Bruins Brief: Bruins Cuts; Leafs Trade Bait; Canadiens Go Young

The Boston Bruins have a few hundred thousand left in the salary cap safe as they pared their roster down to its final version, at least for now. The Toronto Maple Leafs have a young defenseman on thin ice and chumming the NHL trade waters, while the Montreal Canadiens eschewed an NHL veteran to keep a couple of exciting kids. It’s going to be a wild ride in the Atlantic Division, and the capper is the Florida Panthers got their Stanley Cup rings.

Tonight is the night we’ve been waiting for. The games finally count.

Bruins Ready To Start Season

The 2024-25 season begins this evening, and we know who will be on the Bruins roster.

Boston’s opening night roster features many of the names you’d expect. Yes, there’s David Pastrnak. There’s Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy. But one name that may be a surprise to some is Cole Koepke, who made the roster after being an under-the-radar signing by the Bruins this past summer.

One player who didn’t make the final 23-man cut is Tyler Johnson.

Johnson joined the Bruins on a professional tryout contract during training camp and, by all accounts, performed well. Nevertheless, he did not earn a guaranteed contract with the team. At least not to start the season, that is.

Like Danton Heinen did last season, Johnson can still travel and practice with the Bruins while signed to the PTO and has until the trade deadline on March 7 to sign a guaranteed deal.

But above all else, the Bruins roll into the season with all their cornerstones set in place after, at long last, agreeing with goalie Jeremy Swayman on an eight-year, $66 million contract extension over the weekend.

Ladies and gentlemen, hockey season is here, and how sweet it is.

Panthers Receive Stanley Cup Rings

The Bruins will begin their season in Sunrise, Florida, watching the defending Stanley Cup Champions raise their championship banner to the rafters at Amarant Bank Arena.

Last night, the Florida Panthers received their Stanley Cup rings.

How the #FlaPanthers saw their rings for the first time – right out of the box! pic.twitter.com/tNIZSPN8Nl

— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) October 7, 2024

Pacioretty Signs In Toronto

Max Pacioretty officially has a new home after signing a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs worth $873,770 on Monday. Along with Pacioretty, the Maple Leafs also agreed to deals with Steven Lorentz and Cade Webber.

🖋️ We’ve signed Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz to one-year contracts and Cade Webber to a two-year contract extension pic.twitter.com/odzWckDngm

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 7, 2024

Pacioretty, 35, played on a professional tryout contract for the Maple Leafs during the preseason. Now, he joins them on a guaranteed contract and should provide a heavy dose of veteran experience to a Toronto team under immense pressure to make a deep playoff run this year.

Entering his 17th NHL season, Pacioretty has 668 points and 330 goals in 902 career games for the Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, and Washington Capitals.

NHL Schedule

All Times EST

Boston Bruins v. Florida Panthers, 7 p.m.

St. Louis Blues v. Seattle Kraken, 4:30 p.m.

Chicago Blackhawks v. Utah Hockey Club, 10 p.m.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

Montreal Hockey Now: The kids are loose up North. The Bleu Blanc et Rouge paid no attention to birth certificates or NHL experience when finalizing their roster. In fact. GM Kent Hughes cut one veteran for two rooks on the Montreal Canadiens roster.

Buffalo Hockey Now: It was a painful trip across the pond for those terminally snowbound Buffalo Sabres as the injuries mounted in the first two games of the season. On their way back home, they lost goaltending depth when James Reimer was claimed on waivers. Sabres news.

Detroit Hockey Now: Generally speaking, most teams try to begin the regular season without any questions. The Detroit Red Wings are not most teams. There’s still uncertainty over who the top goalie is in Hockey Town.

New York Times ($): Young defenseman in the press box. It’s not a good look for the Maple Leafs, and the stories are swirling that Timothy Liljegren is the latest chum in the NHL trade bait bucket.

NYI Hockey Now: Piere Engvall began last season with a brand new seven-year contract. This year, he begins it on waivers. Is that a sign of a new era for the New York Islanders?

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Kyle Dubas discussed both the near and distant future in his season-opening press conference on Monday. One thing he didn’t mention was the past. The Pittsburgh Penguins are working toward a new chapter, no matter how far off it is.

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