Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Brad Marchand

Brad Marchand Added To COVID Protocol

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The Bruins will be without their leading scorer for today’s game against Buffalo as the team announced (Twitter link) that winger Brad Marchand has been added to the NHL’s COVID-Protocol Related Absences list.  He joins Jake DeBrusk and Sean Kuraly as Boston forwards that are currently unavailable.

The 32-year-old has had a strong first half to his season, notching 34 points in 29 games, marking the fifth straight year that he has produced over a point-per-game rate while giving him an eight-point lead on David Pastrnak for the team lead.  Marchand was only one of five players who had played in every game this season as Boston has been hit hard by injuries and COVID.

Jack Studnicka is expected to be recalled from the taxi squad to play in Marchand’s absence.  While he has been shuffled back and forth frequently this year, he still has played in 16 games for the Bruins, picking up a goal and two assists.

It’s always important to note in these situations that just because Marchand is on the CPRA list, it doesn’t mean that he has contracted the virus.  Subsequent testing over the next couple of days will determine whether he will be on the list for a while or if it’s a case of a false positive which would allow him to return soon.

Tom Wilson To Have In-Person Hearing With NHL Player Safety

at CDT | by 11 Comments

Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson is in trouble yet again and facing a lengthy suspension. The NHL Department of Player Safety has announced that they have offered Wilson an in-person hearing related to “boarding” for the high hit delivered to Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo on Friday night. In-person hearings are reserved for cases in which the player is facing a suspension of more than five games. The hearing will take place tonight.

Wilson, generally regarded as the dirtiest player in the NHL, was last suspended in 2018 for 20 games, but the suspension was reduced to 14 games by a neutral arbitrator. Although enough time has passed since then that Wilson is no longer considered a “repeat offender”, that label only applies to fine calculations and all previous discipline will be considered in a suspension decision. Wilson has previously been suspended four times in his career for a total of 23 games, including one for boarding and twice for hits to the head, and while this newest potential suspension may be for as few as six games, the league could return to 20+ games since Wilson has clearly not learned his lesson. The shortened season could come into play when determining the length, however.

The league is certainly facing pressure to hammer Wilson with substantial discipline for his latest aggression, especially since the referees did not even call a penalty on the play. There was quite an outcry last night following Wilson’s hit, led by Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy and star Brad Marchand and echoed by media members and former players alike online. The hit in question occurred in the first period and saw Wilson target a defenseless Carlo from a distance and deliver a hit to the head of the 6’5″ defenseman with a leaping check against the boards. As the head was not the sole point of contact, the league determined that this was not a case of an illegal check to the head but does meet the criteria of boarding despite an unorthodox angle of delivery. The league will still surely take into account that head contact was entirely avoidable as well. Carlo was helped from the ice and had to be transported to the hospital by ambulance. He spent the night in the hospital and was released this morning, with no timeframe for a return to the team.

While Wilson was the main culprit on the play, he is not the only one who faced potential retribution but at this point in time appears to be the only one set to receive it. Player Safety has not revealed any supplemental discipline for Jakub Vrana, who cross-checked Carlo multiple times in the upper back while he laid face-down on the ice. The league has also not publicly commented on the performance of referees Dean Morton and Pierre Lambert, who failed to penalize Wilson (with many options available) or Vrana and were inconsistent with calls all night.

Last night’s match-up was a case study in the continued value of fighting in the NHL. Whereas Morton and Lambert dropped the ball on maintaining order, Bruins Jarred Tinordi and Trent Frederic picked up the slack by each dropping the gloves with Wilson. As Wilson sat in the box following his first fight with Tinordi, the Bruins scored three of their five goals en route to an emotional win. The Bruins and Capitals do not square off again until April 8, so Boston is surely hoping for a maximum suspension for Wilson that might directly benefit them down the road.

East Notes: Zibanejad, Islanders, Devils, Voracek, Marchand

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The New York Rangers have been trending upwards as they look forward to the upcoming season. However, one troubling aspect of training camp is the fact that their team leader and MVP Mika Zibanejad has missed the entirety of training camp with no explanation for his absence (standard league policy).

However, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that Zibanejad did skate Saturday before the team’s practice, suggesting he might be close to returning to the team. Head coach David Quinn said that Zibanejad has “had a couple of good days.”

The 27-year-old center had a breakout season last year, scoring 41 goals in 57 games and will be looked upon to lead the team once again.

  • The New York Islanders and general manager Lou Lamoriello signed Mathew Barzal to a three-year deal early Saturday, but there was hope that the two sides could agree to a six-year pact instead, according to The Athletic’s Arthur Staple (subscription required). The two sides were discussing a deal similar to the six-year, $9.25MM contract that Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen signed last year, but the Islanders could not make that work. The hope was the team could unload the contracts of Leo Komarov and/or Thomas Hickey to free up the necessary cap room, but no team was willing to take either contract.
  • The New Jersey Devils could be looking the trade route to fill its backup goaltending spot on the roster after veteran Corey Crawford announced his retirement. The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes that they might be looking towards the Arizona Coyotes, who have quite a bit of goaltending depth, including Adin Hill, who Arizona would have to pass through waivers to get on the taxi squad. That could give New Jersey a chance to trade for Antti Raanta, who is in the last year of his contract and is earning $4.25MM.
  • Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault is completely focused on a long playoff run this season and has sent a message to veteran Jakub Voracek, who was moved off the first-team power play in practice and was told to step up, according to Philadelphia Enquirer’s Marcus Hayes. Voracek scored just 12 goals during the regular season, but especially struggled during the Flyers’ seven-game playoff series against the New York Islanders in which he had just one point. “I talked to Jake about this. I challenged him about this season. There’s a man who’s been in the league for a long time,” Vigneault said. “Basically, he’s won two playoff rounds.” Other young players are ready to take bigger roles on the team, including Oskar Lindblom, Nolan Patrick and Joel Farabee, which could put even more pressure on Voracek.
  • Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand, who is coming off sports hernia surgery, left practice early Sunday, according to Boston Globe’s Matt Porter. The 32-year-old was given a four-month recovery window in September, but Marchand returned early from that prognosis. While there is no word on why he left practice early, head coach Bruce Cassidy said he was getting treatment and doesn’t believe the injury is serious. He is a game-time decision for Monday’s scrimmage.

Injury Notes: Patrick, Dallas, Colorado, Marchand

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Philadelphia Flyers had a welcome face join them for the first on-ice session of training camp today. Nolan Patrick, who hasn’t played an NHL game since April of 2019, was present and taking part in practice. In fact, he’s even cleared for contact and says he’s feeling better every day as he recovers from the migraine issues that kept him off the ice for so long.

Patrick, the second overall pick from 2017, is still just 22 and could be a big part of the Flyers lineup this season should his health hold. Without any leverage in negotiations, he accepted a one-year contract at his qualifying offer salary of $874,125. Even if he never becomes the top-line center they hoped for, Philadelphia can still certainly use a bargain in the middle-six.

  • The Dallas Stars were without two postseason standouts as camp opened, announcing that Anton Khudobin is still dealing with some immigration issues and Joe Pavelski is listed as day-to-day pending further examination results on an undisclosed injury. Remember, with such a short training camp this year every day is even more important, meaning there may be some extra rust to shake off for Dallas early on.
  • Speaking of missing important time, five Colorado Avalanche players were deemed “unfit to play” today and head coach Jared Bednar wasn’t sure when they would be back. Gabriel Landeskog, Brandon Saad, Erik Johnson, Philipp Grubauer, and Keaton Middelton (AHL contract) were all held out, though the exact reasoning was not given. The first four are obviously extremely important to the Colorado lineup, so hopefully they can get back on the ice before long.
  • While David Pastrnak wasn’t on the ice and will still miss the first part of the regular season, the Boston Bruins had Brad Marchand out there in his familiar place next to Patrice Bergeron. Marchand is coming back from sports hernia surgery in September and explained today that he had been dealing with the injury for the last two and a half years. The veteran forward also spoke about Kevan Miller’s return to the ice with the Bruins, calling him an “animal” and saying that he hasn’t missed a beat. Miller last played an NHL game in April of 2019 and has had multiple major surgeries in the interim. He signed a new one-year, bonus-laden deal with the Bruins in October.

East Notes: Ovechkin, Bruins Injuries, Kravtsov, Stuetzle

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While we know that Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin will eventually re-sign with Washington, that won’t happen for a while yet.  NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan relays that GM Brian MacLellan has tabled extension talks until the start of training camp, whenever that may be.  The 35-year-old will be entering the final season of his 13-year, $124MM contract and while his prime years may have passed, he still should be a dynamic goal scorer in the NHL for several years to come.  Ovechkin plans to represent himself in discussions with MacLellan, similar to what teammate Nicklas Backstrom did in his contract talks last season, one that led to a five-year, $46MM deal.

More from the Eastern Conference:

  • Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters, including NHL.com’s Amalie Benjamin, that both Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak are on track in their recoveries from mid-September surgeries. Marchand had sports hernia surgery that carried a four-month recovery timeline while Pastrnak was set to miss five months after hip and shoulder procedures.  Depending on when next season starts, Marchand may not miss too much time but Pastrnak is set to miss a decent chunk of the year.
  • While Rangers prospect Vitali Kravtsov is off to a good start in the KHL and can be recalled from his loan at any time, Larry Brooks of the New York Post reports that the current plan is to keep the winger with Traktor Chelyabinsk for their entire season. The 20-year-old has eight goals in 18 games so far this season after managing just three points in 11 KHL contests a year ago.  If he continues to do well, he’d be an interesting midseason addition in New York or a big upgrade for AHL Hartford.
  • Senators top pick Tim Stuetzle is on schedule in his recovery from surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand, Mannheim GM Jan-Axel Alavaara told Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. The 18-year-old was set to return to Mannheim of the DEL this season but that start was delayed by the pandemic before even considering his injury.  As things stand, the hope is that Stuetzle will be available for the World Juniors although if NHL training camps are ongoing at that time, he may be needed in Ottawa.

David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand Underwent Offseason Surgeries

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Boston Bruins have announced that three of their most important players have undergone offseason surgery. Brad Marchand underwent a sports hernia repair on September 14 and has been given a four-month recovery timeline, while David Pastrnak underwent a right hip arthroscopy and labral repair on September 16 and will be out five months. Charlie McAvoy, who underwent a right knee arthroscopy on September 8, has already been cleared to resume normal offseason activities.

Both Pastrnak and Marchand are now questionable for the start of the 2020-21 season, given their proposed timelines (to be clear, these are from the date of surgery). That could change based on when the NHL decides to start things off, but the current target date is still January 1, 2021.

Losing either or both would have a dramatic effect on the Bruins attack, though obviously, it’s a good thing that they had surgery so quickly after elimination from the bubble. Both should be back without missing a huge chunk of the season, hopefully at full strength.

NHL Announces First And Second All-Star Teams, All-Rookie Team

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Following the announcements of the final five NHL regular season awards, the league also revealed their three all-league rosters: the First-Team All-Stars, the Second-Team All-Stars, and the All-Rookie Team. Below are the 2019-20 honorees:

First All-Star Team (link)

G: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D: Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D: John Carlson, Washington Capitals
LW: Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers
C: Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
RW: David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

The 2020 First-Team All-Stars are a historic group, the first time since the inaugural all-league honors in 1930-31 that all six honorees are first-time members of the team. Unsurprisingly, this team also covers most of the league’s major awards with Draisaitl taking home the Hart, Ted Lindsay, and Art Ross, Josi winning the Norris, Hellebuyck winning the Vezina, and Pastrnak earning the Rocket Richard.

Second All-Star Team (link)

G: Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D: Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
D: Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
LW: Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins
C: Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
RW: Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning

The President’s Trophy-winning Boston Bruins finish with a league-best three players on All-Star rosters. Their division rival, and current Stanley Cup finalist, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the only other team with more than one inclusion on the all-star rosters. Noticeably absent from either all-star teams are future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. This is just the third time since 2005-06 that at least one of the pair have not been on a postseason All-Star team, while they have both have been selected in the same year eight times in the past 15 years.

All-Rookie Team (link)

G: Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus Blue Jackets
D: Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
D: Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
F: Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres
F: Dominik Kubalik, Chicago Blackhawks
F: Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens

The rookie elite, led by Calder Trophy-winner Makar, is an older group than usual. Merzlikins, Olofsson, and Kubalik, all 25 or older, played in Europe for a considerable amount of time before jumping to North America as a polished product, while Makar and Hughes each played a pair of seasons in the NCAA and Suzuki aged out of juniors before turning pro. Nevertheless, the first-year pros were all impressive and still have many  quality years ahead of them.

Snapshots: Three Stars, Lemieux, Makar

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The NHL has released their Three Stars of last week and the presumptive Norris favorite is at the top. John Carlson gets the honor after a six-point week with two game-winning goals, taking him to an incredible 43 points in 31 games this season. Carlson is on pace for 113 points this season, something only Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr have done as defensemen.

Second and third place go to Tristan Jarry and Jack Eichel, two more Eastern Conference players just coming into their own. Jarry was picked over Casey DeSmith as the Pittsburgh Penguins backup at the beginning of the season and has been exceptional. Eichel meanwhile has improved his offensive production for the fifth season in a row and now sits at 42 points through 31 games. The Buffalo Sabres captain may be overlooked at times due to team success, but is one of the most explosive scorers in the entire league.

  • Brendan Lemieux has been fined $2,000 for his elbow on Cody Glass over the weekend. Lemieux tried to hit Glass in the corner and ended up contacting him in the head with his elbow when the two spun away from each other. While not a suspension, the fine will impact any future Department of Player Safety decisions in Lemieux’s career.
  • Cale Makar was missing at Colorado Avalanche practice today, but it sounds like he avoided major injury. The team listed him as day-to-day after he was injured on a hit from Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Makar has been an incredible story this season as a rookie and seems to be running away with the Calder Trophy.

PHR Originals: 11/25/19 – 12/01/19

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

In an otherwise quiet week for news and action, with three different days of three games or less, PHR’s writers stayed busy with some original articles:

Brian La Rose began our annual holiday series “What Your Team Is Thankful For”. Going alphabetically, he took a look at Anaheim, Arizona, and Boston. The league leading Bruins obviously have plenty to be thankful for, but so too do the Coyotes, who currently hold a top-ten record in the NHL. There’s room for improvement in Arizona, but the team has to be happy with how the season has gone thus far. Anaheim however has a hefty wish list this holiday season, needing more out of their young forward corps and a difference-maker on defense. Stay tuned for more write-ups from Brian on the other 28 teams as we march toward 2020.

Sticking with the holiday theme, I outlined the recent trend of the standings at American Thanksgiving being a strong playoff predictor and asked who could be the outlier teams that qualify for the postseason this year after missing the mark on Turkey Day. The readers responded very favorably toward one team in each conference – the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vegas Golden Knights. If only those two teams turn things around this season, then the current standings already reflect 14 of 16 playoff teams.

Gavin also offered a poll to the readers, asking who might be the early favorite for the Hart Trophy this season as NHL MVP. Gavin detailed the accomplishments to this point in the year of a number of the game’s biggest names, but voters gravitated toward two forwards on ungodly scoring paces. Edmonton’s Connor McDavid already has almost 50 points and is currently on pace for 144 points, while Boston’s David Pastrnak has 24 goals in 26 games and looks poised to score 75+ goals at this rate. However, do the presences of Leon Draisaitl and Brad Marchand also among the league’s top scorers hurt their teammates’ Hart cases? Could the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and John Carlson swoop in as more “valuable” candidates?

In my bi-weekly piece, I took a look at the happenings in college hockey of late. As Hockey East teams continue to underwhelm this year, especially Boston University, other northeast schools have filled the top-ten void in Cornell, Clarkson, and Harvard. Meanwhile, Minnesota may not be a top contender in the Big Ten this year, but added another talented recruit to an impressive incoming class. And college hockey will continue in Alaska, at least for now.

Finally, Gavin hosted his weekly chat, with topics ranging from coaches on the hot seat, the sustainability of upstart teams, and franchise building blocks. The Red Wings, Predators, and Senators received some special attention in yet another great segment.

For all of the original work from PHR’s writers, be sure to keep up with all of the action each and every day!

Snapshots: Three Stars, Draft Rankings, McKee

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and once again a member of the Boston Bruins “Perfection Line” has taken the top spot. Brad Marchand is the first star after a seven-point week, taking him to 39 on the season in just 23 games. Marchand also leads the NHL in +/- with a +17 rating and looks like he could be in legitimate contention for the Hart Trophy this season.

Second and third place go to Connor McDavid and Brock Nelson respectively after each posted four-goal weeks. While Nelson doesn’t get quite the same press as a player like McDavid, he has still been quite effective for the New York Islanders this season with 19 points in 21 games including four game-winning goals.

  • Alexis Lafreniere may be the presumptive first-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, but Craig Button of TSN argues that Quinton Byfield and Yaroslav Askarov should both be considered contenders for the spot. Button contends that if a team really values the center position Byfield should be the pick, going so far as to say he “can’t imagine a scenario” where a center-needy team doesn’t go with the 6’4″ pivot. Askarov meanwhile is the best goaltending draft prospect since Carey Price according to Button.
  • The Kitchener Rangers have fired head coach and former NHL defenseman Jay McKee, naming general manager Mike McKenzie the interim bench boss. McKee, who played over 800 games in the NHL, took over as head coach of the OHL’s Rangers in 2016 and took them to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top