NHL Rumors: Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins

Welcome to another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Rumors! The NHL 2022-23 regular season games have begun and players will be evaluated. Now, with free agency moves mostly done, rumors are still around. Clubs are always working to improve their rosters for next season. Some teams are having difficulty creating enough cap space to make moves. Others are experiencing severe injuries to star players. Trade rumors/signings are still prevalent. In this Sunday edition of NHL Rumors, we will take a look at the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins.

Boston Bruins – Sign Mitchell Miller

Rumor – Per @NHLBruins – NHL.com. The Boston Bruins signed controversial defenseman Mitchell Miller to an entry-level contract. Was this a mistake by Bruins GM Don Sweeney?

Miller reported to the AHL Providence team on November 4th. Miller, 20, played in 60 games with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL in 2021-22, recording 39 goals and 44 assists for 83 points with a plus-43 rating. The 5-foot-10, 189-pound blueliner was named the USHL’s Player of the Year and Defenseman of the Year after the season in which he set league records for goals and points by a defenseman. Miller has appeared in 154 career USHL games with Tri-City and Cedar Rapids from 2017-22, adding 51 goals and 82 assists for 133 points with a plus-54 rating.

Impressive, right? But, can the youngster overcome his past? He was charged with assault and violating the Ohio Safe Schools Act by bullying Isaiah Meyer-Crothers, a black classmate with developmental disabilities back in 2016.

The Arizona Coyotes drafted defenseman Mitchell Miller in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL draft only to renounce his rights. Sweeney is taking quite a chance this young man can turn his personal life around and control any behavioral issues he may still have. The Bruins really don’t have many prospects in their system, so Sweeney is definitely rolling the dice with Miller. Only time will tell what happens next. But, you can be assured that Sweeney and his staff will keep an eye on Miller’s on-ice as well as off-ice performance.

In all of this, the Bruins did not consult with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, who confirmed that Miller is NOT eligible to play in the NHL and that process must be scrutinized first.

What was captain and 19-year NHL veteran Patrice Bergeron‘s reaction to the signing?

Bergeron on being told of Bruins signing Miller. "… That was the first thing that, I guess, came out of my mouth. [Signing Miller] goes against what we are as a culture and as a team, and for me as a person." https://t.co/Dl50ODcTWh

— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) November 5, 2022

Montreal Canadiens – Potential Trade?

Rumor: Per – Pierre LeBrun – TSN.ca. With the long-term injury to forward Connor Brown, are the Washington Capitals interested in making a deal with the Habs?

“Well, certainly on paper, you could see why the two teams would at least want to talk. And I’m told there has been communication between the Caps and Habs, but it hasn’t gone very much past that. The reason is, despite the fact, Connor Brown is gone for six to eight months and the Caps do have his $3.6 million cap hit to play with, for now, Washington is intent on looking at its internal options whether that’s Connor McMichael or Sonny Milano who they just signed and recalled. So for now, Washington wants to look at that.

“The Habs have not only reached out, I’m told, to the Washington Capitals, they reached out to several clubs around the league trying to create a trade market for their glut of forwards whether that’s Evgenii Dadonov, or Jonathan Drouin, or Mike Hoffman and beyond. The Habs have too many guys up front which is why there was some noteworthy healthy scratches every night with this team. We’ll see where that goes, but certainly, Montreal is looking to make a move.”

THIS JUST IN:

WASH claims Aube-Kubel

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 5, 2022

Will this provide the Caps with the forward production they seek? Hardly. Nicolas Aube-Kubel has 175 NHL games on his resume with 21 goals and 29 assists. The Habs did reach out to other teams to move a forward from their supply they currently have on their roster. Don’t forget, the Canadiens are still in a rebuild and could use more draft picks and prospects going forward with their plan. Stay tuned to Full Press Hockey’s NHL rumors to follow this.

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Pittsburgh Penguins – Are Penguins showing us the beginning of the end?

Rumor: Per – Josh Yohe – theathletic.com. They’re one of the NHL’s oldest team. They’re a turnover machine. They aren’t listening to their head coach. The Pens have gone 0-5-1 lately. They are in a freefall, now what?

Losing six consecutive games with one loss in overtime is not typical for a team like the Penguins. Veteran forward Evgeni Malkin had this say about his team’s lack of performance of late.

“It’s not easy right now,” Malkin said in a hushed tone. “It’s a tough situation. It’s time to deal with this team. It’s tough. When you’re lost, you need to support each other, help each other. It’s time to build up the team. We lost these games in a row. Why not win the next six games in a row?”

Plays like this have got to frustrate head coach Mike Sullivan to the extreme.

Girgensons took a beating for this goal to happen, not to mention the hustle to get down the ice. Kyle Okposo, ENG 5-3 #LetsGoBuffalo #LetsGoPens pic.twitter.com/41qxjV60c7

— Buffalo Hockey moments (@SabresPlays) November 3, 2022

With all the negative comments concerning the Pens’ meager play of late, even Sullivan got into it with a fan. When your team is losing, tempers flare and this is an example of it.

Mike Sullivan vs a couple Sabres glass bangers pic.twitter.com/eUCsyX2KPq

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) November 3, 2022

Yohe has been covering this team for a long time and he is perplexed at what the answer is. Players need to play better, easily said.

He wouldn’t be expecting a big Penguins trade anytime soon.

Who are they going to trade? Who would they be willing to part with that another team would covet?

That does it for this edition of NHL rumors. Be sure to be on the lookout for our next article, and as always… thanks for reading!