BHN Puck Links: Are The Boston Bruins Listening To Offers For Rask?

As the Stanley Cup Final rolls on with the Tampa Bay Lightning up 2-1 on the Dallas Stars, there’s still plenty of Boston Bruins news and plenty of trade chatter and rumors. Are the Bruins listening to trade offers on goalie Tuukka Rask?

Also, some sobering news about the aftermath of an NHL career spent on painkillers and an inspirational message from the wife of former Bruins forward Colby Cave who passed away last April. That and more in the latest BHN Links:

Are The Boston Bruins Listening On Rask?

Frank Seravalli of TSN did his first NHL Trade Bait column of the offseason and categorized the teams by salary cap space and how that will affect what they do in the trade market. When he got to the Boston Bruins, Seravalli said that there has been some chatter around the league that the Bruins may be listening to trade offers on Rask. This comes not even a month after General Manager Don Sweeney said he has ‘no reservations’ about the embattled netminder being back with the Bruins next season. Hmmm…

Boston Bruins UFA Kevan Miller Is ‘Ready To Play’

After a long and winding road to recovery from two broken kneecaps and subsequent surgery, Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller has declared himself ready to play. Miller’s agent Peter Fish tweeted a video of Miller working out without pain and the rugged defenseman is clearly in great shape. Now the question is, will the unrestricted free-agent-to-be be back with the Bruins or playing elsewhere next season?

Former Boston Bruins F David Backes Won’t Be Bought Out

Andy Strickland, the St. Louis Blues Rinkside Reporter of Fox Sports Midwest tweeted Wednesday that former Boston Bruins forward David Backes will not be bought out by the Anaheim Ducks. The buyout period begins Friday but Backes was told by Ducks management that they want him back for 2020-21. The Bruins retained $1.5 million of Backes’ $6 million cap hit when they dealt him to the Ducks back in February. If he had been bought out, the Bruins still would’ve been on the hook for 25 percent of the revised cap hit. 

The Anaheim Ducks have told David Backes they intend to keep him and expect him to be a regular in the lineup in what could be his final season. Backes is 50 games shy of a 1000 for his career and has been working with a skating coach twice a week in Minny.

— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) September 23, 2020

The Trade That Never Was?

On ‘The Boss’ 71st birthday, our boss, Dan Kingerski, was caught in a whirlwind day tracking down a potential trade. On Wednesday morning, Kevin Weekes of NHL Network reported that the Pittsburgh Penguins were on the verge of sending forward Patric Hornqvist to the Florida Panthers for former Boston College defenseman Mike Matheson. Then all hell broke loose! Kingerski gives a great and accurate chronology of how the trade basically fell apart at the seams as the day went on. 

Fleury To The Ottawa Senators?

Ever since Vegas Golden Knights head coach Pete DeBoer decided to run with Robin Lehner and not incumbent starter Marc-Andre-Fleury in the playoffs and Fleury’s agent Allan Walsh took a Twitter jab at DeBoer, Fleury has been a constant on the trade rumor circuit. Our new colleague Tom Callahan of our new sister site Vegas Hockey Now wonders if the Senators could be a fit for Fleury given the departure of longtime Sens netminder Craig Anderson and the whopping cap space Ottawa has?

Stamkos Makes Short But Huge Impact In Game 3

Playing in his first game since February 25 and first game in the playoffs, Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos made a huge impact on the series in a very limited appearance. Stamkos scored 6:58 into the game to give the Lightning a 2-0 lead but played five shifts for 2:47, leaving the game with 6:18 left in the first period. The Lightning went on to rout the Dallas Stars 5-2 and take a 2-1 series lead in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final. 

Stars Big Guns Silenced Again

Could Stars captain Jamie Benn find himself on the fourth line in Game 4 as he did in the second round of the playoffs when he struggled to score and find his game? Benn and his linemates Tyler Seguin and Alex Radulov are pointless through the first three games of the series. Dropping Benn down sparked the Stars captain before, will head coach Rick Bowness do it again?

Painkillers Causing Pain For Ex And Current NHLers

Rick Westhead of TSN dives deep into one of the darkest parts of the NHL, the over-prescribed and addictive painkillers players are forced to take to survive in the league. Really sobering stuff here. 

Emily Cave Shares The Love Of The Hockey Community

When former Boston Bruins forward Colby Cave suffered a brain bleed and ended up in a coma last April, the NHL community and all the people Cave influenced in the game, sent videos to Cave’s wife Emily for her to play for him as he laid in a coma. She was never able to play all of them because there were so many but those videos are helping her cope with the loss of her beloved husband.