The Boston Bruins signed forward Pavel Zacha to a four-year contract extension with a $4.75-million cap hit Saturday, the club announced.
The 25-year-old was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the campaign.
Zacha has recorded five goals and 20 assists in 42 games with the Bruins this season. He's posted strong underlying numbers defensively in his first year in Boston.
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Boston acquired him from the New Jersey Devils in the offseason in exchange for Erik Haula. The Devils drafted Zacha sixth overall in 2015.
Zacha has largely failed to live up to his lofty draft hype. His best season came in 2020-21 when he notched 17 goals and 35 points in 50 games.
The Bruins still have several pending UFAs, but none bigger than David Pastrnak.
The Canucks announced Thursday that Pearson's campaign is over after undergoing a third hand surgery in a three-month span. Vancouver expected Pearson to miss four-to-six weeks after the initial procedure on Nov. 10. However, he underwent another surgery a month later when his hand didn't heal as hoped.
"I feel bad for him. I mean, it wasn't handled properly, and you know, it's not really a good situation he's got there, and hopefully, he's going to be alright," Hughes said following Vancouver's 5-4 loss Thursday to the Tampa Bay Lightning, according to The Province's Patrick Johnston.
When asked if the team wished it handled the decision for Pearson to have surgery differently, head coach Bruce Boudreau responded, "I have no idea, that's not my call."
He added: "I really like Tanner a lot, and so it really is sad news. Here's a guy, he's over 30, and you lose a year? It's really tough, and I feel for him. But I know he'll come back stronger than ever."
Pearson recorded a goal and four assists in 14 games this season. The 30-year-old is signed for one more year with a $3.25-million cap hit.
The Boston Bruins were blanked 3-0 by the Seattle Kraken on Thursday, marking their first regulation loss at TD Garden since April 14, 2022.
Boston began the season 19-0-3 at home before Thursday night. It was on a 26-0-3 run at TD Garden dating back to last season, including in the playoffs.
The Bruins still hold a comfortable lead atop the NHL standings with a 32-5-4 record.
The 31-year-old is the third-highest paid player on the team this season with a $7.26-million cap hit and is signed through 2026-27, per CapFriendly.
Vancouver dressed the following blue line instead:
LD
RD
Quinn Hughes
Luke Schenn
Travis Dermott
Tyler Myers
Riley Stillman
Ethan Bear
Ekman-Larsson has recorded a goal and 18 assists in 40 games this campaign with a minus-14 rating - second worst on the team. Despite being an asset on the penalty kill, his underlying numbers have been poor this season.
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The Canucks acquired Ekman-Larsson from the Arizona Coyotes during the 2021 offseason in a trade that also netted Vancouver winger Conor Garland in exchange for a first-round pick, a second-round pick, a seventh-rounder, Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, and Antoine Roussel. Arizona also retained 12% of Ekman-Larsson's $8.25-million cap hit.
We're less than two months away from the NHL trade deadline, and a new tantalizing chip has become available: Ivan Provorov. A report Tuesday indicated the Philadelphia Flyers are fielding calls on the defenseman.
Provorov's availability is at least somewhat surprising as he turns just 26 years old on Friday and is signed through 2024-25 with a $6.75-million cap hit. Of course, it's no guarantee a player with term gets moved the same season he becomes available (hello, Jakob Chychrun). However, a breakup between the player and team may be inevitable considering both sides are reportedly frustrated with the other.
Speaking of Chychrun, Provorov's availability will likely affect his market. Chychrun is the superior player and makes $2.15 million less per season, so he'll surely be in higher demand, but there are a lot of similarities between the two. They're both left-shot two-way defensemen in their mid-20s who've proven they can handle top-four minutes and come with two additional years of term.
Teams that strike out on Chychrun could turn to Provorov as a consolation prize, or clubs may prefer Provorov if the asking price is cheaper. It's also possible Provorov's availability drives down Chychrun's asking price.
But Provorov comes with red flags. He's posted poor underlying results over the last three seasons.
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The Flyers have been a porous team in that time, and the franchise has asked Provorov to log heavy minutes with a cast of rotating partners. Before that, he was one of the NHL's top young defensemen, and he even received down-ballot Norris Trophy votes in 2019-20.
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Provorov is also a workhorse, averaging over 24 minutes of ice time per contest over his seven-year career while missing only three games (all of them last season).
He clearly has a lot of upside left, and a change of scenery might be all it takes to unlock his elite form again. Here are five teams that should target Provorov in a trade.
Los Angeles Kings
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The Kings are among the most heavily rumored destinations for Chychrun - and arguably the most fitting. They'd be a sensible spot for Provorov, too.
L.A. has a need for a left-handed top-four defenseman. It has four quality right-handed rearguards, which is forcing Sean Durzi to play his off side. Adding Provorov while dealing from the surplus of right-shooting blue-liners would provide some much-needed balance to the Kings' back end.
They're also in go-for-it mode. General manager Rob Blake has done a tremendous job building the organization back up after the two Stanley Cups. But Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar aren't getting any younger. And with a lush farm system, Los Angeles has as much trade bait - or more - than any buyer in the league to swing a major deal.
While Blake would have to get a bit creative to accommodate Provorov's contract, the Kings have enough expendable assets in the $1-million to $3-million range to make the deal work from a cap perspective.
Edmonton Oilers
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The Oilers have reportedly expressed interest in Matt Dumba and just about every available defenseman. They're likely one of the teams that have already contacted the Flyers about Provorov.
A right-handed defenseman would be ideal for Edmonton, but a lefty would still help. It would just require Provorov, Darnell Nurse, or Brett Kulak switching to their off side.
It would be tight from a cap perspective for Edmonton to fit Provorov. Jesse Puljujarvi - who also needs a fresh start - and his $3-million cap hit would be a good starting point to make the trade work moneywise.
The Oilers have struggled to keep the puck out of their net this season as they battle for a playoff spot. Adding an established blue-liner like Provorov could be the missing ingredient.
Detroit Red Wings
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The Red Wings are a long shot for the playoffs this campaign, but they could still be aggressive on the trade market adding players with term for future seasons.
Detroit has two young right-handed defensemen to build around in Moritz Seider and Filip Hronek, and it could use a lefty like Provorov to complement them. The Wings also have plenty of cap space and trade assets.
GM Steve Yzerman was aggressive this offseason in free agency to help the Red Wings make strides. The time could be nearing for him to make a splash on the trade market.
Ottawa Senators
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The Senators are also reportedly interested in Dumba. However, adding someone with term, like Provorov, would make a lot more sense than a rental considering their playoff hopes are slim.
Next season could be the year the Sens take the next step. The blue line needs help, though. A righty would be ideal to pair with Thomas Chabot or Jake Sanderson, but adding another lefty would be worth it if someone is comfortable moving to their off side.
The Sens would have no issue fitting Provorov in from a cap perspective if they can find a way to convince the Flyers to take on the remainder of Nikita Zaitsev's contract. Including Zaitsev in a deal would only make Provorov's price higher.
Buffalo Sabres
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The Sabres are a team on the rise. They've already exceeded expectations this season by hanging around in the playoff picture. A postseason berth is still unlikely, but they're set up well for the future.
Buffalo has one of the league's most potent offenses, but it sometimes struggles to defend. The future of its blue line is very promising with Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson. However, the club could use one more blue-liner to round out a dynamite top four. Enter Provorov.
Dahlin, Power, and Samuelsson are all lefties. Dahlin has already shown the ability to play his off side. If one of the others could as well, they could form one of the league's best back ends.
GM Kevyn Adams has a staggering $18 million in cap space and one of the league's deepest prospect pipelines to deal from.
Dumba carries a $6-million cap hit and will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end. He recorded four goals and seven assists in 39 games this season while averaging 21:07 of ice time per contest. His underlying numbers have been poor this year.
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But the 10-year veteran and former seventh overall pick comes with plenty of pedigree. His best season came in 2017-18 when he racked up 14 goals and 36 assists. He's struggled with injuries and inconsistency in the five years since, never cracking 30 points or 70 games.
He also shoots right - a trait among defensemen that's often appealing to teams.
Minnesota is currently in a playoff spot and entered Tuesday sitting third in the Central Division with 47 points. As The Athletic's Michael Russo noted in December, it may require a lateral move or "hockey trade" for the Wild to move Dumba, rather than the typical seller's ask of draft picks and prospects.
The Senators, meanwhile, sit seventh in the Atlantic Division and 13th in the Eastern Conference at 18-19-3. That's not the status of a typical buyer, so they may look to extend Dumba as part of a trade.
Ottawa hasn't been shy about its interest in upgrading the blue line. GM Pierre Dorion was unsuccessful in his search for a top-four defenseman in the summer, and the team was linked to Chychrun in September.
New Jersey Devils head coach Lindy Ruff didn't mince words while discussing the performance of his top defenseman Dougie Hamilton after Thursday night's 5-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues.
"I didn't like his game. It's not good enough for our team to win. You can't get scored against," Ruff said postgame. "I keep telling the team, if you want to play more, you can't get scored against. If you're a young player and want to play, don't get scored against.
"So, obviously I thought he could have been better."
Hamilton picked up an assist but posted a minus-three rating and took a pair of minor penalties while logging a team-high 24:51 in the contest. The 6-foot-6 blue-liner, who's recorded 34 points in 39 games and a plus-14 rating on the campaign, signed a seven-year, $63-million contract with the Devils as a free agent in the 2021 offseason.
But New Jersey's highest-paid player wasn't the only target of Ruff's criticism. With Ondrej Palat returning to the lineup, the bench boss explained the decision to make rookie forward Fabian Zetterlund a healthy scratch.
"Look at the numbers. It's got to be better than that," Ruff said. "If you're not producing, then you better be hitting. If you're not doing either one, then you've got to bring something to the table.
"Look at what (Alexander Holtz) brought the night before, he deserved to stay in. (Zetterlund) needs to bring more. You've either got to produce, or you've got to be a guy that the other team hates playing against."
Zetterlund was getting some early Calder Trophy consideration after popping off for 13 points in his first 20 games this season. However, he's tallied just a lone assist in the 13 contests since, collecting 10 hits in that span.
The Devils have come crashing down to earth after a torrid start, going 3-8-2 in their last 13 games.
Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella bluntly voiced his displeasure with the NHL All-Star Weekend when asked about forward Travis Konecny's omission from the rosters unveiled Thursday.
"The whole weekend, I don't even watch it. … I don't give a shit," he told The Philadelphia Inquirer's Giana Han following the Flyers' 6-2 win against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.
Konecny is in the midst of a career year with 20 goals and 20 assists in 33 games this season. However, Kevin Hayes will be the Flyers' representative at the festivities.
Hayes, who racked up 10 goals and 25 assists in 38 contests, said the All-Star nod is an achievement his late brother Jimmy always wanted for him.
"It could have been a few guys in the room. It’s nice to get the selection," he said. "My brother wanted it for me, but I never thought it would happen. My family’s excited."
Dylan Guenther scored the golden goal as Canada won the World Junior Hockey Championship for the second year in a row, defeating Czechia 3-2 in overtime in Thursday's gold-medal game.
Canada got its revenge on the Czechs after losing to them 5-2 to open the tournament on Boxing Day.
This is the first time any country has gone back-to-back at the tournament since Canada won five years in a row from 2005 to 2009. Canada has now won the tournament five times in the last nine years and 20 times overall.
Czechia hasn't won the tournament since 2001, but a silver medal is still the nation's best result since that year.
The OT winner marked the second of the game for Guenther, the Arizona Coyotes' 2021 ninth-overall pick. He opened the scoring with a bar-down rocket from the left half wall on the power play.
Captain Shane Wright doubled Canada's lead in the second period, undressing a Czech defender before ripping home a lethal backhand into the top corner.
Canada held on to the 2-0 lead up until the latter half of the third period when Jiri Kulich and Jakub Kos scored 54 seconds apart to even things up for Czechia and send the game to overtime.
The goaltenders were stellar in the contest. Tomas Suchanek made 35 saves for the Czechs despite looking shaken up after Canada's Caedan Baniker ran him over in the second period, while Thomas Milic turned aside 24 shots for Canada. Both netminders are undrafted.
Canada will look to make it a three-peat next year in Sweden.
