Atlantic Notes: Copp, Subban, Bruins
Rosters for the upcoming World Championships are likely to be revealed in the coming days but Red Wings center Andrew Copp won’t on the one for Team USA, notes Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. Copp decided to decline the offer to let his body heal up, allowing him to be fully healthy heading into training camp. Although the 28-year-old played in every game this season, he missed training camp due to his recovery from offseason surgery which resulted in a slow start and a quieter-than-expected campaign that saw him score just nine goals. Clearly, Copp is hoping that a more traditional offseason and a full camp will result in him being more productive in 2023-24.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- If the Sabres intend to go with a young goalie tandem next season in Devon Levi and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, veteran Eric Comrie would likely be the odd one out. With that in mind, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News suggests that Buffalo would be wise to re-sign Malcolm Subban this offseason to hedge as insurance in case Comrie is either traded or cleared off waivers. While there is definitely an upside to carrying two promising youngsters in goal, it stands to reason that they should have at least one veteran in the fold. Subban had a 2.94 GAA with a .903 SV% in 39 regular season games with Rochester.
- After a tough showing last night against Florida, some have wondered if Boston might opt to make a goalie change heading into Sunday’s series-deciding game. Speaking with reporters today including Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (Twitter link), head coach Jim Montgomery declined to say who will get the nod. Linus Ullmark, the expected Vezina Trophy winner, has allowed 10 goals on 57 shots over the last two games but while they have a more than capable backup in Jeremy Swayman, the 24-year-old has just three minutes of game action since the regular season ended two-and-a-half weeks ago.
Boston Bruins Activate Jeremy Swayman
After missing the last two weeks with an injury, Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman is back in the fold. Per a team announcement, Swayman has been activated off of injured reserve.
In a corresponding move, the Bruins have sent Keith Kinkaid to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Swayman, 23, has been out with a lower-body injury, an injury that was originally classified as week-to-week.
The Bruins haven’t lost a step in Swayman’s absence. Backstopped by Linus Ullmark, who is off to a hot start with a .936 save percentage, and Kinkaid (who contributed one start, a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres) the Bruins boast a 9-1 record in their last ten games and sit top of the NHL with 28 points.
Swayman has been just a small part of the Bruins’ early success, having gotten into just four games with a .878 save percentage. That being said, though, Swayman is sure to be an important part of the Bruins’ season moving forward. Swayman went 23-14-3 last season with a .914 save percentage and a 2.41 goals-against-average.
Swayman is part of a tandem setup with Ullmark and should help ease the load the Bruins place on Ullmark’s shoulders moving forward now that he’s back to full health.
As for Kinkaid, he heads back to Providence having put a quality NHL start on his resume. At the AHL level, Kinkaid has played in four games and has a .922 save percentage. The P-Bruins have gotten elite goaltending so far this season from Kinkaid, Kyle Keyser, and Brandon Bussi, meaning a player may need to be shuffled to the ECHL level without his performance truly meriting the demotion.
With Kinkaid back in Providence, it looks like that will be Bussi, who will head back to the ECHL’s Maine Mariners having gone 4-0 in four AHL starts with a .947 save percentage.
Snapshots: Miller, Swayman, Blackwood, Orlov
The Boston Bruins’ signing of defense prospect Mitchell Miller earlier this week surprised many, however given the nature of the signing, his eligibility to play in the AHL, where Boston intended to place him, or the NHL, where they hope he can play someday, was presumed. Earlier today, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman walked back those assumptions saying, in short, that Miller is not currently NHL eligible and may never be NHL eligible. Substack’s Sean Shapiro, in turn, reached out to the AHL for comment, who have yet to determine his eligibility because as they said, the defenseman is currently suspended in the NHL. Not surprisingly, this story continues to have frequently-changing developments, and this evening, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski shed more light on the current situation.
According to Wyshynski, the NHLPA tells ESPN that the league has not informed the union of any suspension against Miller or anything that would impact his eligibility. The NHLPA added that “there needs to be more info provided by NHL” as it relates to Bettman’s comments. Wyshynski adds that, per a source, Miller’s contract had been registered with the NHL and there was nothing official to stop the Bruins, or any other team, from signing him. This story is, of course, a difficult one for many reasons, however it is worth considering that, despite Miller’s past, he does gain certain rights within the NHL when he signs an official contract. Further, however the situation as to Miller plays out, it could have an impact on how future similar situations play out. Thus, a diligent, drawn-out review and discussion of all issues may be coming before anything is finalized.
- The recent injury status of the Bruins hasn’t changed much in the past couple days. Recently, it was reported that goaltender Jeremy Swayman would be out week-to-week, while veteran center David Krejci was due back in the lineup tonight. Krejci is in fact playing tonight, however the Bruins did need to activate the center off of IR, which necessitated a corresponding move. In order to add Krejci, Boston has placed Swayman on IR, says The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, who covers the team. Head coach Jim Montgomery, to avoid creating any additional concerns possibly raised by the transaction, reiterated to reporters, including Shinzawa, that Swayman is still considered week-to-week.
- As relayed by New Jersey Devils team reporter Amanda Stein, head coach Lindy Ruff says that goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood will be seen by doctors back in New Jersey on Tuesday. Blackwood, who was injured in New Jersey’s 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night, had met with doctors in Calgary yesterday ahead of the team’s game against the Flames this evening. In response to the injury, but without wanting to place Blackwood on IR, at least not yet, the Devils recalled goaltender Akira Schmid from the AHL earlier today, sending down winger Andreas Johnsson. The Devils return home after tonight’s game and will next play at home Tuesday evening against these same Calgary Flames.
- Washington Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov left tonight’s game with a lower-body injury and is questionable to return, the team announced. It’s unclear what exactly caused the injury to Orlov, however he has played just 7:02 thus far as the Capitals lead the Arizona Coyotes 1-0 late in the second period.
Jeremy Swayman Out Week-To-Week
The Boston Bruins will be in the hands of Linus Ullmark for the next little while, as Jeremy Swayman is out on a week-to-week basis and has returned to Boston for evaluation. Derek Forbort is also out week-to-week, though the team will have an official announcement on his status later today, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com.
David Krejci and Craig Smith are day-to-day and could be available for Saturday’s game.
The Bruins recalled Keith Kinkaid yesterday, signaling that it would be a little while for Swayman to get back in the net. The 23-year-old was off to a shaky start to the year with ten goals allowed on just 82 shots but is a key part of the team’s goaltending tandem.
Ullmark meanwhile has been outstanding, posting a .932 save percentage through eight appearances, winning all seven of his starts. While the Bruins won’t want to overload the 29-year-old, as he has never started more than 41 games in a single season, he’s certainly more than capable of carrying the load for a little while.