Some say the new guy looks a bit like Carl Soderberg... Hmmmmmm...
- Don Sweeney has signed Finnish forward Joonas Kemppainen , late of Oulun Karpat, to a one year, two-way contract. [TheBostonGlobe]
- Apparently the Finn was scouted by P.J. Axelsson. (Google translation from Swedish) [Svenska.yle ]
- Sweeney spoke with WEEI's Dale and Holley, and he's looking for collaboration with his coach to integrate some youth to build a cohesive, resilient team that has each other's backs. He mentions the Calgary game as a sobering wakeup call. (Amusing, but iffy, transcript with audio, 22:39) [WEEI]
- On the agenda: Each GM candidate to a man brought up the cap issue. The Bruins last season also were ineffective moving the puck out of the defensive zone for stretches. Overall, Sweeney feels the Bruins are not that far from where they need to be. [TheBostonGlobe]
- Welcome to Cam Neely's team. His latest executive move may be his best power play yet. [TheBostonGlobe]
- Neely asserts that he wants communication to be open and two-way, but that ultimately he wants a united front once a decision is made. [MetroWestDailyNews]
- When examining this season's letdowns, don't look at Claude Julien- the Bruins players were the problem. [BostonHerald]
- Even so, the longest tenured coach in the NHL's future remains cloudy. [PatriotLedger]
- Milan Lucic is like an onion... and it is hard to believe that the prototypical power forward is not an automatic re-sign for a Sweeney/Neely Bruins team that claims to want tough, physical players. [TheBostonGlobe]
Elsewhere around the rink:
- Shhhhh! Here's the Top Secret transcript of Mike Babcock's group interview with NHL teams' representatives. NO, REALLY! [DownGoesBrown]
- The fallout of Babcock's move to Toronto will affect more than just the man and his team. [Grantland]
- The Buffalo Sabres have permission to speak with Dan Bylsma. [TSN]
- Undaunted, the Sabres will now seek to interview anyone named "Babcock." NO, REALLY! [LighthouseHockey]
- The Sabres have also received permission to speak with Dan Bylsma. [TSN]
- Want the Stanley Cup? Heck, just 3-D print one! [BarDown]
- Need a timewasting app? Try 70's hockey flavored "Super Puck Jam." (Preview video, 11:46) [BarDown]
- And no one liked CapGeek, either... The Bettman doesn't believe in any link between concussions and CTE, the degenerative brain disease. [PuckDaddy]
- Mike Millbury faces the ire of Corey Perry for his comments on-air about wishing something "painful and permanent." Well, consider the source. [PuckDaddy]
- The witty church signs in favor of the Tampa Bay Lightning have gone viral. [ABCActionNews]
- There's a new flap about the use of "Indians" as a team mascot... but this time it is happening in Sweden. [TheColorOfHockey]
DAMN ASS TESTICLES