The Boston Bruins are showing interest in Columbus Blue Jackets‘ Vladislav Gavrikov – but fans think they are giving way too much and they might have a point.

The original six organization has the “framework” of a trade in place, which includes a first and third-round pick, reports David Pagnotta.

However, the Bruins still need to move some salary to complete the deal and have been shopping forward Craig Smith.

This deadline, the team will only have around $1 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly.

Gavrikov’s cap hit is $2.8 million.

Along with Smith, the Bruins could try to move Nick Foligno to give them enough space to acquire the defensemen.

But given his production, some question why the Bruins are willing to give so much.

This year, Gavrikov has registered 10 points in 52 games.

Hockey analytics data website Andy & Rono values Gavrikov as a third-pair defenseman – and nothing more than that on a cup contender.

And some fans had some interesting reactions.

Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Matiss Kivlenieks “died a hero,” said teammate Elvis Merzlikins.

“He saved not just many lives, but when it happened, I was standing 20-30 feet back of him, and I was hugging my wife,” Merzlikins said at Kivlenieks’ memorial service Thursday in Upper Arlington, Ohio. “He saved my son, he saved my wife, and he saved me.”

Merzlikins’ wife, Aleksandra, is in her third trimester, and Merzlikins said their son’s second name will be Matiss in honor of his teammate. Kivlenieks was living in Ohio with Merzlikins, who called his fellow Latvian player “my little brother.”

Blue Jackets goaltender coach Many Legace described how close he and Kivlenieks became. “[Matiss] got to become one of my family,” he said. “He got to be a brother to my daughter and my son, a great friend to our nephew.”

Merzlikins and Kivlenieks were at a July 4 backyard party at the Michigan home of Legace. The party was also a wedding celebration for Legace’s daughter, Sabrina, who got married over the weekend. Kivlenieks died after being hit with errant fireworks that same night. A later autopsy revealed that he died from chest trauma with major damage to his heart and lungs from being hit.

“If that wasn’t me, or my wife or son, that would be 50 other people. He died as a hero, and that’s not me saying, that was the doctors saying,” Merzlikins said. “As [Legace’s daughter] Sabrina said, ‘he saved his last puck.’ I just want to let you know that he was a hero, and he saved a lot of lives. And I’m pretty sure he did that with a smile because it’s true.”

Legace spoke fondly about Kivlenieks and how close he got during their time together. “Michigan was his second home,” Legace said. “A lot of you guys don’t know, but ever since Kivi joined our organization, he would come up and live with my wife and I every summer. He became a son to us. He lived with us through the pandemic.”

Many Blue Jackets players and coaches flew in for the memorial service, as did friends and teammates from Minnesota. Kivlenieks signed with Columbus as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He started just two games for Columbus in 2021 but was expected to have a larger role next season.

Kivlenieks was only 24 years old when he died.

Matiss Kivlenieks, the goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets, has tragically died at the age of 24. Kivlenieks died after slamming his head on concrete during a fireworks-related activity, according to local police.

“There appears to have been a fireworks malfunction, which caused a group of people to flee from the hot tub, including the deceased, who slipped and hit his head on the concrete,” said Lieutenant Jason Meier of the Novi, Michigan Police Department.

Kivlenieks was mostly a backup in his brief time suiting up in the NHL, but was widely expected to compete for a larger role in the 2022 season.

“Kivi was an outstanding young man who greeted every day and everyone with a smile and the impact he had during his four years with our organization will not be forgotten,” said Blue Jackets President of Hockey Operations John Davidson in a public statement.

“On behalf of the NHL family, we extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and teammates in both the Blue Jackets organization and his native country of Latvia,” said current NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Kivlenieks was signed in 2017 and made his NHL debut in 2020. He had been spending his offseason in the U.S.

Boston sports fans are no stranger to the conference finals. Since 2001, they’ve seen their teams go deep into the postseason 28 times.

And while fans of the Boston Celtics may be in fear that their team won’t repeat their playoff success of 2018, Boston Bruins fans are rejoicing following a 3-0 Game 6 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.

While it took some excellent play-making to push them over the top against their opponents, that’s not to discredit some excellent goalie play. Tuukka Rask came up big for the Bruins. Though the Blue Jackets pushed hard each play and hoped to stay alive, Rask shut them down on 10 power plays in the final three games of the series. All three were won by Boston. And on Monday night alone, Rask shut down four power plays and finished with 39 saves. With this game, Rask became only the third goalie in Boston history to have multiple series-clinching shutouts.

“If you’re playing this time of year, you’re doing something right,” Rask said. “You’ve built something great as a team. We’re super happy that we’re in the position. Trying to keep the train rolling.”

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW 

After the game, Bruins GM Don Sweeney recapped the team’s second victory, saying it was “Terrific…we played a really tough opponent. Proud of our group.”

Forward David Backes said, “We are halfway to our goal. You need to relish the plateaus along the way. We are certainly at one of those to be among the final four teams. We’ve had to sacrifice to win some games against some really good teams.”

Boston will now take on the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals. Carolina swept the New York Islanders after beating the Washington Capitals in seven games.

The NHL trade deadline started off slowly. However, before the deadline at 3 p.m. EST on Monday, 35 different players and 18 picks were shuffled around the league as some teams hoped to rebuild and others tried to reload.

Rangers, Sharks Win Big At Deadline

The 23 swaps this year are up from 18 in 2018 and 2017, 17 in 2016, and just below the 24 trades in 2015.

The Ottowa Senators, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Columbus Blue Jackets and the San Jose Sharks came out on top of the deadline.

The Senators were dealt a poor hand. After not resigning any of their soon-to-be free agents, general manager Pierre Dorion prevented them from walking away empty-handed. Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Ryan Dzingel all rejected the idea of sticking around in Ottowa. Though the organization is a mess and the team is without their 2019 draft pick, they got back a monster haul. This year, they hold seven draft picks and in 2020 they’ll have 13, including three in the first round alone.

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Meanwhile, the New York Rangers continued on with their fire sale. After Ottowa shipped off Duchene, center Kevin Hayes‘ value shot up. The Rangers flipped him to the Winnipeg Jets for a first-round pick and a decent forward. Then, they were able to turn 32-year-old defender Adam McQuaid into two late-round draft picks. Though King Henrik Lundqvist is all alone on a dismal team, they’ve got 10 picks in the upcoming draft and only $61 million on the books for next season.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The Lightning didn’t have to do anything to win. They pulled in their talent early with Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller joining the team last year from the Rangers. Instead, they’ve got 98 points in 62 games and much less competition as all of the talent in the east went out west.

The Blue Jackets found themselves in a weird spot. They could’ve imploded after Artemi Panarin demanded out along with the possibility that Sergei Bobrovsky wouldn’t be on the team. Instead, they added Duchene and Dzingel and are hoping to make a deep run into the playoffs. While it’s left the team depleted with picks and betting on free agents, for a team that hasn’t even sniffed the second round of the playoffs, these are the right moves to make.

Any fan of the San Jose Sharks can’t complain about the deals they’ve made. While sitting on second place in the Pacific Division, they doubled down and added Gustav Nyquist. He’s been good for 49 points in 63 games and could be the piece that catapults them over the top. He’s been shaky in the playoffs but as a third option, no team would complain.

Now, with the dust settling, all that matters for these teams is hoisting the Stanley Cup come June.

There’s always talk about stars who want to force their way out to New York or Los Angeles.

Panarin Wants Out Of Columbus

Right now, Anthony Davis has maneuvered his position so that the Los Angeles Lakers are the only real team that can trade for him. And Kyrie Irving is supposedly going to save the New York Knicks. But both are basketball players.

There’s another name in the mix who’s requesting a trade and wants out. Former NHL Rookie of the Year Artemi Panarin wants to leave the Columbus Blue Jackets. In the NHL, you often don’t see outright trade demands but that’s not to say there aren’t trade requests. Panarin was not subtle with his request though.

In a statement, his agent said: “We have informed the team that we are willing to discuss Artemi’s future after the season. Our priority now is to focus on the rest of the season, trying to win a Stanley Cup for the CBJ & their fans.”

Panarin is due to become a free agent at the end of this season and has been upfront with Columbus that he doesn’t want to stick around. The organization has been doing their best to try and change his mind but it hasn’t worked. Either they’ll trade the high-scoring 27-year-old or be left with nothing.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Currently, Panarin leads the team in points again after leading Columbus in points and assists last year.  He already holds the record for the most points in a season in franchise history and is likely to break that this year.

Panarin wants to be traded to a major city like New York or Los Angeles or a destination city such as Tampa or Miami. The Blue Jackets have less than a month to figure out the situation. However, most recommend that they move him by the Feb. 25 trade deadline.

Ryan Donato just recently amazed in Pyeongchang, South Korea as a member of the U.S. Olympic Men’s National Hockey Team, and now he has excelled again in his NHL debut.

Ryan Donato NHL debut Highlights

The former Harvard center-forward notched a goal and two assists as a Boston Bruin on Monday night. Donato, 21, and the Bruins lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 in overtime at TD Garden.

Torey Krug fed Donato at 14:19 of the middle frame to even the contest 1-1.

The Harvard product then logged his first NHL assist on a power-play goal from Riley Nash afterwards in the frame, and contributed yet another on David Krejci’s third-period score, which tied it up again 4-4.

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy wasn’t happy about the game result, but said he was impressed by Dontao’s performance.

“What’s not to like tonight?” said Cassidy. “[He was] on the puck, making plays as advertised.”

Donato finished with six shots on goal and played 19:40, third most among Bruins forwards behind Brad Marchand and Nash.

A 2014 second-round draft pick, Donato is a Massachusetts native and the son of former Bruin and current Harvard coach Ted Donato. Ted scored his first NHL goal in his second game with the Bruins.

In college, Donato was a strong contender for the Hobey Baker Award. He became eligible for the NHL after the Crimson were eliminated in the ECAC semifinals by Clarkson 5-4 in overtime Friday night.

The Bruins have suffered plenty of other injuries, including rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy (knee) and captain Zdeno Chara (upper-body injury).

The New York Rangers netted three power-play goals in the third period to secure a 5-3 home victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.

Rangers vs. Blue Jackets Game Score

Kevin Shattenkirk, Chris Kreider and Pavel Buchnevich each scored a power-play goal in the third to extend the Rangers’ (7-7-2) win streak to four after a brutal start to the season.

Henrik Lundqvist made 22 saves for the hosts. Michael Grabner had two goals, and Mika Zibanejad compiled a career-high three assists. Zibanejad leads the Rangers with 17 points this season.

“We’ve been talking about winning puck battles and outworking the opponent on the power play, and we weren’t very happy with our power play in the first two periods (0-for-2),” Zibanejad said. “We talked about getting those big goals for the power play, and I think we were able to do that. We have to find a way to keep going.”

New York entered the game 10th in the NHL on the power play (21.1 percent), yet they finished 3-for-5 with the man-advantage on Monday.

“Our guys continue to do what they’ve been doing since Day One; they keep playing and there’s no doubt that the difference in the third period was our power play,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. “Our power play came up and made some big plays right off the bat and we were able to get the lead and keep the lead.”

Artemi Panarin, Josh Anderson and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves for Columbus (9-5-1).

“We didn’t deserve to win,” said Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, a former Rangers coach.

Columbus led 2-0 on goals by Panarin and Anderson in the second. Panarin scored 38 seconds into the period.

Kreider tied it 3-3 by netting a power-play goal from the slot 9:40 into the final period. Buchnevich took the initial shot from the point that deflected onto Kreider’s stick. The score came three seconds after Zac Dalpe was penalized for elbowing.

Rangers center Boo Nieves missed his second straight game with an illness.

The Blue Jackets (9-5-1) next host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, while the Rangers will host the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 06: Artemi Panarin #9 of the Columbus Blue Jackets skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on November 6, 2017 in New York City. The Rangers defeated the Blue Jackets 5-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Jimmy Vesey scored with 6:32 remaining and Antti Raanta stopped 30 shots to help lead the New York Rangers to a 3-2 road victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.

Jimmmy Vesey Nets Game-Winner In Rangers’ 3-2 Victory Over Blue Jackets

Dan Girardi and Kevin Hayes also scored for the Rangers (37-18-1), who are on a season-best six-game winning streak.

“When you can win a game when you’re not at your best as far as execution-wise, it’s not a bad sign,” Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.

The game marked Raanta’s first start since suffering a lower-body injury on Jan. 14 in Montreal, and he played his first full game since Dec. 29 at Arizona.

“It’s been a long time since I played the last time,” Raanta said. “I just wanted to get that good feeling going again.”

Brandon Dubinsky and Nick Foligno scored for the Blue Jackets (35-15-5). Sergei Bobrovsky made 20 saves.

Dubinski, a former Ranger, put Columbus up 1-0 at 8:12 of the first. New York then tied it up with a shorthanded goal 12 seconds into the second thanks to Girardi, who returned to the lineup following an ankle injury from a blocked shot last Tuesday sidelined him for the previous two games.

Hayes scored New York’s second goal on a breakaway off a turnover at 4:49 of the third.

“I’m not upset with a bunch of minutes we played,” Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. “I just don’t like the free stuff we gave.”

Foligno made it 2-2 at 11:53 when his centering pass to Alexander Wennberg went off the skate of Rangers forward J.T. Miller and past Raanta.

Vesey then netted the winner by skating down the right wing and putting himself in position to shoot the puck underneath the crossbar at the near post.

“Everyone likes to score and get points, but I think I’ve been playing pretty well the last couple of weeks since the All-Star break,” said Vesey, whose goal marked his 13th of the year. “It’s just a matter of I guess the bounces going for me. I’ve had my chances and it hasn’t gone in or I’ve gotten robbed by the goalie. But I thought I felt good again tonight, and a really good feeling for that one to go in.”

Columbus forward Scott Hartnell sustained a lower-body injury and did not play the final two periods. He slid into the end boards after taking a shot at 5:38 of the first. He went to the locker room but returned to finish the period.

The Rangers next visit the New York Islanders on Thursday, while the Blue Jackets host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m407a5ACMDs

TORONTO, ON – JANUARY 19: Jimmy Vesey #26 of the New York Rangers skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on January 19, 2017 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Rangers defeated the Maple Leafs 5-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

John Tortorella, head coach of Team USA and the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL, made it clear Tuesday that he will not tolerate national anthem protests of any kind.

Tortorella Says He Would Bench Any Player Who Sits During National Anthem

“If any of my players sit on the bench for the national anthem, they will sit there the rest of the game,” Tortorella said in an interview with ESPN.

ESPN’s Linda Cohn asked the former New York Rangers coach what he thought about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand during the playing of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at a recent NFL preseason game– a protest Kaepernick claims he made to express his frustration with the oppressive treatment of black people in America.

Tortorella, 58, is coaching Team USA in the upcoming 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

Tortorella told USA Today that he considered it an honor to coach Team USA. “It is hockey, but I also think it is a huge platform for us to represent our country, especially in today’s world, with everything is going on,” the veteran coach said.

With regards to Cohn’s question, Tortorella did not back off from his comments.

“I’m not backing off,” Tortorella said after the team’s on-ice workout Wednesday. “I’ll tell you right now. Try to understand me. I’m not criticizing anybody for stepping up and putting their thoughts out there about things. I’m the furthest thing away from being anything political. No chance I’m involved in that stuff,” Tortorella said.

The Columbus coach added that he remains firm in his belief that the flag and the anthem should be sacred. Tortorella has a son who is deployed in Afghanistan for the third time as a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces.

Kaepernick’s protest has become the subject of major national controversy, especially given the string of incidents of police violence against unarmed black men in recent years. The 49ers QB has been met with both praise and harsh criticism and derision for his protest. Many veterans of the armed forces stood by him, starting the hashtag ‘#VeteransforKaepernick‘ on social media to express their support.

Tortorella said several of the players on Team USA came to him after his comments were made public and supported his views on respecting the anthem and flag.

Other notable athletes have followed Kaepernick’s move, however. U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team and Seattle Reign midfielder Megan Rapinoe recently knelt during the national anthem before the Reign’s game against the Chicago Red Stars in a show of solidarity with the quarterback.

Rapinoe told American Soccer Now that the gesture was a “little nod to Kaepernick and everything that he’s standing for right now.”

“I think it’s actually pretty disgusting the way he was treated and the way that a lot of the media has covered it and made it about something that it absolutely isn’t,” Rapinoe added. “We need to have a more thoughtful, two-sided conversation about racial issues in this country.”

“It’s the least I can do. Keep the conversation going,” the U.S. soccer star later tweeted.

PITTSBURGH, PA – APRIL 05: Head coach John Tortorella of the New York Rangers yells at the referee during the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center on April 5, 2013 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Penguins defeated the Rangers 2-1 in a shootout. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The NHL’s trade deadline may be over a month away, but the first major deal of the season was made on Wednesday, when the Nashville Predators sent Seth Jones to Columbus in exchange for Ryan Johansen.

Jones, the son of former NBA player Popeye, has been a capable defenseman during his time in Nashville, but fell victim to the numbers game; with Roman Josi, Shea Weber and on the blueline, the 21-year-old was sitting at least fourth on the depth chart.

Johansen, despite his offensive talent, didn’t mesh with head coach John Tortorella, who has a reputation for demanding responsible defensive play and butting heads with offensive stars. The coach had previously questioned the center’s fitness and made him a healthy scratch.

The trade addresses needs for both teams; Nashville has lacked a true number one center for the last few seasons and Columbus’ woes all start on the defensive end. It looks like the Predators got the better end of the bargain now, but Jones’ future could change that down the line.                                                                                                                                                                                                         Elsewhere in the NHL, the Washington Capitals signed veteran forward Mike Richards to a pro-rated, $1 million contract for the remainder of this season. His previous contract was terminated by the Los Angeles Kings after Richards was charged with possession of a controlled substance after crossing the US-Canadian border with prescription painkiller Oxycodone. He has met with commissioner Gary Bettman and is cleared to join the Caps immediately.  

The Kings also added Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn from the Philadelphia Flyers; AHL center Jordan Weal and a third-round draft pick will go the other way.

Photo: Ryan Johansen in November 2014 by Lisa Gansky, via Wikimedia Commons.

In a surprise move, the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks have decided to send young winger Brandon Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Brandon Saad Shipped To Columbus

Heading into the offseason, the Chicago Blackhawks had a few cap issues that needed to be handled. Most notably, Brandon Saad was going to be a restricted free agent, meaning the Hawks had to either sign him to an extension, trade him or face the possibility of losing him.

So initially, both parties came together, with the Hawks reportedly offering him a two-year contract, worth around $10 million, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. However, the 22-year-old Saad was looking for more stability and was hoping for a long-term contract in the $6.5 million per year territory. Unfortunately, the sides could not agree on a price, even when Saad suggested he was open to a pay decrease: “The money’s going to come and go. But to win championships and play on a great team, that’s what it’s all about.”

Therefore, despite the possibility of him being the next big thing, the Hawks shipped Saad, defenseman Michael Paliotta and forward Alex Broadhurst to the Blue Jackets for Artem Anisimov, Marko Dano, Jeremy Morin and Corey Tropp.

“It’s fair to say we both tried hard to make it work. It wasn’t going to in this scenario,” Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman stated. “I don’t think we ever came close on a contract. It wasn’t for lack of effort. I respect their side. It just didn’t work for us, and it obviously didn’t work for them. That’s why we had to move on.”

As for Columbus, GM Jarmo Kekalainen is currently working on an extension with Saad and plans to match any future offer. Over four seasons, the left winger garnered 52 goals, 74 assists and 126 points, with an additional eight goals, three assists and eleven points in the 2014-15 playoffs.