BHN Daily Links: Bruins Final Bound, Craig MacTavish To KHL, Draft Talk

The Boston Bruins are off to the Stanley Cup Final for the third time this decade. The club blanked the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 in Game 4 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Final last night to complete a truly dominating sweep of the Cinderella Canes. Fittingly, GM Don Sweeney was named a finalist for the GM of the Year Award pregame along with Carolina’s Don Waddell and St. Louis’ Doug Armstrong. It was quite a night for the B’s.

Boston was able to sweep the series without the services of Zdeno Chara, who missed Game 4 with an undisclosed injury. As Murph pointed out this morning, it didn’t matter as the B’s defense stepped up in a significant way and shut down Carolina’s top weapons.

Here’s what else is happening around the NHL on this Friday afternoon.

The Ken Holland era has seen its first bloodshed in Edmonton. Longtime Oiler Craig MacTavish is stepping away from the organization to take a head coaching job in the KHL after six seasons in an executive role. The former player and coach spent two seasons as the club’s GM, being shifted aside in favor of Peter Chiarelli in 2015. (The Oilers Rig)

The NHL Draft has become a breeding ground for both trade rumors and trade action over the years. We could see some serious fireworks this June as five teams have multiple first-round picks heading to Vancouver. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox warns fans to beware of those teams. (Sportsnet)

Big news out of New York yesterday as Rangers Senior Vice President and Assistant GM Jim Schoenfeld stepped away from the organization after 17 seasons. The Rangers are expected to be targeting Columbus’ John Davidson for their vacant President of Hockey Operations role. (Blueshirt Banter)

The NHL’s officiating has been under fire all playoffs long for bad calls in almost every series. Is this a case of trying to manage the game too closely? (TSN)