As the calendar flips to November, teams are starting to get a sense of their needs which should provide some hope for the trade market to slowly pick up over the next little while. In the meantime, the bulk of the top stories over the past seven days have been on the injury front.
Drysdale Out Long Term: As this was the final season of Jamie Drysdale’s entry-level contract, this was his opportunity to have a big year that set him up for a long-term, big-money agreement. Unfortunately for both him and the Ducks, that won’t be happening as he suffered a torn labrum that requires surgery which will keep him out for four to six months. The 20-year-old could return before the end of the year if his recovery is on the shorter end of that timeline but it will still wind up being two entry-level seasons with limited action. That will make a long-term deal considerably tougher to work out this summer and increases the chances that at least one of the two sides will prefer a bridge agreement.
On The Market: Forget about players possibly being on the market for a moment but there is about to be a team on the market as the Senators have started the process of selling the franchise. Long-time owner Eugene Melnyk passed away back in March with control of the team shifting to his daughters who are still in their early twenties. The most recent Sportico valuation of the team was $650MM but with the team on the rise and the prospect of a downtown arena looking quite strong, it’s possible that they’ll be able to land more than that, especially since that was the price tag for Seattle to join the league in expansion and franchise values have only gone up since then.
Done For The Year: Connor Brown had been a key two-way winger for Ottawa for years before he was moved to Washington where the hope was that he could become a bit more productive in a more offensive role as he heads toward unrestricted free agency next summer. Unfortunately, that won’t be happening now as the 28-year-old will miss the next six to eight months after undergoing ACL surgery that almost certainly will end his season. Brown will now hit the open market next summer having played just four games in 2022-23 with questions almost certain to follow about his skating after a significant knee injury. That’s about as disastrous a contract year as it could have been while the Capitals have lost someone that was supposed to be a key part of their forward group.
More Injuries: Despite the fact that they’re first in the East, the Bruins have been hit hard by injuries in the early going this season and that continued this past week. On top of losing Derek Forbort, they’ll also be without goaltender Jeremy Swayman who is listed as being out week to week. The 23-year-old is part of an effective tandem with Linus Ullmark but the veteran will be getting the bulk of the workload for a little while now. Meanwhile, the Red Wings will be without winger Filip Zadina for the foreseeable future as the 22-year-old broke a bone while blocking a shot against the Islanders on Saturday. Head coach Derek Lalonde indicated it’s a matter of months, not weeks before he’s able to return. Detroit is already without three other regular wingers so their depth is getting tested early on.
Miller Signs, Then Gets Released: In a surprising move, the Bruins elected to sign former Coyotes draft pick Mitchell Miller to a three-year, entry-level deal. The 20-year-old’s rights were renounced shortly after he was drafted following the details being released about a 2016 assault conviction for bullying and abusing a Black, developmentally disabled classmate; North Dakota later dropped Miller from their program as well. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman indicated that Miller isn’t currently eligible to play in the NHL (and may never be) which called into question his AHL eligibility as well. However, that question isn’t relevant to Boston now as they elected to part ways with Miller on Sunday, barely 48 hours after signing him.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
At the risk of being repetitive…
Having been an exclusive B’s fan for nearly 6 decades I am confident in saying this team is going to have a tough “grind” this season.
Regardless of sportswriters’ mastering of the obvious and extrapolating the latest success of the day — a very real topic is that this group has old and lingering injury issues. As usual, those will come to be a major issue down the road.
I’ve been around too long to believe any coach can have such an instant impact as to be The Influence behind the current early winning record. I am certain Montgomery would be the first to say so if asked.
One thing I have developed since 1962, as both a diehard Bruins fan (and part-time Red Sox fan), is a high degree of tolerance and patience. I will enjoy the ups and endure the downs this season — looking forward to a better and more prosperous ‘next season’.
Until then, my fear is that this year’s Bruins will be a two-line team (likely to be a one-line team as these hockey schedules are far too lengthy)… and let us not ignore the goalie issue. We have but one “money goalie”.
Above & Beyond all that — Sweeney & Neely need to be extricated from the organization. Perhaps they could assist Chaim Bloom in dismantling the Sox and leave the Bruins legacy intact before it’s too late?
The Boston Bruins have an organization with an owner who seems to be more suited as an onlooker than a participant. Any company with such a pattern is doomed for failure.
Hence, due in part to owner Jeremy Jacobs, we now find an embarrassing situation, a disgusting situation, in Neely’s perverted signing of this Miller character. As to this pathetic act I have no idea, much less an explanation, how it could happen unless the Defective Duo ran unbridled and secretive. The details behind this kid’s years of violent and sadistic behavior are inhumane; so animalistic that the media won’t even print those facts!!
If this issue persists, I’m not sure I can ever again wear any of my several Bruins caps, jackets & jerseys.
” the Red Wings will be without winger Filip Zadina for the foreseeable future as the 22-year-old broke a bone while blocking a shot against the Islanders on Saturday. ” Evidently it makes sense for a player to spend weeks or months recuperating from an injury that is caused not by an accident but instead by a maneuver that is expected or even demanded by demented coaching and management.
The US, and Canada, were conceived of and created as Christian countries. Perhaps the Puritan forefathers of the US, headquartered in the very neighborhood where the Boston Bruins play their games, didn’t remember that a central tenet of Christianity is forgiveness. Thus Mitchell Miller shall forever be forbidden to engage in hockey on a professional level, regardless of any thing he might do to earn redemption. American government figures can authorize and even demand that those under their command kill and maim total strangers and not be held accountable. Men are still being held prisoner for decades without charges in a facility located in a foreign country because it can’t be done within the US itself. Those ordering such treatment are regarded as heroes.
Is there a comprehensive investigation of all players in the NHL to discover if their history might include childhood misbehavior that includes bullying or other offensive behavior to others?
You are overthinking this by quite a large margin. It’s only hockey. Lighten up a bit. Or a lot.