Causeway Crowd’s Boston Bruins Newswire- 7/8/14
By Duncan Day
May 14, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33) skates away as the Montreal Canadiens celebrate after Chara deflected a shot into his own goal during the third period of Montreal
Boston Bruins Latest Updates
At the moment, the Boston Bruins aren’t in the midst of any breaking news, except the announcement of their new practice facility.
But some of the more recent B’s related news has involved Bruins prospects (considering impending development camp), Matt Bartkowski’s filing for salary arbitration and the positive attitude of Jarome Iginla, now with the Colorado Avalanche.
An official press release from the Boston Bruins detailed that the club has signed a letter of intent with development company Boston Landing to install a new practice rink in the Allston area, and it would most likely end up being closer to the TD Garden than Ristuccia. Supposedly, the facility will net 25,000 square feet, and construction will commence this coming spring and an estimated completion in Fall 2016.
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- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
The first report of Bartkowski and his salary arbitration came from WEEI.com. He was among 20 players in the NHL to file, and as a restricted free agent, he can strike a new deal with the Bruins because the hearings will start on July 20 and run until Aug. 14. His value would have to hit $3.5 million to give the B’s the choice of letting him go. However, based on his play last season, that number is steep and unrealistic.
CSNNE.com posted an video segment with Bruins insider Joe Haggerty discussing possible free agent targets for the Chiarelli and Co., having to abide by the slim salary cap. Haggerty points out that their best option is Lee Stempniak, a fairly consistent scorer and solid two-way player. Although not able to replace Iginla, his presence could allow Loui Eriksson to bump up to the first line, Haggerty explains.
In pre-development camp news, Evan Sporer of Boston.com released several scouting profiles on some of the skaters attending the sessions this week at Ristuccia Arena: goaltender Zane Gothberg of North Dakota, defenseman Rob O’Gara of Yale, defenseman Matt Benning of Northeastern and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk of Boston University.
Nicholas Goss of NESN.com displayed Iginla’s content in Colorado right now, as the veteran winger explains “the sky is the limit” for the young Avalanche. He believes they are truly a Stanley Cup contender, and he brings more of a physical scoring threat around the net that the Avs lacked in their 2014 playoff defeat.