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Kevin Allen:Rask gives Bruins a boost; Lawson Crouse drawing trade interest |
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Goalie Tuukka Rask has signed a tryout contract with the AHL’s Providence Bruins and could be in a Boston Bruins’ uniform within two weeks.
Rask, 34, said he would likely need a couple of games in the AHL to be game-ready for the NHL.
Originally, the Bruins were looking at Jan. 18 against the Carolina Hurricanes as a possible date for Rask’s return. But COVID-19 issues in Providence could delay his start time.
Rask is a free agent, but said he only wants to play with the Bruins. He had offseason hip surgery.
I feel great," Rask said. "The biggest issue for me was the catching of the joint and the pain that that created. So that was gone. It makes a huge difference because every time I go to the butterfly and get up,
This is a major addition for the Bruins who are in a battle to make the playoffs.
Rask is an experienced postseason goalie: He has won 57 postseason games, while posting a 2.22 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.
The Bruins’ other two goalies, Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, have a combined 18 minutes of NHL playoff experience;
Here are the rest of today’s notebook items:
2. Every season, there’s one player in the trade market whose value and desirability is higher than you think it is. This season it may be Arizona’s Lawson Crouse. Six-foot-4,215 pounds. eight goals, seven assists, 77 hits, more than twice as many anyone else on the Coyotes, $1.5 million cap hit.
3. Nashville’s Tanner Jeannot is an NHL rookie not receiving enough attention. He has 10 goals. That’s the same number of goals Detroit rookie sensation Lucas Raymond has scored. Jeannot also has 10 assists and is tied for sixth in the league with 109 hits. Last season, Jeannot spent time in the East Coast Hockey League, American League and NHL.
4. The league’s most unheralded impact player? How about Florida’s MacKenzie Weegar. His stat line: 19 points, 94 hits, 75 shots on goal, +16, averaging 23:43 minutes per game in 33 games.
5. Ken Holland was known for patience in Detroit, but with the Oilers losing 11 of their last 13 games he must feel pressure to make a coaching change. If he does make a move, I don’t think it will be Mike Babcock. Just a hunch. Even if fires the coach, Holland will still be under pressure to fix the goaltending.
6. The Washington Capitals are now fifth in the NHL in scoring (3.44 goals per game) and they rank 28th on the power play.
7. Jonathan Toews only has four goals in 33 games. But those four goals have come in his last eight games. Remember, he missed all of last season with illness. Could he be turning the corner?
8. The U.S. Olympic Team could have as many as 15 college players, led by Jake Sanderson (North Dakota, Ottawa Senators), Matty Benier (Michigan, Seattle Kraken), Brock Faber (Minnesota, Los Angeles Kings and Matthew Knies (Minnesota, Toronto Maple Leafs)
9. Not buying speculation that Tuukka Rask’s return this season will prompt the Bruins to deal Linus Ullmark.The Ullmark contract (four seasons, $20 million) is a trade inhibitor.
10. Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, 34, wants to play until he’s 40. Over his past 83 games, he has totaled 69 points. Maybe he can play that long.
11. Elizabeth Mantha, sister of Washington Capitals forward Anthony Mantha, is joining the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League officiating staff for the second half of the 2021-22 season. She officiated her first American League game on Oct. 29. The QMJHL has never had a female official before.
12. New Jersey native and former Yale player Ken Agostino, who has had short stints with six different NHL teams. He is the 10th leading scorer in the Kontinental Hockey League with 20 goals and 40 points in 46 games. Agostino is expected to play for the U.S. Olympic team.
13. When the Kontinental Hockey League was founded in 2008, I believe Russian officials hoped the caliber of play would start to inch closer to NHL caliber. That never came to pass. Success in the KHL isn’t an indicator for NHL success.
14. Detroit Red Wings Filip Zadina, the No. 6 pick in 2018, has 19 goals in 118 NHL games. He has four goals this season, mostly playing on the second line. He has no goals in his past nine games and he’s -12 in those games. He is expected to play tonight against Anaheim. But probably needs to find his game if he wants to remain part of Detroit’s rebuild. Jakub Vrana will be back from injury next month and that will make it much harder for Zadina to even stay in the top nine.
15. The Red Wings will use Michael Rasmussen as a second line winger tonight, instead of a third line center. He played well there in his last game. He’s 6-foot-6 and has started to use his size effectively. That gives Detroit more bite on that second line with smaller players Pius Suter and Robby Fabbri.
16. Forty-one years ago today, New York Islanders forward John Tonelli scored five goals and teammate Mike Bossy posted six assists in a 6-3 win against the Maple Leafs. Tonelli and Bossy are 64 today.
17. If you are looking for reasons why the Nashville Predators are one of the NHL’s biggest surprises this season, start with coach John Hynes. He transformed the Predators into one of the league’s most intense teams. The Predators come after you. They are in first place in the Central because they are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.
18. If Dave Tippett is fired, Mike Babcock seems like a fit because of his connection with Holland. But how about Rick Tocchet? He did an excellent job making the Arizona Coyotes with defensive efficiency.
19. Carolina’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi has put up seven points in his past five games. He has 15 points on the season. That’s a 39-point pace. He had 20 points last season. Keep in mind: he’s 21. The Hurricanes don’t regret the offer sheet.
20. Who’s the grittier Tkachuk? Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk has 102 hits, more than twice as many as his Calgary brother Matthew who has 44.
21. The St. Louis Blues don’t have any cap space to speak of, but they may not stop them from adding at the deadline. They have players they can move to create space.
22. Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson entered COVID-19 protocol Wednesday. This season has been a struggle for Pettersson from the beginning. He only has six goals. This is the player coach Bruce Boudreau needs to get squared away.
23. Five of the top eight goal scorers in the NHL thus far this season are American. German Leon Draisitl leads the league, followed by Russian Alex Ovechkin (24), Americans Troy Terry (21), Auston Matthews (20) and Chris Kreider (20), Alex Debrincat (20), Canadian Connor McDavid (19) and American Kyle Connor (19).
24. Minnesota Marcus Foligno seems to be having a career season. In 31 games, he has already tied his career high of 13 goals. He also in the league’s top 20 in hits with 90. He’s also +14.
25. Fifty years ago, Phil Esposito won the NHL scoring title with 133 points in 76 games. Remember the T-shirts? “Jesus saves, Esposito scores on the rebound.” Espo turns 80 next month.
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