Upgrade: Bruins Star Player Increase Three More Years Ahead Of His Contract… He Announced That….

The Washington Capitals road trip continues at the Boston Bruins before they’re at home against the Vancouver Canucks. Caps are in a plight. Those are the two best teams in the league right now and it’s back to back. Puck drop is 3:30 on ABC and ESPN plus. You can hear the game with radio voice John Walton on the call on 106.7 The Fan and Caps Radio 24/7.

Per Bailey Johnson from The Washington Post, the Capitals skated for about 25 minutes yesterday but here are your lines:

Ovechkin-Strome-Oshie
Protas-McMichael-Mantha
Pacioretty-Sgarbossa-Wilson
Malenstyn-Dowd-NAK

Fehervary-Carlson
Sandin-Jensen
Edmundson-Bear

In other Caps news in Boston, Ryan Leonard had a goal. He was the Caps first rounder last year at #9 overall.

Back to the varsity squad, Nicolas Aube-Kubel draws in. T.J. Oshie moves up top. Anthony Mantha is on the second line. Tom Wilson drops to the third line after he was Top Line Tom the other night. Your starting goalie is Charlie Lindgren. Which could or could not mean Darcy Kuemper gets the net tomorrow depending on today’s performance…

Some folks think the Caps should lose out and get a higher pick. But it’s easier said than done. This isn’t the NFL where you can just flat out tank for the good pick. It’s literally luck of the draw in the form of a ping pong ball. That’s how the team got a generational talent in Alexander Ovechkin.

In other news, per our friends at CapFriendly, Max Pacioretty is expected to play in his 15th game this season today. That means he gets paid in performance bonus up to $500k.

Welcome to another edition of NHL Rumours! Everything is in full swing, as the second half of the season is underway. The race for the playoffs is here and teams will begin to gauge where they stand. The trade deadline is under a month away, so the fireworks are going to be set off sooner than later. Today we focus on the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers.

NHL Rumours

Boston Bruins

Rumour: The Fourth Period links a connection of Noah Hanifin to the Boston Bruins

It is no secret that Don Sweeney has a soft spot for defenceman Noah Hanifin. This is a player that Sweeney wanted to draft in 2015, but could not muster up a move to slide up. Ever since then Hanifin has been linked to Boston and continues to this deadline.

One thing to note is that the Bruins do not seem to be afraid of making the big splash trade this deadline. They were the team that was in the mix for centre Elias Lindholm but an extension could not be agreed on. Sweeney has made trades like this before, as he acquired Hampus Lindholm from the Anaheim Ducks which then came with an extension.

Boston does have limited assets this deadline. They are without their first three picks this upcoming draft, so pulling off a big move is going to be a challenge. Teams know what Hanifin likely wants on the open market, which could make things even more challenging for General Managers.

Boston has Matt Grzelcyk on an expiring contract and Derek Forbort as well. Hanifin is a player that can slot in the top four immediately and likely next to Charlie McAvoy. It remains to be seen how a deal as such can come about but the link is there.

The next set of NHL Rumours takes us to the west. One of the most prominent teams in the league is the Edmonton Oilers. Ever since the coaching change they have made a steep climb up the standings and find themselves in playoff position. If there was ever a time to add, now is the time. There have been floatings of the club looking for top six scoring but here they appear to be connected for a player down the middle.

The centre market is thinning out, as Lindholm and Sean Monahan are off the board. One name that is to be a coveted piece is Adam Henrique. Henrique is a versatile player that can play both centre and wing and brings stability to the lineup. Also, he is having a strong season for the Ducks, as he is tied for second in goals (15) and third in points (35). In addition, he has been a machine in the faceoff circle, as he has won 53.6% of his draws.

The top players on the roster are clicking on all cylinders. Henrique brings depth and stability and can help give the Oilers an extra line that can chip in offensively. If there was a year for Ken Holland to be aggressive, this is the year.