- After scoring 27 goals and 50 points last season, Jake DeBrusk has cemented himself as a capable NHL goal scorer just entering the prime of his career. With an expiring $4MM AAV contract, DeBrusk is in a position to hit the unrestricted free-agent market next summer. The Boston Bruins, who selected DeBrusk 14th overall at the 2015 draft, are expected to make a push to retain their three-time 25-goal scorer, and Bruins GM Don Sweeney confirmed to reporters today (including Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub) that there are currently “ongoing discussions” regarding a new deal for DeBrusk.
Bruins Rumors
Players Still On Training Camp Tryouts
While there have been many players who had been in training camps on tryout deals cut over the past week or so, there are quite a few whose fates have not yet been determined. Here’s a rundown of players who are still on PTO agreements with their respective teams.
Boston Bruins
Edmonton Oilers
F Adam Erne
F Sam Gagner
Gagner did not play in the preseason as he works his way back from hip surgery.
Florida Panthers
New York Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Libor Hajek
D Mark Pysyk
F Austin Wagner
Tampa Bay Lightning
Toronto Maple Leafs
Vegas Golden Knights
Some of these players will likely receive an NHL contract but cap-strapped teams will wait until it’s absolutely necessary to convert them to a guaranteed deal, either to optimize their LTIR pool or to try to save a day or two worth of cap space. Meanwhile, other teams could also come calling if a waiver target doesn’t make it to them. One way or the other, their fates will likely be decided soon.
Waivers: 10/7/23
The final day of the preseason is today so pretty soon, teams will be finalizing their season-opening rosters which means there will be plenty of players on waivers this weekend. Here is today’s group, via TSN’s Chris Johnston (Twitter link).
Boston Bruins
F Jesper Boqvist
F Oskar Steen
D Jakub Zboril
Buffalo Sabres
F Brandon Biro
D Kale Clague
D Riley Stillman
Colorado Avalanche
D Jack Ahcan
D Brad Hunt
Columbus Blue Jackets
Edmonton Oilers
D Cam Dineen
D Philip Kemp
F Brad Malone
G Calvin Pickard
Los Angeles Kings
Nashville Predators
F Denis Gurianov
F Jachym Kondelik (unconditional for the purposes of release, per CapFriendly)
New Jersey Devils
F Shane Bowers
F Justin Dowling
F Tyce Thompson
F Maxwell Willman
Seattle Kraken
G Chris Driedger
D Cale Fleury
F John Hayden
As expected at this point in training camp, the majority of these players have some form of NHL experience.
Boston’s trio is certainly intriguing. Boqvist is coming off a 21-point season (10 goals, 11 assists) with the Devils but was non-tendered this summer due to arbitration eligibility, resulting in him signing a one-year deal for the minimum with the Bruins. Still just 24, a rebuilding team might be inclined to give him a shot. Steen played in 20 games with Boston back in 2021-22 and looked like a potential fourth-line center of the future at the time. He cleared waivers last season but teams looking for depth down in the middle could consider him. As for Zboril, he was limited to just 22 games last season but has 76 appearances at the top level under his belt. A first-round pick back in 2015 (13th overall), he has a bit of a higher cap hit ($1.1375MM) which could scare teams off but he could be a fit on the third pairing of some rebuilding squads.
Among the other forwards on the wire today, Gurianov stands out. He put up 20 goals with Dallas back in 2019-20, following that up with 30 points in just 55 games one year later. However, he has struggled considerably since then and notched just seven goals between Dallas and Montreal last season. Still, with an $800K price tag, he’s a player who could be claimed. Madden was viewed as a quality prospect not long ago but has yet to see NHL action. However, he’s only 23 and is signed for the minimum this season which makes him a possible claim candidate as well.
On the back end, Fleury was up with Seattle all of last season but was limited to just a dozen games. He impressed in 2021-22 while playing with AHL Charlotte and as a right-shot defender – the side that many teams covet – he could garner some consideration. Stillman was acquired from Vancouver last season and played in 50 games between the two teams, albeit in a number six role. While he has a fair bit of experience (158 games in total), his contract could hurt his chances of being claimed as a $1.35MM price is more than a lot of teams can afford.
In goal, Driedger is the headliner here but at $3.5MM, there’s very little chance he’ll be picked up. He missed most of last season due to an injury sustained at the 2022 Worlds. Pickard didn’t see any NHL action last season for the first time since 2013-14. The 31-year-old put up a 2.70 GAA with a .912 SV% in Bakersfield last season and has 116 NHL games under his belt. Notably, he’s signed for the minimum which gives him a small chance of being picked up at least.
These players will be on waivers until 1 PM CT on Sunday. Meanwhile, Sunday will be the last day for teams to place players on waivers and have them clear prior to Monday’s season-opening roster submission so expect plenty of waiver activity tomorrow.
More to follow.
Matthew Poitras Closer To Making Bruins Out Of Camp
- One of the surprise rookies of training camps leaguewide has been Boston Bruins center Matthew Poitras, just one season removed from going off the board at 54th overall at the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s played so well, in fact, that the 19-year-old may just have an inside track to make the team out of camp. As rosters continue to get trimmed, Bruins independent reporter Joe Haggerty noted Poitras continued to stay with the main group in practice today, centering a prospective third line between Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie. That’s a notable development for Poitras, as he’s impressed enough to push Geekie, the team’s free-agent signing that they expected to fill a third-line hole, out to the wing. The Bruins can still defer the start of his entry-level contract to 2024-25 if he plays less than ten games before Boston re-assigns him to the OHL’s Guelph Storm.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/06/23
Less than a week away from the opening night of the 2023-24 NHL season, teams continue to make roster cuts in an effort to finalize their official roster heading into the year. As always, we’ll track roster moves here.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
D Robert Hägg (to San Diego, AHL)
D Noah Warren (to Victoriaville, QMJHL)
D Colton White (to San Diego, AHL)
Boston Bruins (via team release)
G Brandon Bussi (to Providence, AHL)
Carolina Hurricanes (via team release)
F Zach Aston-Reese (released from PTO)
F Kieffer Bellows (released from PTO)
F Cory Conacher (released from PTO)
F Brendan Perlini (released from PTO)
F Nick Shore (released from PTO)
D Nathan Beaulieu (released from PTO)
F Noel Gunler (to Norfolk, ECHL)
F Blake Murray (to Norfolk, ECHL)
F Justin Robidas (to Norfolk, ECHL)
D Anttoni Honka (to Norfolk, ECHL)
D Griffin Mendel (to Norfolk, ECHL)
D Ronan Seeley (to Norfolk, ECHL)
F Jamieson Rees (to Springfield, AHL)
D Aleksi Heimosalmi (to Pori, Liiga)
Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)
G Jet Greaves (to Cleveland, AHL)
F James Malatesta (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Hunter McKown (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Justin Pearson (released from PTO)
F Stefan Matteau (released from PTO, expected to join AHL Cleveland via tryout)
Detroit Red Wings (via team release)
F Alexandre Doucet (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Marco Kasper (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Amadeus Lombardi (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Albert Johansson (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Antti Tuomisto (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D Eemil Viro (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
D William Wallinder (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
G Sebastian Cossa (to Grand Rapids, AHL)
F Joel L’Esperance (released from PTO)
F Riley Sawchuk (released from PTO)
F Dominik Shine (released from PTO)
F Tyler Spezia (released from PTO)
D Josiah Didier (released from PTO)
G Michael Hutchinson (released from PTO)
Florida Panthers (via team release)
G Spencer Knight (to Charlotte, AHL)
Los Angeles Kings (via team release)
D Brandt Clarke (to Ontario, AHL)
D Alex Laferriere (to Ontario, AHL)
F Alex Turcotte (to Ontario, AHL)
New York Islanders (via team release)
F William Dufour (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Aidan Fulp (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Ruslan Iskhakov (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Eetu Liukas (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Kyle MacLean (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Matt Maggio (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Travis Mitchell (to Bridgeport, AHL)
F Reece Newkirk (to Bridgeport, AHL)
D Calle Odelius (to Bridgeport, AHL)
New York Rangers (via team release)
F Brennan Othmann (to Hartford, AHL)
Vegas Golden Knights (via the Las Vegas Sun’s Danny Webster)
F Brendan Brisson (to Henderson, AHL)
Washington Capitals (via team release)
F Ethen Frank (to Hershey, AHL)
F Hendrix Lapierre (to Hershey, AHL)
F Riley Sutter (to Hershey, AHL)
D Vincent Iorio (to Hershey, AHL)
D Chase Priskie (to Hershey, AHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via team release)
F Parker Ford (to Manitoba, AHL)
It’s relatively big news coming out of Florida today, as Knight’s reassignment to Charlotte means veteran Anthony Stolarz will begin the season as the backup goalie behind Sergei Bobrovsky in Sunrise. Stolarz struggled last season to the tune of an .899 save percentage in 19 games, though he was playing in difficult circumstances as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. Stolarz does have a track record of quality play from as recently as 2021-22, when he posted a strong .917 save percentage in 28 games, and it’s likely the Panthers believe Stolarz will perform closer to how he did in 2021-22 than 2022-23.
As for Knight, he’ll get to build himself back to the NHL by getting some lower-pressure game action under his belt in the AHL. Knight has been away from the ice for the better part of a year as he’s participated in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program, so it’s understandable that the Panthers would want to ease him back into the rigors of being an NHL goalie rather than begin the season with him in the NHL and potentially risk losing Stolarz on waivers.
In New York, it’s no real surprise to see Othmann sent to Hartford. While there was an outside chance that the Rangers would take advantage of one of their top prospects’ affordable cap hit for their opening-night roster, Othmann has not yet made his professional debut and thrusting a rookie into a win-now environment with a demanding veteran head coach in Peter Laviolette may not have been the best place for Othmann to develop.
In Hartford, Othmann is likely to play a major all-situations role for head coach Kris Knoblauch and he’s likely to be near the front of the line for a call-up should the Rangers have forward injuries. Assuming he can hit the ground running for the Wolf Pack and put together a productive rookie AHL campaign, he’ll likely be a full-time NHL player a year from now.
A few notable prospects were sent down elsewhere, including on Long Island where a trio of talented wingers were sent to the AHL. Maggio is looking to have a strong first season as a professional hockey player while Iskhakov and Dufour each posted solid numbers in Bridgeport last season, but just missed the cut in terms of making the NHL roster.
In the American capital, Lapierre finished his debut AHL campaign well but his poor start did cause some concern. As a result, it seems as though Washington will look to see him put together a more consistently productive campaign at the pro level before testing him in the NHL. The Golden Knights likely sent down their own 2020 first-round pick, Brisson, for the same reasons after he scored a decent but not overwhelming 18 goals and 37 points in the AHL last season.
There’s a bit of a curious player development decision made in Carolina, where a slate of prospects have been sent to the ECHL. Certain names, such as Honka, who scored 34 points in the AHL last season, are clearly players capable of playing in the AHL and will have to instead play 2023-24 in the ECHL due to the Hurricanes’ lack of an AHL affiliate.
While the lower level of competition does set the stage for players such as Honka, Robidas, and Gunler to have highly productive seasons, one wonders if playing third-tier hockey rather than in the AHL, widely regarded as one of the world’s best leagues outside the NHL, is going to end up the best choice for those players’ development.
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Boston Bruins Sign Frederic Brunet To Entry-Level Contract
The Boston Bruins have signed defenseman Frédéric Brunet to a three-year entry-level contract carrying a cap hit of $860K, per a team release. Boston assigned Brunet to AHL Providence on October 1, where he’s likely to spend the entire 2023-24 season.
Brunet, 20, was a 2022 fifth-round draft choice of the Bruins after going undrafted upon his initial eligibility in 2021. It’s not entirely his fault – he was pushed down the depth chart and appeared in just 33 games with the QMJHL’s Rimouski Océanic in 2020-21, recording just nine points and never getting significant scouting attention. He turned things around the following season, however, leading Rimouski defenders in points and earning the honor of hearing his name called by the Bruins on draft day.
After Rimouski named him captain to start the 2022-23 season, Brunet would split the campaign between the Océanic and the Victoriaville Tigres thanks to a midseason trade. Across both teams, Brunet broke out even further for 73 points in 66 games, adding on 28 penalty minutes and a +2 rating. That was good enough to earn him second place in QMJHL scoring among defenders, trailing only Anaheim Ducks prospect Tristan Luneau. He also notched three assists in five playoff games for Victoriaville as they were ousted in the first round by the Drummondville Voltigeurs.
Brunet also had a rather raucous start to his professional career, recording two assists in a lone appearance with Providence at the tail end of last season. He’ll now gun for ice time among multiple other Bruins defenders under contract slated for Providence.
Waivers: 10/04/23
10/05/23: Per Sportsnets’ Elliotte Friedman, all players on the waiver wire yesterday have cleared (X Link).
10/04/23: Teams continue to trim their rosters ahead of the regular season, which starts in just six days. That means multiple players will hit the waiver wire daily until opening night rosters are due, and today is no different. Per TSN’s Chris Johnston, 12 players were waived today at 1 p.m. CT, 11 of whom have NHL experience. As a reminder, a waiver placement is a prerequisite for qualified players for assignment to the AHL but not necessarily an indication that a demotion to the minors will immediately happen. NHL teams can send a player down to the minors within 30 days or 10 games played of the date the player originally cleared waivers. After that time, their waiver clock will reset, and they will need to clear again.
Anaheim Ducks
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Minnesota Wild
F Jujhar Khaira
F Vinni Lettieri
D Dakota Mermis
F Nic Petan
New Jersey Devils
Nashville Predators
San Jose Sharks
Winnipeg Jets
Waivers: 10/03/23
Oct. 4: All players have cleared waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. This means a pair of rather highly-touted Senators, Bernard-Docker and Sokolov, will remain with the organization.
Oct. 3: Following a large list of players hitting the waiver wire this time yesterday, today’s list is quite a bit smaller, but there is some solid talent that could potentially be claimed by a different organization. Today’s full list of players hitting the waiver wire comes courtesy of TSN’s Chris Johnston:
Boston Bruins
D Alec Regula
D Dan Renouf
F Anthony Richard
D Reilly Walsh
D Parker Wotherspoon
Edmonton Oilers
New Jersey Devils
Ottawa Senators
D Jacob Bernard-Docker
F Matthew Highmore
D Jacob Larsson
F Egor Sokolov
Philadelphia Flyers
Training Camp Cuts: 10/04/23
The start of the regular season is less than a week away, and clubs are narrowing down their opening-day rosters. As always, we’ll track roster moves here.
Anaheim Ducks (via team release)
G Calle Clang (to San Diego, AHL)
F Glenn Gawdin (to San Diego, AHL)
D Scott Harrington (released from PTO to San Diego, AHL)
F Nikita Nesterenko (to San Diego, AHL)
F Pavol Regenda (to San Diego, AHL)
Boston Bruins (via team release)
F Trevor Kuntar (to Providence, AHL)
F Marc McLaughlin (to Providence, AHL)
F Jayson Megna (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Georgii Merkulov (to Providence, AHL)
Buffalo Sabres (via team release)
F Jiri Kulich (to Rochester, AHL)
F Brett Murray (to Rochester, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Isak Rosén (to Rochester, AHL)
Chicago Blackhawks (via CapFriendly)
G Jaxson Stauber (to Rockford, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via team release)
F Peter Holland (to Colorado, AHL)
D Nate Clurman (to Colorado, AHL)
F Oskar Olausson (to Colorado, AHL)
F Ondrej Pavel (to Colorado, AHL)
G Trent Miner (to Colorado, AHL)
Detroit Red Wings (via team release)
F Artem Anisimov (released from PTO, remains free agent)
Minnesota Wild (via team release) (supplementary release)
F Jujhar Khaira (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Vinni Lettieri (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Dakota Mermis (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Nic Petan (to Iowa, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Samuel Walker (to Iowa, AHL)
G Jesper Wallstedt (to Iowa, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via team release)
D Callan Foote (to Utica, AHL) pending waiver clearance
G Erik Källgren (to Utica, AHL)
Philadelphia Flyers (via team release)
D Ronald Attard (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Adam Ginning (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Tanner Laczynski (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
D Victor Mete (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
G Calvin Petersen (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
F Samu Tuomaala (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)
San Jose Sharks (via team release)
F Justin Bailey (released from PTO to San Jose, AHL)
D Leon Gawanke (to San Jose, AHL) pending waiver clearance
This page will be updated throughout the day.
Training Camp Cuts: 10/03/23
Now exactly one week away from the first game of the 2023-24 NHL season, teams are working overtime to get their roster down to 23 players. As always, we’ll keep track of those roster moves here.
Boston Bruins (via a team release)
D Mike Callahan (to Providence, AHL)
F Fabian Lysell (to Providence, AHL)
D Alec Regula (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Dan Renouf (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F Anthony Richard (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Reilly Walsh (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
D Parker Wotherspoon (to Providence, AHL) pending waiver clearance
Calgary Flames (via a team release)
F Clark Bishop (to Calgary, AHL)
D Colton Poolman (to Calgary, AHL)
G Oscar Dansk (to Calgary, AHL)
F Ben Jones (to Calgary, AHL)
D Brady Lyle (to Calgary, AHL)
D Yan Kuznetsov (to Calgary, AHL)
Colorado Avalanche (via X)(via Peter Baugh/The Athletic)
D Wyatt Aamodt (to Colorado, AHL)
F Peter Holland (to Colorado, AHL)
D Corey Schueneman (to Colorado, AHL)
Edmonton Oilers (via Mark Spector/Sportsnet)
F Xavier Bourgault (to Bakersfield, AHL)
F Seth Griffith (to Bakersfield, AHL) pending waiver clearance
F James Hamblin (to Bakersfield, AHL)
New Jersey Devils (via X)
F Graeme Clarke (to Utica, AHL)
F Kyle Criscuolo (to Utica, AHL)
D Daniil Misyul (to Utica, AHL)
F Chase Stillman (to Utica, AHL)
Toronto Maple Leafs (via X)
D Spencer Sova (to Erie, OHL)
Winnipeg Jets (via X)
F Brad Lambert (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Jeff Malott (to Manitoba, AHL)
D Ashton Sautner (to Manitoba, AHL)
F Dominic Toninato (to Manitoba, AHL)
This page will be updated throughout the day