Boston Bruins: Malcolm Subban recalled from Providence.
The Boston Bruins announced today that Boston’s back-up goaltender Niklas Svedberg will join the Providence Bruins (American Hockey League) on a ‘conditioning loan’. With Svedberg heading back to Providence, the Bruins have called up Providence Bruins’ primary goaltender Malcolm Subban. This will be Subban’s first call up to the NHL.
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The promotion is a little odd. While he did earn the AHL’s Player of the Week mention for his play last week (2-1-0, .099 goals against, .967 save percentage), Subban hasn’t had the best record playing in Providence. In his twenty-two games playing for the Baby B’s, Subban has gone 9-10-2 with a .921 save percentage and a 2.47 goals against average. Providence’s number two goaltender Jeremy Smith has better numbers than Subban. Smith has a 12-6-4 record, with a .926 save percentage and a 2.23 goals against average.
Niklas Svedberg has had a decent season in Boston so far. He has a 5-5-0 record(two shutouts), a 2.22 goals against average and .922 save percentage.
So, why send down a respectable goaltender and promote the one that isn’t doing as well? There are a few possibilities:
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Get Providence back in the playoff hunt. Currently, the Providence Bruins are in tenth place in the Eastern Conference. Tonight, they are taking on the ninth place Worcester Sharks. The Bruins might be bringing a Boston goalie to help the B’s climb back into playoff contention. Svedberg has plenty of AHL experience, and he knows the ice at the Dunkin Donuts Center really well.
Subban vs Subban. The Boston Bruins will be taking on the Montreal Canadiens on February 8th in Boston. Ever since the Bruins drafted Malcolm Subban in the first round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, fans have been anticipating this moment. Malcolm’s promotion to Boston at this time will certainly generate a proper amount of buzz in the hockey world. It will certainly be interesting to find out if the younger Subban is ready to play at the NHL level.
Getting Svedberg more ice time. It looks like the Bruins are getting ready for their final push to secure a more stable playoff spot. It also looks like they’re going to put the burden of the work on Tuukka Rask. With Rask getting a lot more play time, the conditioning loan makes sense. They’re going to want to keep their number two goaltender ready. The AHL tends to see a lot more crazy shots fired on goal, and it will certainly keep Svedberg in practice.
The Bruins will be back in Boston to take on the slumping Los Angeles Kings tomorrow night. Malcolm Subban could see his first NHL regular season action, and it will certainly be a good gauge to see if he’s ready.