Welcome back to Screen Shots, an ongoing THN.com series in which your humble correspondent tackles a few different hockey topics and breaks them down in a few short paragraphs. Let’s get straight down to business:
Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney spoke out Wednesday about the sticky situation that is RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman’s showdown with the team.
Clearly, Sweeney was not pleased that the situation hadn’t been rectified and Swayman wasn’t at the start of training camp.
“I’m disappointed,” Sweeney told the media. “When you set things as a priority in a general manager’s spot, you do your best to try and accomplish that, and I haven’t been able to do that yet.”
Sweeney took particular exception to a Spittin Chiclets’ podcast report, pointing specifically to former NHLer Paul Bissonnette, who suggested Sweeney wasn’t responding to Swayman’s phone calls for quite some time.
“I think it’s bulls–t that somebody says I wouldn’t return a call for three weeks,” Sweeney told reporters. “There. That’s inaccurate. Was it said? Was it written? I will tell you, I don’t listen to podcasts. My son loves (Bissonnette), thinks he’s fabulous. He’s a great entertainer. But at the end of the day, they’re inaccurate. And that’s OK, because that’s all part of the business nowadays. It’s OK if you turn around and say it’s your opinion, or your belief and such, but don’t report it as fact. That’s all. That’s all I’m asking.”
Don Sweeney was all kinds of fired up today when addressing the Jeremy Swayman contract situation. 🍿 pic.twitter.com/vGsgP5YhNl
— Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) September 18, 2024
Despite Sweeney’s denials, the fact remains the Bruins are set to open up training camp with first-year Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo and youngster Brandon Bussi as their two best netminders. That’s not ideal, and Swayman’s absence likely has ratcheted up Sweeney’s frustration with the situation. With no imminent solution at hand, the Bruins will have to make do with what they’ve got and do their best to address Swayman’s demands.
The Edmonton Oilers extended a professional tryout offer (PTO) to veteran winger Mike Hoffman Wednesday. They’re giving a window of opportunity to the 34-year-old, who spent last season with the San Jose Sharks, posting 10 goals and 23 points in 66 games.
NEW: Oilers Announce Surprise New PTO Addition
Here's a quick reaction to the Hoffman PTO from @fgmarceau. #LetsGoOilers
https://t.co/vKEOKL0D7M— Caleb Kerney (@CKerneyWriter) September 18, 2024
Hoffman, who has 745 regular-season NHL games under his belt – producing 228 goals and 487 points in that span – could latch on with the Oilers as a depth winger and an insurance policy as Edmonton deals with the injury-related absence of left winger Evander Kane. Hoffman currently sits near or just below the fourth-line left wing spot on Edmonton’s depth chart, and he’ll be challenging youngster and new Oiler Vasily Podkolzin for the fourth-line left winger position.
It’s a low-risk, decent-reward scenario for Oilers GM Stan Bowman, and for Hoffman, it could be his last kick at the can as an NHLer. That could motivate Hoffman to produce solid numbers and take some of the pressure off players ahead of him in the depth chart. Time will tell whether that’s enough of a benefit to keep Hoffman around.
Finally, here’s THN’s best wishes to Vancouver Canucks forward Dakota Joshua, who will miss the start of training camp after surgery to remove a growth diagnosed as testicular cancer. The 28-year-old has no set timetable for his return, but he hopes to do so as soon as possible.
Joshua isn’t the only high-profile hockey player to deal with testicular cancer. In 2006, then-Boston Bruins winger Phil Kessel was diagnosed with it, but the affliction was pinpointed early, and he made a full recovery after missing only 11 regular-season games.
Let’s hope Joshua has a similar recovery. Also, remember to get check-ups regularly to catch illnesses before they become life-threatening.
Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.
Related: Screen Shots: Raanta’s NHL Exit, Utah’s ‘Yeti’ Name And Minten’s New Opportunity With Leafs
Related: Canucks’ Dakota Joshua Says He Had Cancerous Growth Removed From Testicle
Related: Why Three NHL MVPs Are Rooting For Mitch Marner, Regardless Of The ‘Flak’ He Gets With Maple Leafs
News Summary:
- Screen Shots: Bruins GM Speaks Out, Oilers Give Hoffman PTO And Joshua's Health Scare
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.