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Tyler Bozak

Free Agent Profile: Tyler Bozak

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It wasn’t a particularly strong free agent market down the middle this summer and most of the notable ones signed within the first couple of days of the market opening up.  One of the exceptions is Tyler Bozak and as a result, he finds himself in good shape in terms of trying to find his next home.

The 35-year-old has seen his production dip over the past few years as he has gone from someone logging more than 20 minutes per night with Toronto to playing more of a third line role which is where he best fits at this stage of his career.  He’s also now coming off a season that saw him miss 21 games due to a concussion which certainly doesn’t help his value.

But what does help his value is his two-way ability.  He can log a regular shift on the penalty kill and consistently is well above average at the faceoff dot which is always appealing to coaches.  On the offensive front, he has averaged at least 0.4 points per game in each season throughout his career and actually is coming off his best year in that stat since 2016-17 although with him playing the fewest games in a single season of his career, it’s a bit of a small sample size.

Nevertheless, Bozak can still be counted on to contribute a bit offensively, kill penalties, and take some key situational faceoffs.  That’s not a $5MM profile anymore like his last contract was but there is definitely a role for him to still fill.

Stats

2020-21: 31 GP, 5-12-17, -3 rating, 10 PIMS, 35 shots, 42.8 CF%, 14:55 ATOI, 56.8% faceoffs

Career: 764 GP, 167-282-449, -84 rating, 222 PIMS, 1,268 shots, 48.9 CF%, 17:47 ATOI, 53.8% faceoffs

Potential Suitors

Teams looking for an upgrade on the third line or a veteran to insulate some younger options should have some interest in Bozak.  That’s a relatively specific role to fill but one that makes sense for prospective contenders as well as rebuilding teams that could use him for a few months and then flip him to a contender closer to the trade deadline.

In the East, Montreal lost Phillip Danault to Los Angeles in free agency, their two top centers are currently 21 years old, and their likely third line pivot in Jake Evans has less than a full year of NHL games under his belt including playoffs.  Bozak would fit as some veteran insurance for the youngsters while replacing Danault’s situational faceoff role.  Boston hasn’t replaced David Krejci down the middle and while Bozak wouldn’t be a direct replacement, he’d give them some depth but making it work on the salary cap would be a challenge.  The Rangers could opt to put Filip Chytil back on the wing which would open up a spot on the third line for Bozak and a one-year term fits with the pricey contracts that are on the horizon a year from now.  Florida makes some sense as well with Bozak filling the role vacated by Alexander Wennberg but they need to get Sam Reinhart re-signed first to see what money they have left.

Out West, St. Louis still makes plenty of sense for Bozak aside from their cap situation.  If they can find a taker for Vladimir Tarasenko, the move would likely free up enough space to bring back Bozak to fill the same role on the depth chart he had last season.  If Colorado is opening to spending right to the Upper Limit in the offseason, Bozak would certainly fit on their third line although there’s definitely risk to being capped out that early.  Just ask Vegas about that; they could use Bozak and have LTIR room to add him into although getting back into compliance when Alex Tuch is ready to return would put them right back where they were last season in terms of dancing around the cap.  Nashville certainly has the cap space and an opening to add Bozak but if they’re heading towards something resembling a rebuild, it may not be the best fit.

Projected Contract

Bozak ranked 35th on our Top 50 UFA list with a projected one-year deal with a base salary of $2.5MM and $1MM in performance bonuses.  (As Bozak is 35, he’s eligible for a contract with incentives as long as it’s a one-year agreement.)  There are enough spots for him to command that price tag but if he wants to go to a contender, he may have to take a lesser deal or at least push more of the guaranteed money into incentives to give the signing team the flexibility to get a deal done.  At this point in free agency, Bozak is the best option left among middlemen and unless he plans to wait out the Tarasenko situation, he should sign his next contract fairly soon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Injury Notes: Bozak, Trocheck, Bruins, Kings

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After a month-and-a-half on the sidelines, St. Louis Blues forward Tyler Bozak is finally making some progress toward a return. Speaking to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, head coach Craig Berube displayed optimism when discussing the health of his veteran center, who was back at practice on Friday. “He’s gonna get some work here in the next few days and he could be available soon,” Berube said. “It’s good to see him out there and working… making some real good progress.” Bozak has not played since January 26th, when he was forced out of game against the Vegas Golden Knights with an apparent concussion. With the Blue about to embark on a six-game road trip, they will have to decide if bringing Bozak is the right move or if he requires additional time before his return. While St. Louis also just got Vladimir Tarasenko back and Oskar Sundqvist returned from a short-term injury, they could still use all the help they can get. Colton Parayko, Jaden Schwartz, Ivan Barbashev, Robert Thomas, Jacob De La Rose, and more are still among the Blues’ injured.

  • The news on Carolina Hurricanes forward Vincent Trocheck does not sound as optimistic. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour tells The Athletic’s Sara Civian that Trocheck’s recent upper-body injury will keep him sidelined for “longer than hoped”. The coach held back on providing any definitive timeline, but any long-term absence for Trocheck will be a major loss for the team. In his first full season with the Hurricanes, Trocheck has been a point-per-game player and is tied with Sebastian Aho for the team’s scoring lead. If there is one silver lining for Carolina, it is that the injury occurred before the trade deadline; with a considerable amount of cap space, the ’Canes still have time to bring in help to make up for an extended period without Trocheck.
  • Back on the positive side, the Boston Bruins have been dealing with an onslaught of injuries for some time, but there could be some help on the way. Head coach Bruce Cassidy announced today that veteran defenseman Kevan Miller has resumed skating and is likely to travel with the team on their upcoming road trip. Miller has been resting his surgically-repaired knee, but seems like he is ready to get back on the ice. Cassidy also said that defenseman Brandon Carlo is “coming around” and, while he is unsure if it will happen, there is at least some consideration that he could travel as well. This is the first concrete update on Carlo since he was hospitalized by a high hit from Washington’s Tom Wilson, but its seems that Carlo will not be out for a lengthy period as many feared.
  • It’s a scary time for any unknown illness given the shadow of the Coronavirus, so the Los Angeles Kings played it safe and cancelled practice this morning, citing an “illness” spreading around the group. Head coach Todd McLellan and the Kings do not believe that this is COVID, but a seasonal virus. However, the team will wait to see what their latest batch of test results say. Defenseman Olli Maatta is currently on the league’s COVID Protocal Related Absences list, though Alex Iafallo missed the team’s last game with similar symptoms and did not test positive for COVID. Obviously, the hope of all involved is that this is what McLellan believe it to be: some unrelated bug going around the locker room.

Injury Notes: Blues, Armia, Necas, Kase

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The St. Louis Blues’ Tyler Bozak, who has been sidelined since January 26th, has finally been retroactively placed on the injured reserve per a team release. Ironically, the Blues waited so long to make the the move that Bozak is already eligible to be activated from IR. However, he is still considered day-to-day and there is not definitive timeline for his return. Bozak has been out with an undisclosed upper-body injury since taking a heavy hit from Vegas’ Mark Stone nearly two weeks ago. Defenseman Marco Scandella has additionally been ruled out for the time being with an upper-body injury, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Scandella was a late scratch for the Blues’ game on Thursday, believed to have been the result of this same nagging injury. Thomas adds that Zach Sanford is also out for the Blues with, of all things in the age of COVID, the flu. Sanford is off to a slow start this season despite playing on the team’s top line recently, but perhaps taking some time to get back to full strength will put him back on track.

  • Sanford is not alone in his struggles with the flu. While the virus is certainly the lesser of two evils this season, it is still hampering a return to action for the Montreal Canadiens’ Joel Armia as well. Armia, who was initially sidelined by a concussion, is doing better in that regard, head coach Claude Julien tells TSN’s John Lu. However, he has been unable to skate with the team due to flu symptoms. The team hopes to have Armia back at practice on Monday at the earliest.
  • Young Carolina Hurricanes forward Martin Necas has also entered the concussion protocol after suffering an injury on Thursday, reports Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer. However, head coach Rod Brind’Amour is not worried that he will miss a considerable amount of time. Specifically, he tells Alexander that Necas is “going to be out for a little while but I don’t think it’s going to be very long.” His injury is only being termed as an “upper-body” ailment.
  • The Boston Bruins are hoping to have Jake DeBrusk and Matt Grzelcyk back before their next game on Wednesday, but it seems Ondrej Kase is still a ways behind in his recovery from a concussion. Head coach Bruce Cassidy tells The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa that Kase has been able to ride the exercise bike, but he has not yet resumed skating. Kase has been out since the Bruins’ second game of the season and is currently on injured reserve. A talented, but injury-prone young forward with a history of head trauma, Kase needs to return to the Bruins lineup and show some durability and consistency and establish chemistry with his team ahead of an off-season in which he will be a restricted free agent and the subject of a difficult Expansion Draft decision.

Snapshots: Sabres, Capitals, Blues

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Sabres winger Sam Reinhart is dealing with an upper-body injury, notes Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.  While he didn’t leave Thursday’s game, he was absent from practice on Friday and he will at least miss today’s game while his availability for Sunday’s rematch against New Jersey is still up in the air.  The 25-year-old is off to a good start this season with three goals and three assists in eight games and will be a restricted free agent for the final time this summer.

Meanwhile, Lysowski adds (Twitter link) that prospect Jack Quinn is dealing with an upper-body injury of his own.  He’s currently on the taxi squad but the Sabres may send him to AHL Rochester once he recovers.  While he’s still junior-aged, Quinn can go to the minors as long as the OHL season continues to be delayed.

Elsewhere around the league:

  • Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin and Dmitry Orlov have been cleared from the CPRA list, relays Samantha Pell of the Washington Post (Twitter link). The two took part in Washington’s morning skate today but Evgeny Kuznetsov and Ilya Samsonov weren’t, meaning their time on the list will continue.  Meanwhile, Pell adds in a separate tweet that center Lars Eller also skated earlier today in a non-contact sweater after missing Thursday’s contest due to an upper-body injury.
  • The Blues will be without center Tyler Bozak for their two games this weekend against Anaheim, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He was injured on a hit from Vegas winger Mark Stone on Tuesday night, one that had St. Louis hoping for some sort of supplemental discipline although none was coming.  Sammy Blais will take Bozak’s spot in the lineup.  As for defenseman Robert Bortuzzo, he’s expected to take the gameday skate today with head coach Craig Berube hoping that he’ll be available on Sunday.

Blues, Alex Pietrangelo Discussing New Deal

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While word emerged last month that the Blues had advised their captain Alex Pietrangelo to test the open market, the two sides have re-engaged in conversations in the hours leading up to the opening of the market, reports Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic (subscription link).  They have already lost the ability to offer him an eight-year deal, however, and are now capped at offering seven like any other team.

Rutherford cautions that no real progress has been made in talks at this point but it appears that St. Louis is willing to be more flexible in the structuring of their offer.  The team does not offer signing bonuses or no-move clauses but perhaps there is some wiggle room in that area now as they look to make a last-ditch effort to keep Pietrangelo.

With roughly $5MM in cap space to work with, St. Louis would need to clear out some salary to be able to afford to keep the 30-year-old around.  Rutherford reports that it’s believed teams are willing to take on the final year of Tyler Bozak’s $5MM deal but that the Blues would need to provide an incentive to clear out the center.  Justin Faulk’s $6.5MM pact for seven seasons could also be in play but again would require a sweetener to move.  Those options will only likely be considered if St. Louis can keep their top defender in the fold by getting Pietrangelo to sign on the dotted line.

Evening Notes: East Playoff Race, Rantanen, Dumoulin, Parayko

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The Eastern Playoff race has been decided. The Carolina Hurricanes have drawn the first wildcard spot and will face the Metropolitan Division-leading Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. The New York Islanders will be the second seed in the Metro and will have to square off against the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the Atlantic Division, the Columbus Blue Jackets end up with a tough match-up as they will face the Tampa Bay Lightning, while the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs will meet once again, as everyone has known about for quite some time. The final results of the night will determine how the Western Conference Shakes out.

  • The Colorado Avalanche’s Mikko Rantanen was spotted on the ice Saturday in San Jose wearing a non-contact jersey, according to The Athletic’s Ryan S. Clark. The injured forward, who hasn’t seen action since March 21st with an undisclosed injury, traveled with the team but will sit out once again. While that doesn’t sound like great news, considering the playoffs are right around the corner it is better to have him skating than not. If Colorado has any chance of advancing out of the first round, they will need their young scorer. The 22-year-old will have played eight less games than last year, but has a career high 31 goals and 87 points in his sophomore season. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said later today that he is hopeful that Rantanen will be available for the playoffs, according to BSN’s Adrian Dater.
  • Speaking of injuries, the Pittsburgh Penguins got some good news as defenseman Brian Dumoulin skated on his own after missing the past three games with a lower-body injury, according to Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Dumoulin, who normally skates alongside Kris Letang, would make a big impact on a lineup that is preparing for the playoffs and could use the player tied for fifth in the NHL with a +31 rating. “The fact that Dumo is on the ice is really encouraging from our standpoint,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. He added that the injury isn’t considered major and Doumolin remains day-to-day.
  • The St. Louis Blues expect to get back defenseman Colton Parayko, who has sat out the past two games with an undisclosed injury. The 25-year-old defender is expected to play in the playoffs, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas. Thomas added that Tyler Bozak was just held out for precautionary reasons Saturday after he was in a car accident getting to the game. The veteran center was rear-ended, but wasn’t seriously hurt. He too is expected back for the playoff opener.

Four Roster Moves For St. Louis Blues

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The St. Louis Blues have made several roster moves as they prepare for their final game before the All-Star break. Zach Sanford and Tyler Bozak have both been activated from injured reserve, while Jordan Kyrou and Jordan Nolan have been sent back to the minor leagues. Sanford and Bozak had been dealing with concussions.

St. Louis will take on the Anaheim Ducks tonight in a game that actually could have some playoff implications. The Blues have played better of late under head coach Craig Berube, and now sit just five points behind the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche for the wild card spots in the Western Conference. Unfortunately for the Blues there are four teams between them and those spots, one of which being the Ducks. They’ll need to win an awful lot of games like this down the stretch if they want to make a run for the postseason.

To do that they’ll need Bozak to play a bigger role than he did in the first half. Signed to a three-year $15MM contract in the offseason, the 32-year old center was handed a hefty amount of responsibility and minutes through the early part of the year. Unfortunately he has just 18 points through 39 games, not quite the level the Blues were hoping to get from the long-time Toronto Maple Leafs forward. Still, Bozak is as reliable as they come in the faceoff dot and could be a big part of a second half turnaround by St. Louis if they start getting reasonable goaltending and can get some sustained health.

Central Notes: Crawford, Perlini, Ehlers, Perron, Bozak

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The Chicago Blackhawks got a positive piece of news Saturday when injured goaltender Corey Crawford was out on the ice before practice since suffering another concussion on Dec. 16, according to NBC Sports’ Charlie Roumeliotis. The veteran goaltender worked with goaltending coach Jimmy Waite along with both Collin Delia and Cam Ward. However, despite the first sign that Crawford is working his way back, Chicago head coach Jeremy Colliton said it doesn’t mean much yet.

“Positive that he was out there, but I’m not sure it means a ton,” Colliton said. “Hopefully he continues to feel better.”

There are still a number of hurdles for Crawford to pass before there is even talk of a return. Regardless, it’s a positive development and considering it took Crawford nearly six months to return to action after his previous concussion, the fact that it’s only been a month is a good sign.

  • Sticking in Chicago, the Blackhawks announced forward Brendan Perlini missed practice today due to the fact that he’s in concussion protocol. The young forward was injured on Thursday against the New York Rangers and didn’t play in the final period. The 22-year-old Perlini hasn’t made a huge impact so far in Chicago as he has just three goals and four points in 23 games and is averaging less than 10 minutes of ATOI.
  • Winnipeg Jets’ head coach Paul Maurice said forward Nikolaj Ehlers won’t return for another week or so, suggesting that the scoring forward could return after the all-star break, according to Winnipeg Sun’s Ted Wyman. Ehlers suffered an upper-body injury on Jan. 4 and was expected to miss four to six weeks.
  • The St. Louis Blues announced they will be without David Perron Saturday with an upper-body injury. He’s currently listed as day-to-day. That’s a big loss as the veteran forward is on a 13-game point streak as he has he has six goals and 10 assists over that span. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch also noted the team placed Zach Sanford on injured reserve.
  • St. Louis Blues center Tyler Bozak, who has been out of the lineup since Jan. 5 with a concussion, said he’s starting to feel better and hopes to get into the lineup sometime before the all-star break, according to The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford. Bozak has six goals and 12 assists in 39 games this season.

Blues Place Tyler Bozak And Robert Thomas On IR

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The Blues have taken another hit up front as the team has announced that centers Tyler Bozak and Robert Thomas have been placed on injured reserve.  Thomas suffered a shoulder injury in the first period last night against Montreal while Bozak has missed the previous three games due to a concussion.

Bozak is in his first season with St. Louis after signing a three-year, $15MM deal in free agency this summer.  His offensive numbers (18 points in 39 games) have dipped slightly from his time in Toronto but he has still logged over 16 minutes a night.  Meanwhile, Thomas locked down a regular spot in the lineup as a 19-year-old and has spent the majority of the season in the bottom six while chipping in with 14 points in 37 contests.

No corresponding roster moves have been announced but with two open spots and only 12 forwards on their current roster, it wouldn’t be surprising to see at least one player brought up soon.  With their farm team in action tonight, they will likely wait until after that time to determine their moves.

Regardless of what they do, one of those spots could soon be filled by winger Alex Steen.  Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that Steen will be with the team on their upcoming four-game road trip, suggesting that he could be getting closer to returning.  He has missed the last two games with a shoulder issue of his own and while it was initially thought that he could be out until after the All-Star break, it appears that he may be ahead of schedule now.

Central Notes: Heiskanen, Kane, Thomas, Kyrou, Gurianov

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While many people are talking about the impact that rookie defenseman Rasmus Dahlin will make on the Buffalo Sabres, many are forgetting that the Dallas Stars have an impact defenseman of their own entering the league this year in Miro Heiskanen. The third-overall pick from the 2017 draft is expected to make an immediate impact to aid the Stars’ defense, but he is expected to be brought along slowly to start the season, according to SportsDay’s Matthew DeFranks.

In a personal profile of the 19-year-old, the scribe writes that the team will likely ease him into the lineup as he will likely either be paired with shutdown defenseman Stephen Johns or fellow countryman Julius Honka on the second or third line, depending on how quickly he can adjust to the North American style of game. He has spent the last two seasons in Finland, playing against men in Liiga for HIFK, where he was named the league’s top defenseman last season.

  • Tracey Myers of NHL.com writes that Chicago Blackhawks’ star Patrick Kane is ready to wipe the slate clean from last year’s disappointing season and the goal is to get the team back into the playoffs. Kane had a down season compared to the previous two years as he tallied 27 goals and 79 points. Normally a solid season, it still paled in comparison to the 106 points he posted in 2015-16 or the 89 points in 2016-17. “We all have that feeling within us where it’s like, we did some good things, but you’re restarting now and you have to prove yourself again,” Kane said. “It’s a long season, and I think maybe we got ahead of ourselves a little bit last year.”
  • With all the talent the St. Louis brought in this season, including Ryan O’Reilly, David Perron, Tyler Bozak and Patrick Maroon, it might seem unlikely that the team’s two top prospects, Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou, might be shoved out of the way next season. In a mailbag story, St. Louis Post Dispatch’s Jim Thomas said that is very unlikely when it comes to Robert Thomas, saying that he can’t picture a scenario where the team doesn’t keep Thomas, who is likely to center the team’s fourth line next season. Thomas, who dominated the OHL last season, would either have to make the club or be returned to juniors for another year and the scribe believes sending him back to Hamilton isn’t going to help him. So he’s best off learning on the fly in the NHL. Kyrou, on the other hand, very likely will end up with the AHL San Antonio Rampage. Now that Kyrou is finished with juniors, he can learn in the AHL for a season before coming over. Thomas doesn’t have the AHL option open to him.
  • In a mailbag article, The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) writes that it seems less and less likely that Dallas Stars prospect Denis Gurianov will be success in the NHL. The 12th-overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft struggled in the AHL at times this season. He finished the season with 19 goals in 74 games, but also was scratched during the Texas Stars’ playoff run. Shapiro writes that he doesn’t believe that Gurianov has the hockey IQ to be successful in the league. He is a hard worker, but doesn’t understand the game. When he was scratched, it was an organizational decision, according to Shapiro, not a coaching decision.

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