MVN - Most Valuable Network

Calling All Rookies! Development Camp Begins Tuesday

Boston, MA- It’s been nearly three months since the last time the Boston Bruins took the ice in their game seven loss to the Montreal Canadiens, and although the 2008-09 season is still a few months away, there will be some action on the ice this week for fans to enjoy. From July 8-12, the Bruins will be holding their second annual Development Camp at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, Massachusetts. A total of 21 future members of the Black and Gold will lace up their skates this week in an attempt to make an early impression on the Boston brass before training camp.

Starting at the back and working forward, three goaltenders will take turns minding the crease. Kevin Regan will draw the most attention in goal, as he is expected to back up Tuukka Rask in Providence this season. Adam Courchaine and Michael Hutchinson will return to their junior teams this year, but this camp should at least give those two a chance to get their feet wet.

Six defensemen will get some early work in, and of the six, two have already seen some time in the AHL with Providence. The first of those two is Adam McQuaid. McQuaid is the only player at the development camp to have spent the entire 2007-08 season with the P-Bruins. In 68 games, the 21 year old picked up a goal and eight assists. Adam will be joined on the blueline by two more players who will likely be his teammates this coming season in Providence. Jeff Penner played in two games at the end of last season, while Andrew Bodnarchuk joined the team in the playoffs, but was unable to see any action on the ice. The other three defensemen are Tommy Cross, Alain Goulet, and Denis Reul - all players who are at least a year away from playing in Rhode Island.

Up front, there is lots of excitement. Four of the twelve forwards at the development camp have already seen time with the Baby B’s, and all have made significant contributions in a short amount of time. Jeff LoVecchio spent the most time in Providence last year, tallying three goals and two assists in 14 regular season games. Two of his three goals came shorthanded. 2007 first round draft pick Zach Hamill was the next one to join the Peebs. In seven games, the 19 year old had five assists to account for all of his points, but did score the game winning goal in the shootout of his first career game on April 4th against the Hartford Wolf Pack. 19 year old Jordan Knackstedt dressed in five games with Providence this past season, and found the back of the net twice in that time. Although Levi Nelson didn’t get a chance to suit up with the P-Bruins this season, he did play in one regular season game and four playoff contests in 2006-07, scoring a goal in Providence’s first round series with Hartford.

Two players come to the development camp following terrific junior careers, and will more than likely find themselves in Providence when the 2007-08 season kicks off. Those two are Brad Marchand and Matt Marquardt. Marchand was taken by the Bruins in the third round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, and has spent his four year career in the QMJHL with three different teams. In those four seasons, Marchand reached the President’s Cup Final twice, winning it once with the Moncton Wildcats in 2006. Ironically, one of Marchand’s teammates on that Moncton squad was Marquardt. At the time, the now 20 year old forward was only able to record 16 regular season goals, but in the next two seasons, Marquardt exploded for 41 and 43 respectively.

Joining these six snipers at forward will be Mikko Lehtonen, as well as the five draft picks from this summer: Jamie Arniel, Joe Colborne, Mark Goggin, Maxime Sauve, and Nicholas Tremblay. Lehtonen has spent the past four seasons playing for the Blues in Finland, but could find himself playing for the Baby B’s this year, assuming he stays in North America. The other five players will either return to juniors or begin life as a college student in the fall.

Before fans think it’s all about the youngsters, be on the lookout for a pair of NHLers making their way back from season-ending injuries during the 2007-08 season. Goaltender Manny Fernandez and forward Patrice Bergeron are both expected to be on the ice all week in Wilmington, making strides toward returning to the Boston lineup on opening night.

Former Bruin and current Director of Hockey Operations and Player Development Don Sweeney will be leading the way on the staff for the week. He will be joined by Boston assistant coach Geoff Ward, as well as Scott Gordon and Rob Murray, the coaching staff from the defending regular season champion Providence Bruins. Strength and Conditioning Coach John Whitesides will also be in attendance to lead the troops off the ice.

The first session takes place Tuesday July 8th from 10-11 a.m., but will only feature Bergeron and Fernandez, as the other players will be taking care of medical and physical testing. The rest of the group will hit the ice on Wednesday before heading over to Fenway Park to catch the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins.

No Fourth of July Fireworks Around NHL

Boston, MA- Generally, the time around the Fourth of July is filled with excitement. People take vacation time around the holiday to take weekend trips, or to just sit at home and enjoy a barbecue in the beautiful other weather. The fourth itself is highlighted by baseball games all across the nation, the infamous hot dog eating contest at Cony Island, and of course, lots of fireworks. Although there were plenty of fireworks in the American sky over the weekend, fans of the NHL had to look far and wide to find even the slightest bang.

As it typically is, July 1st was a day full of excitement. Teams dotted their final “I”s and crossed their final “t”s during the morning before the free agency period officially kicked off at 12:00. It took 52 minutes for the first signing to take place as Radim Vrbata headed east from Phoenix to sign a three-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Three minutes later, the Boston Bruins announced the signing of Blake Wheeler, as had been expected for some time. The next couple of hours saw a few more players sign in new places, but nothing out of the ordinary had occured yet. Then came the Chicago Blackhawks. With youngsters Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews ready their young squad toward the playoffs, Chicago went out and signed goaltender Cristobal Huet, as well as defenseman Brian Campbell for a combined total of 12 years and $79.2 million. Later in the evening, the New York Rangers found gold on the free agent market, locking up defensemen Michal Rozsival and Wade Redden within an hour of each other for a combined ten years and $59 million. The Boston Bruins wrapped up the day by signing Michael Ryder for three seasons. According to the numbers posted on TSN, there were 40 signings that took place following 12:00 on opening day - by far the highest total of any day since the free agency period began.

The busy Tampa Bay Lightning didn’t take long to get started on day two, as they announced their first re-signing (Ryan Craig) at 9:18, followed by Janne Niskala just over an hour later. Most of the attention heading into the free agent period was directed toward Pittsburgh’s Marian Hossa, who was expected to rake in a handsome sum of money. That mystery got answered in the early hours of Wednesday afternoon, when the winger signed on with the Detroit Red Wings for one year and $7.4 million. Defense was a wanted position for the second day in a row, and once again, a pair of solid blueliners were removed from the market, as Brooks Orpik re-signed with Pittsburgh, while Ron Hainsey went south to Atlanta. Day two finished off with the Columbus Blue Jackets picking up free agent forward Kristian Huselius. There were 22 signings on Wednesday.

Thursday was even slower than Wednesday, as only 13 players signed on the dotted line. However, there were some more significant signings, mainly in the Atlantic Division. After the Washington Capitals kicked off the day by inking Keith Aucoin, the Pittsburgh Penguins snagged Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko from the New York Islanders for one year each. Seeing their division rivals make those moves, the New York Rangers knew they’d have to respond. That’s exactly what they did, bringing in Markus Naslund and Dmitri Kalinin. Veteran Rob Blake highlighted the evening by signing with the San Jose Sharks before Brian McGrattan closed out day three with a one-year deal in Phoenix.

According to TSN’s Free Agent Tracker, only two players signed on in new places over the holiday weekend. On Saturday, the Penguins picked up Matt Cooke for two years, while the Minnesota Wild signed veteran Owen Nolan on Sunday. Perhaps the biggest news of the weekend came from a team outside of the NHL. Russia’s Avangard Omsk signed former Hart Trophy winner Jaromir Jagr to a two-year contract, meaning there will be one less superstar in North America this coming October. There were a few trades involving key players over the weekend. Steve Bernier returned to the Western Conference with Vancouver, former Canadien Craig Rivet is back in the Northeast Division as a Buffalo Sabre, and Dan Boyle got dealt to the San Jose Sharks.

Now that the hot dogs and apple pie have been digested, it’s back to work on Monday, and hopefully some more mysteries will be solved!

Canadiens Add to Rivalry, Signing Laraque

Boston, MA- The rivalry between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens looks like it will be even better when the two teams meet up this season. Just two days after Boston signed former Canadien Michael Ryder, Montreal responded by adding a couple of players as well. The first of those was veteran netminder Marc Denis. With Carey Price the clear favorite to be the club’s starting goaltender, it appears that Denis will be competing with Jaroslav Halak to determine who will be the backup. The other signing was tough guy Georges Laraque. Fans who have watched Laraque in the past know that he has the reputation as one of the best fighters in the NHL. Adding him to Montreal’s roster will certainly add some intensity to the rivalry, and could produce some great bouts against the likes of Milan Lucic, Shawn Thornton, or Zdeno Chara.

A few other teams made splashes in the free agent market on Thursday. Two days after re-signing Michal Rozsival and adding Wade Redden for a combined total of $59 million over ten seasons, the New York Rangers were back at it again, dishing out some more dough. The Blueshirts started the day by signing former Vancouver Canucks all-star Markus Naslund to a two-year contract worth $8 million. Later, New York brought in defenseman Dmitri Kalinin from the Buffalo Sabres for a one-year deal. Even with Jaromir Jagr still undecided for next season, the Rangers are certainly building their team for a run.

If the New York Rangers expect to contend for a Stanley Cup, they will have to get past one of their division rivals to do. That team is the defending Eastern Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. While the Rangers were out acquiring players on Thursday, Pittsburgh was doing the same. First, the Penguins went out into the free agent market and snagged a pair of forwards to add to their mix. Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko each signed on with Pittsburgh for one season. Fedotenko’s deal is worth $2.5 million, while Satan’s is good for $3.5 million. These two players should be familiar with each other after spending this past season together with the New York Islanders. The Penguins then looked within the organization and locked up restricted free agent Marc-Andre Fleury to a lengthy seven-year deal worth a total of $35 million. There should be no question as to who Pittsburgh is looking at between the pipes to bring them their next cup. Fleury’s signing comes one day after Pittsburgh extended Evgeni Malkin through the 2009-10 season.

Other moves on Thursday saw former Ottawa Senators’ enforcer Brian McGrattan join the likes of Darcy Tucker and Sean Avery by heading out west. McGrattan, restricted free agent Matt Jones, and unrestricted free agent David Hale all signed on with the Phoenix Coyotes. Veteran defenseman Rob Blake will be back in California for another season, but has switched cities from Los Angeles to San Jose. His contract is for one year and $5 million. Daniel Tjarnqvist is back in North America after a season in Russia. He signed on with the Colorado Avalanche.

While the Boston Bruins remained silent for the second day in a row, there were two players from within the organization that will no longer call Boston and Providence home during the 2008-09 season. Defenseman Brett Skinner hopped over to the New York Islanders, while Steve MacIntyre headed south to the Florida Panthers.

Brett Skinner has spent just three seasons in professional hockey following three years at the University of Denver, but has already played for four different American Hockey League teams. Drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, Skinner broke in with the Manitoba Moose during the 2005-06 season, scoring four goals, and adding 21 assists for 25 points. In 2006-07, Brett found himself with the Anaheim organization, beginning the year with the Portland Pirates. After putting up 18 points in 41 games in Portland, he was loaned to the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (former Calgary affiliate). In 21 games with the Knights, he was able to pick up six assists. This past season, Skinner went to Anaheim training camp, but was traded to the Boston Bruins along with fellow defenseman, Nathan Saunders. Providence was a team that brought out the best in Brett Skinner. In 68 games, the 25 year old scored seven goals, but exploded for 40 assists, giving him 47 points. He also became a specialist in shootouts, scoring eight times on 12 attempts, four of which were game winners.

Steve MacIntyre might not have lit up the scoreboard in his one season with the Providence Bruins, but he certainly new how to bring the Dunkin Donuts Center crowd to its’ feet. MacIntyre had previously gotten a couple of opportunities with the Hartford Wolf Pack, but had never played in a full season at the AHL level until this past season with the P-Bruins. In 62 games, the 27 year old did pick up two goals and three assists while spending 213 minutes in the penalty box. If the Panthers end up assigning “Big Mac” to their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, he will make one return trip to Providence. That night, it is almost certain that he will get a nice ovation from the fans, showing their appreciation for his ability to pummel the opposition during the 2007-08 season. This past season, Steve dropped the gloves a grand total of 19 times (including one during the playoffs), and won the majority of the fights convincingly.

Hossa Signs with Detroit, Bruins Stay Silent on Day Two

Boston, MA- The speculation can finally be put to bed on one of the two biggest named free agents left on the market. Marian Hossa has a contract, and unfortunately, Black and Gold will not be the colors on his uniform this coming season. The good news is that the Bruins will only see the all-star a maximum of two times this year, as he signed a one-year deal worth $7.4 million with the Detroit Red Wings.

July 2nd was a quiet day for the Boston Bruins, but a few more free agents found new homes. Super pest Sean Avery also swapped time zones, signing on for four seasons with the Dallas Stars. Fans in the Western Conference should get their fill of trash talking this season with Avery in Dallas, and previously signed Darcy Tucker with the Colorado Avalanche. Former Boston College defenseman Brooks Orpik was able to rake in a good amount of dough on Wednesday as he signed a six-year deal worth a total of $22.5 million. Orpik wasn’t the only blueliner to sign for big dollars, as the Atlanta Thrashers inked Ron Hainsey to a five-year deal also worth $22.5 million. The Columbus Blue Jackets continued to add some offense to their mix, by picking up Kristian Huselius for four years. Veteran Doug Weight also relocated, signing on with the New York Islanders to continue his career for at least another season. The Ottawa Senators brought in a new face with the signing of Jarkko Ruutu, while re-signing former Bruin, Shean Donovan.

Although there are still some pretty solid players left on the free agent market, don’t expect Boston to be all that aggressive, at least for now. The reason for that is they are extremely close to the salary cap, and with Dennis Wideman still awaiting his arbitration hearing, that number will rise even higher than what it already is. That being said, a trade is not out of the question if the right offer comes up. The Bruins have a lot of players under contract, and there are only so many spots on an NHL roster. Contract buyouts are an option, but if Boston can get something in return for what they give up, that would be the more ideal scenario.