BHN Puck Links: Boston Bruins Prepare For NHL Expansion Draft

Today is the day that the NHL roster freeze goes into effect for the NHL expansion draft, and the day that all 31 NHL teams, including the Boston Bruins, must submit their protected lists to the league by 5 pm ahead of the Seattle Kraken’s expansion draft.

We’ve already outlined what we think the Boston Bruins are going to do if they don’t make any seismic roster moves ahead of this week’s expansion draft deadlines. The most likely player that the Black and Gold are going to lose is either defenseman Jeremy Lauzon or Connor Clifton depending on which way the Kraken opt to move, but either way it’s going to leave the Boston Bruins with another vacancy on the back end where Kevan Miller has retired, Mike Reilly is a big question mark to return and both Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara were gone ahead of this past season.

That’s why it makes perfect sense that the Bruins are going to make a run at the newly available Ryan Suter, and will be suitors for free agents Alex Martinez, Jamie Oleksiak or potential trade targets like Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Certainly, the newly available Keith Yandle should be included in that category, particularly if the Bruins can pencil him in as a third pair defenseman moving pucks and logging power play time where he’s at his best.

It all makes a couple of things clear: The Boston Bruins have the cap space and willingness to be in on just about anything that will improve the team, and nothing is set in stone for them amidst a player market that’s changing by the day. It’s going to be a wild, wooly 24 hours, so buckle up and we’ll have some answers for the Black and Gold this weekend as a big tidal wave of moves away the entire NHL once teams move past the expansion draft. Now on to the BHN Puck Links:

*Could the Pittsburgh Penguins actually afford to take a run at Zach Hyman if he reaches free agency? FOH (Friend of Haggs) Dan Kingerski thinks so. (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

*The New York Islanders are going to miss Nick Leddy for sure, but they were going to lose him for nothing in the expansion draft anyway and desperately needed the cap space. (NYI Hockey Now)

*Conversely, Leddy is exactly what the Detroit Red Wings needed as they’ve got tons of cap space to play with for team improvements this summer. (Detroit Hockey Now)

*Is Nick Jensen the lost likely asset for the Washington Capitals to lose in the NHL expansion draft? (Washington Hockey Now)

*Will the Flyers make a big move ahead of the NHL expansion draft deadline as Chuck Fletcher looks to make some big moves? (Philly Hockey Now)

*Speaking of Suter, here’s a good piece from FOH (Friend of Haggs) Mike Russo breaking down where both Ryan Suter and Zach Parise are at this point now that they’re both free to sign and play for whomever they want. (The Athletic)

*Could Ben Bishop be an option for the Boston Bruins as he’s waived his no-movement clause ahead of the NHL expansion draft? Interesting things to ponder with so much up in the air for the Black and Gold. (Dallas News)

*Pretty impressive stuff from Mike Modano on the golf course.

MIKE MODANO MAKING HISTORY.

Congrats on the first ever double-eagle at the @ACChampionship! 🦅 🦅

pic.twitter.com/DoPFksJWRS

— NHL on NBC Sports (@NHLonNBCSports) July 10, 2021

*All your burning questions about “Quest For the Stanley Cup” answered if you watched the series. (ESPN.com)

*For something completely different: Mark Hamill was as stunned as anybody else when he was asked to reprise his Luke Skywalker role for the Mandalorian. (New York Post)