Before we get to “news” from around the league, here’s some Boston Bruins stuff:
The Vitali Pinchuk watch is officially underway now that Dinamo Minsk has been eliminated from the KHL playoffs. I’m told the Bruins have been in contact with his representatives. Pinchuk’s KHL deal doesn’t expire until May 31 — pushed back from its previous April 30 end date — meaning he can’t sign an NHL contract until June 1 unless Dinamo grants him an early release.
An interesting wrinkle in the Pinchuk file: his head coach at Dinamo, Dmitri Kvartalnov, was a Bruins teammate of Don Sweeney from 1992 to 1994. Does that shared history add another layer to Boston’s pursuit of the KHL forward? Probably not.
Elliotte Friedman reported Thursday that Evan Gold is no longer in the running for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ GM job, though he did make it to the stage of in‑person interviews — and that’s undeniably good news for the Bruins. As assistant GM, Gold’s fingerprints are everywhere: he oversees the Providence Bruins, is involved with contract negotiations and the heavy lifting on offer structures, works closely with the legal department, and even contributes on both the pro and amateur scouting fronts, not to mention his salary cap and CBA work. His return keeps a key piece of Boston’s hockey operations intact.
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With Michael DiPietro sweeping the AHL’s top goaltender and MVP honors, you have to wonder whether he becomes the goalie the Bruins look to move this offseason. Jeremy Swayman is firmly entrenched as the No. 1, which leaves the decision between DiPietro and Joonas Korpisalo. And with neither likely to clear waivers, Boston will have to find a way to protect the asset — one way or another.
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The NHL announced Friday that the Utah Mammoth will face the Colorado Avalanche in next season’s Winter Classic — a marquee matchup with a twist. The game will be played on New Year’s Eve, marking a rare holiday‑eve showcase for the league’s signature outdoor event. It will be held at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
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Frank Seravalli on the Big Show: If they lose in the first round or flame out early, I think he (Kris Knoblauch) absolutely is in the crosshairs.
I don’t know why, but this has Bruce Cassidy written all over it.
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More from Seravalli: I’ve never questioned his [Brady Tkachuk] heart and his commitment to win, but in some ways, I can’t help but feel like he’s been a little bit checked out in Ottawa, and I don’t know if that’s post-Olympics or what.
If there’s any truth to that, he’s not a player I’d want on my roster — even though plenty of Bruins fans are eager to see him in Boston. That said, I don’t buy the premise.
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Dave Pagnotta on Hello Hockey: I think there’s a good chance the Sens explore trading Brady Tkachuk this summer
Either the Senators won’t get full value, or someone out there is going to overpay. It just feels like any trade involving him is destined to land on one of those two extremes.
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Pierre LeBrun on Oilers Now: Dan Vladar turned down more money and more years from other teams last summer, took the Flyers offer because on his side he saw a more direct path to perhaps becoming a starter.
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On Matthew Knies:
Freidman on 32 Thoughts: For me the interesting guy is gonna be a guy like Matthew Knies, if he is really still out there, I could see Chicago being the kind of team that would be like, what do we have to do to get that.
Chris Johnston on Over Drive: It sounds like it went somewhere beyond and initial conversation with both Montreal and Buffalo. Obviously if they got the offer they thought it would take, the deal would’ve been made.
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In his media availability before game 2 in Buffalo, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had this to say about expansion:
“Actually, if we were to expand, it would be substantially more than a billion. I think people tend to forget, for the most part, when you expand, the expansion fee is really to reimburse the existing clubs for revenues that you’re giving up. Because there is an economic value. If you’re in 32 teams and you expand to 33, you’re now taking national league revenues, and instead of dividing them 32 ways, you’re dividing them 33 ways.”
“You look at ownership, you look at market, you look at arena, and you look at whether or not it makes the league stronger by doing that expansion. And there are a number of cities that have been talking to us, and if any of them decides they’re ready to check all the boxes and comes in with a concrete plan, I’ll take it to ownership. But we’re not pushing for it.”
Is it a coincidence these comments surfaced just days after the NHLPA released its player‑poll results on which city should land the next expansion franchise? It certainly adds some intrigue to the timing.
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Johnston on Leaf Report: I don’t have any sense that management thought that Craig Berube was the problem.
Were Leafs management watching the Marlies or the Maple Leafs? For fans’ sake, you’d hope the new regime sees things through a very different lens.
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More from Dave Pagnotta on Oilers Nation Everyday: I don’t think a trade request has been officially made, but, if there’s an opportunity to make a move involving him [Shane Wright], I think everybody would be comfortable with that.
It feels like Shane Wright’s name surfaces every time the Seattle Kraken come up. At this point, you almost hope a trade materializes just so the conversation can finally shift to what’s actually holding the Kraken back.
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Jeff Marek on Sekeres and Price: There have been multiple people in this organization [Vancouver Canucks] that have been following Caleb Malhotra all season long.
I’m a fan of Malhotra and think he projects as a very strong pro, but the math doesn’t really work for Vancouver. The Canucks can only fall to No. 3 in the lottery, and even that spot feels too rich to justify taking Malhotra. Unless they trade down, it’s hard not to see this as a misstep.
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More Friedman from Sportsnet: I’d heard [Jim Rutherford] wanted to make certain the current core got along well. The team unraveled over the last two years due to dressing-room friction. He wanted to make sure nothing lingered as they re-start.
One only needs to look at the Canucks and the New York Rangers. There’s your friction.
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