Updated:
It was a scary moment in Ottawa when Senators forward Clarke MacArthur attempt to break up a Caroloina 3-on-1 breakaway then slammed into his goalie, Robin Lehner. It was a violent collision that injured both players.
Lehner was able to get up to his skates and make his way to the locker room. MacArthur required more assistance to get up and off the ice.
#Sens Lehner and MacArthur will not return to tonight's game.
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) February 17, 2015
The Senators have announced that Lehner and MacArthur ware done for the evening.
Their statuses will be updated.
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Something is going on in Beantown. I can't put my finger on it. Yet.
On Sunday afternoon, the AHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins, the Providence Bruins, postponed their home game with Manchester Monarchs due to nasty weather in New England. The game was rescheduled for today at 3pm EDT. What better way to spend a President's Day than at an entertaining hockey matinee?
No worries. Bad weather has been forcing delays, closures, postponements in every industry in the northeast this winter. Its common sense to shelter your fans, players, coaches and arena operations team from the treacherous driving conditions that have existed in and around New England for the past month and a half.
No harm, no foul. Life hands you a blizzard of snow, you make snowballs. Life goes on.
This story took a serious turn when the Boston Bruins called up Providence starting goalie Malcolm Subban. The Bruins are in Calgary right now. They play the Flames in a must-win game tonight. The call-up doesn't impact tonight's Bruins-Flames tilt because it would have taken Subban the whole day to jet to Calgary. Never mind trying to play In an NHL game the same night after sitting on an airplane all day.
Subban was called up presumably to start the game against Edmonton.
In Providence, the Subban call up prompted PBruins coaches to start their strength coach Paul Kenny as the backup goalie for the PBruins-Manchester game on Monday.
Who does that?
Why did Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli summon Subban immediately to the great plains of Alberta rather than jetting him out after the matinee in Providence?
Methinks Chiarelli is about to showcase Subban for a trade.
After talking to Bruins source, it doesn't sound like any deal involving Subban is on table at this time. Tomorrow or next week, who knows?
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) February 16, 2015The Bruins hosted Malcolm's older brother P.K. and the Montreal Canadiens last Sunday. The Bruins lost the game 3-1.
Claude Julien didn't play Malcolm against P.K.
On Monday, Julien spoke to the Bruins website about the Malcolm strategy.
"I know that we had planned on calling him up at some point," Julien said. "I don't expect him here tonight [in Calgary], so I guess the rest will be up to management to deal with that."
Is there a Malcolm Subban trdae percolating?
My guess is that Julien will start Malcolm against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night. I don't think that it would be good business to throw the kid to the wolves when Boston visits St. Louis and Chicago later this week.
"I don't expect him here tonight, but I know we were talking about calling him up, so I'm not denying it, I'm just saying - I haven't talked to Peter yet today," Julien said, when asked if Subban would be joining them in Edmonton.
NikSvedberg will backup Tuukka Rask in Calgary.
Is Svedberg on the outs? What does the Subban call up meaa, Clode?
"Nothing," Julien said. "I think we went through that with our goaltender last year, with Chad Johnson, and he still remained our No. 2 goaltender."
"All it is - is No. 1, it's competition, No. 2, it's an opportunity. You know, Malcolm was with us for the week there, so we didn't get a chance to play him. Maybe after a week and going back, he gets that opportunity."
Subban received his first NHL recall on January 30. He spent 10 days with the Bruins before being sent back down to Providence. Subban did not get a chance to show his wears for the Bruins and other NHL teams to see.
He will now likely get that chance in Edmonton.
LT. Playing him in NHL games gives Bruins & others a chance to assess where he is. Sounds like deal for backup has at least been discussed.
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) February 16, 2015
Why would the Bruins trade Subban, their 2012 first round (24th overall) draft choice?
Two reasons:
1. The Bruins are perilously close to losing their Eastern Conference wild card berth. When the Florida Panther lost to St. Louis in the shoot on Sunday night, the Bruins' lead over the Cats dwindled to 3 points. Its time for desperate measures in Boston. Julien and Chiarelli have been mandated to get the Bruins into the postseason dance. If they fail to make the playoffs this season, heads might roll. The Bruins are no longer a tough team to play against. They have lost too much grit in recent years in Shawn Thornton, Nathan Horton, Johnny Boychuk, Tim Thomas and others.
2). Tuukka Rask has four years remaining on his current contract at an AAV of $7.5 million. Subban, the Belleville Bulls star is 21 years of age. He has earned the right to matriculate to the NHL. If not with the Bruins then with a team on the rise that needs a starting goalie. That team would be the Buffalo Sabres. GM Tim Murray scouted Subban extensively in the OHL. Murray knows the kid like the back of his deal-making hands. The Sabres have two goalie prospects, Linus Ullmark and Jhonas Johanssen, currently playing in Sweden. The two big Swedes are not ready to make their transition to North America this season or next. Murray may be targeting Subban because he may feel that Subban is better acclimated to make the seamless segue from the AHL to the NHL.
At what price Subban?
Chiarelli is desperate to add a forward with size, skill, scoring and truculence. That forward is Chris Stewart. Save your "Stewart is a pending UFA and Chiarelli would never trade for him" smack. Nashville GM David Poile traded his 2015 first round draft choice, a prospect, and Olli Jokinen for two pending UFAs in Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli.
Pete Chiarelli needs a solution to his team's troublesome, inconsistent play. Stewart, a goalie prospect and a second rounder should be able to secure Subban, who may never get a chance to be the #1 goalie in Boston. Sitting and waiting for four years for Rask's deal to expire is ludicrous. Subban is 21. He is not going to wait patiently until age 25 for the chance to compete to be the #1 goalie for the Bruins.
Subban would skate right into Buffalo's crease and be there #1 goalie next season.
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