BHN Daily: Could Boston Bruins Have Trade Piece in Cehlarik?

While all the Boston Bruins organizational attention will be on Wednesday night’s do-or-die Game 6 against the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum, there are still other happenings involving the team around the hockey world. One of them was the standout performance for former Boston Bruins prospect Peter Cehlarik with Team Slovakia at the IIHF World Championships earlier this month.

The 25-year-old Cehlarik finished with five goals and 11 points in eight games for the Slovaks during the tournament and played like the skilled power forward that the B’s always projected him to be after taking him in the third round back in the 2013 NHL Draft.

The big winger played 40 games over the span of four seasons for the Bruins, but never established himself while managing just an assist in three games during the 2019-20 season before not being asked to come back for the Toronto bubble playoff roster.

Things broke down at the end of Cehlarik’s time with the Bruins organization and he had some choice words for the organization once he made it back to Europe at the end of the 2019-20 NHL season, so it isn’t expected that he’d return to the Black and Gold.

The interesting wrinkle is that the Bruins still own Cehlarik’s NHL rights after the European winger bolted North America to play in Sweden this season. He won’t be a free agent for NHL purposes until 2023, so the Boston Bruins may have a chance to recoup the third round pick they used on him if another NHL team is looking for forward help.

Certainly, they would be looking to deal Cehlarik at a high point in his value right now after a solid season in Sweden (20 goals and 40 points in 45 games) followed by his star turn as a leading scorer at the World Championships. Now could be that time for Cehlarik and the Boston Bruins to part ways and for the B’s to recoup their losses.

Now on to the BHN Puck Links:

*The Bruins are starting Tuukka Rask in net despite the physical issues he’s having in the playoffs and a clearly worsening body of work as the workload gets heavier. Will they come to regret not playing Jeremy Swayman? (Boston Hockey Now)

*Certainly, the Boston Bruins are hoping that Playoff Krejci shows up to lead Taylor Hall and Craig Smith in a must-win Game 6.

David Krejci’s 24 points (4-20—24 in 23 GP) in potential elimination games are the second most in @NHLBruins history, trailing only Ray Bourque (6-30—36 in 34 GP). #NHLStats #StanleyCup

📺: Game 6, NYI vs. BOS at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, SN, TVAS, CBC pic.twitter.com/53xvAh99XJ

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 9, 2021

*The Colorado Avalanche absorbed a gut punch loss in overtime to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night, but FOH (Friend of Haggs) Adrian Dater says the Avs says they still have a chance to prove they’re not just another “pretty, but not gritty” hockey team. (Colorado Hockey Now)

*Props to Oskar Lindblom being named a Masterton Trophy finalist after returning from cancer to play for the Flyers this season. (Philly Hockey Now)

*Looks like the New York Islanders media and Isles fans are licking their chops to have Bruce Cassidy come back to Nassau Coliseum for Game 6. Be careful what you wish for, Islanders faithful! (New York Post)

*Could Vladimir Tarasenko be among some surprise names exposed in the NHL expansion draft for the Seattle Kraken? (Bleacher Report)

*Great hire by ESPN as PK Subban is hopping on board the worldwide leader as an NHL analyst starting immediately. He’s a natural for TV.

NEWS: P.K. Subban to ESPN as an NHL analyst, according to a source. He will debut tonight on SportsCenter tonight.

— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) June 9, 2021

*For something completely different: It’s a great first episode of Loki on Disney+ that immediately made me want to see more of the series moving forward. (Rolling Stone)