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Kevin Shattenkirk

Examining A Pivotal Offseason For The Boston Bruins

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Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub wrote a piece today going over his thoughts on the offseason that was for the Boston Bruins. Anderson writes that while the offseason losses were a challenge for the team, he believes the club can still contend for a division title, and at the very least make the playoffs in the Atlantic Division.

While Anderson offers up many reasons for optimism, he does believe that if the Bruins were to falter, they should look to move on from the eight unrestricted free agents that the Bruins will be dressing on opening night and try to acquire assets for them rather than throwing assets after band-aid solutions. Boston does have an extensive list of unrestricted free agents at the end of this year including Jake DeBrusk, James van Riemsdyk, Milan Lucic, A.J. Greer, Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Jakub Zboril. Moving on from these players would help facilitate a re-tool should the Bruins opt to go down that path.

There is a belief with Anderson and others that the Bruins could be buyers in the summer of 2024 when the cap goes up and the bonuses come off Boston’s cap. An added bonus to selling at the deadline would be that any assets acquired at the deadline could help the team make moves next summer when they have cap space to play with. Now, while it seems silly to be looking at trade deadline moves when the season hasn’t even started, it is an interesting idea for the Bruins for the reasons mentioned above.

One final note, and this could be a big one, is that Boston’s first-round pick this season was dealt in the Tyler Bertuzzi trade. The pick is top-10 protected and if Boston were to fall down the standings, they could grab a top-10 pick this year in a re-tooling year and give Detroit their 2025 pick when they presumably have re-stocked the NHL roster. The risk there of course is that they falter again in 2025 and hand the Red Wings a top-10 pick, but that seems unlikely given that the team will still have some solid pieces in place and possibly some reinforcements to join them.

Boston Bruins Sign Kevin Shattenkirk, Five Others

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Per Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest, the Boston Bruins have signed veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to a one-year deal, just over $1MM. NBC Sports Boston’s Ty Anderson adds they’ve also signed forward Patrick Brown, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman saying it’s a two-year deal worth $800K per season.

They’ve also added forward Anthony Richard on a one-year deal with a hefty $450k AHL salary, per TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie. In another signing, they’ve brought in right-shot blueliner Parker Wotherspoon on a two-way deal, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. Dreger adds that Wotherspoon’s deal has a league-minimum cap hit and a hefty $500k AHL salary, underscoring the Bruins’ significant investment in their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins.

The Bruins have also signed forward Jayson Megna to a one-year, two-way contract at a league-minimum $775k cap hit, as well as Luke Toporowski to a two-year entry-level deal, per Anderson.

Shattenkirk provides the Bruins with some proven NHL experience on the cheap and won’t be forced into anything higher than a bottom-pairing role, sitting behind Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo on the Bruins’ depth chart of right-shot defenders. A dual threat on the power play and penalty kill, this should be an incredibly effective use of space for the cap-strapped Bruins.

Brown, who played in a career-high 61 NHL games this season, is a likely candidate to stick around on Boston’s roster without many AHL talents ready for NHL ice time. He could very well begin the season slotted as the team’s fourth-line center. Richard, Wotherspoon, Megna, and Toporwoski are all likely destined for AHL Providence.

West Notes: Shattenkirk, Coyotes, Canucks

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Speculation regarding a potential reunion between the Anaheim Ducks and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk has been put to rest. A league source tells Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic that the 34-year-old is expected to hit the free-agent market this Saturday.

Some had wondered whether a Shattenkirk return made sense for Anaheim, given the patchwork state of their largely inexperienced defense. Aside from longtime Duck Cam Fowler, none of Anaheim’s projected top six defensemen to start the year are over the age of 25, and Simon Benoit leads the rest in NHL games played with 137. Shattenkirk is finishing up a three-year, $11.7MM deal he signed with the Ducks in 2020, and he won’t command a raise on his previous AAV of $3.9MM. Still a serviceable defender, there are much worse options out there for teams looking to bolster their second or third pairings and special teams units.

After lifting the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020, Shattenkirk went on to record 14 goals, 63 assists, and 77 points in 212 games with the Ducks, averaging 20:37 per game and posting a -37 rating across three seasons.

More from the West:

  • The Arizona Coyotes remain engaged in discussions regarding potential locations for a new arena, focusing on six sites in the East Valley of the Phoenix metro area, according to team president Xavier Gutierrez. The Coyotes aim to avoid a public referendum, as experienced with the unsuccessful Tempe proposal, and plan to present their finalized plan to the NHL by January 1, 2024. Gutierrez emphasized the team’s commitment to constructing a state-of-the-art facility that encompasses an arena, practice rink, entertainment venues, retail shops, and more, with the goal of providing a premier fan experience – all things the team was hoping to achieve with their failed entertainment district-type plan in Tempe.
  • Speculation continues around the future of the Vancouver Canucks defense corps after the team bought out Oliver Ekman-Larsson earlier this month. Per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the Canucks have an expected interest in Seattle Kraken defenseman Carson Soucy, who will likely become a free agent on Saturday. Seravalli also believes the Canucks have engaged in discussions regarding a potential trade involving Tyler Myers, which would clear an additional $6MM of cap space by moving the final season of the 33-year-old defenseman’s contract.

NHL Announces 2023 King Clancy Memorial Trophy Nominees

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In an announcement made Tuesday afternoon, the NHL unveiled the list of nominees for the 2023 King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The award is presented annually to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities both on and off the ice, as well as making a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to their community.

The list of nominees for this year’s award is an impressive one, featuring some of the league’s most well-respected captains, such as Boston’s Patrice Bergeron and Florida’s Aleksander Barkov.

One notable nominee is one of the youngest captains in the league – Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk. Tkachuk, in a few short years as a Senator, has already implanted himself in the community, especially in recent seasons. Working with the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa, Tkachuk hosts the ’Tkachuk’s Captains’ program, which works with kids at club locations across Ottawa to help develop leadership skills.

That’s not to diminish the off-ice efforts of anyone else named on the full list of nominees, found below. While an often-overlooked award, it’s a great way to highlight some players who focus on making positive contributions to their communities.

Anaheim: Kevin Shattenkirk
Arizona: Travis Boyd
Boston: Patrice Bergeron
Buffalo: Alex Tuch
Calgary: Mikael Backlund
Carolina: Jordan Staal
Chicago: Connor Murphy
Colorado: Devon Toews
Columbus: Zach Werenski
Dallas: Jason Robertson
Detroit: Dylan Larkin
Edmonton: Darnell Nurse
Florida: Aleksander Barkov
Los Angeles: Mikey Anderson
Minnesota: Matt Dumba
Montreal: Jordan Harris
Nashville: Juuse Saros
New Jersey: Jack Hughes
NY Islanders: Anders Lee
NY Rangers: Jacob Trouba
Ottawa: Brady Tkachuk
Philadelphia: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh: Evgeni Malkin
San Jose: Luke Kunin
Seattle: Chris Driedger
St. Louis: Brayden Schenn
Tampa Bay: Victor Hedman
Toronto: Morgan Rielly
Vancouver: Elias Pettersson
Vegas: Reilly Smith
Washington: Tom Wilson
Winnipeg: Blake Wheeler

Evening Notes: Boeser, IIHF/Russia, NHLPA Leadership

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After the Bo Horvat trade yesterday, the floodgates appear to be opening on the trade front. That’s especially true for the Vancouver Canucks, who have some desirable trade assets other than Horvat that could find their way out of town by the trade deadline.

One of those is Brock Boeser, who TSN’s Darren Dreger said today continues to receive interest from around the league. However, he reported that any Boeser trade, and the corresponding interest, hinges on how much salary Vancouver is willing to retain in a potential trade. Boeser is signed to a steep cap hit of $6.65MM for the next three seasons. With so many teams already dipping into LTIR pools to stay cap-compliant, Vancouver is unlikely to find a trade partner willing to take the full brunt of the deal. The 25-year-old has nine goals and 30 points in 41 games this season. That’s a 60-point pace over 82 games.

Anaheim Ducks Activate Kevin Shattenkirk

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Good news this evening on the injury front for the struggling Anaheim Ducks, as the team announced it has activated defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk off of injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game in St. Louis against the Blues. As well as activating Shattenkirk, Anaheim has re-assigned defenseman Drew Helleson to the San Diego Gulls, their AHL affiliate. The moves leave Anaheim with 22 players on their roster.

Getting Shattenkirk back into the lineup isn’t exactly a game-breaker for Anaheim, who comes into tonight with a 5-11-1 record, however reinserting the veteran onto a young team should pay some dividends. As the team tries to put their rebuild in the rearview mirror, lead by an exciting young core, players like Shattenkirk will be vital to bring their reliable play and influence the next generation. Still worth noting, the 33-year-old isn’t just a source of veteran leadership, having found new life on the blueline with Anaheim, playing a well-rounded defensive game, as compared to the offensive powerhouse he was in his earlier days.

As for Helleson, who was recalled earlier this week, he’ll have to wait a while longer for his first taste of NHL game action. The 47th overall selection of the 2019 draft by the Colorado Avalanche, Helleson was dealt to Anaheim last season in the deal for Josh Manson. Soon after being dealt, Helleson signed his ELC with Anaheim and made his pro debut with San Diego. In 13 AHL games to start this season, Helleson has a goal and an assist

Anaheim Ducks Make Three Roster Moves

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The Anaheim Ducks have made three roster moves, announcing the recall of defenseman Drew Helleson, the activation of forward Sam Carrick off of the injured non-roster list, and the placement of defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk on injured reserve.

The moves put Helleson in line to potentially make his NHL debut with just 32 professional games on his resume.

Shattenkirk, 33, heads to injured reserve for the first time in his Ducks career. The former All-Star blueliner has been remarkably healthy as a Duck, although he did face significant injury issues as a member of the New York Rangers, issues that contributed to the Rangers’ expensive decision to buy him out of his $6.65MM AAV deal.

Shattenkirk is out with a lower-body injury, and since he last played on 11/9 the Ducks have the opportunity to make his injury reserve placement retroactive to that date.

Shattenkirk’s injury fill-in on the Ducks’ blueline is the 21-year-old Helleson. As mentioned, Helleson doesn’t have an NHL game on his resume, although he has been among the San Diego Gulls’ most heavily-utilized defensemen so far this season.

While Helleson has just two points in AHL 13 games so far this year, Helleson has been a valuable minute-muncher and penalty-killer in San Diego. He could find his way into the Ducks’ lineup if coach Dallas Eakins prefers a more defensively-oriented look to his lineup.

As for Carrick, the 30-year-old veteran has been a member of the Ducks’ organization since the 2016-17 season and spent last season as an NHL regular, the first year in his career where he did so.

Carrick scored 11 goals and 19 points in 64 games last season and won fans over with his physical style, his work ethic, and his ability to pitch in a goal here and there. His activation puts him in line to make his season debut for Anaheim.

Nick Ritchie Suspended One Game For Slashing

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The NHL Department of Player Safety announced Saturday night that they suspended Arizona Coyotes forward Nick Ritchie for one game for slashing Anaheim Ducks defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk during last night’s game.

The incident occurred in the waning seconds of the first period, with the Ducks already commanding a 3-0 lead in the contest. Ritchie, who had pulled away from Shattenkirk after a clean check into the boards, raised his stick and, in the eyes of Player Safety, purposefully whacked the side of Shattenkirk’s helmet/face with his stick.

NHL DoPS’ rationale for the decision is as follows:

It is important to note that this is not a reckless or careless use of the stick, rather, this is a controlled and purposeful slash directed toward the head of an opponent that hits its intended target. And while the slash was delivered without substantial force, it is only because of the lack of force that this play is not met with more severe discipline. 

Additionally, Ritchie has already been disciplined by DoPS four separate times during his seven-year, 400-game career, including one suspension and three fines.

Despite a tough start to 2021-22 after signing this offseason with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ritchie has eight goals and two assists for 10 points in 17 games since donning a Coyotes uniform for the first time. He’s one of their better offensive contributors at the moment, leaving a hole in the lineup, albeit just for one game.

Blues Open To Moving Some Pending Unrestricted Free Agents

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The Blues have been in a slump for the last month.  They’ve lost seven straight and 12 of their last 14 games and as a result, they’ve gone from a team that’s in a playoff spot in the West Division to one that is tied for fifth with San Jose and now sit five points behind Arizona for fourth place.  As a result, Pierre LeBrun notes in TSN’s latest Insider Trading segment (video link) that Blues GM Doug Armstrong is indicating that he’s open to moving some of his pending unrestricted free agents, highlighting winger Mike Hoffman and center Tyler Bozak as potential options to me.

Hoffman is clearly the headliner of the two.  He was pegged to be one of the more highly sought-after players in free agency last fall but it took a long time for a market to materialize.  He ultimately settled on a PTO with the Blues with the framework of an agreement in place; the two sides worked out a one-year, $4MM pact just before the regular season got underway.  Unfortunately for him and St. Louis, it hasn’t been the best of fits as the 31-year-old has just 21 points (9-12-21) in 36 games and was recently a healthy scratch.  For someone that had 65 goals over the previous two years, they were hoping for more from him.  On the other hand, that recent track record should generate some interest on the trade front in the coming days as well.

As for Bozak, he has had a limited role this season while also missing significant time due to a concussion.  As a result, he has been limited to just two goals and two assists in 14 games while averaging a career-low 13:14 per contest.  While he would serve as capable bottom-six depth, he also carries a $5MM AAV which, even if St. Louis pays up to half of it down, will limit his market considerably.

Jaden Schwartz is another pending unrestricted free agent but wasn’t mentioned by LeBrun as a possible trade option.  The 28-year-old has been with St. Louis for his whole career spanning parts of 10 years and at this point, it’s quite possible that the intent at this point is to try to work on a contract extension.  If that’s the case, those discussions would logically need to intensify over the next few days.

Armstrong is no stranger to selling when his team has been hanging around the playoff race before.  He moved Kevin Shattenkirk four years ago when they were in a playoff spot and the following season, sent Paul Stastny to Winnipeg when they were only a point out.  With that in mind, even if they pick up a couple of wins by next week, the GM could still lean towards selling.  As teams that are looking to buy start honing in on their desired candidates, they’ll now need to take a look at the Blues as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Kevin Shattenkirk Signs With Anaheim Ducks

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The Anaheim Ducks were interested in Kevin Shattenkirk last summer when he was originally bought out by the New York Rangers. Shattenkirk instead opted to join a contender to repair his image and did that and more with the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. A year later, the Ducks now get their man. Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston reports that the two sides have agreed on a three-year deal with a $3.9MM AAV.

Shattenkirk, 31, did well for himself to turn an ugly exit from New York and a major pay decrease to join Tampa Bay into a new lucrative contract. With 34 points in 70 games, plus 13 points in the playoffs, Shattenkirk looked like his old self. Once considered one of the best puck-moving defensemen in the NHL, Shattenkirk may be inching back toward that label, even as he traverses his thirties.

Unlike when he joined New York, Shattenkirk is not heading to a situation in Anaheim where he is expected to be the No. 1 defenseman on a shallow blue line. He should be able to continue thriving  as he did in Tampa when he joins Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, and company. The Ducks’ defense corps has lost some considerable talent over the past few years, but are working their way back to becoming an elite unit.

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