Bruins, Ducks swap forwards
The NHL-leading Boston Bruins freed up salary-cap space Friday by trading veteran forward David Backes and a firstround draft pick to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Ondrej Kase.
The Ducks also acquired 20-year-old prospect Axel Andersson, a defenseman, in the deal completed three days before the NHL’s trade deadline.
The Bruins benefit by trading Backes, 35, who has spent the past month in limbo since being placed on waivers and assigned to the minors.
Backes has been working out on his own since declining to report to Boston’s AHL affiliate in Providence in mid-January. He is in the fourth year of a five-year, $30 million contract and had just one goal and two assists in 16 games with the Bruins, who agreed to retain 25% of Backes’ salary.
Blue Jackets
Injuries to key players keep coming for Columbus, which now has lost top goalscorer Oliver Bjorkstrand for the rest of the season. The 24-year-old forward fractured an ankle in the loss Thursday night against Philadelphia. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said Friday that Bjorkstrand will be out eight to 10 weeks and might need surgery. Bjorkstrand has 21 goals and 15 assists in 49 games this season. He leads the club in goals, winning goals (five) and multipoint games (11). Columbus leads the NHL in man-games lost to injury.
Sabres
Buffalo placed suspended defenseman Zach Bogosian on unconditional waivers Friday with the intention of terminating his contract. The move puts the Sabres in position to part ways with a disgruntled player who asked to be traded earlier this season and spent the past week refusing to report to Buffalo’s AHL affiliate in Rochester, N.Y. Bogosian will have an opportunity to sign with another team to finish the season, but the 12-year veteran will lose what’s left of the $6 million he is owed in the final year of his contract should he go unclaimed by noon Saturday. Under NHL rules, Bogosian must be signed by the trade deadline Monday afternoon to compete in the playoffs.
Jets
Winnipeg acquired center Cody Eakin from Vegas for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2021. If Winnipeg makes the playoffs this year or re-signs Eakin to a new contract by July 5, the Jets will transfer their 2021 third-round pick to the Golden Knights. Eakin, who was born in Winnipeg, is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.