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NHL Awards Preview

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Caught up in the excitement of the Expansion Draft, it’s easy to forget that there is also an awards show tonight. Yes, the best trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup, has already been presented to the Pittsburgh Penguins, as has the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP to their captain, Sidney Crosby. Crosby also already locked up the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for the most regular season goals. Edmonton Oilers wunderkind Connor McDavid captured the Art Ross Trophy for the most regular season points as well. Braden Holtby locked up the William M. Jennings Trophy already too, as the Washington Capitals allowed the least amount of goals against in the regular season. Yet, all three of these players and many more still have a lot on the line tonight. Here are the nominees for tonight’s NHL Awards:

Hart Trophy – Most Valuable Player

Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets

  • Star goalie helped to lead the Blue Jackets to their best record in franchise history, all while topping the league in save percentage (.931) and goals against average (2.06)

Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

  • The NHL’s leading goal-scorer and back-to-back winner of the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy

Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers

  • 20-year-old phenom led the league in points and assists and took his team from the draft lottery to the second round of the playoffs

Norris Trophy – Best Defenseman

Brent Burns, San Jose Sharks

  • Not only led all defenseman in scoring with 76 points, but finished ninth overall among some of the league’s most dynamic forwards. Can check with the best of them as well.

Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

  • A down year for the Bolts was a career year for Hedman, who finished just four points behind Burns with 72, and led all blue liners with 56 assists

Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators

  • If this award had been voted on after the playoffs, it might have been a different result. The NHL’s best puck-mover may still pull it off behind a 71-point campaign and an improved defensive game

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Deadline Approaches To Ask Players To Waive No-Movement Clauses

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On the heels of yesterday’s report that both Keith Yandle and Dion Phaneuf had been asked to waive their no-movement clauses in order to be exposed for the upcoming expansion draft, speculation is running rampant around the league on who else will be asked. Below is the full list of players who currently require protection due to their clauses. The deadline to submit a request to a player is 4pm CDT today, while the player must inform the team of his decision by the same time on Friday June 16th. Because the Stanley Cup Finals ended last night, Nashville and Pittsburgh will not receive an extension and will need to submit their requests at the same time as every other team.

Elliotte Friedman was on Sportsnet radio today and mentioned that the Anaheim Ducks have spoken with Kevin Bieksa about possibly waiving his clause, something examined at length in our recent Ducks Expansion Primer.

Anaheim (4)
Kevin Bieksa — Expected to be asked.
Ryan Getzlaf
Ryan Kesler
Corey Perry

Arizona (1)
Alex Goligoski

Boston (4)
David Backes
Patrice Bergeron
Zdeno Chara
David Krejci

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Expansion Primer: Boston Bruins

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We’re continuing to break down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, coming up next week: which players are eligible, and which will likely warrant protection or may be on the block. Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4pm CDT on June 17th. The full rules on eligibility can be found here, and CapFriendly has provided a handy expansion tool to make your own lists.

While the Boston Bruins have a legion of talented young players pushing for major roles, they are still a team that is defined by a veteran core: 2011 Stanley Cup winners Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Zdeno Chara, and Tuukka Rask. Add young mainstays like David Pastrnak and Torey Krug and 2016 free agent acquisition David Backes to the mix and it may seem like the Bruins would be in a tough position with expansion like many other deep veteran teams.

However, the expansion process, while burdensome for some, gives the Bruins just enough space to protect all of their most valuable players including that entire core. They still face some tough decisions, but none that will drastically alter the franchise on June 21st.

Eligible Players (Non-UFA)

Forwards
David Krejci (NMC), Patrice Bergeron (NMC), Brad Marchand, David Backes (NMC), Matt Beleskey, Jimmy Hayes, Riley Nash, David Pastrnak, Ryan Spooner, Tim Schaller, Alexander Khokhlachev

Defense
Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara (NMC), Adam McQuaid, Kevan Miller, Colin Miller, Joe Morrow

Goaltender
Tuukka Rask (NMC), Anton Khudobin, Malcolm Subban

Notable Exemptions

Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Frank Vatrano, Austin Czarnik, Zane McIntyre

Key Decisions

With Bergeron, Krejci, and Backes having No-Movement clauses and Marchand and Pastrnak two of 2016-17 top scorers, Boston is locked into a 7-3 protection scheme. Chara also has a No-Movement clause and Krug isn’t going anywhere so that’s five forward spots and two defensive spots locked up (Rask has a NMC as well if that was even a question). So which three Bruins get the final spots?

There have been many rumors this off-season, and even before the season ended, that perhaps Ryan Spooner’s time had run out in Boston. The 25-year-old center clashed with former coach Claude Julien and, after a brief rejuvenation, also lost play time under replacement Bruce Cassidy, including scratches in the playoffs. However, Spooner is still a top-end passer and a power play expert and the Bruins won’t just let him go for nothing. If Spooner hasn’t been traded before protection lists are due, he is guaranteed a slot. Whether or not he is still traded after the Expansion Draft remains an unknown.

For the final forward spot, the Bruins face a tough decision, but one with few negative repercussions. Jimmy Hayes has been a disaster in Boston and Tim Schaller is nothing more than fourth liner, so neither likely even gets consideration, nor would Vegas be interested unless otherwise incentivized, as has been rumored with Hayes. Alexander Khokhlachev left the organization last summer to play in the KHL, and little attention has been paid to his absence. The Golden Knights have drawn the interest of Russian players, but drafting Khokhlachev, who never proved his NHL viability in  Thus, the decision comes down to Matt Beleskey and Riley Nash. Beleskey had a career year in Boston in 2015-16, the first of a five-year deal, and seemed to fit in well with the Bruins. After a brutal, injury-riddled 2016-17 campaign, that fit is in doubt and there have been rumors that the team might look to trade a pick to Vegas in order for them to take the remaining three years and $11.4MM off of their hands. However, a healthy Beleskey could be far more valuable than Nash, who struggled to produce in his first season with the Bruins. Yet, Nash is a versatile veteran forward and a key penalty killer who makes just $900K next year. Hayes, Beleskey, and Nash all fulfill the 40/70 qualification and two will be exposed, so the team won’t have to worry about that requirement.

On defense, the decision holds some more weight. If Boston is unable to entice the Knights into selecting Hayes or Beleskey, it seems most likely that a defenseman will be chosen. The team must choose whether they want to protect long-time Bruin Adam McQuaid, exciting young player Colin Miller, or perhaps the most complete player of the group, Kevan Miller. Joe Morrow was once a top prospect, but his time to reach those lofty expectations in Boston has come and gone and the Bruins would be happy if Vegas chose to take him instead of one of the other two. Assuming that doesn’t happen, this becomes a big decision. Colin Miller is just 24 years old and an offensively-minded puck-mover, whereas Kevan Miller and McQuaid are very similar stay-at-home types. Colin Miller was also a major piece of the Milan Lucic trade from just two years ago. However, his development has had its fair share of bumps and Kevan Miller has definitely established himself as a more complete player. McQuaid also is in the mix and could be the beneficiary of club loyalty and a desire to have a seasoned vet behind young centerpieces Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo on the right side of the blue line. All three players meet the 40/70 qualification and have term on their contracts, so again meeting that one-player quota won’t be a concern.

Projected Protection List

Scheme: 7F/3D/1G

Forwards

David Krejci (NMC)
Patrice Bergeron (NMC)
David Backes (NMC)
Brad Marchand
David Pastrnak
Ryan Spooner
Riley Nash

Defensemen

Zdeno Chara (NMC)
Torey Krug
Colin Miller

Goalie

Tuukka Rask (NMC)

The general rule of expansion (and just common sense) is that if you’re allegedly willing to trade a draft pick to move a player, like Matt Beleskey, you’re probably happy with taking the risk of leaving him unprotected as well. Riley Nash played his best hockey toward the end of the season and that effort level next season at only $900K is tough to pass up. Still, the Bruins are unlikely to lose a forward, unless they do make a trade, because of the superiority of the players that they could potentially expose on defense. Kevan Miller is likely the best defenseman of the three, but Colin Miller brings a unique skill set from he and Adam McQuaid and has youth and potential on his side. Vegas would likely jump on the chance to take a young, offensive defenseman like Colin Miller, while there may be several defenseman of similar caliber to Kevan Miller and McQuaid available. Protecting Colin Miller may in fact be the Bruins’ best chance of retaining all three. If Vegas does pass up on a defenseman, it will be to take a goalie. No, not Anton Khudobin. Khudobin finished the season with a stretch of some of his best play since his last stint in Boston, but Vegas has more than enough options for backups that Khudobin won’t be of interest. Instead, young keeper Malcolm Subban could be the pick. Subban has been passed up by Zane McIntyre on Boston’s organizational depth chart and simply doesn’t appear destined to be an NHL regular with the Bruins at any point. Vegas GM George McPhee has stated that the team will likely draft many goalies and a minor leaguer with some promise would not be a wasted pick. Subban would also be the most harmless pick the Bruins could endure.

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.

Iginla Eyeing A Return To Bruins?

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File this one under extreme speculation if you like, but future Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, at the very least, is moving to Boston. Whether or not he’s playing for the Bruins in 2017-18 is another matter altogether, but the 39-year-old icon will be spending time in Boston one way or another, as he just purchased a $4.5MM home in the city. The six-bedroom house is located in Chestnut Hill, the home of the Boston College Eagles.

Now, this could simply mean that Iginla, an unrestricted free agent, enjoyed his time in Boston during the 2013-14 season and, facing a very real possibility that his career may be over, is investing a new place to spend his retirement years. Iginla did really like playing with the Bruins and would have liked to re-sign in Boston in 2014, but the Bruins did not have the cap space to meet his salary demands, due in part to the bonus overages from his incentive-laden $1.8MM contract from the year before.

However, it does seem strange that the Canadian winger, an Edmonton native who spent much of his career in his home province of Alberta with the Calgary Flames and the past three years in Colorado, would suddenly decide he wants to invest in real estate on the east coast. Could Iginla and the Bruins have a handshake agreement on giving the veteran scorer another shot at the Stanley Cup? It would seem to be a strange fit. After re-signing restricted free agents David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner this off-season, the Bruins will already have eight “top nine” forward under contract: Pastrnak, Spooner, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci, David Backes, Frank Vatrano, and Matt Beleskey. That’s not even including many forwards who made their NHL debuts in 2016-17 and will be looking for regular roles next season, including Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, Peter Cehlarik, Austin Czarnik, Danton Heinen, and Sean Kuraly, up-and-coming prospects Jake DeBrusk, Zach Senyshyn, Jesse Gabrielle, Ryan Fitzgerald, and (potentially) Anders Bjork, or fourth-line contributors with some top-nine upside in Riley Nash and Noel Acciari. Do they really need another forward, especially another big, slow body who fills a similar role to Backes and Beleskey? Probably not, but if Iginla is at the point in his career where he is willing to play for the veteran minimum just on the off chance that he can finally win that elusive Cup, the Bruins are a team that values veteran leadership and would be happy to help Iginla out.

Iginla scored just 14 goals this season and ended the year with only 27 points. However, just three years ago Iginla was a 30-goal scorer in Boston on his way to a 61-point campaign. Iginla and Krejci enjoyed playing together, as Krejci too had an excellent season with 69 points and a league-best +39 rating. The two would not necessarily play together again next season, but the possibility should not be ruled out. Iginla going back to Boston would be strange, and assuming it is happening based on a property transaction is certainly a reach, but stranger things have happened. Everyone in hockey wants Iginla to win a Cup. Why not return to the team he most recently found success with and city he really enjoyed playing in?

Injury Notes: Gaborik, Thornton, Bergeron

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The Los Angeles Kings released a list of players who went through medical procedures following the year, and while Tyler Toffoli, Alec Martinez and Derek Forbort all underwent minor procedures that shouldn’t take long to heal, Marian Gaborik is said to be “questionable” for training camp. Gaborik had an “in-depth” procedure on his left knee, likely the same one that GM Rob Blake announced just yesterday. That announcement came with the addendum that the team would not buyout the declining star, and perhaps we now know why.

Teams cannot buy out injured players, and with the first window to perform such a transaction opening in less than a month, Gaborik clearly won’t be healthy. The Kings will likely receive a second window after their arbitration cases are resolved—there is no guarantee they get this window, but with 11 players currently eligible for arbitration are good candidates for it—but that will likely still be much too soon for Gaborik’s health.

  • When it was reported yesterday that Joe Thornton had been playing on one knee and would need surgery, it threw his free agency into question. If the 37-year old was headed for major knee surgery, which team would be willing to spend a hefty amount of money to add him to their team. Well, the Sharks announced today that Thornton underwent successful surgery and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2017-18 season, at least assuaging those reservations somewhat. His market value will still be contingent on medical results of his recovery, but he should be expected to garner quite a bit of interest.
  • Patrice Bergeron told media today that he had been dealing with a sports hernia all year, and that he and the medical staff are considering surgery to fix the problem. While it’s extremely impressive that Bergeron put up 53 points and another Selke-worthy season with a hernia, surgery shouldn’t be considered just an off-season clean up. Often players take quite a bit of time to recover fully from hernia procedures, even when they’re able to get back into games. His performance at the beginning of next season will be interesting to watch as he heads into his age-32 season.

Golden Knights Expansion Roster Will Be Revealed At NHL Awards

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The NHL announced today that the 2017 NHL Awards will return to Las Vegas for an eighth straight year on Wednesday, June 21 at the T-Mobile Arena and this year will include Las Vegas like it never has before. The NHL plans to incorporate the NHL Expansion Draft into the festivities as it will announce the 30-player roster that the Las Vegas Golden Knights select in a two-hour broadcast.

The show, which will air at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN in America and in Canada on Sportsnet, is expected to put quite a bit of emphasis on the new expansion franchise, highlighting majority owner Bill Foley, general manager George McPhee, new head coach Gerard Gallant and even highlight some of the players the Golden Knights will select.

NHL Awards and nominations for the awards will begin being revealed day-by-day, starting tomorrow with the Selke Award. Here are a list of some of the top awards and potential nominees:

Selke Trophy (nominations will be out tomorrow) — It should be a tight race, but the leading candidates for the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game come down to a handful, including Anaheim’s Ryan Kesler, Washington’s Niklas Backstrom, Boston’s Patrice Bergeron and possibly even Calgary’s Mikael Backlund.

Calder Trophy (nominations to be released Thursday, April 20) — The trophy that goes to the top rookie is almost guaranteed to go to Toronto’s Auston Matthews, but other possible candidates include Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine, Pittsburgh’s goaltender Matt Murray and Columbus’ Zach Werenski.

Norris Trophy (nominations to be released Friday, April 21) — The top defenseman award will come down to a few including the Senators’ top blueliner Erik Karlsson, Lightning’s Victor Hedman and Sharks’ veteran Brent Burns.

Vezina Trophy (nominations to be released Saturday, April 22) — The top netminder award falls to a few including Columbus’ Sergei Bobrovsky, Washington’s Braden Holtby and Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk.

Other nominees that will be announced before the June 21 awards include Lady Byng Trophy on Sunday, April 23; Masterton Trophy on April 24; NHL Foundation Player Award on April 25; Jack Adams Award on April 26; Mark Messier Leadership Awards on April 27; Hart Trophy on May 1 and the Ted Lindsay Award on May 2.

Bruins Sign Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson To ELC

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With Boston University teammate Charlie McAvoy already committed to going pro, fellow Terrier sophomore Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson has decided to follow suit. However, while McAvoy made his pro debut with the AHL’s Providence Bruins last night, on an amateur tryout contract, it appears that “JFK” will head straight to the big-league club, as Boston announced that they have inked the young Swedish center to a three-year entry level contract and are prepared to burn a year by adding him to the NHL roster right away.

Unlike McAvoy, a right-shot defenseman who would be buried on an NHL team that has four NHL-caliber righties on the blue line, including one rookie already, Forsbacka-Karlsson can fill an immediate need for the Bruins. With Frank Vatrano, Jimmy Hayes, and Tim Schaller currently sidelined with injuries, Boston has been plugging holes up front, most recently with Sean Kuraly in today’s 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. However, Forsbacka-Karlsson presents an upgrade to Kuraly, as well as several other options currently waiting for the call in Providence, and will thus make the jump right from the NCAA to the NHL.

Don’t let the Bruins’ needs imply that the 20-year-old pivot isn’t making his NHL debut right away based on talent; Forsbacka-Karlsson certainly has the skill to be in Boston. A second-round selection of the Bruins in 2015 out of the USHL’s Omaha Lancers, JFK was considered a high-upside project player for Boston as he readied himself for the college game. Instead, Forsbacka-Karlsson has shown nothing but skill, consistency, and a mature, well-rounded game in two seasons at BU. JFK posted 63 points over 78 games in college career, playing a major role in back-to-back strong seasons for the Terriers. He possess both a strong offensive game and the instincts and intelligence to play a defensive game that is unmatched by many his age. For this reason, Forsbacka-Karlsson has often drawn comparisons to a young Patrice Bergeron, while playing right down the street from the man himself. Now, much like Zdeno Chara and Brandon Carlo, the Bruins can have Bergeron mentor JFK and hope for the same quick development and production like they have seen from Carlo. Expect the kid forward to step in right away, likely alongside Ryan Spooner on the team’s third line, and contribute immediately as the Bruins look to extend their five-game winning streak and lock up a playoff spot.

Atlantic Notes: Soshnikov, Melnyk, White

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Maple Leafs fans will see Eric Fehr in action for the first time tonight when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets according to Kristen Shilton of TSN. The veteran forward will draw into the lineup for his first game since being acquired at the deadline from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Frank Corrado. He will be taking the place of Nikita Soshnikov, the young winger who was involved in multiple incidents in Monday’s game against the Boston Bruins.

Soshnikov first got under the skin of Bruins’ players and fans alike when he sent Patrice Bergeron into the boards head first with a crosscheck across the back, earning him just a two minute penalty (which Bergeron would match when he got up and went after the Leafs’ winger). Later in the game he took a hard hit from Zdeno Chara that seemed to rattle him, as he was seen rubbing his neck and skating unsteadily for the rest of the game. It was that unsteady nature that caused him to fall when Dominic Moore would collide with him in the dying minutes, giving the Maple Leafs a powerplay that ended up winning the game. There is no word on what the extent of the injury is for Soshnikov, but a concussion would not be out of the question.

Bruins Recall Acciari And Kuraly On Emergency Basis

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The Boston Bruins don’t play again until tomorrow night, but that hasn’t stopped them from using an emergency recall on two AHL forwards this morning. The team announced that forwards Noel Acciari and Sean Kuraly have been called up from the Providence Bruins. The pair arrived in Boston earlier today in time for practice and are expected to join the team in Toronto for tomorrow’s game.

Though it is unclear why, both Patrice Bergeron and Drew Stafford did not participate in practice this morning, in addition to Tim Schaller, who remains out, so the team was forced to take steps to fill the gaps that those top nine forwards would leave if they cannot play against the Maple Leafs. The Bruins already have rookies Peter Cehlarik and Austin Czarnik on the roster, though inactive for the past few games, but these call-ups provide coach Bruce Cassidy with options should he have to replace Bergeron and Stafford for an important division matc-up with playoff implications on Monday night.

Acciari, 25, was a regular in the Bruins lineup earlier this season after breaking in to the NHL in 2015-16, but an injury kept him sidelined in Boston and led to a demotion to the P-Bruins for recovery purposes, only he was never recalled after healing. The former Providence College star and Johnston native may feel right at home in Rhode Island, but his strong two-way play and hockey sense suggest that he should be playing a checking line role in Boston next year. So far the points have been few and far between in the NHL, where he had one assist in 19 games last year and two assists in 19 games this year. However, his AHL scoring pace has increased this season and he continues to be one of the more dependable defensive forwards in the minors.

Kuraly has not had the same opportunity to show his skill set in Boston, as he has played in just five NHL games in this, his first pro season, and has yet to record a point in limited minutes. However, Kuraly may have some more upside and versatility than Acciari. The former Miami University captain and a fifth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2011, Kuraly too is a defense-first two-way forward, but also contributes on the offensive side of the ice. Kurlay has 13 goals and 11 assists in 50 games with Providence in 2016-17 and has played a major role for the talented AHL team.

 

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