Three more Boston Bruins prospects outside the North American Pro Leagues began their 2021-2022 season last week. They are Matias Mantykivi with Ilves Tampere in Finland’s Liiga, Linus Arnesson with Djurgardens IF of the SHL and Oskar Jellvik with Djurgardens IF J20 of the J20 Nationell. They join Peter Cehlarik and Roman Bychkov, both in the KHL, who began there seasons a week earlier. Realistically, at this point I think only two of these five have a chance to don a Bruins jersey in the future.
This week we’ll focus on Mantykivi, the Bruins 6th round pick, 185th overall at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. During his draft season, Mantykivi was all over the map. He appeared with SaiPa Under-18 (SM-sarja), SaiPa Under-20 (SM-liiga), Kettera (Mestis) and even got a taste with SaiPa in Finland’s top league, Liiga.
The 5-foot 11-inch, 165-pound center – left winger was over a point per game player in both the Under-18 and Under-20 but in two seasons in Finland’s top league, has been unable to find his offensive game. We’ll be fair, he played as an 18- and 19-year-old against men and in 91 career Liiga games has 5 goals and 11 helpers.
If we’re being honest with ourselves, then we’d know that it is a long shot for a sixth-round pick to play in the NHL. At that stage of the draft, you are trying to find players that need a lot of development time and patience and even then, they may not make it at all. Such patience is the case with Mantykivi. He’s not the fastest skater but does possess some good quickness. It appears early on that he’s put some work in on his blades.
Mantykivi has also shown flashes of having a solid hockey IQ. He sees the ice fairly well and knows how and when to get into open spaces but not nearly consistent. He’s not a shoot first kind of player, always seemingly looking to set up plays rather than take the shot himself. That’s fine, unless you’re passing up a better opportunity to take the shot yourself. His most impressive feature is his work ethic, at least in the o-zone.
It’s easy to look at Mantykivi’s quick rise through the Finnish leagues and come away thinking there is some potential there. There may just be, but it’s going to take some time with him. We’ve already mentioned he needs to improve his speed. For a smaller guy, that’s a necessity. But he really needs to add some bulk to his frame. He’s not shy about throwing the odd hit, but he’s not going to do any harm in the AHL let alone the NHL. And because of that lack of speed, he can be caught and knocked off the puck to easily.
I’ve seen it mentioned in other places that his lack of speed hurts him defensively, often being the last man back. Personally, I think it’s more a lack of effort. If he put in the same effort coming back into his own zone as he does entering the offensive zone, we’d have a different result.
Just an honest opinion, and trying to be fair: It’s only been one game and maybe it was an off night. We’ll continue to track Mantykivi throughout the season and provide you with updates as the season moves along. Here’s to hoping he takes the next step.
The Bruins hold Mantykivi’s rights until June 1, 2023 in which he would become a free agent if not signed.
Here are the updated stats from the Bruins prospects playing outside the North American professional leagues. If you’re looking for stats on prospects playing professional hockey in North America, you can find the Providence Bruins stats here and the Maine Mariners here. Both are of course blank for now as the AHL and ECHL seasons have yet to begin.
The Boston Bruins announced their roster for the 2021 Prospects Challenge to be held September 17-19 at the LECOM Harborcenter and hosted by the Buffalo Sabres. The Bruins and Sabres will be joined by the New Jersey Devils. The Pittsburgh Penguins usually take part in this round robin tournament but will not participate this year.
The Bruins will play the Sabres on Saturday September 18 at 3pm and the Devils on Sunday September 19 at 1pm. The Devils will play the Sabres on Friday September 17 at 7pm. The Bruins, for whatever reason (one I would never understand anyway), have been hesitant to stream any of their games at this event but the Sabres and Devils have in past years so, if you’re wondering how you can watch these future Bruins, may I suggest following the Sabres and Devils on social media for updates.
If you are in the Buffalo area or want to make the trip, you can purchase tickets for the Sabres-Bruins matchup here and for the Devils- Bruins matchup here. Tickets are just $10 each.
LECOM Harborcenter and fans will be subject to the policies and guidelines issued by any federal, state, county or other governmental entity that govern the COVID-19 pandemic and admission into the facility at the time of the event. At this time, per New York State and CDC guidance, fans who are unvaccinated will be required to wear a mask at all times within LECOM Harborcenter. Masks are optional for fans who are fully vaccinated.
The COVID-19 Pandemic wiped out the 2020 Prospects Challenge. In 2019, the Bruins finished with a 1-1-1 record – defeating the Penguins 4-3, losing to the Sabres by the same score, and dropping an overtime decision to the Devils 3-2.
Returning from that 2019 roster are goaltender Kyle Keyser, forwards Alex-Olivier Voyer (who was an invite in 2019), Oskar Steen and Jakub Lauko. Joining them from the 2021 NHL Entry Draft are Fabian Lysell – 21st overall, Brett Harrison – 85th overall and Ryan Mast – 181st overall. Players in the NCAA are not able to attend this tournament as it would void their NCAA eligibility.
Here’s a look at the full roster:
Here are some thoughts on the invites from yours truly:
MARC BOUDREAU – SAULT STE MARIE GREYHOUNDS
Boudreau last played hockey during the 2019-2020 season for the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL, his rookie season. As you know, the 2020-2021 season was wiped out because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 6-foot, two-inch Left Winger scored 4 goals and 8 assists in 59 games.
Boudreau was a third-round pick, 59th overall by the Greyhounds at the 209 OHL Priority Selection after posting great numbers with the Toronto Marlboros Under-16 squad – 25 goals, 38 assists in 68 games. While his rookie numbers in the OHL were nothing great, the lost season took away any opportunity for those of us with eyes on the game to see where his offensive production would take him in his second OHL season. So, we wait.
Boudreau has a tremendous work ethic. He is constantly on opponents with the puck trying to create turnovers. He gets in on the forecheck and does an above average job there, He likes to play the body and he will get in front of the net to battle. He shows great hands in tight when battling. He also has the ability to avoid traffic and find those quiet areas to make him a pass option for his teammates. He also has a great snap shot he can get off quickly.
OUTLOOK: Since he was passed over in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Boudreau will re-enter the draft for 2022. But for now, he is a free agent able to sign with any team before the first game of the NHL season, or else he re-enters the draft. I don’t see a contract at this point with the questions about his offensive projection. But it gives the Bruins a close look for the 2022 draft – and if undrafted again, the Bruins could then sign him as a free agent. Players always remember who gave them the opportunity.
JACOB HUDSON – MONCTON WILDCATS
Hudson played parts of five seasons with Moncton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and went undrafted in the NHL Entry Draft twice. His diminutive size – 5’8” and 175 pounds – probably turned most teams away.
In total, Hudson played 218 career QMJHL games amassing 43 goals and 65 helpers. He spent two seasons as an Alternate Captain with the Wildcats and last season as captain where he broke out with 15 goals and 17 assists in 22 games, and then added 3 goals and 7 assists in 5 playoff games. He will be attending St. Xavier University to play hockey this season while getting his education.
While small, Hudson has tremendous lower body strength which surprisingly, makes him difficult to knock off pucks. He is a beast when it comes to zone entries with possession. He is a quick, smooth skater who can play with pace, but knows when to slow down the play to create opportunities for his teammates. He uses his shot and superb passing skills as tools to keep the opposition guessing as to what he will do and backing up defensemen.
Hudson is a three-zone player who likes to leave his mark on the game on each shift, be it in the offensive zone, or the defensive zone. The Bruins like players who work hard and Hudson works hard.
OUTLOOK: If the Bruins were to sign only one of the CHL invites they have appearing, my guess would be Hudson. There is a larger sample size with Hudson the others don’t have and you can’t argue with the skills, work ethic and leadership qualities he brings to the table and the Bruins put a high value on those things.
NOAH DOREY – KELOWNA ROCKETS
Dorey is the type of defenseman Bruins fans like. He’s big at 6’3” but is not quite filled out at 195 pounds. But he will get there. The Kelowna Rockets left shot blueliner was passed over at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Dorey only played in 9 games last season scoring once and adding 2 assists. During the 2019-2020 season, he only played in 13 games for the Rockets, so it’s safe to say there wasn’t a lot of opportunities for NHL scouts to have eyes on him. He is so versatile and smart, the Rockets even used him at left wing when injuries depleted their forward group. He was a 4th round pick of the Rockets, 88th overall, at the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft.
Dorey isn’t flashy, but he will do whatever is asked of him. Coaches describe him as a sponge, absorbing every tidbit of instruction they give him to improve his game. Dorey is a very fluid and smooth skating defender. He has an ability to shake off the forecheck and transition to offense. Personally, I think his transition game is underrated in some circles. His puck handling skills are high, especially in tight. And he enjoys the physical game.
OUTLOOK: Like Boudreau, there are two options: Sign a contract before the NHL season begins or re-enter the draft. I believe the latter is what will happen. Again, it gives the Bruins brass a better look at the player in preparation for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
JEREMY BRODEUR – FREE AGENT
Brodeur played Major Junior for the Oshawa Generals (are we seeing a trend?) from 2014-2015 though 2016-2017 seasons and yes, he is the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur. He posted a career 70-40-10 record with the Generals ending with a 2.81 goals-against-average and .909 save-percentage. in his final OHL season, he formed a tandem with current Bruins prospect Kyle Keyser.
Brodeur was never drafted into the NHL and since his days with the Generals has bounced around from one ECHL squad to another and the SPHL. He also had a brief stint in Europe. Most recently, he was with the New Jersey Devils affiliate Binghamton Devils of the AHL.
Just looking at the number of goalies the Bruins have signed to NHL contracts that will be with the big clubs as well as Providence and the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, so the chances of an NHL contract are next to nil. Even an AHL contract seems unlikely as he would be looking for ice time split with CallumBooth with Maine. But if/when TuukkaRask returns, the Bruins will have a log jam at the two lower levels.
One would think Keyser will get both starts, but since they are back-to-back, Brodeur may get an opportunity. It’s then that he will have to open some eyes. But these invites usually get a shot at rookie camps as well.
At 6-feet, Brodeur doesn’t exactly have great size for a goaltender. Unlike Marty, who played a hybrid style, Jeremy Brodeur plays the modern butterfly style. He is very athletic and positionally always in control in his crease and will never give up on a puck. Speak to anyone associated with him in hockey and they all say the same thing: “Few work as hard as he does to improve his game.”
OUTLOOK: As mentioned earlier, with the sheer number of goaltenders the Bruins have under contract, it’s hard to imagine Brodeur getting a contract. But with Keyser, Booth and Troy Grosenick all on expiring contracts at the end of this season, a one-year AHL contract to play in Maine is a possibility.
Most opinions believe so. But I have a different solution, but you need to hear me out on this one.
Charlie McAvoy is quite capable of playing on his weak side, and dare I say we would see little if any difference if he were to play on his left side. The Ryan Suter attempted signing did not materialize and on a four-year deal, it probably shouldn’t have.
So now that we’ve solved the issue on the left, we have just created one on the right. I’d look no further than the Calgary Flames. Most hockey minds believe that if the Flames don’t make the playoffs and are out of the picture at trade deadline, that they will blow it up. Johnny Gaudreau hears his name mentioned often of the Flames decide to be sellers, mainly because he’s an unrestricted free agent.
Now, you’re going to ask me “why not just target Noah Hanifin if the Bruins are dealing with the Flames?” Well, two reasons: Firstly, the asking price for Hanifin will be much higher than that of the player I am talking about here, and two, that player is locked in for two years longer than Hanifin at a very respectable $4,550,000 cap hit.
That player is Rasmus Andersson.
The Flames selected Andersson in the second round – 53rd overall – at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, one spot after the Bruins selected Jeremy Lauzon. Those of you that know me know I was a big fan of the Lauzon pick, but would have been an even bigger fan had they chose Andersson.
Andersson played two seasons with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League where I had the opportunity to watch him play. In 131 OHL games, Andersson scored 21 goals and 103 assists for 124 points. Yes, those are excellent numbers for the OHL.
Rasmus Andersson with the Barrie Colts in 2014-2015. Photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images
Offensively, Andersson had a breakout season last season scoring 5 goals and 16 helpers in 56 games. His 21 points were one shy of his career high set in 2019-2020, however, last season he played in 14 fewer games then the year before.
Andersson raises his game to another level when the games have meaning. In 15 NHL playoff games he’s scored 4 goals and 4 assists or .53 points per game compared to .29 in the regular season. Internationally, Andersson has appeared in 48 games scoring 11 goals and 30 assists. That’s a better rate than he had in the Nationell J-20, Allsvenskan and Allsvenskan Junior-18 leagues in that time. Simply put, he takes his game to another level.
Andersson is an excellent passer with the vision to go with it. He can make a long stretch pass, or her can skate – always with his head up – the puck out of his zone and move up ice. He has a tremendous shot from the blue line and can quarterback a powerplay. He is defensively aware, not shy about rubbing out the opposition along the walls. He is very active defending with his stick to take away shots or lanes.
Andersson would be a great compliment to McAvoy. If only he were a left shot. Are you up for moving McAvoy to the left?
John Beecher of the Michigan Wolverines. Photo by Michigan Live – mlive.com
There is plenty of internet chatter taking place about Boston Bruins prospect and Michigan Wolverines center John Beecher. Some folks are unhappy with the production he put up last season as a sophomore (4 goals, 4 assists in 16 games).
Some of those same folks disregard the fact that he hurt his shoulder in preseason and that he was trying to play through it. How serious was it? It required surgery so, yes it had an affect. Trust me. It was yours truly that broke the news of his surgery.
Jamie Langenbrunner confirmed #NHLBruins prospect John Beecher had shoulder surgery last week and will be ready for the fall. No decision has been made on where that will be.
Good friend Anthony Kwetkowski (Bruins Network on Twitter), reported that there was talk about Beecher turning pro after his season was over in the NCAA. It’s possible the Bruins and Beecher had those conversations and the surgery put an end to those talks.
Now that we got that out of the way, what can we expect? The Wolverines are a star-studded squad with some great NHL Prospects and top picks from the 2021 NHL Draft (Owen Power, Matty Beniers, LukeHughes, Kent Johnson). A national Championship is not out of the question for the Wolverines – they are that good.
With all that star power on the squad, we don’t know what kind of role Beecher will be asked to take on. Beecher himself has talked about a more defensive role. And there is nothing wrong with that. Better to learn it now then in the NHL. But what it speaks to is that there are no ego problems with Beecher, and that he is coachable. He wants to help his team win and will take on any role asked of him to help his team. Those are the types of players you want on your squad.
Of course, when you take on a larger defensive role, the offensive production tends to drop. You can bet that the stat watchers will be out in full force claiming the lack of offense shows the Bruins once again reached when they selected him 30th overall in 2019. Maybe they are right. But it shouldn’t be based on what happens this coming season.
Players that are 6-foot, 3-inches and weigh in at 209 pounds and skate like Beecher does do not grow on trees. Hopefully he will get in some good offensive situations, get some time as a net front presence on the powerplay and play a key role on the penalty kill.
Pure speculation on my part here, but I do believe Beecher turns pro following this season.
Yes, fans are drooling over the possibility that Tomas Hertl could be traded sometime before trade deadline, or hit unrestricted free agency next summer. And fans should be drooling at the possibility.
Hertl has been hampered by injuries throughout his eight-year career with the San Jose Sharks, but when he’s healthy, he is quite possibly a top-20 pivot in the National Hockey League. He’s as effective defensively as he is offensively. He is in the top-10 percentage of NHL players who have an impact on the game both on offense and defense in 5v5 situations.
Last season, Hertl recorded 19 goals and 24 helpers in 50 games for the Sharks. His 5v5 points per 60 were elite level at 2.42 points-per-60. That number was better than the likes of Evgeni Malkin,John Tavares and Mark Scheifele. Based on that alone, if Hertl were to hit the open market, his next contract would start with an eight, that’s far more than the $5.635 million he will earn this season after signing a 4-year, $22.5 million deal back in July 2018.
So, why would Sharks GM Doug Wilson move on from Hertl?
The Sharks have a depleted prospect pool and have to seriously consider some sort of rebuild. They don’t have a second-round pick in what is considered a very deep draft in 2022, having traded it away along with Josef Korenar to the Arizona Coyotes for the signing rights to Adin Hill and a seventh-round pick in 2022.
Wilson also needs to manage his squad’s cap situation. While the Sharks are well positioned for the 2021-2022 season, it is the following season where trouble rears its ugly head. With just 14 players signed for 2022-2023, they have a shade less then $15 million in cap space per CapFriendly.
If Hertl’s next deal does in fact begin with an eight, that leaves Wilson with $7 million to sign eight players. Of course, Wilson could find other ways to move cap, but it must be noted there have been no talks about an extension at this point in time.
There is also the distraction element that needs to be considered. As first reported by Kevin Kurz of the Athletic, Hertl was one of multiple players to complain about Evander Kane during exit meetings at the end of the season. As you are all aware, Kane is under investigation by the NHL for gambling – including on Sharks games.
Then there is Hertl’s comments back home in the Czech Republic: “I wonder if San Jose will want to re-sign me, and if I’ll want to stay there,” Hertl told iDNES.cz. “I don’t want to think about it so it doesn’t negatively affect me. I’ll start the season and see how it turns out.”
Sometimes things get lost in translation. We also don’t get to hear the tone in his voice. And we don’t know if that was an answer to a question and what that question was so, there’s a lot of interpretation happening.
Let’s circle back to the cap and the Sharks prospect pool.
It’s obvious that the Sharks will need to make a cap move in the near future. They also have an aging pair in Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson whose contracts are virtually unmovable and no replacements in site for them. With the cloud hanging over Kane, Hertl becomes the logical choice to move on from both in terms of dollars and as a player who can bring the most quality assets back in a trade.
Of course, all this leads to rumors. Hertl has already been linked to the Ottawa Senators, the Minnesota Wild and Buffalo Sabres (in a Jack Eichel deal no less) and your Boston Bruins who are seemingly always linked to anyone’s name that is out there.
Hertl to Boston makes sense in so many ways though with the departure of David Krejci and an aging Patrice Bergeron.
The cost to acquire however, is dependent on when. If (and I’m only pointing out scenarios here) there were to be a trade prior to, or early in the season, then the Bruins would need to move out cap space even if the Sharks were willing to retain 50% of Hertl’s cap hit.
But if it were to happen at trade deadline, as it stands today, the Bruins could fit his cap hit in its entirety just by moving a player to the AHL.
What would the cost be? That’s the million question.
When you look at the Sharks prospect pool, they need help at almost every position. Gaining a first round pick in 2022 is essential to them. You’re also adding a player in the deal that can play down the middle, possibly John Beecher or Jack Studnicka. Finally, you’re adding a B-level prospect, something the Bruins have in droves.
That’s a hefty price for a player that could hit the open market and GM Don Sweeney may be reluctant to include a first-round pick in such a deep draft. But there is one final wrinkle.
Hertl has a modified no-trade-clause in which he selects three teams he would accept a deal too. Unless he is willing to waive that clause to go anywhere – where it would become an all-out bidding war, then Wilson’s options are limited and he couldn’t possibly get full value with only three teams bidding.
I liken it to the Oliver Ekman-Larsson situation a year ago when he would only waive his no movement clause for either the Bruins or Vancouver Canucks. Neither Sweeney nor Canucks GM Jim Benning were willing to pay the price and the Coyotes were “stuck” with OEL for another season. Wilson doesn’t have that same luxury however, because of Hertl’s pending unrestricted free agency status while OEL was still under contract and weren’t forced into making a deal they didn’t want too.
One thing we know for sure, watching this play out is going to be a lot of fun. Especially if Hertl submits his three teams and that information gets leaked.
Each Monday, the intention is to provide you with a one-stop-shop on how your Boston Bruins prospects are doing statistically from around the globe. Everything from the J20 Nationell League to the KHL to the NCAA and more.
The 2021-2022 season has begun for two players: Peter Cehlarik – Avangard Omsk of the KHL and RomanBychkov – who for now is on loan to Armur Khabarovsk of the KHL.
In Finland (Liiga) and Sweden (SHL), the season is set to begin later this week on Thursday September 9. Closer to home, the USHL begins on September 23, the WHL on October 1 and the NCAA on October 2. The OHL will be the final league to hit the ice on October 7.
If you’re looking for stats on prospects playing professional hockey in North America, you can find the Providence Bruins stats here and the Maine Mariners here. Both are of course blank for now as the AHL and ECHL seasons have yet to begin. They are set to kick off their seasons on October 15 and October 22 respectively.
After an excellent season with Leksands IF of the SHL a season ago where he posted 20 goals and 20 assists in 45 games, Cehlarik went on to have a dominant IIHF World Championship for Slovakia with 5 goals and 6 helpers in 8 contests and was named the tournament’s top forward. That was enough for Cehlarik to earn a KHL contract with defending champion Avangard Omsk.
Cehlarik had signed a two-year deal with Leksands IF in August 2020, but used an out-clause in his contract to pursue other options. It is believed that Lausanne HC of the National League – Switzerland’s top league – was making a strong push to lure Cehlarik.
This season began with Cehlarik representing Slovakia once again, this time at the Olympic qualifiers. He scored twice in 3 games, doing his part in helping The Slovaks qualify for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, China. He will almost certainly represent Slovakia at the Olympics.
We are just two games into the KHL season and Cehlarik has come out guns blazing scoring 3 goals and 2 assists in those contests while averaging 22:36 in TOI. No one expects him to keep up that torrid pace. It’s difficult to say why he didn’t find success with the Bruins in the NHL, but an excellent KHL season could earn him another look, or at best, he could be part of a trade if another NHL team is interested.
Boston Bruins Prospect Linus Arnesson. Photo by thescore.com
With their second-round pick, 60th overall, at the 2013 National Hockey League Draft, the Boston Bruins selected Linus Arnesson from the Djurgardens IF of the HockeyAllsvenskan League in Sweden. During his draft year, Arnesson represented his native Sweden in Under-19 and under-20 international competition, including the World Junior Championship Under-20 after recording 1 assist in 31 games for Djurgardens.
Following his 2014-2015 season with Djurgardens, where he put up 5 helpers in 41 games, Arnesson made the trek over to North America and joined the Providence Bruins to finish out their season. Things looked at the least, enticing for the Bruins. Arnesson finished out 11 games with the P-Bruins scoring once and assisting on 3 others.
The scouting report on Arnesson suggested this was a safe pick and that he would be an above average shut down defender.
Stop me if you have heard this before: The Bruins are often questioned about their decisions on the draft floor, namely for reaching. Unless you are sure you are getting an elite shut down defender, is it not wise to find his type in later rounds, at least outside the second?
If you look back at the third round of that draft class, 10 players have gone on to play 100 NHL games and that number will rise again this season. Names like Brett Pesce, Pavel Buchnevich and Jake Guentzel, just to name a few.
Arnesson returned to the AHL for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 seasons but they were hampered by injuries. He appeared in 48 games in 15-16 and just 20 the following season, registering 5 assists and 1 assist respectively.
Some of you may be wondering why I am wasting my time talking about Arnesson. Well, he’s still a Bruin and some fans might be interested in keeping tabs on him.
But the book is just about closed on Arnesson.
Because he was drafted from Europe, and because he returned home to Sweden after his contract with the Bruins had expired, then the Bruins hold his rights until his 27-year-old year, and that happens to be next year. Barring a miracle season with Djurgardens of the Swedish Hockey League, it’s a good bet the Bruins will let him hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
“Got to follow in the footsteps of those guys. If you want to try to make every dollar you can, unfortunately that’s not going to be with this group.”Brad Marchand – May, 2019.
“I don’t play hockey for money man” David Pastrnak – May, 2019.
Marchand’s comments weren’t a shot at the Boston Bruins or Owner Jeremy Jacobs. They were intended to point out the fact that Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask took less money so that the Bruins could be more competitive and he was just following in their footsteps.
It’s been reported that Bergeron took less money when he signed his deal back in 2013 where, on the open market he could have received the same $9 million per year deals that were given to Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. That’s some hometown discount!
Rask signed his 8-year, $7 million per season deal a year after Carey Price signed his 6-year, $6.5 million deal. Rask signed for basically the same percentage of the cap but gave up term. And we all know what happened, right? Price signed an 8-year $10.5 million per year deal and while the Canadiens were paying him that money for the last 3 seasons, Rask was earning his $7 million. Furthermore, if and when Rask returns from his surgery, he’ll earn even less than $7 million per.
To a lesser extent, those team friendly deals seemed to have trickled down to Brandon Carlo as well. Carlo signed a 6-year contract back in July that carries an AAV of $4.1 million. The St Louis Blues extended ColtonParayko with an 8-year deal that will pay him $6.5 million per season beginning in 2022-2023 this week. Parayko may not be the best comparable to Carlo, but is there a $2.4 million per season difference? I don’t think so. It just goes to show that in an offseason where defensemen were getting massively overpaid, Carlo took a team friendly deal.
Has any of that rubbed off on Charlie McAvoy? Time will answer that question. In an offseason where defensemen signed for (per season) $9 million (Dougie Hamilton), $9.25 million (Darnell Nurse), $9.58 million (Zach Werenski), $9.5 million (Seth Jones), is it inconceivable to suggest McAvoy’s deal begins with a 9 or quite possibly a 10?
I took to Twitter and the lowest amount suggested by fans was $7.5 million with one fan suggesting $11 million. All we know for sure is it starts at $7.3 million (his qualifying offer) and goes up from there.
One thing I’ve been lucky at is nailing down what Bruins contracts will come in at. I recall being laughed off of social media when I suggested Pastrnak was going to come in at $6.6 million.
I’ll take that risk again – $8.5 million to $8.7 million.
All things considered; it was a pretty good offseason for Boston Bruins General Manager DonSweeney. Was it perfect? No! But things never go perfectly for a National Hockey League general manager. Here’s a look at five things I believe went against the Bruins and the order of their importance:
David Krejci
Everyone knew that this day would come at some point as Krejci has long talked about heading home to the Czech Republic to play. We can discuss ad nauseam whether Sweeney knew before free agent frenzy that Krejci was leaving, or whether he should have been more prepared. The fact is, that Krejci is gone.
We all know the struggles the Bruins have had on the second line and secondary scoring over the years through no fault of Krejci’s. Enter Taylor Hall, the first legit top flight winger Krejci has had since MilanLucic and Nathan Horton and everything that ailed the Bruins had disappeared. Everything went right for Krejci and Hall, especially since Hall didn’t have to be “the guy” anymore.
But the Krejci MIA Hall with his “center by committee” is now forced to be “the guy” once again and be the driver of that unit. Krejci’s departure now puts undo pressure on Hall, not to mention Charlie Coyle who will most likely be the first pivot on that line to try and make it go.
Top pair left shot defenceman
The link to Nashville Predators’ defender Mattias Ekholm goes back a full year and truth be told, Ekholm would have answered a lot of questions surrounding the Bruins blue line. In fairness though, a lot of the same questions were raised last offseason with the departures of Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug. Despite numerous injuries and having to use 13 blueliners throughout the season, the defenders held their own. And while the offense from the defense was not what we are accustomed too, it took off once Reilly appeared to the point that it translated to what they got from the blue line during the 2019-2020 season.
This offseason, the Bruins lost Kevan Miller to retirement and Jeremy Lauzon to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. Miller’s presence allowed the Bruins to save Charlie McAvoy for 5-on-5 and powerplay duty as Miller and Brandon Carlo could both eat big minutes on the PK on the right side. Unless coach Bruce Cassidy trusts Connor Clifton with more penalty killing minutes, then McAvoy could be seeing more PK time.
Enter Derek Forbort who Sweeney signed to a three-year, $9 million deal. With Lauzon’s departure, the Bruins were left without a natural left side penalty killing option and Forbort fills that role. That means that Reilly or Matt Grzelcyk is going to have to step up on the PK or one of McAvoy or Clifton are going to have to play their weak side. This would still be an issue even if the Bruins somehow were able to land a top-pair left shot defender.
Tuukka Rask
One would think that losing an elite, top goaltender like Rask would be at the top of the list, but the fact is, that Rask is not lost for the season and in his own words, is ahead of schedule in his recovery and rehab. It will hurt if Linus Ullmark and Jeremey Swayman can’t hold the fort until a potential Rask return and they drop too far out of contention that there won’t be enough time to challenge for a playoff spot.
Now, there is a silver lining here. Signing Ullmark enables the Bruins to bring Rask back for one season and look at the situation next offseason. It also allows the Bruins to bring Swayman along at the pace they’d like to and not have to throw him to the wolves. It also allows Kyle Keyser to receive higher quality minutes against superior competition in Providence instead of the ECHL, where his development was set back due to injuries.
It also allowed the Bruins to trade Daniel Vladar and recoup a third round pick they gave up in the MikeReilly trade. It also sets up several years of development for 2021 draft pick Philip Svedebeck.
That’s your silver lining but it is all moot if Ullmark and Swayman don’t succeed.
Expansion Draft
I’ve touched on it a bit already but, I can assure you Cassidy and the Bruins did not want to lose Lauzon in the expansion draft. Sure, he wasn’t an analytics darling in his first full season. But that’s not what this player is about. The team was willing to live with the mistakes while he learned on the job. With Lauzon, it was about the future. There were some “rumors” that Sweeney inquired about acquiring Lauzon back.
Today, Forbort can bring more to the table then Lauzon, there is no debating that. But in a year or two? No one can predict that. And Lauzon comes $2.15 million cheaper, money that could have been used elsewhere. Yes, there would have been more growing pains, but the team was willing to live with them.
No New Ice Plant
The Bruins want to play a fast game with a lot of pace, and the TD Garden ice, for lack of a better term, is terrible. There had been talk for a couple of years about a new Ice Plant at the Garden but it has not happened. That’s not really on Sweeney but on ownership. Now, they did invest in a new humidifier system, the same one used by the Tampa Bay Lighting. If it works in Tampa, it should work in Boston, correct? I’m sure that Sweeney and Cassidy, for the team they have assembled and they way they want to play, some decent ice would be a help.
I’m not going to get into all the details surrounding the Carolina Hurricanes offer sheet of Montreal Canadiens Center JesperiKotkaniemi since all of the information is already available. Most people have an opinion ranging anywhere from “it’s childish” to “it’s genius”. Rightfully, you are entitled to your opinion.
But does this affect your Boston Bruins in any way? The answer is probably.
There is no love lost between Canadiens Owner Geoff Molson and Hurricanes Owner Tom Dundon. I can’t imagine a situation where these two teams would trade with each other as long as both are making the final decisions for their respective teams. However, this is the NHL where surprising things happen often. So, the small benefit might be that it eliminates one of the teams if the other is looking to make a trade.
But here is where it could really affect the Bruins. If you believe the Bruins have had or still have any interest in acquiring Christian Dvorak of the Arizona Coyotes, then this has a dramatic effect.
Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong has fielded plenty of calls about his centreman but he has held firm in his asking price. And he may have just won the battle by waiting.
Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has been calling his counterparts to see if there is a centreman available he could trade for. And if Bergevin is successful in finding that pivot, he can walk away from the offer sheet signed by Kotkaniemi and reap the benefits of $6.1 million in cap savings while gaining a first and third round draft pick as compensation from the Canes. That center is likely Dvorak.
It’s that compensation that has tightened the screws on Don Sweeney. Bergevin now has, or will once (if) he walks away from the offer sheet, to use those assets to flip for Dvorak.
