Daily Bean: Bruins Gameday, Rangers Statement, Andersson Talks Continue

Happy Saturday, and it’s a Boston Bruins gameday. The Bruins finished their homestand on Thursday, picking up wins in all five contests, and now they look forward to two games on the road against the Central Division. 

Trade rumors have continued to float around the Boston Bruins, namely with Rasmus Andersson. No news is official yet, but it is definitely worth watching. 

Around the league, the New York Rangers made headlines on Friday, releasing a statement informing their fans of a retool. It is not a rebuild on Broadway. Trade talks surrounding the Rangers have increased as well; they are not extending one of their star players. Continuing in trade talks, the Dallas Stars have an intriguing option to weigh: Jason Robertson. Also, the Blue Jackets made a coaching change earlier in the week, which was unexpected, even down to the coach who was fired. 

Florida was drummed last night, losing to the tune of 9-1 in Raleigh, NC. Surprisingly, the Avalanche also lost, not as badly as Florida, but it was their first home loss of the season. Catch it all in today’s edition of the Daily Bean. 

Boston Bruins

The Bruins (27-19-2) take on the Chicago Blackhawks (19-21-7) at the United Center tonight. As they hit the road for two games, Boston is looking to add to their five-game winning streak. The black and gold faced Chicago on October 9, the home opener, and picked up a 4-3 win led by a Fraser Minten overtime winner. 

Trade talks surrounding Rasmus Andersson have continued to heat up. Per TSN’s Darren Dreger, four teams remain in the mix for the Swedish defenseman. Boston is one of them; it is Detroit that might not be in anymore. Andersson is due for a new contract at the end of the season. Trade rumors have continued to swirl on X, making this gameday all the more interesting. 

Calgary plays at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday; it is still undetermined whether Andersson will play. 

Also, Bruins’ prospect Matt Poitras has switched his agents, per Darren Dreger. 

NHL News & National Hockey Now

Forever Blueshirts: “This will not be a rebuild.” The New York Rangers statement was a part of yesterday’s Daily Bean. However, John Kreiser’s analysis of it was not. Kreiser dives into what the message means and what Ranger players could be on their way out. 

Sportsnet: Mollie Walker of the New York Post reported that the Rangers front office will not offer Artemi Panarin a contract extension. The 34-year-old Russian is on an expiring contract and has recently risen to the center of recent trade talks. 

The Athletic ($): “Without sounding like a whiny or petty little whatever, I don’t think [the firing] should have happened.” The Columbus Blue Jackets fired their head coach on Monday and replaced him with Rick Bowness. Evason, who was in year two of the job, wonders why. Columbus sat in 15th in the Eastern Conference, only ahead of the Rangers. 

Florida Hockey Now: A day removed from their White House visit, the Florida Panthers dropped an ugly one on Raleigh, losing to the Hurricanes 9-1. As hard as it is to imagine, Sergei Bobrovsky prevented this game from being any worse for Florida. In George Richards’ breakdown, he says that, “If it wasn’t for Bobrovsky, Florida could have been down nine goals midway through the second period.” For the Panthers, it started slow and evidently got worse. 

Colorado Hockey Now: “There were no positives. There really weren’t,” said the Avalanche head coach. It took until January 16 and until game 23, but the Colorado Avalanche have finally lost on home ice. The Avalanche fall to 2-3-1 in their last six. The Nashville Predators won 7-3, scoring five goals on 28 shots before adding two empty-net goals to wrap the game. Aarif Deen has the postgame breakdown from Denver.

Bleacher Report: Jason Robertson has been involved in rumors as trade talks continue. The 26-year-old American winger is in the final year of a four-year deal, which comes with a $7.75 million cap hit. He has 27 goals and 56 points in 48 games this year, and has a career total of 450 points. Lyle Richardson looks at five potential landing spots for Robertson, as the scoring winger could be looking at an AAV of over $12 million. However, Dallas is in win-now mode, holding onto Robertson might be in their best interest.