defender. The 6’5″ 20-year-old is playing alongside veteran star Zdeno Chara, a big man’s perfect mentor, and eating up about 22 minutes per game. The massive American defender has already become a fan favorite in Boston and seems likely to have a long, successful career ahead of him. He won’t be alone either. Teammates Torey Krug, Adam McQuaid, and Colin Miller appear to be in it for the long haul as well. Since signing with the Bruins out of Michigan State and having a surprise breakout season in 2013-14, Krug has been a mainstay of the Boston blue line. A consistent 40-point scorer, Krug was rewarded with a four-year, $21MM contract this summer, and has responded with possibly his best season to date. McQuaid, finally healthy after years of struggling with injury, is playing the best hockey of his career this season. A shutdown defender who is never going to put up a lot points, McQuaid has nevertheless taken his game to the next level this season with improved skating and vision. If he can stay healthy, his two years left at $2.75MM may prove to be a good deal after all. Finally, Miller, who has often been found in the dog house of coach Claude Julien, appears to have finally stuck as a starter in Boston. Acquired as part of the Milan Lucic trade, Miller was an AHL superstar who was expected to be a future centerpiece of the Bruins blue line. He’s on his way there, and his raw offensive talent will likely keep him on track. Miller has another year left at just $1MM, and will then be a restricted free agent who the B’s will look to lock up long-term.

With Chara down to just one year remaining on his contract before his likely retirement (and possible number retirement as well), these latter four represent the new core of the Boston defense. The prior four are the future, forming a strong group of eight defensemen for Bruins fans to look foward to. But wait, there’s more. Former college stars Matt Grzelcyk and Rob O’Gara are down in the AHL with the red-hot Providence Bruins and have looked good in their brief Boston appearances this season. Both project to be NHL regulars. Some even hold out hope that press box frequenter and former first-round pick Joe Morrow will be able to make something of his career. And what of free agency? Boston appears to be one of, if not the top destination for one of best available players on the 2017 free agent market, Kevin Shattenkirk. The St. Louis Blues puck-mover has made it known that he wants to be on the East coast, and the city where he played his college hockey at Boston University, which is also just hours from his hometown in Connecticut, seems like his top choice. Don’t look now but 2018 top free agent defenseman John Carlson has also expressed potential interest in returning to the state he grew up in.

The Bruins have not had much to be happy about over the past few years, especially on defense. However, their current and future depth is an embarrassment of riches. They have the potential to almost be too deep on D. The Boston blue line has a very bright future. So there’s something to be happy about.

David Backes Leaves Game With Head Injury

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Boston Bruins forward David Backes was the victim of boarding in tonight’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, as William Carrier hit the veteran with a hard, high shot up against the boards in front of the Bruins bench. The team announced shortly afterward that Backes would not return to the game with an “upper body injury”. Carrier will likely face a suspension or fine for the dirty hit.

Backes has been somewhat of an iron man in his NHL career, playing in 72 games or more in all nine of his seasons as a starter with the St. Louis Blues. However, Backes has also had his fair share of concussions as well, with at least two reported in his NHL tenure. Neither kept Backes out of the St. Louis lineup for very long, but now in Boston and on the wrong side of 30, the concussion symptoms can start to pile up, and the Bruins have to worry about long-term repercussions. While it will be some time before we know the full extent of this concussion, expect the team to be cautious with it’s approach. The Bruins face the Sabres again on Saturday, and then New Jersey, Edmonton, Florida, and Carolina to begin the new year. Although no game has been easy for the underachieving team, this is as good a time as any to give Backes some time off. The return of Frank Vatrano has had an instant impact and he can help to make up for a short-term absence of Backes while he rests and recovers. The last thing that Boston wants is to rush Backes back to action only to end up losing him again later on in the season to post-concussion syndrome. With one of the league’s worst scoring offenses and already missing Matt Beleskey until February, the Bruins cannot afford another long-term absence up front.

On a separate note, Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid tried to return the favor later in the game by jumping Carrier late in the first period. For the second time in as many games, McQuaid was restrained before he could even throw a real punch. If the NHL wants to ban fighting, they should, but instructing the refs to instead instantly break up fights is not the way to go. McQuaid expressed a similar opinion arguing with the linesman that pulled him away from Carrier. In tying up McQuaid, the refs allowed Carrier to get several punches off that were direct hits to the Bruins defenseman and to which he had no chance to respond. McQuaid required stitches as a result. To add insult to injury, McQuaid was also given an instigator penalty and a ten-minute misconduct. The entire ordeal was handled incorrectly and the NHL needs to look into alternative methods of handling fighting.

Anton Khudobin Out Three Weeks

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Boston’s goaltending depth is about to get put to the test as the team announced on Tuesday that Anton Khudobin will miss the next three weeks with an upper body injury that was sustained in practice on Monday.  This comes at the same time that the team is currently missing starter Tuukka Rask due to general body soreness and there remains no timetable for his return to action.

Khudobin has played in a pair of games this season while subbing for Rask.  Both contests were losses with the 30 year old posting a 4.10 GAA and a .849 save percentage.

As a result of the injury, the team will be running with a duo of prospects Malcolm Subban and Zane McIntyre for the time being, the latter being recalled on an emergency basis today.  McIntyre leads the AHL in both goals against (0.44) and save percentage (.977) this season while Subban, Boston’s first round pick in 2012, has struggled, being pulled in two starts already while posting a 4.50 GAA and a .846 save percentage.  Subban is expected to get the start between the pipes tonight against Minnesota.

The team will also be without center David Backes for that game, who is day-to-day with an unspecified injury, adds Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).  However, veteran blueliner Adam McQuaid will make his season debut for the Bruins, the team announced (Twitter link).

The Bruins also assigned defenseman Rob O’Gara to their AHL affiliate in Providence.  The rookie has played in three games with Boston this season, logging just over 16 minutes per night in ice time.

Atlantic Notes: Cowen, Larkin, Bergeron, Koekkoek

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The Maple Leafs and Jared Cowen held their arbitration hearing on Wednesday regarding the contested buy out of his contract back in June, notes Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star.  Toronto opted to pay Cowen $750K in each of the next two seasons over carrying his $3.1MM cap hit (and $4.5MM salary) for 2016-17.  Doing so created a $650K cap credit for this year and a charge of $750K next season.

However, the CBA stipulates that an injured player cannot be bought out and Cowen and his representatives are contending that he remained injured with long-term hip problems at the time the Leafs executed the buyout.  Cowen was acquired late last season as part of the Dion Phaneuf trade but Toronto allowed him to go home early to work on rehabbing his hip.

If Cowen wins and has his contract reinstated, the Leafs will technically be over the salary cap.  However, given that Cowen isn’t healthy enough to play, he would be eligible to be placed on long-term injury reserve which would get them back under.  There is no timetable for the arbitrator to make his decision.

More from the Atlantic:

  • Detroit’s Dylan Larkin is off to a slow start this season but as Ansar Khan of MLive writes, part of his struggles could be attributed to his conversion back to center. Last season – in his rookie campaign – the team often played him on the left wing to take some of the pressure off of him.  With long-time Red Wing Pavel Datsyuk now retired from the NHL, the team needs Larkin to step into his vacated position at center.  Through four games, the 20 year old has a single assist and a -5 rating although he has been a bit better at the faceoff dot, winning 44.4% of his draws which is above his 41% mark from last season.
  • Boston center Patrice Bergeron is on track to make his season debut tonight against New Jersey, Joe Haggerty of CSN New England reports. He has missed the first three games of the season so far and should step back into his top line role assuming there are no setbacks.  Boston coach Claude Julien also noted that defenseman Adam McQuaid won’t play against the Devils but he believes the blueliner is only a few days away from returning to the lineup.
  • The Lightning re-assigned defenseman Slater Koekkoek to the minors yesterday but Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times believes that the demotion will be a short-lived one. Koekkoek has yet to play this season despite making the opening night roster and with him being waiver exempt, he’s expected to get into a couple of AHL games to stay in game shape before being recalled sometime next week.

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