September will officially mark the change from summer to autumn. It also means the annual return start of NHL training camps with the start of the 2021-22 season about a month away.
First up will be the rookies, who will arrive in Boston soon and go through the team’s mini-camp at Warrior Ice Arena before participating in the 2021 Prospects Challenge in Buffalo. The annual event brings prospects from multiple teams together for a round robin competition at the LECOM Harbor Center from September 17-19.
It is the sixth consecutive season that the team will send its future hopefuls to measure up against players from other organizations. This year, the B’s will play the New Jersey Devils (two games on the 17th and 19th) and Buffalo Sabres (18th). The Boston roster has not been released yet, but the bulk of it will comprise the team’s younger, signed players with limited pro experience. There will also be other players from the major junior ranks who are looking for opportunities to secure pro contracts after aging out. Prospects headed to major college/university programs will not be participating, as NCAA rules prevent attendance with classes already in session.
The NHL formally announced this week that the league will send players to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The games will take place from Feb. 9-20. Much of the details have yet to be worked out, but the development has been met with a positive response. The NHL participated in the 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 Olympics, but did not send players to the winter games held in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.
We will project who we think from the Bruins will be in China representing their countries. This edition of Bruins Brunch will also continue our closer look at the expected impacts of the offseason additions, breaking down what a pair of forwards acquired on day one of NHL free agency should bring to Boston.
Sure bets: Marchand, Bergeron to Team Canada
In addition to Don Sweeney and Bruce Cassidy, both of whom have already been named to Team Canada’s front office and coaching staff as assistants, Boston’s two veteran franchise cornerstones will be in Beijing.
Patrice Bergeron may be 36, but he’s still going to be a key player for Team Canada, looking for a third gold medal after winning it all in 2010 and 2014.
Brad Marchand will be on the roster for his first Olympics at age 33. He would have represented Canada along with Bergeron in 2018, as he emerged with NHL star power in 2016-17 with his career-high of 39 goals in a single season and posted his first of two consecutive 85-point outings.
Bergeron and Marchand might be on the wrong side of 30, but they still bring the important production, experience and intangibles that will make Canada the favorite going in. The Russian team, competing as OAR (Olympic Athletes from Russia) won the gold medal in 2018, and with myriad star players across the NHL, should give Canada the biggest challenge on paper.
David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy are the other B’s locks for Czech Republic and the United States. Both represent the team’s youth core and poised put up the most productive years of their NHL careers as they enter their prime years at 25 and 23 respectively. Pastrnak already has 200 goals in his seven NHL seasons with Boston, but only played 75 or more games in just two of those campaigns. McAvoy has emerged as one of the best two-way, right-shot defensemen in hockey and will command a premium as a restricted free agent (RFA) next summer when his current contract expires.
In the hunt: Haula, Ullmark, Hall, Nosek
Expect Erik Haula (Finland) and Linus Ullmark (Sweden) to be selected to play for their nations, though we’re not as confident in early Sep. to project them as sure things. Given the opportunity they will both receive to be key contributors with the B’s, that should translate to Olympic nods in a few months.
With Canada’s sheer volume of depth and choices, Taylor Hall will have a tougher challenge to make the cut. Should he jump out to the same kind of scoring start that he did with the Bruins after being acquired from Buffalo, he’ll make a case for it. With his speed and size, Hall could be an intriguing option to play on the lower lines, even though defensive hockey is not what he’s known for.
Tomas Nosek isn’t a big point-getter in the NHL, but he’s a valuable bottom-line center and checking forward. It wouldn’t surprise us to see him get serious consideration for the Czech Republic and ultimately make the team as one of those players you win with, but who gets overlooked because of the lack of points.
Former and non-roster B’s expected to play in the Olympics are David Krejci and Tuukka Rask, whose recovery time table should have him available by the time Feb. rolls around. We'll know a lot more about Rask in the next 60-90 days, but based on current projections, Finland should tab him for his second tour of the winter games after 2014.
Dark horses for USA: Swayman, Grzelcyk, Coyle
Chances are, it’s too soon for Jeremy Swayman to make the Olympic squad with Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck and John Gibson expected to be the guys in net for the Americans. However, given that the team will most assuredly bring a third goalie to China, he’s in direct competition with Jack Campbell, Alex Nedeljkovic, Thatcher Demko and Cal Petersen to name a few, and he might be able earn his way in.
Matt Grzelcyk (Charlestown, Mass.) and Charlie Coyle (East. Weymouth, Mass.) face tougher challenges to make the USA Olympic roster, but one thing to keep in mind is that building a winning roster is not just about taking the most skilled or productive players. Both players have specific assets that could put them solidly in the mix, but they will need to get off to excellent starts to have a chance.
Free agent forwards need to fill key supporting roles in Boston
As the Bruins news rolled in on the first day of free agency in late July, two of the earlier names announced to Boston were veteran forwards Haula and Nosek.
Between the two, Haula is the one with a higher offensive ceiling. He had a 29-goal, 55-point season three years ago, in helping the expansion Vegas Golden Knights reach the 2018 Stanley Cup final series. Though not an explosive skater in terms of speed and ability to back defenders up off the rush, Haula is highly skilled and creative.
The last couple of years in the NHL have been frustrating for him, as he bounced around and wasn’t able to establish much offense for the Hurricanes, Panthers and Predators. However, after being a near nonfactor in the first half of the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season in Nashville, he started to heat up, and was one of the Predators’ more noticeable forwards with four points in six playoff games.
At age 30, he is still in his prime and could be the one who is best suited to fill the points void left by Krejci’s departure. It’s risky business, but the Bruins believe that his 55-point season was not an aberration. With two years on a $2.375M annual cap hit, Haula represents a nice bargain if he can return to form. Even 40-45 points for Boston would make him a value signing and help counterbalance the loss of No. 46.
Nosek, 29, is a big-bodied defensive center at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds from the Czech Republic who originally signed with Detroit as an undrafted free agent who was claimed by Vegas in the 2017 expansion draft. He is trending up after 18 points in 38 games this past season. That kind of production for a fourth-line player represents an upgrade to what the departed Sean Kuraly was bringing in recent seasons.
He's strong on draws, around the puck a lot, and plays a sound 200-foot game. There isn’t a lot of flash or excitement in his game, but with his heavy-on-pucks style and more than 250 NHL games of experience, he’s a solid value at a cap hit of $1.75M for two years.
The Bruins need Haula and Nosek to take steps forward in 2021-22, and given their recent offensive trends and usage, Sweeney is not taking a gamble here. In fact, we all might be looking back on these signings as another indicator that when it comes to salary cap maneuvering, Boston (thanks to Sweeney and assistant GM Evan Gold) are ahead of their peers at getting the right pieces to fit without crippling the team for the future.
Lysell might be junior hockey-bound
Although the signing of first-round pick Fabian Lysell pointed to him being in the AHL with Providence this season, New England Hockey Journal has learned that the 21st overall selection in 2021 might spend the year in major junior with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, who selected him in the CHL Import Draft.
The important thing for Lysell is that he be in a situation where he can play and play a lot. The general feeling is that getting him over to North America will help his overall adjustment and get him the playing time he needs. At 18, he still would have faced a challenge to win that kind of role in Sweden’s top pro league.
Either way, whether playing pro hockey in the AHL or competing in a top junior league against his peers, Lysell will be a top Boston prospect to watch and track this season. Where he will play is yet to be determined, but having him in Providence is not fait accompli, and if it doesn’t happen, he’ll still be in a good place to make the right progress in his development.
