On the Boston Bruins …
Joe Haggerty of CSNNE: The Boston Bruins have been looking for a left winger, and one that can score goals.
Ilya Kovalchuk is a scoring left winger and is looking to return to the NHL. He’ll likely be looking for more than $6 million a season and the Bruins should stay away from him. He’s talented but there is risk attached to him.
The New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues are rumored to be interested.
To acquire Kovalchuk, the Bruins would have to give up picks or prospects and then overpay on a contract. There are better options out there such as Gabriel Landeskog or Matt Duchene.
If they don’t go internal for a left winger, cheaper free agent options could be Patrick Sharp or Patrick Marleau.
On the Philadelphia Flyers …
Sam Carchidi: The Flyers could have as many as six rookies on their roster next year – Sam Morin, Robert Hagg, Oskar Lindblom, Nico Hischier or Nolan Patrick, Anthony Stolarz and Mike Vacchione – but that might be too many for GM Ron Hextall.
“Well, I don’t quite see it like you do,” he said Friday. “But in a perfect world, you have two, three rookies on your team every year. There’s a certain excitement, a certain influx of youth, that they infect the team with. It’s kind of what you want every year. If we put two, three rookies in the lineup every year, that’s terrific.”
Added Hextall: “Six is a little much. But if they’re the best players and will make you a better team. I’m not afraid of having young players in my lineup. You guys know how I operate. I don’t put a guy in because he is a first-round pick.”
Hextall is also talking to teams about their No. 2 pick and could move down if someone pays heavily. It would be surprise if they moved it though.