Down the Frozen River

Tag: Boston Bruins

  • Why the Bruins probably shouldn’t pursue Dylan Larkin

    First of all, Dylan Larkin is good, not great.

    Now, that’s not to say he isn’t a top-six forward in the National Hockey League, but rather that he’s a first line center on the Detroit Red Wings and a very good second line center on any Stanley Cup-contending roster. 

    He’s the type of player that the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights would be after on their way to their recent Stanley Cup Final appearances. 

    But there’s a clear difference between guys like Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, Aleksander Barkov, Connor McDavid and Larkin.

    There’s “generational talent” and then there’s “very high-skilled.”

    Larkin is more akin to Taylor Hall on the Hurricanes, for example. Both are great in their own right.

    Hall won the Hart Memorial Trophy in the 2017-18 season with the New Jersey Devils and was the 1st overall pick by the Oilers in the 2010 NHL Draft. He’s now in his first career Stanley Cup Final appearance in his 16th season in the league.

    Larkin has played 11 seasons, was drafted 15th overall by Detroit in 2014, and won gold with the U.S. men’s team in the 2026 Winter Games. He’s actually appeared in more Olympic games (six) than Stanley Cup Playoff games (five) since his NHL debut with the Red Wings in the 2015-16 season.

    Sure, Larkin would easily slide in as a first line center for the Boston Bruins, but are the Bruins that competitive of a team regardless of whether or not they were to acquire Larkin?

    Boston is not Colorado, Tampa, Florida, Edmonton, Carolina or Vegas.

    Trying to acquire Larkin means giving up components of the current roster and immediate future. It’s not as steep of an asking price as some might be touting, though others hold fast to the claim that Larkin is a franchise center.

    Larkin is a “franchise center” much in the sense that Shane Doan was the franchise player for the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes.

    Both players fall into a category of players that were loyal to a fault and played well enough to earn their rightful recognition, but never really broke out with all-time clutch performances that yielded Cup rings (in part because the teams they played for were never that competitive).

    Some might even look at David Pastrňák as being in the same position on the Bruins as Larkin is in Detroit the longer that Boston waivers in what Jeff Marek refers to as “the mushy middle.”

    Larkin is a six-time 30-goal scorer and recorded career-highs in assists (47) and points (79) in the 2022-23 season while notching a career-high 34 goals in 2025-26. He’s had 30 or more goals in the last five seasons and is pretty consistent in his offensive output with seven seasons of 63 or more points in his 11-year NHL career thus far.

    With the Bruins, there’s a chance Larkin could be viewed as a slightly more glorified David Krejčí. What Krejčí may have lacked in regular season performance from year-to-year, however, he made up for in the postseason— elevating his game to the next level.

    Acquiring Larkin runs the risk of becoming another Elias Lindholm on a roster that already has Elias Lindholm. He’s also signed for five more years through the 2030-31 season, which is the same length of time remaining on Lindholm’s contract.

    Larkin, of course, hasn’t seen action in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2016.

    There are no guarantees that Boston is prime for another playoff run in 2027.

    I’m a Red Wings fan, should I be mad about a player exercising their right that was previously negotiated in their contract?

    This isn’t the first time a player has appeared as though they’d like to play for one franchise their entire career and later altered their plans as dreams and desires ebb and flow in life.

    Dylan Larkin earned the right to negotiate a no-trade clause in his contract in accordance with what the players’ union and league itself collaborated on in the creation of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

    Had he pivoted after the first season of his current contract or sooner, I’d understand the annoyance of his perceived “bad faith” towards the Red Wings organization– the franchise itself, his teammates and the fans.

    But he spent the first three years of his current eight-year deal wearing Detroit’s crest with enough pride to be patient, if not begrudged, while Steve Yzerman worked to make the roster more aligned with playoff contenders.

    Ultimately, Yzerman’s best intentions in acquiring guys like Justin Faulk and David Perron approaching this year’s trade deadline weren’t enough to the satisfaction of Larkin.

    Despite spending most of the season in playoff position and having an ascribed leadership role as captain, Larkin and the Red Wings collapsed and missed the postseason yet again.

    Who is in the running in the Larkin sweepstakes?

    Helene St. James was first to report that Larkin submitted a list of a few teams he’d be willing to waive his no-movement clause for in the Detroit Free Press.

    St. James alluded to the usual candidates like the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights, while The Athletic‘s, Pierre LeBrun, simply confirmed that Yzerman received a “short list” of teams Larkin is willing to be traded to.

    LeBrun has since noted that there may be more than a few teams at play after Yzerman asked Larkin’s agent, Pat Brisson, to expand their original list.

    This means teams like the Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning and Utah Mammoth could try to make an effort to persuade Larkin by presenting Yzerman with an offer he (Yzerman in this case) can’t refuse.

    Larkin holds leverage over where he may ultimately end up before the 2027-28 season, since he has a full no-movement clause in the first five seasons of his current contract.

    By the 2028-29 season, however, Larkin will have to submit a list of 10 teams he would be willing to be traded to as the final three years of his current contract carries a modified no-trade clause.

    Steve Yzerman’s been through this before, right?

    Correct. He was general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning when Martin St. Louis asked to be traded for a chance at a second Cup ring as a player in 2014.

    Yzerman swapped captains with the New York Rangers, acquiring Ryan Callahan as part of a package in the St. Louis-Callahan trade.

    There were conditions attached to the draft picks involved, but the Bolts ultimately sent St. Louis to the Rangers with a 2015 2nd round pick in exchange for Callahan, a 2014 1st round pick, a 2015 1st round pick and a 2015 7th round pick.

    It’s fun to note that all of the draft picks involved in the St. Louis-Callahan trade were later flipped in other trades.

    Both the 2014 and 2015 1st round picks ended up being 28th overall in each draft and property of the New York Islanders, who drafted Joshua Ho-Sang and Anthony Beauvillier in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

    The 2015 2nd round pick was later traded to the Calgary Flames, who selected Oliver Kylington 60th overall. Meanwhile, the 2015 7th round pick ultimately ended up in Edmonton, where the Oilers drafted Ziyat Paigin 209th overall.

    St. Louis and the Rangers ended up losing in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final in five games against the Los Angeles Kings, while Callahan and the Lightning later eliminated the Rangers with a, 2-0, win on the road in Game 7 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Final.

    Though Tampa didn’t win the Cup while Yzerman was general manager, things worked out pretty well shortly afterwards in 2020 and 2021.

    Anyway, Yzerman is destined to trade yet another captain as a result of Larkin’s trade request.

    Yzerman’s main goal is maximizing the return on the deal and has no prerogative to rush things similar to how Joe Sakic handled the Matt Duchene trade almost a decade ago with the Colorado Avalanche after Duchene asked out.

    O.K., but do the Bruins have a shot?

    There’s no doubt that Don Sweeney will be one of 31 general managers who will do their “due diligence” in exploring the market for Dylan Larkin.

    But let’s keep in mind what some other teams have to offer.

    The Minnesota Wild could help Detroit’s goaltending woes by including Jesper Wallstedt in a potential Larkin trade. The Dallas Stars– should negotiations sour with Jason Robertson– could trade Robertson to the Red Wings as part of a Larkin trade.

    Both of those teams are Cup-contenders for the foreseeable future and can risk moving a young player in their burgeoning prime for Larkin to address a need down the middle and increase their depth for a Cup run.

    The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning have a decent stockpile of current and emerging surefire NHL talent to attract Yzerman.

    The Boston Bruins, meanwhile, do not.

    It’d be unwise to trade guys like James Hagens or Dean Letourneau for Larkin when the whole point of the retool is to get younger, faster and more skilled.

    How did it work for the last guy?

    Dylan Larkin is just the latest on the list of players that spent a decent amount of time with one organization only to be left burning bridges on their way out as a result of organizational ineptitude, lack of playoff success or lack of support for the player on or off the ice.

    Jack Eichel was drafted 2nd overall by the Buffalo Sabres in 2015, and amassed 139-216–355 totals in 375 career games with Buffalo from 2015-21. Then the Sabres wouldn’t allow him to get surgery that had never been performed on an NHL player before.

    He was stripped of his captaincy, failed his physical and was placed on long-term injured reserve before the saga culminated in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on November 4, 2021.

    Buffalo sent Eichel to Vegas in a package that included Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch going to the Sabres, while Eichel was able to finally get the surgery he desired and later made his Golden Knights debut on February 16, 2022.

    Vegas acquired Eichel at a point where “average” NHL players are just starting to reach their prime. He was 25 when he made his Golden Knights debut in 2021-22, and won the Cup with Vegas the following season at 26.

    Elite players can tap into their prime anytime from when they’re drafted at 18 through 20-years-old and make it last into their mid-to-late 30s (think Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Macklin Celebrini or Patrice Bergeron, for example), while the average NHL player typically reaches their prime from about 25 through 32 or 33-years-old.

    Goaltenders are usually an outlier regardless, if you’re wondering.

    The Detroit Red Wings were around the playoff bubble— even on the right side of making the postseason early in Larkin’s NHL career— far more than the Buffalo Sabres had ever been during Eichel’s tenure with the team.

    When Buffalo drafted Eichel, they hadn’t made the playoffs since 2011.

    Detroit lost Nick Lidström to retirement in 2012, but still made the playoffs through Larkin’s first NHL season— dropping a First Round matchup in five games against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2016.

    The Bolts had just made an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 2015, so Detroit losing to a team that had much of the core in place that led Tampa to Stanley Cup Final appearances in 2015, 2020, 2021 and 2022, isn’t that surprising in hindsight. 

    Especially as the Red Wings veteran players were in the twilight years of their prime after Detroit won the Cup in 2008, before losing their rematch with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Final in 2009.

    More recently, Mitch Marner did a sign and trade on June 30, 2025, in order to get the maximum length of a contract and end up in a more desirable place than the Toronto Maple Leafs who were his hometown team growing up and drafted him 4th overall in 2015.

    Marner had 741 points (221 goals, 520 assists) in 657 games in Toronto after making his league debut in the 2016-17 season. He had a career-high 102 points in 81 games with the Maple Leafs in 2024-25, but at 27-years-old he had only advanced as far as the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice.

    Enter the Golden Knights, who, for Nicolas Roy, acquired Marner in the midst of his prime– similar to Eichel– and are now in the Stanley Cup Final in Marner’s first season with the organization.

    Oh, and it helps that Marner is a big part of why Vegas is in the Final against Carolina currently, since Marner has set a franchise record for the most points in a postseason for the Golden Knights with 10-19–29 totals in 20 games played at the time of this writing.

    Eichel, Marner and Larkin were all 1st round picks and in their prime at the time of their trades/upcoming trade, but Larkin is turning 30 on July 30th.

    He may only have two, three or four years tops in his prime remaining.

    How is this relevant to the Bruins?

    After being reverse-swept by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinal, the Boston Bruins needed a little bit of a shakeup.

    Everyone in the organization wanted to not just avenge the series loss to the Flyers, but exceed external expectations and win the whole damn thing.

    So then-general manager, Peter Chiarelli, faced a situation not entirely dissimilar to Don Sweeney’s current Mason Lohrei problem.

    Dennis Wideman wore No. 6 in a Bruins sweater long before Lohrei donned it for the first time in the 2023-24 season. Wideman wore it with pride from the 2006-07 season through the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    Wideman was an offensive defender with 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in 81 games for Boston in his first full season with the club in 2007-08. He improved to a career-high 50 points (13 goals, 37 assists) in 79 games the following year as the Bruins finished one point shy in the entire league standings of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks in 2008-09.

    Then Wideman dropped to 6-24–30 totals in 76 games with Boston in 2009-10.

    Despite an impressive 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 13 playoff games that spring, Wideman’s plus/minus rating had gone from a plus-32 in the regular season in 2008-09, to a minus-14 in 2009-10.

    Now, plus/minus isn’t everything, but a drop like that is pretty significant.

    His mistakes became glaringly obvious. He shot the puck wide, man. It was in his name all along!

    He was also 26-years-old by the end of the 2009-10 season. Coincidentally, Lohrei will be 26 by the end of the 2026-27 season.

    Chiarelli needed to boost Boston’s offense while the defense would take care of itself as a young Johnny Boychuk had emerged during the 2009-10 season— complimenting the rest of the blue line in Zdeno Chára, Andrew Ference, Dennis Seidenberg and Adam McQuaid pretty well.

    The Bruins had a style that Wideman just… …didn’t fit.

    So Chiarelli traded Wideman, a 2010 1st round pick and a 2011 3rd round pick to the Florida Panthers for Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell.

    Horton was the 3rd overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft. In his first season with the Panthers, he had 14-8–22 totals in 55 games played in 2003-04.

    He doubled his scoring output after the 2004-05 lockout canceled season with 28 goals and 19 assists (47 points) in 71 games with Florida in 2005-06.

    Horton continued to be a consistent scorer for the Panthers at a time where the team never made the playoffs in his Florida tenure.

    Though he only reached the 30-goal plateau once in his career (31 in 2006-07), he had the knack for scoring clutch goals when the Panthers needed it most.

    He was also only 25-years-old when the Bruins acquired him on June 22, 2010. That’s five years younger than what Dylan Larkin is going to be by the time Larkin hits the ice this fall.

    Of course, if you’re a Bruins fan reading this, you already know that Horton and Co. won the Cup in 2011, and appeared in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final.

    Boston acquired Horton in the midst of his prime and got the most out of him before he left in free agency while injuries ultimately ended his career prematurely.

    But the Bruins aren’t a Cup-contender currently?

    Yes, exactly! You’re catching on. Good for you.

    Boston can’t make the jump next season like they did from 2009-10 to 2010-11.

    The Bruins signed Elias Lindholm to a seven-year contract at the age of 29, on July 1, 2024– two years after he amassed career-highs in goals (42), assists (40) and points (82) with the Calgary Flames in 82 games in 2021-22.

    In 13 NHL seasons since making his league debut with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2013-14, Lindholm has only reached the 70-point plateau twice.

    His production with the Flames reached a pinnacle in 2021-22, and fell to 64 points the following season before splitting time between Calgary and the Vancouver Canucks after being traded during the 2023-24 season. That year, Lindholm had 15-29–44 totals in 75 games with the Flames and Canucks.

    He registered 47 points in 82 games with Boston in his first season, but injuries kept reappearing in his sophomore season as a Bruin– limiting him to 69 games in the regular season in 2025-26, though he managed to record 48 points in the process.

    If he had been completely healthy, Lindholm probably would’ve finished with just shy of 60 points.

    There’s just one problem– that’s not good enough for a first or second line center. Especially if you’re looking at adding Dylan Larkin to the equation to answer the question “who will replace Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí as the No. 1 and No. 2 centers in Boston?”

    It gets even worse if you clog up the opportunities that should otherwise go to someone like Fraser Minten or James Hagens to grow into if you have any hope for either or both to become the long-term plan down the middle.

    Remember how Charlie Coyle was deadweight in the middle of the lineup by the end of his Boston tenure? Lindholm and Larkin could expedite that– especially if they can’t keep up with the wingers around them at a time where you’re looking to capitalize on speed and skill by the midpoint of their current contracts.

    Lindholm was signed via free agency in the twilight of the average NHLers’ prime.

    It’s not worth overpaying for a step above Lindholm for the sake of saying “well, at least he’s better than him and gives us a little more depth down the middle.” Especially if the cost outweighs the reward.

    O.K., but I’m still reading this and my team isn’t the Bruins, so what if you’re trying to win the Cup as soon as possible?

    Well, buyer beware.

    Dylan Larkin would be a great addition to a Cup-contending team that needs a second line center.

    If you’re trying to recreate what the St. Louis Blues did when they acquired Ryan O’Reilly from the Buffalo Sabres ahead of the 2018-19 season, you should note that O’Reilly was turning 27 at the time and had more prime left in the tank than Larkin currently has in his.

    O’Reilly could play up in the lineup because he was a force and not just a nice complimentary asset to have in the arsenal.

    Speaking of St. Louis, it’d be great if you could simply pry Robert Thomas from the Blues. But Andy Strickland has already reported that Thomas isn’t going anywhere and will be on the St. Louis roster when training camp begins in September.

    Jordan Kyrou, on the other hand….

    That’s who you should want to target if you’re the Bruins or any team, for that matter.

    Kyrou is only 28-years-old and has 67 or more points in four out of the last five seasons. That’s some pretty good consistency that will lend itself to being the type of player that still amasses about 50 points a year even after he turns 33 or 34.

    Maybe he’ll do that even up to about the time he’s 37. He could pull a Joe Pavelski and just go off on a scoring tangent.

    Winning trades isn’t always immediate

    Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but if you’re the Boston Bruins in a retool looking to get better long-term, you want to acquire someone that is already on the cusp of or in the midst of their prime between the ages of, say, 20 and 26.

    The Montréal Canadiens acquired Nick Suzuki and Tomáš Tatar as part of the package from the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Max Pacioretty on Sept. 9, 2018.

    Suzuki had just been drafted 13th overall by Vegas in 2017, and was a promising young center that wouldn’t make his NHL debut with Montréal until the 2019-20 season at 20-years-old.

    He put up 41 points in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season and another 41 points in the 56-game 2020-21 season before amassing 61 points in 2021-22, 66 points in 2022-23, 77 in 2023-24, 89 in 2024-25 and breaking the 100-point plateau with 29-72–101 totals in 2025-26.

    He’s a 26-year-old that’s really just getting started in the early part of his prime and now has won the Frank J. Selke Trophy– living up to the comparisons to Patrice Bergeron when he was drafted by the Golden Knights and later introduced to the Canadiens’ prospect pipeline.

    Boston would benefit significantly in any trade where they identify the type of player like Suzuki that’s ready-now or growing into their prime and will become certified top-talent on their roster.

    So you need another Fraser Minten, right? And a little patience. You know, like how the Canadiens did with Suzuki.

    The Bruins swindled the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Brandon Carlo trade that yielded Boston Minten and draft picks in return.

    There are contenders willing to part with decent prospects or young players all around– just look at how the Colorado Avalanche jettisoned Cal Ritchie to the New York Islanders for Brock Nelson or how the Dallas Stars parted with Logan Stankoven in the Mikko Rantanen trade (part II) with the Carolina Hurricanes.

    This is where offer sheets get interesting this summer and Mason McTavish becomes somewhat of a desirable solution on the trade market with the Anaheim Ducks.

    Anaheim is looking to take the next step up in their game and postseason plans, while McTavish could use a little bit of a reset and probably a ceiling adjustment.

    You could likely convince the Ducks to take someone like Mason Lohrei or Pavel Zacha as a starting point for the frameworks of a trade.

    At 23-years-old, McTavish is still entering his prime, though if he were to be an annual 50-point scorer for the next decade, that’s probably better than what you’d get out of Dylan Larkin by the end of Larkin’s current contract.

    If anything, McTavish gives you a certified middle-six forward while your top prospects in James Hagens, Dean Letourneau, Will Zellers and young players like Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov sort themselves out among the first and second lines with David Pastrňák leading the way as your most important player, if not captain, of the franchise long-term.

    But we already have Nick Suzuki at home

    Look, I love Matthew Poitras dearly and I’m not opposed to saying “just give him a little more time,” but if Boston won’t give him a chance on the NHL roster full-time in 2026-27, well, we have a major philosophical development problem to address.

    Missing out on Larkin would be fine

    I would’ve loved to have signed Marián Hossa when he hit free agency after losing back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances with Pittsburgh and Detroit in 2008 and 2009, but he was never coming to Boston with the way the roster looked at the time.

    Sometimes the seemingly right player just isn’t available at the right time.

    Yeah, the Bruins could’ve signed Hossa, but what kind of butterfly effect would that have had on the Dennis Wideman trade for Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell?

    And, you know, quite literally everything else given the salary cap space that Hossa’s contract would’ve eaten up.

    It’s a lot like when John Tavares hit free agency and left the Islanders for the Leafs.

    Sure, the Bruins could have made an attractive offer, but how would their hands have been tied in the process thereafter?

    That, and David Krejčí already existed in the presumptive role for Tavares.

    In any case, this is going to be quite an offseason, isn’t it?

    Yeah.

    It’s fair to ask “what, exactly, is the current core of the Boston Bruins?” when another year has come and gone for guys like David Pastrňák, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman, while Morgan Geekie, Elias Lindholm, Hampus Lindholm and others sort themselves out as they’re pressured by younger talent in Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov, James Hagens and the next prospect up.

    That’s the part that’s going to be quite a balancing act for Don Sweeney.

    It wouldn’t hurt the Bruins to have a guy like Viktor Arvidsson around as a stable, veteran presence in the dressing room, but at what cost for the pending-unrestricted free agent and with how many other guys already like him on the roster?

    Many of whom are expendable by the 2027 trade deadline if the playoffs aren’t looking likely.

    How much of the forward progress that occurred for Boston from 2024-25 to 2025-26, was a direct result of trading everyone they did and adding to their prospect pool and draft pick capital leading up to the 2025 trade deadline?

    There’s a difference between “draft capital” and “draft capital surplus” when making a big move to acquire a player in their prime that can make an immediate impact on your roster.

    The former implies that your organization has a stockpile of prospects that you’ve hit on or are developing in a timely manner and can move on from early enough into their professional careers to maximize value and meet your trading partner where they’re at in acquiring certified high-end talent.

    But you can’t make too many of those moves without running the risk of stunting your own organizational growth and development in the depth charts.

    You also don’t have tremendous draft capital if your prospects are four years out or more from their draft year, like Fabian Lysell.

    The latter implies that you have three first round picks in the next draft or two— or something like that— where you can create mobility in the upcoming first round to land a core piece. That, or you can flip anyone with one of those first round picks and still be able to incorporate whoever else you draft and develop within the usual timeframe from draft day to NHL regular.

    Right now, the Bruins would be better off continuing to build the foundation of prospects and picks— especially since they haven’t had a lot of hits in recent years.

    Taking the best available is a good strategy, though ensuring that the best prospects truly live up to their potential is a whole other story.

    Boston is going to need to have a difficult conversation with many coaches, scouts and development staff members outside of goaltending coaches this summer.

    It’s time to start producing results or someone else will do it for you while you update your LinkedIn profile.

  • Breaking down the Rasmus Andersson trade

    Rasmus Andersson is on the move.

    The Calgary Flames traded the 29-year-old defender to the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday evening in exchange for defender Zach Whitecloud, the rights to unsigned defensive prospect Abram Wiebe, a 2027 1st round pick (top-10 protected) and a conditional 2028 2nd round pick that can become a 2028 1st round pick if the Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup this season.

    Calgary already owns Vegas’ 2026 1st round pick from a prior trade.

    The Flames retained 50% of Andersson’s salary in this transaction, so Andersson will carry a $2.275 million cap hit against Vegas’ total salary cap as the trade deadline looms March 6th.

    TSN”s Darren Dreger broke the news of the trade before Sportsnet‘s Elliotte Friedman filled in the details of the return.

    There is no extension for Andersson as part of the trade.

    Dating back to last season, Vegas had always been an attractive destination for Andersson with his current contract set to expire this summer.

    Now, the Golden Knights can do what they’ve already done before when they acquired Noah Hanifin from the Flames in March 2024– they can sign Andersson to an extension anytime between now and July 1st like how they did with Hanifin about a month after acquiring him.

    Despite not ending up with the player, the Boston Bruins played a large part in the facilitation of Andersson’s trade to the Golden Knights.

    A source close to the Flames indicated that the Bruins had received permission to discuss an extension while working on the potential trade and had an agreement in place with Andersson on an extension late Saturday night. Boston’s general manager, Don Sweeney, would not budge, however, from his offer of Mason Lohrei, Matthew Poitras and a 1st round pick as part of the return to Calgary.

    This source also previously indicated a roster player from Vegas and a 2nd round pick as part of the initial offer that Kelly McCrimmon had made to the Flames at one point prior to the widespread report of Boston’s offer making the rounds on the Internet.

    It is reasonable to believe that Calgary’s general manager, Craig Conroy, used both offers he had received to sweeten the deal in the return for Andersson.

    McCrimmon ended up offering an additional pick and the rights to an unsigned prospect regardless of an extension, thereby meeting Calgary’s demands that Boston was unwilling to match with or without assuring themselves of locking up Andersson long-term as a Bruin.

    Sweeney’s front office had some qualms with Conroy’s asking price to begin with and Boston wasn’t going to execute a trade without Andersson extended.

    98.5 The Sports Hub‘s Ty Anderson, a Bruins beat reporter, noted that Boston had some internal debate regarding whether or not the Bruins should part with one of their next four first round picks in the potential trade for Andersson (the now former Calgary defender turned Golden Knight, not Ty).

    Boston remains intent on adding where they are able to do so approaching this year’s deadline. The Bruins are also aware that they are more likely than not closer to where Calgary is at in terms of the playoff picture– looking on from the outside in.

    Bruins management does not want to risk their future with a solid core of David Pastrňák, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman leading rising stars like Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov as well as collegiate prospects, James Hagens, Will Zellers and Dean Letourneau fast approaching the NHL level.

    In the end, Vegas gets the defender they want for a potential Cup run and the Flames get Whitecloud, Wiebe and potentially two more of the Golden Knights’ first round picks to add to their stockpile.

    Having now acquired Andersson, Vegas is believed to begin negotiations on an extension as soon as possible. The Golden Knights had not received permission to speak with Andersson prior to the trade, unlike Boston.

    What Andersson brings to Vegas

    Rasmus Andersson is a 29-year-old native of Malmö, Sweden and has 10-19–29 totals in 47 games with the Flames this season.

    The 6’1″, 202-pound, right-shot defender was originally drafted by Calgary in the 2nd round (53rd overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft and later made his NHL debut with the Flames in the 2016-17 season, recording 18:33 time on ice in San Jose on April 8, 2017.

    He matched his career-high in goals last season (11) in 81 games compared to the 79 games that it took in 2022-23. Andersson had a career-high 46 assists in 82 games with the Flames in 2021-22, and went on to produce a career-high 50 points and plus-30 rating that season as well.

    After a dismal minus-38 rating in 81 games last season in Calgary, Andersson has rebounded to a plus-1 rating in 47 games prior to being traded to Vegas.

    Andersson has 57 goals and 203 assists (260 points) in 583 career NHL games with the Flames and 7-7–14 totals in 27 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.

    He is averaging 24:12 time on ice this season and is likely to reunite with former Flames teammate, Noah Hanifin, on Vegas’ second defensive pairing and have a little more of a reserved role with the Golden Knights.

    What Whitecloud brings to Calgary

    Zach Whitecloud is a 29-year-old native of Brandon, Manitoba and has 2-5–7 totals in 47 games with the Golden Knights this season.

    The 6’2″, 210-pound, right-shot defensive defender was undrafted and originally signed as a free agent with Vegas on March 8, 2018.

    Whitecloud made his NHL debut about a month later against the Edmonton Oilers on April 5, 2018, and was a plus-three in 16:42 time on ice.

    He has averaged 17:44 per game in 368 career NHL games (all with Vegas) and was a member of the 2023 Stanley Cup-winning Golden Knights team. Whitecloud has 23 goals and 55 assists (78 points) in his regular season career, while adding 5-12–17 totals in 78 career Stanley Cup Playoff games.

    He carries a $2.750 million cap hit through 2027-28.

    What’s up with Abram Wiebe?

    An unsigned prospect in his third season with North Dakota, Abram Wiebe is a 22-year-old, 6’3″, 209-pound left-shot defender. The Mission, British Columbia native has 3-11–14 totals in 24 games with the Fighting Hawks this season and was originally drafted by the Golden Knights in the 7th round (209th overall) of the 2022 NHL Draft.

    He is currently listed as an alternate captain for his NCAA intercollegiate club and had previously served as the captain of the Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) in 2022-23.

    He had 1-9–10 totals in 40 games as a freshman with North Dakota in 2023-24, and 24 points (four goals, 20 assists) in 38 games in his sophomore season.

  • The waiting game in Calgary

    As you may already be aware, the Calgary Flames are trading Rasmus Andersson. The Boston Bruins and Vegas Golden Knights remain the favorites in a four-team bidding war, while the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs remain linked.

    Last night, Elliotte Friedman reported on Sportsnet that the Bruins have been allowed to engage in conversation on an extension with Andersson as part of the frameworks of a potential transaction between Boston and Calgary.

    To reiterate, the Bruins’ current offer– and best available to the Flames currently on the table— is only if Andersson agrees to and signs an extension with Boston.

    Meanwhile, one of the major components expected in return for Andersson, Mason Lohrei, scored a pair of goals in Boston’s, 5-2, comeback win Saturday night in Chicago. It’s the first of a two-game road trip for the Bruins with a stop in Dallas coming up Tuesday night before returning home to host Vegas on Thursday.

    It’s also a siblings’ road trip (similar to moms’ and dad’s trips around the league) for Boston while Saturday also happened to be Lohrei’s birthday too.

    The business of professional sports sacrifices birthdays, holidays and more, but that’s understood as “just part of the industry.” What’s not usually part of the business is for a team to ruin the mood for everyone involved during a special outing like Boston’s siblings’ trip.

    That might influence the timeline of the expected outcome if the Bruins are favored by the Flames, Andersson and his agent, as well as Lohrei and his respective parties (agent and sibling).

    Neither Andersson, nor Lohrei were withheld from their respective lineups as Andersson registered an assist in Calgary’s, 4-2, win on home ice Saturday afternoon against the New York Islanders.

    Had both players been kept out of the action– preserved in fear of an untimely injury that would otherwise negate a trade– that would’ve been a dead giveaway regarding the likely winner of the Andersson sweepstakes.

    Of course, Vegas could’ve held someone out of Saturday night’s, 7-2, win against the Nashville Predators, but it wouldn’t have been likely that all three teams would’ve sat one or more players in their respective organizations that are potentially on the move as an insurance policy.

    If Andersson won’t agree to an extension as part of the proposed trade with Boston and Calgary won’t make a deal with Vegas, then the Flames will have to pivot to a potential move with Dallas or Toronto.

    Craig Conroy and his front office executives in the Flames organization hold a lot of leverage over the outcome of this transaction, even if Andersson believes he is more inclined on going to Vegas should an extension not get done with the Bruins.

    Andersson has a modified no-trade clause that includes a six-team no-trade list per PuckPedia as part of his current contract that expires after this season.

    Unless Andersson has a personal beef with a city like Dallas or Toronto, it’s hard to conceive that– should the Flames not get something done with Boston or Vegas– the 29-year-old defender wouldn’t end up in either of those organizations.

    Calgary is back in action Monday night as the Flames host the New Jersey Devils.

    Meanwhile, Lohrei’s impressive effort in Boston’s five unanswered goal-comeback victory over the Blackhawks could have been enough to make Bruins general manager, Don Sweeney, reconsider his offer to the Flames.

    It could have also helped Sweeney market Lohrei to other potential suitors in the event Andersson does not agree to an extension and this potential trade falls through and Boston remains set on moving their 25-year-old defender.

  • Rasmus Andersson and a few scenarios

    Rasmus Andersson will be traded. When and where remains to be resolved.

    The 29-year-old Calgary Flames defender is more likely than not to be dealt in the next 24-48 hours per a source and if his postgame wave to the crowd at Scotiabank Saddledome, high-fives and hugs from Jonathan Huberdeau, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee and others are any indication, he has likely played his final game as a Flame in Saturday’s, 4-2, victory over the New York Islanders.

    Andersson had one assist and was a plus-two rating in 25:40 time on ice, while recording two shots and two blocked shots in the win.

    In 48 games with Calgary this season, he has 10 goals and 20 assists (30 points) and a plus-three rating– one point shy from his 11-20–31 totals and up from a minus-38 rating in 82 games last season with the Flames.

    Four teams are in the running for acquiring Andersson’s services including the Boston Bruins, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars and one more team from the Eastern Conference.

    None of my sources have been able to pinpoint whether the remaining team in the bidding process is the Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs or another unnamed team in the conference.

    The Red Wings are believed to be buyers approaching this season’s trade deadline on March 6th, while the Leafs hold the familiarity factor if you subscribe to the theory that National Hockey League general managers only ever try to (re-)acquire players they’re had in their possession before.

    Brad Treliving was previously Calgary’s general manager from 2014-23, before Don Maloney held the interim title for about a month prior to Craig Conroy‘s hiring on May 23, 2023. Treliving was later hired by Toronto on May 31, 2023.

    Andersson was originally drafted by the Flames with the 53rd overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and later made his league debut during the 2016-17 season prior to becoming a full-time NHL defender in 2018-19.

    He has 261 points (57 goals, 204 assists) in 584 games (all with the Flames).

    What are the Boston Bruins thinking?

    Sources close to the Flames and Bruins have overlapped on the big components of a potential deal that would see Andersson swapping out his red and yellow sweater for the black and gold.

    Boston is offering Mason Lohrei, Matthew Poitras and a 1st round pick in exchange for Andersson with at least one condition attached to the 1st round pick.

    One of the big sticking points, however, for any deal involving the Bruins is that Boston’s general manager, Don Sweeney, needs to have Andersson signed to an extension as part of the trade.

    Andersson would likely yield a cap hit around the $8.000-8.500 million range on his next contract, but neither sources have indicated what the length of the extension would be.

    One caveat of any long-term extension for Andersson is the fact that he will turn 30 on Oct. 27th, which means there’s a good chance that if Boston acquires Andersson, they’ll add a certified right shot defender that will slide in on their second pairing and be committed to his spot on the roster through his late prime and early twilight of his playing career.

    It’s fair to ask if including a 1st round pick in the transaction is a steep price to pay. Certainly, if Andersson won’t commit to an extension with the Bruins, then Boston would be unwise to leave their best offer as the final offer on the table.

    For an organization that finally adopted the best draft policy in 2025 (take the best available player at each selection), it’d be wise for the B’s to stay the course and continue to stock their prospect cupboard, while selling pieces as the 2026 trade deadline approaches– playoff race be damned.

    That’d mean that a 1st round pick should be a non-starter, regardless of the fact that Boston potentially has four 1st round picks in the next two seasons. The Bruins previously acquired a top-five protected 2026 1st round pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs in last year’s Brandon Carlo trade and a conditional pick that converted into a 2027 1st round pick from the Florida Panthers in exchange for Brad Marchand.

    If that’s too many words for you, remember this– Boston has their own 2026 and 2027 1st round picks, plus they have Toronto’s 2026 1st round pick (unless the Leafs win the lottery and end up selecting anywhere from 1st through 5th overall) and Florida’s 2027 1st round pick (unless one of the Panthers’ previous transactions renders them unable to keep their 2027 1st round pick, in which case the Bruins will own Florida’s 2028 1st round pick).

    The Bruins don’t have to use all four of those picks, but they’d be smart to yield the maximum return on their potential value.

    Trading for an aging veteran defender, while giving up 25-year-old, Mason Lohrei, and 21-year-old, Matthew Poitras, in the process means there’s too much value exiting Boston’s organization– even if the majority of it is in their system currently and residing in future value.

    The Bruins already have their work cut out for them in turning over aging prospects in Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov and have yet to see what current college hockey stars, James Hagens, Will Zellers, Dean Letourneau and Will Moore will bring to their organizational depth among the NHL and AHL rosters.

    On the other hand, trading for Andersson addresses a need that the Bruins have now, solidifies their lineup for the near future and presents Boston with the opportunity to continue to attract talent as a desired destination– so long as head coach, Marco Sturm, gets the most out of his players and makes the playoffs from year-to-year.

    Moving on from Lohrei

    Mason Lohrei is under contract through the 2026-27 season at an affordable $3.200 million cap hit, but it’s not known whether he wants to stay in Boston long-term, nor if the Bruins desire to keep him around that long either.

    He had been scratched earlier this season while struggling to adapt to Sturm’s player-on-player coverage and was a league-worst minus-43 in 77 games last season, despite recording career-best totals with five goals, 28 assists and 33 points in that span.

    Lohrei averaged 16:57 in 41 games in 2023-24, but was thrust into top-pairing minutes for long stretches last season– averaging 19:32 per game– due to Boston’s battered blue line while Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm missed time.

    Despite only being 25-years-old, Lohrei should be entering his prime right now and taking command of a top-four spot on Boston’s defense, yet he’s struggled with elements of his defensive game– losing battles and turning the puck over at inopportune moments, rendering him to third pairing minutes from night-to-night.

    If the Bruins are unsure of what they have in Lohrei, unsure of their mutual long-term plans and compatibility or want to take advantage of the fact that 31 other NHL teams would gladly take a player like Lohrei for his offensive upside, they should capitalize on his trade value.

    As it is, Lohrei is on pace for another 33-point season and matched his career-high in goals (five) with the tying goal in the second period of Saturday night’s game in Chicago– his 44th game of the season compared to his five goals in 77 games last season.

    Moving on from Poitras

    Matthew Poitras had an impressive stint in his first five career NHL games during Boston’s Centennial season in 2023-24, but wasn’t able to sustain the momentum before tallying just 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 33 games prior to an injury that shut him down for the rest of the season.

    The following year, the 5’11” or 6’0″ (depending on who you ask), 189-pound right shot center had just one goal and 10 assists (11 points) in yet another 33-game span in 2024-25, amidst injury, reassignment and concerns due to his small stature in spite of his offseason bulk.

    Poitras made Boston’s NHL roster out of training camp for the second consecutive season, but missed the first game of the year due to a lingering injury.

    After playing in 14 out of the first 16 games last season, Poitras was reassigned to the Providence Bruins on Nov. 11, 2024, and later made his AHL debut before amassing 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 23 games with Providence prior to being recalled by Boston.

    Upon reinsertion in Boston’s lineup, Poitras recorded an assist in a, 6-2, win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 14, 2025, and remained a pretty consistent component of the Bruins’ lineup through March 6th.

    He had one goal and three assists with Boston in 14 games prior to being sent down and just seven assists after his call-up in 19 games thereafter.

    The acquisitions of Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov rendered a reevaluation of Boston’s depth charts. The ensuing emergence of the short statured Khusnutdinov combined with his speed and chemistry with a skilled player like David Pastrňák left No. 92 with a more favorable image compared to Poitras’ game.

    Khusnutdinov could hold onto the puck, while Poitras could lose an important battle here or there, leaving his teammates helpless in poorly timed situations.

    Minten eventually got his call-up in April and made his Bruins debut on April 5th– recording one goal in a six-game stint with Boston before the offseason began. He did not look out of place and was more NHL ready at 6’2″, 204-pounds than Poitras in both his playing experience prior with the Maple Leafs and in his frame.

    Whereas Poitras has drawn comparisons to Jonathan Toews in the past for his playmaking abilities– if he can stay at the NHL level for long enough, Minten’s ceiling appears to be rising as the 2025-26 season goes on.

    Despite Poitras’ ups and downs in 2024-25, he at least managed a consistent 41-point effort in 40 games with the Providence Bruins, including 17 goals and 24 assists in that span.

    This season, however, the offensive elements of Poitras’ game have been evaporating.

    Unlike the previous two years, Poitras didn’t make the NHL squad out of training camp and the preseason. Since then, he has just 6-14–20 totals in 34 games with Providence.

    It’s not as if the Bruins have given up on developing Poitras, as they’ve given him just about every chance to stick in the NHL prior to this season. They’ve also given him a reason to prove beyond a doubt that he could force a call-up if his assignment to Providence prior to the season would’ve sparked a fire in him to reclaim his status as Boston’s most important prospect.

    But with Dans Ločmelis receiving Olympic attention from Latvia and James Hagens, Will Moore, Dean Letourneau, Oskar Jellvik, Andre Gasseau, as well as Kristian Kostadinski turning heads at Boston College while Will Zellers lights the lamp in North Dakota, there’s a sense that Poitras could slip further and further down the Bruins’ depth charts.

    It’s not that Poitras can’t become a regular NHL player, but rather that there might not be the time and space for him to become whatever that might look like in a Bruins uniform, especially if he’s only going to get the occasional look in a replacement-level position.

    It might be best for both sides to cut ties and give Poitras the added advantage of a fresh change of scenery to reinvent himself in Calgary’s system.

    What are the Vegas Golden Knights thinking?

    A source close to the Flames indicated that Vegas has presented Calgary with an offer for Rasmus Andersson that includes Brett Howden and a 2nd round pick.

    It’s not unusual for the Golden Knights to pivot from protecting one of their highly touted talents within the organization only to flip that player for an immediate impact asset in hopes of securing their second Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.

    Mark Stone is 33-years-old. So are William Karlsson and Brandon Saad. Brayden McNabb is 34. Tomáš Hertl is 32. Alex Pietrangelo is 35, out for the season and may never play again.

    2023 Stanley Cup clinching goal scorer, Reilly Smith is 34, and a pending-unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

    The Golden Knights are getting older and will need to make some tough decisions regardless of the outcome of the 2025-26 regular season and 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    Vegas general manager, Kelly McCrimmon, will need to remain focused on building around Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Zach Whitecloud and Shea Theodore as the old guard transitions to the new core.

    While adding Andersson increases Vegas’ average age and would come at the cost of giving Calgary a player with significant term left on his contract– as Howden has five years remaining through the 2029-30 season– McCrimmon can patch a hole on the right side of his defense in light of Pietrangelo’s unavailability.

    Regardless of an extension in place for Andersson at the time of the trade, the Golden Knights could convince Andersson that life in the desert is well worth sticking around for a longer term while presenting him with the best opportunity to win his first Cup ring sooner rather than later.

    Vegas, unlike Boston, is a legitimate Cup contender this season.

    They can well afford taking a risk on acquiring Andersson without an extension in place if it means they’ll use another wish on the metaphorical monkey’s paw for their second Cup banner and magic cure for the inevitable maneuvers they’ll have to make in the salary cap world.

    While Boston has the better offer from Calgary’s perspective, there is Andersson’s point of view to consider. Right now, it seems as though Andersson has preference for landing in Vegas rather than in the Hub.

    What’s pure speculation?

    There may be an ounce of truth to the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames having discussed a swap last summer involving Andersson and prolific goal scorer (albeit not named to Team USA at the upcoming Winter Games in Milano Cortina), Jason Robertson.

    What’s not known at this time is if the Stars have considered offering up Robertson in a trade for Andersson in-season.

    If the Bruins and Golden Knights are the current leading favorites for a trade with the Flames, then Dallas is going to have to increase the value of whatever might be on the table.

    Despite losing in three consecutive Western Conference Final appearances, as well as in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, Stars general manager, Jim Nill, might not want to rock the boat too much with a bold move that could jeopardize his team’s “win now” status.

    Especially when you consider the fact that Nill holds all the leverage in Robertson’s future– wherever that might end up.

    Robertson won’t turn 27 until July 22nd, which means he is a pending-restricted free agent on July 1st. If an extension can’t get done in Dallas, Nill can still flip Robertson’s signing rights for a decent haul.

    In the meantime, Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin aren’t getting any younger, even if Wyatt Johnston, Jake Oettinger, Miro Heiskanen and Co. are poised for long-term core stabilization, but is a franchise altering trade worth stunting the offensive output that Robertson brings to the lineup currently?

  • DTFR Podcast #253- Cam’s Birthday Bash (feat. Chris Gere)

    DTFR Podcast #253- Cam’s Birthday Bash (feat. Chris Gere)

    Nick and Cam reminisce on the 2022 Stanley Cup Final and talk about Jim Montgomery, offseason plans and free agency reactions so far.

    Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Amazon Music and/or Audible.

  • 2022 NHL Entry Draft Round 1 Recap

    2022 NHL Entry Draft Round 1 Recap

    Round 1 of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft was held Thursday night at Bell Centre in Montréal, Québec marking the first time since the 2019 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver that the selections were made in person in front of a live audience as the 2020 and 2021 editions of the draft were held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Coverage of this year’s first round began Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and streaming on ESPN+ in the United States, as well as on SN and TVAS in Canada.

    Rounds 2-7 will be televised on NHL Network and ESPN+ in the U.S., while viewers in Canada can tune to SN or TVAS starting at 11 a.m. ET Friday morning.

    Here’s a quick recap of the First Round in case you had other things going on Thursday night.

    2022 NHL Entry Draft Round 1

    1. Montréal Canadiens – LW Juraj Slafkovsky, TPS (Liiga)
    2. New Jersey Devils – D Simon Nemec, Nitra (Slovakia)
    3. Arizona Coyotes – C Logan Cooley, USA U-18 (USHL)
    4. Seattle Kraken – C Shane Wright, Kingston (OHL)
    5. Philadelphia Flyers – C/LW Cutter Gauthier, USA U-18 (USHL)
    6. Columbus Blue Jackets (from Chicago) – D David Jiricek, Plzen (Extraliga)
    7. Chicago (from Ottawa Senators) – D Kevin Korchinski, Seattle (WHL)
    8. Detroit Red Wings – C Marco Kasper, Rögle BK (SHL)
    9. Buffalo Sabres – C Matthew Savoie, Winnipeg (WHL)
    10. Anaheim Ducks – D Pavel Mintyukov, Saginaw (OHL)
    11. Arizona Coyotes (from San Jose Sharks) – C Conor Geekie, Winnipeg (WHL)
    12. Columbus Blue Jackets – D Denton Mateychuk, Moose Jaw (WHL)
    13. Chicago (from New York Islanders via Montréal Canadiens) – C Frank Nazar, USA-U18 (USHL)
    14. Winnipeg Jets – RW Rutger McGroarty, USA U-18 (USHL)
    15. Vancouver Canucks – RW Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Djurgårdens IF (SHL)
    16. Buffalo Sabres (from Vegas Golden Knights) – C Noah Ostlund, Djurgårdens IF (SHL)
    17. Nashville Predators – RW Joakim Kemell, JYP (Liiga)
    18. Dallas Stars – D Lian Bichsel, Leksands IF (SHL)
    19. Minnesota Wild (from Los Angeles Kings) – LW Liam Ohgren, Djurgårdens IF (SHL)
    20. Washington Capitals – RW Ivan Miroshnichenko, Omsk Krylia (Russia)
    21. Pittsburgh Penguins – D Owen Pickering, Swift Current (WHL)
    22. Anaheim Ducks (from Boston Bruins) – C Nathan Gaucher, Québec (QMJHL)
    23. St. Louis Blues – RW Jimmy Snuggerud, USA U-18 (USHL)
    24. Minnesota Wild – RW Danila Yurov, Magnitogorsk (Russia)
    25. Chicago (from Toronto Maple Leafs) – D Sam Rinzel, Chaska (High School- Minnesota)
    26. Montréal Canadiens (from Calgary Flames) – RW Filip Mesar, Poprad (Slovakia)
    27. San Jose Sharks (from Carolina Hurricanes via Montréal Canadiens and Arizona Coyotes) – C Filip Bystedt, Linköping HC (SHL)
    28. Buffalo Sabres (from Florida Panthers) – C Jiri Kulich, Karlovy Vary (Extraliga)
    29. Arizona Coyotes (from Edmonton Oilers) – D Maveric Lamoureux, Drummondville (QMJHL)
    30. Winnipeg Jets (from New York Rangers) – C Brad Lambert, Pelicans (Liiga)
    31. Tampa Bay Lightning – LW Isaac Howard, USA U-18 (USHL)
    32. Edmonton Oilers (from Colorado Avalanche via Arizona Coyotes) – LW Reid Schaefer, Seattle (WHL)

    Trades made during the first round of the draft:

    • The Montréal Canadiens trade D Alexander Romanov and the 98th overall pick to the New York Islanders for a 2022 1st round pick (13th overall).
    • Montréal traded a 2022 1st round pick (13th overall, originally belonging to the New York Islanders) and a 2022 3rd round pick (66th overall) Chicago for D Kirby Dach.
    • The San Jose Sharks traded a 2022 1st round pick (11th overall) to the Arizona Coyotes for a 2022 1st round pick (27th overall), a 2022 2nd round pick (34th overall) and a 2022 2nd round pick (45th overall).
    • Chicago acquired G Petr Mrázek and a 2022 1st round pick (25th overall) from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 2022 2nd round pick (38th overall).
    • The Arizona Coyotes acquired F Zack Kassian, a 2022 1st round pick (29th overall), a 2024 3rd round pick and a 2025 2nd round pick from the Edmonton Oilers for a 2022 1st round pick (32nd overall).

    Trades made earlier in the day prior to the first round of the draft:

    • The Colorado Avalanche acquired G Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers in exchange for a 2022 3rd round pick, a 2022 5th round pick and a 2023 3rd round pick.
    • The Ottawa Senators traded a 2022 1st round pick (7th overall), a 2022 2nd round pick (39th overall) and a 2024 3rd round pick to Chicago for F Alex DeBrincat.
  • DTFR Podcast #252- Who’s Steering The Boat?

    DTFR Podcast #252- Who’s Steering The Boat?

    Nick and Cam talk about the ongoing 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Finals matchups and Bruce Cassidy’s dismissal from the Boston Bruins.

    Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Amazon Music and/or Audible.

  • Hurricanes advance to Second Round in Game 7 victory over Boston

    Hurricanes advance to Second Round in Game 7 victory over Boston

    19,513 fans watched the Carolina Hurricanes advance to the Second Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs after defeating the Boston Bruins, 3-2, in Game 7 of their First Round series at PNC Arena Saturday afternoon.

    Max Domi scored a pair of goals in the win as the Hurricanes entertained their largest crowd in franchise history, surpassing that of their 2019 Second Round series sweep of the New York Islanders in Game 4.

    Carolina awaits the winner of the New York Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins series (Game 7 is Sunday with the series tied 3-3).

    Meanwhile, Boston heads into a long offseason filled with decisions to make on their own amid a waiting game regarding the playing future of captain, Patrice Bergeron, as the 36-year-old is wrapping up his 18th National Hockey League season and is a pending-unrestricted free agent this summer.

    Bergeron indicated before the 2021-22 season began that he wouldn’t negotiate a new contract in season and is likely to begin signing one-year deals as he enters the twilight of his career, though opting to retire altogether remains an option.

    After 400 goals and 582 assists (982 points) in 1,216 career regular season games, as well as 49 goals and 78 assists (127 points) in 167 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, Bergeron has certainly had quite the career.

    He won a Stanley Cup ring in 2011 (scoring the game-winning goal in a, 4-0, win in Game 7 in Vancouver), could very well take home an NHL record fifth Frank J. Selke Trophy this season, is a member of the Triple Gold Club– and even more elusive Quadruple Gold Club and/or Quintuple Gold Club, depending on how you take into account World Junior Championships and World Cup of Hockey titles– and most importantly, is a loving husband and father to his wife and three children.

    After Saturday’s loss, Bergeron gave no indication as to whether he would play next season or retire as it’s much too soon to rush to any decision.

    Antti Raanta (3-2, 2.37 goals-against average, .926 save percentage in five games played) delivered a 27-save performance on 29 shots faced in the win for the Hurricanes, while Jeremy Swayman (3-2, 2.64 goals-against average, .911 save percentage in five games played) made 28 saves on 31 shots against in the loss for the Bruins.

    B’s head coach, Bruce Cassidy, fell to 36-37 in 73 Stanley Cup Playoff games behind the bench with Boston as head coach since taking over in Feb. 2017, as well as 38-41 in 79 postseason games all time with Boston (2017-present) and Washington (2003).

    The B’s went 3-0 on home ice in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and failed to record a win in four road games this postseason.

    Saturday also marked the 13th career Game 7 for Bergeron, moving him to a tie for the second-most Game 7 appearances by a player in their NHL career with Patrick Roy and Scott Stevens.

    Bergeron, Roy and Stevens trail Zdeno Chara for the overall record (14).

    Jakub Zboril (right ACL) and Jesper Frödén (lower body) remained out of the lineup for Boston due to injuries, while Cassidy made no changes to his lineup from Game 6’s, 5-2, victory in Boston to Game 7 in Raleigh.

    The B’s had a long list of healthy scratches and expanded playoff roster components on Saturday, including Chris Wagner, Jack Studnicka, Marc McLaughlin, Steven Fogarty, Troy Grosenick, Josh Brown, Joona Koppanen, Matt Grzelcyk, Cameron Hughes, Jack Ahcan, Tyler Lewington, Oskar Steen, Nick Wolff, Anton Blidh, Kyle Keyser and Jakub Lauko.

    Early in the opening frame, Craig Smith made a high hit on Anthony DeAngelo and was assessed a roughing infraction as a result, but rather than presenting Carolina with their first power play opportunity of the afternoon, Vincent Trocheck got in Smith’s face and also picked up a roughing minor.

    The two teams skated at 4-on-4 as a result at 4:42 of the first period.

    A few minutes later, however, Derek Forbort, was penalized for holding and yielded the first power play of the game to the Hurricanes at 7:41 of the first period.

    Carolina failed to convert on the ensuing skater advantage, though.

    Midway through the first, Connor Clifton tripped Andrei Svechnikov and Brett Pesce caught Taylor Hall with a high stick on the delayed call.

    As a result, Clifton and Pesce each went to the box at 10:48 and yielded another pair of minutes at 4-on-4 for both clubs.

    Late in the period, Domi shoveled a shot pass to Teuvo Teräväinen (2) in the slot for the redirection to make it, 1-0, Carolina– giving the Hurricanes the first goal in six out of seven games in the series.

    Domi (3) and Jaccob Slavin (5) had the assists on Teräväinen’s goal at 18:36 of the first period.

    Less than a minute later, DeAngelo took a high stick from Hall and drew blood, resulting in a four-minute double-minor infraction on the Bruins forward and a lengthy power play for the Canes at 19:02.

    Entering the first intermission, the Hurricanes led, 1-0, on the scoreboard, despite trailing the Bruins, 11-10, in shots on goal.

    Carolina held the advantage in blocked shots (5-3), takeaways (6-3) and hits (12-10), while Boston led in giveaways (6-3).

    Both teams went, 50-50, in faceoff win percentage after one period, while only the Hurricanes had seen any time on the power play and were 0-for-2 heading into the middle frame.

    The Canes had about 3:03 remaining on the skater advantage to begin the second period, however.

    Boston somehow managed to kill off Hall’s double-minor, then promptly gave up a goal in the vulnerable minute after special teams play as a shot from Jordan Staal bounced off of Hampus Lindholm’s leg right to where Domi (1) was heading before guiding the loose puck into the twine behind Swayman.

    Staal (3) and Brady Skjei (1) tallied the assists as a result and the Hurricanes took a, 2-0, lead at 3:14 of the second period.

    Less than a couple minutes later, Carolina won a faceoff in their own zone but couldn’t get through the neutral zone as Charlie McAvoy made a play to steal the puck and move it up to Bergeron as the Bruins re-entered the attacking zone.

    Bergeron spun and flung a pass intended for McAvoy as the B’s defender pinched in from the point, but the puck was just a touch too hot to handle as McAvoy instead deflected it towards the high slot where Jake DeBrusk (2) gathered a quick shot over Raanta’s glove side– cutting Carolina’s lead in half in the process.

    McAvoy (4) and Bergeron (4) had the assists on DeBrusk’s goal and Boston trailed, 2-1, at 5:04 of the second period as a result.

    Midway through the middle frame, however, the Hurricanes answered and re-extended their lead to two-goals.

    After Trent Frederic rang the iron in the other end, the Canes worked the puck deep into their attacking zone before Teräväinen worked a pass to Domi (2) for a one-timer goal.

    Teräväinen (5) and Slavin (6) notched the assists on Domi’s second goal of the game and the Hurricanes took a, 3-1, lead at 10:33 of the second period.

    Through 40 minutes of action, Carolina led, 3-1, and was in control with a, 21-18, advantage in shots on goal, including an, 11-7, advantage in the second period alone.

    The Hurricanes also led in blocked shots (13-4), takeaways (11-4) and faceoff win% (51-49), while the Bruins led in giveaways (14-6) and hits (27-24).

    Carolina was 0-for-3 on the power play, while Boston had yet to see time on the skater advantage heading into the final frame.

    Brendan Smith sent an errant puck over the glass and out of play for an automatic delay of game minor at 13:33 of the third period.

    The Bruins promptly went 6-for-29 on the power play this postseason as they failed to convert on skater advantage while Smith was in the box.

    With 2:55 remaining in the action, Carolina thought they scored though the call on the ice was “no goal” and video review was inconclusive, thereby rendering the call on the ice as canon.

    With 2:41 left in the game, Cassidy pulled Swayman for an extra attacker.

    Boston tried and tried, but they couldn’t establish zone time for long enough until a pass that was almost intercepted shattered the stick blade of a Hurricanes defender and bounced off the far boards.

    Hall worked the puck to McAvoy before McAvoy setup David Pastrnak (3) for the one-timer blast on Raanta’s blocker side to bring the Bruins to within one with 21.7 seconds remaining.

    McAvoy (5) and Hall (2) had the assists on Pastrnak’s goal as Boston trailed, 3-2, and used their timeout at 19:39 of the third period.

    They didn’t have enough to muster an improbable tie to end regulation, however, despite several attempts in the dying seconds.

    At the final horn, the Hurricanes had won, 3-2, and clinched the series in seven games, 4-3.

    Carolina left their own ice leading in shots on goal, 31-29, despite Boston outshooting the Canes, 11-10, in the third period alone.

    The Hurricanes finished Saturday’s effort leading in blocked shots (16-14) and faceoff win% (52-48), while the Bruins left PNC Arena leading in giveaways (18-11) and hits (40-35).

    Neither team managed to score a power-play goal in Game 7 as the Hurricanes went 0-for-3 and the Bruins went 0-for-1 on the skater advantage.

    Boston fell to 2-27 when trailing a best-of-seven series 2-0.

    The B’s also fell to 15-14 in 29 Game 7 appearances, as well as 1-5 in six Game 7 appearances on the road.

    The Canes, meanwhile, improved to 6-3 in nine Game 7 appearances overall, as well as 3-0 in three Game 7 matchups on home ice and 6-0 in a Game 7 since relocating from Hartford.

    The Hurricanes advanced to the Second Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs after eliminating the Bruins in seven games.

    This will be Carolina’s second appearance in the Second Round in as many years which is a first in franchise history— dating back to their time as the Hartford Whalers from 1979-97.

  • DTFR Podcast #250- Is This The Leafs’ Year (To Get Out Of The First Round)?

    DTFR Podcast #250- Is This The Leafs’ Year (To Get Out Of The First Round)?

    Nick and Cam present cases for James Norris Memorial Trophy, Vezina Trophy and Calder Memorial Trophy finalists and predict how the rest of the 2022 First Round should go.

    Subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Amazon Music and/or Audible.

  • Bruins force Game 7 with commanding, 5-2, victory at home

    Bruins force Game 7 with commanding, 5-2, victory at home

    For the 29th time in franchise history (a National Hockey League leading postseason stat), the Boston Bruins are going to a Game 7 in a best-of-seven series after defeating the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-2, Thursday night at TD Garden.

    Whereas recent memory conjures images of Boston’s 2019 Stanley Cup Final Game 7 loss on home ice to the visiting St. Louis Blues, this time around the Bruins will look to be a spoiler on the road in Raleigh, North Carolina and become the first wild card team since the NHL adopted its current playoff format in 2014, to usurp a division winner in their non-traditional division.

    See, the B’s belong to the league’s Atlantic Division, while the Canes exist in the Metropolitan Division.

    Carolina, meanwhile, will have home ice in their first Game 7 against Boston since the Hurricanes upset the Bruins in the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinal.

    It will also be Carolina’s first Game 7 appearance since they beat the Washington Capitals on the road in their 2019 First Round matchup.

    The last Game 7 victory on home ice for the Hurricanes was, of course, the 2006 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers.

    Jeremy Swayman (3-1, 2.51 goals-against average, .913 save percentage in four games played) made 23 saves on 25 shots against in the win for Boston Thursday night.

    Meanwhile, Hurricanes goaltender, Antti Raanta (2-2, 2.46 goals-against average, .926 save percentage in five games played), turned aside 29 out of 33 shots faced in the loss.

    Once more, the Bruins were without Jakub Zboril (right ACL) and Jesper Frödén (lower body) Thursday night, while Hampus Lindholm returned to the lineup after missing the last few games with an upper body injury.

    Down 3-2 in the series entering Thursday and with Lindholm’s return to action, Boston’s head coach, Bruce Cassidy, restructured his lines and defensive pairings to a more familiar look around the trade deadline when the B’s were surging in the regular season.

    Jake DeBrusk went back to the first line right wing with Patrice Bergeron at center and Brad Marchand on left wing, while David Pastrnak was reunited with Taylor Hall and Erik Haula on the second line.

    Trent Frederic returned to the lineup on the third line with Charlie Coyle at center– flanked by Frederic and Craig Smith on his wings.

    Meanwhile, Nick Foligno, Tomáš Nosek and Curtis Lazar returned to their usual roles on the fourth line with Chris Wagner joining the short list of healthy scratches in the press box at TD Garden for Game 6.

    On defense, Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy were reunited, while Mike Reilly suited up alongside Brandon Carlo and Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton’s third pairing went unchanged.

    Wagner and Matt Grzelcyk joined Jack Studnicka, Marc McLaughlin, Steven Fogarty, Troy Grosenick, Josh Brown, Joona Koppanen, Cameron Hughes, Jack Ahcan, Tyler Lewington, Oskar Steen, Nick Wolff, Anton Blidh, Kyle Keyser and Jakub Lauko as Boston’s healthy scratches on Thursday.

    Sebastian Aho kicked things off with a hooking infraction at 12:44 of the first period, but the Bruins couldn’t muster anything on the skater advantage.

    Neither team could score, nor did either club score a goal in the opening frame, rendering it, 0-0, entering the first intermission despite Carolina holding an, 11-8, advantage in shots on goal.

    Boston led in blocked shots (6-3), giveaways (4-0) and faceoff win percentage (62-39), while the Hurricanes held the advantage in hits (22-11).

    Both teams had three takeaways each and had yet to see time on the power play entering the middle frame.

    It didn’t take long for the B’s to jump out ahead first as Marchand (4) received a pass and entered the attacking zone along his off wing before sending a wrist shot high on the short side over Raanta’s glove and under the bar to give the Bruins a, 1-0, lead 46 seconds into the second period.

    Clifton (1) and Coyle (4) notched the assists as Boston scored the game’s first goal for the first time in the series.

    Less than a few minutes later, however, Clifton kicked off a string of penalties for the Bruins when he was assessed a holding minor at 3:23, but Boston made the kill.

    Carolina got a second chance on the power play at 9:08, however, when Frederic tripped Brett Pesce and even had 54 seconds on a 5-on-3 advantage when McAvoy cut a rut to the sin bin hooking Vincent Trocheck at 10:15 of the second period.

    The Canes, however, failed to convert on the two power plays.

    Haula caught Jesperi Kotkaniemi with a high stick at 13:36 of the second period and presented another power play opportunity that went by the wayside for Carolina.

    At 16:58, Pesce was assessed a holding minor and yielded Boston their second power play of the night.

    Late in the ensuing skater advantage, the B’s worked the puck around the zone enough before Marchand dished a pass back to Pastrnak for a shot attempt from the point that was blocked by a Hurricane before rebounding to Coyle (2) in the slot for the doorstep goal on the forehand.

    Pastrnak (3) and Marchand (7) tallied the assists on Coyle’s power-play goal at 18:04 of the second period and the Bruins had a, 2-0, lead as a result.

    Through 40 minutes of play, the B’s held a two-goal lead going into the second intermission and led, 19-17, in shots on goal, including an, 11-6, advantage in shots in the middle frame alone.

    Boston also dominated in blocked shots (15-9), takeaways (6-3) and faceoff win% (53-47), while Carolina led in giveaways (5-4) and hits (27-21).

    The Hurricanes were 0-for-4 and the Bruins were 1-for-2 on the power play heading into the final frame.

    Carolina struck first in the final frame as Seth Jarvis setup Andrei Svechnikov (2) for a catch and release goal high on the short side past Swayman’s blocker to cut Boston’s lead in half, 2-1.

    Jarvis (2) had the only assist on Svechnikov’s first goal of the game at 3:24 of the third period.

    Less than four minutes later, however, the Bruins responded and re-extended their lead to two-goals after Haula (1) redirected a shot pass into the far corner of the net behind Raanta for a, 3-1, lead at 7:08 of the third period.

    McAvoy (3) had the only assist on Haula’s first goal of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    Midway through the third period, Forbort (1) flung a shot from the point with eyes that may have tipped off of a Canes skaters’ stick under Raanta’s blocker side while the Carolina netminder was temporarily without a stick– having dropped it seconds prior.

    Nosek (1) had the only assist on Forbort’s first goal– regular season or playoffs– since Nov. 20th and the Bruins had a, 4-1, lead as a result at 10:43.

    Jaccob Slavin sent an errant puck over the glass and out of play at 12:01, but the B’s failed to capitalize on their last power play opportunity of the night.

    With 4:33 remaining in the action, Hurricanes head coach, Rod Brind’Amour, pulled his goaltender for an extra attacker, but it wasn’t long before Lazar (1) floated a shot from the red line into the empty twine to give Boston a, 5-1, advantage.

    Foligno (1) and Nosek (2) tallied the assists on Lazar’s empty net goal at 15:43 of the third period.

    Less than a minute later, Marchand was assessed a four-minute double-minor penalty for spearing Kotkaniemi while skating past the Carolina forward at 16:20.

    The Hurricanes made relatively quick work of the first power play as Slavin sent the puck to Martin Nečas, who fed Svechnikov (3) for another one-timer goal– this time cutting the deficit from four goals to three.

    Nečas (3) and Slavin (4) had the assists on Svechnikov’s power-play goal– his second goal of the game– at 17:30 of the third period.

    The Bruins killed off the rest of Marchand’s penalty and went on to win, 5-2, at the final horn.

    At the end of the night, Boston left their own ice leading in shots on goal, 34-25, including a, 15-8, advantage in the third period alone, while Carolina dominated in everything else, including blocked shots (18-12), giveaways (10-5), hits (42-34) and faceoff win% (52-48).

    The Hurricanes finished the night 1-for-6 on the power play, while the Bruins went 1-for-3 on the skater advantage.

    The B’s are now 13-14 all time in a Game 6 when trailing in a series 3-2 and are looking to win a best-of-seven series for just the third time in 29 instances of at one point trailing 2-0 in the series heading into Game 3.

    Game 7 is back at PNC Arena in Raleigh Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET with the winner clinching the series 4-3 and advancing to the Second Round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    Viewers in the United States can tune to ESPN, while those in Canada can catch the action on SN360, SNE, SNW, SNP and TVAS.

    Local markets can also watch the game on their corresponding regional networks if so desired.

    Boston will be making their 29th appearance in a Game 7 and enters Saturday with a 15-13 record in 28 prior Game 7 efforts, having most recently lost in a Game 7 on home ice to the St. Louis Blues in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

    The Bruins lead in Game 7 appearances (28) and are tied with the Montréal Canadiens for the most wins (15), as well as with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the most losses (13).

    Carolina is entering their eighth appearance in a Game 7 Saturday afternoon with a 5-3 record in seven prior instances of a Game 7, having most recently beaten the Washington Capitals on the road in Game 7 of their 2019 First Round series in double overtime.

    The Hurricanes last hosted a Game 7 on home ice in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers to clinch the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship.

    The Canes are 5-0 in a Game 7 since relocating from Hartford and previously defeated the Bruins on the road in Game 7 of their 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinal series in overtime.

    Coincidentally, that game was also held on May 14th.