Daily Bean: Bruins’ Olympic Updates; McKenna Freed, Panthers Protected First-Rounder

The Opening Ceremony happened, and it featured a lot of Bruins. The Olympics are now officially underway, though they started on Wednesday. The men’s hockey tournament opens on Feb. 11, and the women’s tournament is currently moving along. 

The Bruins now have eight representatives in Milan. Unfortunately for the Czech national team, Pavel Zacha will not be playing in the tournament – he will be replaced by Filip Chlapik. Last night, David Pastrnak carried the flag for Czechia. After the ceremonies, another Bruins’ Olympian took to 𝕏. He shared a slowed-down video, as well as a selfie, of a flying elbow he ate on Wednesday night. 

And the prospects were in action last night; they (for the most part) will be on the ice again tonight. 

The biggest news from yesterday came from Central Pennsylvania. A top prospect in the 2026 NHL Draft was charged with four counts, including a felony charge, but the felony charge was dropped yesterday. It could have landed him 20 years. Elsewhere around the league, the Panthers top-10 protection means something for the Bruins, the Rangers leadership has a message to send, and Edmonton has its eyes on Toronto.

Also, the Sharks released a website for their new rink.

Happy Saturday, enjoy the snow! It’s a busy Daily Bean, but here it is:

Boston Bruins

ZACHA TO MISS OLYMPICS: On Saturday morning, the Czech national team announced that Bruins’ forward Pavel Zacha will miss the Olympic tournament. The Bruins forward was injured on January 29, did not travel with the team for their trip to Florida, and still remains in Boston. 

HockeyGamedayTV (video via YouTube): David Pastrnak was the flag-bearer for Czechia yesterday; check it out here. 

Charlie McAvoy (post via 𝕏): After the Opening Ceremony from Milan, Charlie McAvoy took to 𝕏. McAvoy posted a slowed-down video of the flying elbow Sandis Vilmanis threw on Wednesday, as well as a photo of the aftermath. Remember when they fined William Nylander for a middle finger? 

NHL player agent Allan Walsh also chimed in on 𝕏 with his thoughts, including a f-bomb thrown at the NHL Department of Player Safety. 

GOALTENDING DEPTH: The Bruins could not afford a down year from their goaltenders. They have not gotten one; rather, they have gotten a rather successful year from the goalies within the organization, from the top to the bottom. Both teams also had a strong January between the pipes, with the Bruins posting an 11-2-1 record, and Michael DiPietro winning AHL Goaltender of the Month. 

Prospects Update

The Providence Bruins picked up a 3-1 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack (NYR) last night. It is the ninth-straight win for the red-hot Providence Bruins, and they play Hartford again at 7:00 PM. 

From last night:

James Hagens (BC): one goal vs. Vermont 

Elliotte Groenewold (Quinnipiac): one assist vs. Brown

Cooper Simpson (Youngstown, USHL): one goal, one shootout goal vs. Lincoln

Cole Chandler (Shawinigan, QMJHL): one assist vs. Rimouski

Today’s prospect schedule:

Miami Ohio (1) vs. Western Michigan (1) – 6:05 PM, Goggin Ice Center, Oxford, OH

Quinnipiac (2) vs. Yale – 7:00 PM, M&T Bank Arena, Hamden, CT

Cornell (1) vs. Colgate – 7:00 PM, Lynah Rink, Ithaca, NY

North Dakota (1) vs. Minnesota-Duluth – 8:07 PM, AMSOIL Arena, Duluth, MN 

Minnesota (1) vs. Ohio State – 9:00 PM, 3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis, MN

QMJHL: Shawinigan (1) vs. Baie-Comeau – 4:00 PM, Centre Gervais Auto, Shawinigan, QC

USHL: Youngstown (1) vs. Lincoln – 7:05 PM, The Ice Box, Lincoln, NE

NHL News & National Hockey Now

ESPN: Gavin McKenna’s felony aggravated assault charge was dropped yesterday. The highly touted prospect was charged with four counts earlier in the week. The charge could have landed him in prison for a maximum of 20 years. Prosecution will still pursue the other charges. 

Chicago Hockey Now: The Blackhawks and Panthers made a trade last year. Yesterday (11 months later), we learned that Florida had a top-10 protection clause on their draft pick. If the season were to end today, the Panthers would hold on to their pick as it is No. 10. The news raised some eyebrows around the league, but the Blackhawks front office knew the whole time.

Yesterday, I mentioned this. What I did not mention is that if the pick is in the top 10, it comes back to Florida, and then their 2027 first-rounder goes to Chicago. However, the Bruins own the Panthers’ 2027 first-round pick; if Chicago slides, Boston will too, and the B’s will acquire a 2028 first-round pick in the Brad Marchand trade.

San Jose Hockey Now: The Sharks announced a $425 million renovation to their arena. They released a website with the renderings. The arena is very teal, which the Sharks’ president hinted at when he called it a “Teal Reimagination.” The end goal? “We want to make this a literal shark tank,” the president said. 

Forever Blueshirts: The Rangers are well-represented on Team USA, but they have not played so well in their own blue sweaters. They rank at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 22-29-6 record. Rangers captain JT Miller was at a loss for words in their postgame on Thursday. Coach Mike Sullivan was also frustrated, although he appeared positive. The two have time together over the break. Can they work together to make sure that the message gets across when they return? 

Toronto Hockey Now: Edmonton has its eyes on Toronto, but it’s not for Bobby McMann. Per David Pagnotta, the Oilers are looking at Nicolas Roy and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. He also added that the two teams had discussions ahead of the roster freeze, and that it is something to keep an eye on coming out of the Olympic break. If they made him available, OEL would become one of the Maple Leafs’ top trade assets at the deadline – he is 34 and signed at $3.5 million through the 2027-28 season.

Detroit Hockey Now: Artemi Panarin was traded to Los Angeles this week. Not before Patrick Kane tried recruiting him to the Red Wings. Panarin joked with Kane every time, saying that he “hates” him: “That’s why I’m not coming to Detroit.” The Red Wings did not have a chance, though. Panarin only wanted to go to the Kings, and he used his no-movement clause to land in Southern California. 

Today’s Olympic Schedule

6:10 AM: Germany 5 vs. 2 Japan (box score, video highlights)

8:40 AM: Sweden 6 vs. 1 Italy (box score, video highlights) – reair at 9:00 PM on USA

10:40 AM: USA 5 vs. 0 Finland (box score, video highlights) – reair at 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM on USA

3:10 PM: Switzerland vs. Canada (USA Network)

Tomorrow: 

10:40 AM: France vs. Sweden (Peacock) – reair at 8:30 PM on USA

3:10 PM: Czechia vs. Finland (Peacock) – airing at 5:00 PM on USA