NHL Preseason: News Update

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The Boston Bruins have had a couple rough days of preseason watching two veteran defenseman go down with injury. On Wednesday, it was announced that

Dennis Seidenberg

would require surgery to fix a herniated disc in his back. The timetable for his return is set around 8 weeks.

On Thursday night, The Bruins played the New York Rangers which saw Zdeno Chara leave the game less than 5 minutes in. He did not return to the game. Chara is coming off a down year where he battled a knee injury and only tallied 20 points.

The hope was that young Torey Krug could step up and fill the void left by Dougie Hamilton. But, with injuries to the Bruins other two best defenseman, things could get ugly if Chara is out for any extended period of time. Matt Irwin should be a big presence on the Bruins blue-line this season, while prospect Joe Morrow should see some additional ice-time.

Boston doesn’t have a ton of defensive depth beyond Chara, Krug, Seidenberg, McQuaid, Morrow, and Irwin. The other guys who could see additional time to begin the season are Kevan Miller, Zach Trotman, Colin Miller, and Linus Arnesson.

Flames will be just fine
T.J Brodie Injury

On Wednesday, the Calgary Flames announced that defenseman T.J Brodie was expected to miss 3-6 weeks with a broken bone in his hand. Most teams would be devastated to lose a 30-40 point range d-man. But the Flames aren’t most teams.

They’re one of very few teams that could handle an injury on the blue-line without much issue. Calgary’s 6-7-8 slot are all guys that could handle a 5-6 spot on most teams. I’m assuming Dennis Wideman would pair up with Kris Russell on the 2nd pairing, while Ladislav Smid is likely to pair up with one of Deryk Engelland, or Tyler Wotherspoon.

Top-line set for opening night in Pittsburgh?

Kunitz leading candidate to play with Sidney and Phil
Not shocking news, but still noteworthy nonetheless. New coach Mike Johnston in Pittsburgh announced that LW Chris Kunitz is the leading candidate to play alongside Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel to open the season.

Let’s be honest, it is probably more likely that we see line shuffling throughout the season. There’s really no two guys tied together at the hip. With Patric Hornqvist, David Perron and Nick Bonino also in the mix, there’s a ton of potential line combinations the Penguins can experiment with.

Canucks down a forward

Higgins out at least 3 weeks
Tuesday night, it was announced that Vancouver Canucks veteran forward Chris Higgins would miss at least 3 weeks with a fractured foot. The injury occurred while blocking a shot in Monday’s game versus the San Jose Sharks. This could be a tough blow to begin the season for Vancouver.

I’d imagine one of Linden Vey or Bo Horvat sees a little extra ice time due to the injury, but perhaps this opens an even larger door for top prospect Jake Virtanen? The Canucks have a dyer need for a top line right winger.

Erik Johnson gets 7-year extension with Avs

Johnson extension

Dec 23, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson (6) during the game against the St. Louis Blues at Pepsi Center. The Avalanche won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday, rumours were floating around all day that the Colorado Avalanche were working on an extension with defenseman Erik Johnson. It was officially announced early in the evening after they locked him up for 7 years.

The length of the extension is a little bit curious. I know Erik Johnson is coming over a couple decent seasons, but we’re talking about a guy who was acquired from St.Louis for Kevin Shattenkirk and Chris Stewart. It was unanimously known as a bust of a deal for the Avs.

He battled inconsistencies for a long time after coming over to Colorado. For the Avs sake, I hope these last couple seasons are reflective of the real Erik Johnson, and not the earlier years. Johnson was set to become a UFA next summer.

Montreal d-man retires

Bouillon announces retirement
Friday morning, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Francis Bouillon announced his retirement from the NHL after 14 seasons. He spent 11 of those with Montreal and 3 of them with the Nashville Predators.

In 776 regular season games, he accumulated 117 points and in 55 career playoff games he tallied 11 points. The undrafted defenseman signed with the Canadiens in 1998 and made a decent career for himself. I’m sure will be greatly missed by the Montreal fanbase as he was an active member involved in the community.

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