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Anders Bjork

Injury Notes: Pastrnak, Backstrom, Vehvilainen

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The Boston Bruins dropped a game time bomb on Thursday night, announcing that star forward David Pastrnak had been deemed “unfit to participate” and would miss Game Two. There is no official word on Pastrnak’s condition and whether he will miss any future games with this current ailment. It could be that the Rocket Richard winner simply could not bounce back from a minor injury sustained on Wednesday in just over 24 hours’ time. Pastrnak did appear to be in discomfort following his assist on the game-winning goal in double overtime of Game Two. However, others have noted that Pastrnak also missed practice on Monday and could be nursing a lingering issue. The Bruins certainly do not want their elite scorer to be out of the lineup for too long, so any further clarification on Pastrnak’s injury will be key to Boston’s Stanley Cup hopes this postseason. In the meantime, Anders Bjork has replaced Pastrnak on the team’s top line while Karson Kuhlman has been inserted into the lineup.

  • The Washington Capitals will also be missing one of their stars for Game Two on Friday. First line center Nicklas Backstrom has entered the league’s concussion protocol, reportscom’s Tom Gulitti, and will not be able to return to the lineup just yet. Backstrom was the recipient of high hit from the New York Islanders’ Anders Lee, which cost him two penalty minutes, early in the first period of the Capitals’ Game One loss on Tuesday. Backstrom played through the period but did not return after the break. There is no word on how long Backstrom may be out of the lineup. While Backstrom is certainly a major loss, his absence fortunately lines up with a return for fellow center Lars Eller, who had left the Toronto bubble due to the birth of his son and missed Game One.
  • Veini Vehvilainen has arrived in Toronto to join the Columbus Blue Jackets as their No. 3 goalie, with Elvis Merzlikins still nursing an injury. The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger notes that Vehvilainen has already officially joined the roster after landing Wednesday, while adding that he will not count against the 31-man maximum bubble roster limit as goalie injuries allow for an exception to be made. In the unlikely event that Vehvilainen has to make an appearance for Columbus, it would be his NHL debut. The well-regarded Finnish product finally made the jump to North America this season, but played exclusively in the AHL.

Boston Bruins Extend Anders Bjork

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The Boston Bruins have finished some paperwork ahead of their round-robin matches, signing Anders Bjork to a three-year extension. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.6MM and keeps Bjork under contract through the 2022-23 season.

Some may be wondering why the Bruins would commit three years to a player who has only 14 goals in 108 NHL games, but there is a real belief that he can still turn into a top-six option for the team. Bjork will turn 24 in a week and has impressed during the return to play training camp, enough to make head coach Bruce Cassidy unsure of whether Ondrej Kase will even have a roster spot when he returns.

A fifth-round pick in 2014, Bjork really found his game while attending Notre Dame, becoming a dominant offensive presence and recording 52 points in 39 games during his junior year. He was a Hobey Baker finalist that year and quickly made the jump to the NHL in 2017-18. Though he hasn’t been able to show that same sort of offensive touch at the professional level, he was about to have an opportunity to really establish himself with a strong playoff performance. Like the many unrestricted free agents trying to improve their value, pending RFAs are also looking to put down statistical accomplishments that they can use in arbitration hearings.

It’s important to remember that Bjork will not be a UFA at the expiration of this deal, meaning the Bruins hold some control over him even if he does improve. The deal is also not prohibitive to their cap, but does somewhat guarantee him a roster spot going forward.

With Bjork’s deal done, the Bruins now have negotiations with Jake Debrusk and Matt Grzelcyk to look forward to, all while keeping in mind the flat cap and the pending free agency of Torey Krug.

Atlantic Notes: Alzner, Bruins, Petan, Johnsson, Foote

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The Montreal Canadiens announced that defenseman Karl Alzner has chosen to opt out of the Return to Play Plan and will sit out both Phases 3 & 4. The decision isn’t a big surprise, considering that he wasn’t likely to receive much, if any playing time and has young children at home.

Alzner has been quite a disappointment since general manager Marc Bergevin signed the veteran defenseman to a five-year, $23.1MM deal back in 2017. He struggled in his first year with the Canadiens and since then has appeared in just 13 games with the team mostly keeping his contract buried in the AHL. He played 53 games with the Laval Rocket this year, compared to just four NHL games.

  • Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said that he will speak to all of his upcoming restricted and unrestricted free agents throughout the Return to Play and said that if signing someone to an extension makes sense, he will do that, according to Matt Porter of the Boston Globe. The team has a number of unrestricted free agents, including Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara, Kevan Miller and Joakim Nordstrom as well as a few key RFA’s, including Jake Debrusk, Anders Bjork, Zachary Senyshyn, Karson Kuhlman, Matt Grzelcyk, Jakub Zboril and Dan Vladar. NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty adds that Sweeney said he was not going to be aggressive about potential re-signings. While a Krug signing would seem unlikely, especially with the league planning to stick to a $81.5MM flat cap next season, the team may be forced to let some of those players go unless they can get some players to take lesser contracts.
  • With the Toronto Maple Leafs’ training camp roster released, there were few surprises on their list, although The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler noted the absence of forward Nic Petan. The 25-year-old did spend more time with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, but still played 16 games with the Maple Leafs and was having a solid offensive year with the Marlies (10 goals, 31 points in 25 games). NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger also points out that with a six-month timeline for his knee injury, the team will not see forward Andreas Johnsson during the Return to Play until possibly the second round.
  • Perhaps the biggest surprise on the roster for the Tampa Bay Lightning was defenseman Cal Foote. The 21-year-old wrapped up his second pro season with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. The Athletic’s Joe Smith (subscription required) writes that while there is no guarantee that Foote will see any playing time, but with the Lightning’s cap situation for next season, there is a strong chance he makes the team for the 2020-21 season and could use the practice time as a learning experience.

 

Atlantic Notes: Krug, Fabbri, Moore

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While there has been plenty of debate on what the Boston Bruins should do with pending UFA defenseman Torey Krug this summer, there are other factors that the team must consider besides the team’s salary cap situation in the future.

The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa (subscription required) writes the Bruins also need to consider the upcoming Seattle expansion draft as well. The scribe writes that if Krug is retained, the team is more likely to protect four defensemen in Krug, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk. The problem is the team would then only be able to protect four forwards, including Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and either Charlie Coyle or Jake Debrusk. One of those two would likely be picked by Seattle.

However, if the team opted not to brink back Krug, the team might be able to choose the 7-3-1 protection format instead, which would allow Boston to protect those three defensemen (minus Krug) and then protect up to seven forwards, which might include two more forwards such as Danton Heinen and Anders Bjork as well.

  • Despite expecting to have some cap space this offseason, the Detroit Red Wings do have an inordinate number of restricted free agent forwards. In fact, the team has 11 RFAs they will have to deal with this summer. The Athletic’s Max Bultman (subscription required) examines some of the forwards and what their chances of coming back are. While Anthony Mantha’s status isn’t in doubt and Andreas Athanasiou status could end in a trade, there still are a number of forwards who could be fighting for a contract. The scribe writes that of all those forwards, many who must have solid campaigns this season, Robby Fabbri has definitely earned himself another contract with the Red Wings. The 23-year-old has established himself immediately with the team, posting 10 points in his first 13 games with the franchise. While it remains a long season and his offense could drop off, he has enough potential that it’s very likely the team will bring him back.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said the team could be getting back forward Trevor Moore soon, according to Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun. The 24-year-old has been out since Nov. 15 with a shoulder injury, but Keefe said that Moore could make his return by the end of the team’s current four-game road trip that starts today, which could put him on schedule to return at some point next week. Moore has averaged 14:00 per game and has three goals and five points in 21 games as a bottom-six forward.

Atlantic Notes: Bruins Trade Options, Krug, Dermott

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The Boston Bruins are right near the top of the Atlantic Division with a 7-1-2 record, good enough for second place. However, with injuries rising and a lack of production beyond the top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, who have combined for 41 points, no forward has more than three points this season, leaving quite a few question marks when a team finds a way to shut down the Bruins’ first line.

Throw in the recent injuries to the team and NBC Sports’ Joe Haggerty looks at numerous trade possibilities that general manager Don Sweeney might be looking at. Many of the trade possibilities suggested might be a challenge for Boston to pull off, especially the likely high price tag of New Jersey’s Taylor Hall and Vegas’ Alex Tuch.

However, he does point out that the team has options with common trade partners like Minnesota (Jason Zucker) or the New York Rangers (Chris Kreider), although Kreider would be only seen as a rental despite his Boston background. The team could also look to rent Mike Hoffman from the Florida Panthers as well.

However, even Haggerty points out that the team might look to bring in their own prospects. The play of Anders Bjork could be the team’s first option. The 23-year-old scored a goal Saturday night, suggesting he could be an answer to some of the team’s secondary scoring woes, although he must show consistency, something the team has struggled with this season.

  • With the impending returns of defensemen Kevan Miller and John Moore, both currently on injured reserve, Boston Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy writes that the Boston Bruins will then have nine defensemen on their NHL roster and the team will likely either have to make a trade or send a player to the AHL. While Moore’s return is more uncertain, Miller could be back by early November. Connor Clifton would be a candidate to send to the NHL, but could require waivers by early November, which might be something that Boston would want to avoid. A trade could make quite a bit of sense, but is the team ready to move Torey Krug? The team could use some offense, so moving Krug to a team like Winnipeg who needs a top-four blueliner might makes some sense. Krug is one of the few players faring well in Boston as the defenseman has eight points in 10 games so far this year.
  • The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel reports that Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Travis Dermott is likely to return to the lineup on Tuesday against Washinton. Dermott has been out all season due to offseason shoulder surgery. That could start a chain reaction of roster moves from Toronto, who also has Zach Hyman close to returning from LTIR. Once both are back, the Maple Leafs could be forced to make as many as four roster moves to get both players back on the roster.

Lineup Notes: Boston, Buffalo, Big Names Scratched

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Fresh off a decisive win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, the Boston Bruins’ forward lines will look a little different when they face the New York Rangers tonight. The team has announced that bottom-six forwards Chris Wagner and Joakim Nordstrom will both miss the game due to injury. However, the release does not make it sound as if either player is at risk of missing significant time, especially since both played the entire game last night with normal ice time. Wagner is listed as being out as a result of a shot block against the Blues, although no actual injury is listed and the aggressive winger may just need the night off for soreness. Nordstrom has been in and out of the lineup frequently in the young season, dealing with an undisclosed upper-body injury. Today’s news adds even more mystery to his condition, as the Bruins state he is dealing with an “infection issue”. With these two absences coming on top of the injuries to David Krejci and Karson Kuhlman – Kuhlman is expected to join Krejci on IR to create roster space – Boston is shorthanded up front and added that they will recall Peter Cehlarik from AHL Providence. Cehlarik, who played in 20 NHL games last season, leads Providence with six goals and eight points in eight games. The Bruins hope that he can provide the same offensive spark that Anders Bjork has since he was recalled. Tonight should also mark the return to action of David Backes, who has played in five games so far this season and has been held without a point.

  • The Buffalo Sabres have gotten off to a hot start this season and their lineup has been almost identical night in and night out. That is about to change. The team has issued an injury report that includes two new additions in Marco Scandella and Jimmy Vesey. The pair both missed Buffalo’s last game, with Scandella suffering from a lower-body injury and Vesey an upper-body injury. Although the specific injuries are not expanded upon in this new report, Scandella is listed as being out two to three weeks, while Vesey is considered week-to-week. It is a blow to the chemistry and consistency that the Sabres have enjoyed so far this season, especially on the back end where they lose their veteran defensive leader. However, in more positive news, defenseman Brandon Montour has been upgraded to day-to-day and a return to the lineup could be imminent. Montour began the year on the injured reserve with a hand injury, but is nearing his season debut and will provide a major boost for Buffalo.
  • At this point in their respective careers, both Brent Seabrook and Bobby Ryan are known more for their notorious contracts than for their performance. Yet, both are fixtures in their respective lineups. However, reports out of both Chicago and Ottawa state that Seabrook and Ryan will each be a healthy scratch tonight. It is only the second career scratch for both players in their careers and the first under their current head coaches. Per the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, Senators head coach D.J. Smith revealed that Ryan would be a scratch, after recording just three points through the team’s first ten games. Ryan, who is in the fifth year of a seven-year, $50.75MM contract, had been relegated to a fourth line role based on his production, but Smith reportedly does not feel he is a good fit as an energy forward. The team has recalled Filip Chlapik to take his place in the lineup and there is no indication of when Ryan may return. Ryan has not cracked 50 points in any of the past three seasons and has three seasons remaining at a $7.25MM cap hit. As for Seabrook, his contract is arguably even worse. The 34-year-old defenseman still has five years remaining on an eight-year, $55MM contract that carries a $6.875MM cap it. Seabrook’s game has fallen off in both the offensive and defensive departments over the past two years and things are only getting worse. The veteran rearguard has just one point in nine games and a -5 rating, on pace for a career worst in both categories. According to The Athletic’s Scott Powers, Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton will sit Seabrook in favor of untested rookie Dennis Gilbert. Colliton also indicated that Seabrook did not take his benching well. It could be the beginning of an even uglier situation in Chicago. Powers’ colleague Mark Lazerus points out that with Seabrook scratched alongside Zack Smith, the Blackhawks will have over $10MM in salary – approximately 12.4% of the salary cap ceiling – watching from the press box tonight.

Minor Transactions: 10/25/19

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There may have been ten games on the schedule last night, but it was hard to focus on anyone but Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl who put on a show against the Washington Capitals. The Oilers’ superstars each played more than 26 minutes—leading all players in the game—and carried the weight of the entire team to a win. With six games coming up tonight, we’ll keep track of all the minor moves right here.

  • The Boston Bruins have recalled Anders Bjork again today, ahead of their Saturday night matchup against the St. Louis Blues. Bjork was given his first NHL opportunity of the season against the Toronto Maple Leafs earlier this week.
  • Givani Smith has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings after serving his one-game suspension in the AHL. The physical forward has four points in four games for the Grand Rapids Griffins, and was impressive in the preseason with Detroit.
  • With Marco Scandella suffering an injury last night for the Buffalo Sabres, the team has recalled Will Borgen today to give them another option. The Sabres are back in action right away against the Red Wings, meaning if Scandella can’t go either Borgen or John Gilmour should be expected to enter the lineup.

Boston Bruins Place Krejci On Injured Reserve, Recall Bjork

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The Boston Bruins have made a roster move as they prepare for action tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. David Krejci has been placed on injured reserve, while young forward Anders Bjork has been recalled and is taking the morning skate with the team. Krejci hasn’t played since October 14th when he suffered an upper-body injury against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Bruins lost in overtime to the Maple Leafs on Saturday night without Krejci, but will get a chance for their revenge tonight on home ice. The 33-year old’s presence is sorely missed however on the team’s second line, as Boston has received almost zero secondary scoring to date this year. In fact, outside of the top line of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, not a single Bruins player has more than two points this season and only four other forwards have scored a goal at all.

Krejci enjoyed an incredible bounce-back season in 2018-19 when he recorded 73 points in 81 games and needs to get back on the ice for the Bruins as soon as possible. Without him (and Karson Kuhlman, who also missed practice and is unlikely to play), Bjork will get another chance to show what he can do at the NHL level. He skated alongside Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner, a great opportunity for him to provide some jump and energy in his first game of the season.

Bjork, 23, had huge expectations coming out of Notre Dame in 2017 but hasn’t quite lived up to them to this point. In just 50 games at the NHL level he has 15 points, but his career so far has been marred by scratches both healthy and injured. In seven games for the Providence Bruins this season he has eight points, signaling that he may be ready to take that next step and be a force at the highest level.

Training Camp Cuts: 09/30/19

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Teams will be finalizing their opening day rosters today, meaning that plenty of players will be removed from training camp. As always, we’ll keep track of all those cuts right here. Keep checking back as this list will be updated throughout the day.

Arizona Coyotes (per team release)

G Adin Hill (to Tuscon, AHL)

Boston Bruins (per team release)

F Peter Cehlarik (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Anders Bjork (to Providence, AHL)
F Trent Frederic (to Providence, AHL)
F Jack Studnicka (to Providence, AHL)
F Cameron Hughes (to Providence, AHL)
G Maxime Lagace (to Providence, AHL)

Buffalo Sabres (per team release)

F Remi Elie (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Curtis Lazar (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Scott Wilson (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Casey Nelson (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Rasmus Asplund (to Rochester, AHL)
F Tage Thompson (to Rochester, AHL)
D Lawrence Pilut (to Rochester, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (per team release)

F Anton Wedin (to Rockford, AHL)
D Dennis Gilbert (to Rockford, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (per team release)

F Marko Dano (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Eric Robinson (to Cleveland, AHL)
G Hayden Stewart (released from PTO)

Edmonton Oilers (per team release)

F Sam Gagner (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Brandon Manning (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D William Lagesson (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Los Angeles Kings (per team release)

F Mario Kempe (to Ontario, AHL)
D Paul Ladue (to Ontario, AHL)
D Derek Forbort (designated injured/non-roster)

Minnesota Wild (per team release)

F J.T. Brown (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Louie Belpedio (to Iowa, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (per team release)

F Charles Hudon (to Laval, AHL)
G Charlie Lindgren (to Laval, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (per team release)

D Jeremy Groleau (to Binghamton, AHL)

New York Rangers (per team release)

F Boo Nieves (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Filip Chytil (to Hartford, AHL)
F Vitali Kravtsov (to Hartford, AHL)
F Vinni Lettieri (to Hartford, AHL)
D Ryan Lindgren (to Hartford, AHL)
G Igor Shesterkin (to Hartford, AHL)
D Tarmo Reunanen (to Lukko, Liiga)
D Joseph Morrow (released from PTO)

Tampa Bay Lightning (per team release)

D Luke Schenn (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Danick Martel (to Syracuse, AHL)
F Alexander Volkov (to Syracuse, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (per team release)

F Kenny Agostino (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Nic Petan (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Garrett Wilson (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Kevin Gravel (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Kalle Kossila (designated injured, non-roster)
F Mason Marchment (designated injured, non-roster)
F Egor Korshkov (to Toronto, AHL)
F Matt Read (released from PTO, signs AHL contract)

Vancouver Canucks (per team release)

F Sven Baertschi (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Nikolay Goldobin (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Alex Biega (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)

Vegas Golden Knights (per team release)

F Keegan Kolesar (to Chicago, AHL)
D Jake Bischoff (to Chicago, AHL)

Winnipeg Jets (per team release)

F J.C. Lipon (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Nelson Nogier (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
G Eric Comrie (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Joona Luoto (to Manitoba, AHL)
F C.J. Suess (to Manitoba, AHL)

Washington Capitals (per team release)

F Liam O’Brien (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Michael Sgarbossa (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
D Christian Djoos (placed on waivers before AHL assignment)
F Shane Gersich (to Hershey, AHL)

Atlantic Notes: Brannstrom, Sandin, Panthers, Lightning, Bjork

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When the Ottawa Senators announced Sunday that the team had assigned defenseman Christian Jaros to the Belleville Senators of the AHL, it meant that the Senators intend on keeping top prospect Erik Brannstrom on the team, according to Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas.

The 20-year-old had an impressive camp, but more importantly is a good look for the Senators who traded away star Mark Stone for the young defensive phenom. The Golden Knights sent Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg (now playing in the NLA) and a 2020 second-round pick. If Brannstrom makes his mark quickly, it would help make the Stone trade more palatable.

Brannstrom, the 15th overall pick in 2017, played 50 games in the AHL between the Chicago Wolves and the Belleville Senators, scoring seven goals and 32 points in that time.

  • TSN’s Kristen Shilton reports that Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock confirmed that defenseman Rasmus Sandin is going to make Toronto’s opening day roster. “We got four [defencemen]…and, well, Sandin,” said Babcock. Sandin, the team’s first-round pick in 2018, was impressive in his first year with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL last season at 18 years of age, scoring six goals and 28 points in 44 games, and has been extremely impressive during the preseason so far.
  • The Athletic’s George Richards reports that with the cuts of Owen Tippett, Dominic Toninato and Riley Stillman, the Florida Panthers have essentially announced that defenseman Josh Brown and forward Dryden Hunt have made the team. The 25-year-old Brown played 37 games for the Panthers last season, while the 23-year-old Hunt got into 31 games, scoring three goals and 10 points.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning could be without two players for opening night after Cedric Paquette and Tyler Johnson suffered injuries in Saturday’s final preseason game. NHL.com’s Corey Long reports that Paquette left the game with his right arm in a sling after taking a hit from Florida’s Stillman and his status remains in question for the season opener, while Johnson didn’t return to the bench in the third period, but head coach Jon Cooper said he was removed as a precaution and likely will be fine.
  • Boston Globe’s Matt Porter reports that despite a solid preseason, forward Anders Bjork is likely going to start the season in Providence in the AHL with the hope that he can gain some consistency after shoulder injuries have derailed his last two seasons. Bjork played just 20 games for the Bruins last season.

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