Projo Bruins Blog

Kevin Paul Dupont of The Boston Globe reports that the Bruins and Tuukka Rask have agreed on a two-year contract extension.

Rask would have been a restricted free agent after this season, but the extension wraps him up until 2012. Terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, but it's believed to be in the range of $1.2 million to $1.6 million a season.

Here's the team release:

BOSTON, MA - Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club's medical staff has confirmed a diagnosis of H1N1 for David Krejci. Based on Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations, Krejci will be isolated from the rest of the team until he is symptom and fever free for 24 hours.

"Like most people, we are taking many precautions to try to prevent our players and staff from contracting the H1N1 virus," said Chiarelli. "Our medical staff is working with David to get him healthy as soon as possible, and our players and staff will continue to take precautions with hopes of preventing the spread of the virus to others in the organization."

The Bruins host the Montreal Canadiens Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. ET at the TD Garden in Boston (TV: NESN, RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub).

The Boston Bruins have recalled Mikko Lehtonen from Providence on an emergency basis.

The Finnish winger has 3-7-10 totals in 11 AHL games. Two of his goals have come on the power play.

Along with a team-leading 33 shots on goal, Lehtonen has a team-worst minus-6.

Lehtonen, 22, is 6'5'' and 196 pounds. He played his first NHL game with Boston last April.

PROVIDENCE -- Like the parent club in Boston, the Providence Bruins have been starved for goals since Vladimir Sobotka, Brad Marchand and Trent Whitfield were recalled.

Coach Rob Murray hopes that left wing Mark Derlago, brought in on a tryout from the Idaho Steelheads of the East Coast Hockey League, can help.

"We're looking for offense,'' Murray said.

In eight games for Idaho, Derlago has six goals and four assists for 10 points. He is a plus-six and has recorded 30 shots on goal. The 23-year-old winger is 5'11 and 197 pounds.

Heading into his second season with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League, Derlago broke his neck in a preseason game in 2004 and missed the 04-05 season. After recovering, he played two more seasons in Brandon and put up 46-35-81 numbers in 72 games in 2006-07.

He scored 39 goals in 68 games for the ECHL Bakersfield Condors in 07-08, and had a 32-45-77 line in 49 games in Bakersfield last season.

Derlago also played a total of 25 games with the AHL Manitoba Moose over the past two seasons, with a 6-8-14 line.

Mark Derlago is the nephew of Bill Derlago, who is a footnote in Boston Bruins history.

After a contract dispute in the fall of 1985, GM Harry Sinden shipped promising center Tom Fergus to Toronto in exchange for Derlago, a former 40-goal scorer.

It turned out to be terrible trade for the Bruins. Fergus had several productive years with the Leafs, while Derlago put up a 5-16-21 line in 39 games as a third- and fourth-line center with Boston. Sinden later peddled him to Winnipeg for Wade Campbell.


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Jimmy Fraser was returned to Reading of the ECHL. He was scoreless in two games over the weekend.


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Adam McQuaid (upper-body injury) practiced today and should be available this weekend, Murray said.


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Don Sweeney was on the ice for practice. Afterward, he took first-year pros Alain Goulet and Jamie Arniel aside and chatted with them individually for a few minutes.

By MARK DIVVER
Assistant Sports Writer

PROVIDENCE -- Defenseman Adam McQuaid is day to day with an upper-body injury that he suffered early in Sunday's 4-3 win over Bridgeport.

Coach Rob Murray said that McQuaid was hurt when "he got twisted up'' on his second or third shift on Sunday afternoon. McQuaid played sparingly after the injury.

Kirk MacDonald (groin) skated in practice on Tuesday and should be ready for the weekend, Murray said.


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After a tough 2-1 loss in Manchester Friday night on a late penalty shot, and a 7-0 debacle in Hartford on Saturday night, Murray was pleased with the win on Sunday in what he described as a must-win situation.

"Guys who hadn't been producing, did,'' he said.

Jeff Penner had a goal and two assists; Jeff LoVecchio had a goal and an assist.

Zach Hamill was credited with three assists, but Murray said that Hamill should have received credit for his first goal of the season on the winning goal, which credited to Jordan Knackstedt, who had his first points of the season.

"A lot of guys stepped up. As early as it is in the schedule and with the lineup we had, we had to have a win,'' Murray said.

"We found a way. That's one of the things we've been preaching. We've got to find a way to get points. It was a good character win.''


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Not much went right for the P-Bruins on Saturday night, but if you are a fan of fighting there was plenty to see. With thanks to Matt Stopa, here are the pugilistic highlights:

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Kevin Regan (34 saves) was the first star in Reading's 4-2 win over Johnstown on Sunday. Regan is 2-2-1 with a 3.76 goals-against average and a save percentage of .896.

By MARK DIVVER
Assistant Sports Editor

PROVIDENCE -- Craig Weller wasn't caught completely by surprise when he got the call two Sundays ago that he'd been dealt to Boston in the Chuck Kobasew trade.

"The management in Minnesota told me when they put me on waivers (late in training camp) that they might try to move me, give me an opportunity somewhere else. It just happened a little quicker than I thought it would,'' said Weller.

For a player who is looking for another chance in the NHL, the Boston organization might turn out to be a good fit.

The Bruins haven't hesitated over the last few seasons to find a place for veteran role players such as Shawn Thornton and Jeremy Reich.

"That's encouraging to see. I'm just going to have to work hard and prove myself. I'm definitely going to try to make it back to the NHL,'' said Weller, a right wing who has 4-10-14 career numbers with 127 penalty minutes in 95 NHL games with Phoenix and Minnesota.

Weller spent four seasons with Hartford before moving up to the NHL. At the time of the trade, he was with Minnesota's AHL affiliate in Houston.

The 28-year-old brings size -- he's 6'4'', 220 pounds -- and physical presence. He knows what is expected of him.

"My role is to be a veteran guy playing with poise every night, somebody the coach can rely on in a bunch of different situations. To show leadership through hard work,'' he said.

Providence coach Rob Murray is glad to have him.

Last weekend, Murray put Weller on a crash line with Drew Larman and Lane MacDermid, and the trio was Providence's best line last Saturday in a 2-0 loss at Manchester.

"I know what to expect from him. He's an intelligent guy, he understands. He asks the right questions. That's probably one of the reasons he was captain in Hartford for a few years. His skating has improved from what I remember. He gets around better. And when he hits, he really catches guys,'' said Murray.

Fighting is also part of Weller's game. He had seven fighting majors in the NHL last season, and 13 fights in both 2004-05 and 2005-06 while with Hartford.

According to Murray, Weller knows "when to try and change the momentum of a game. He'll go out purposely and try to do that by getting in a fight. That speaks to his hockey IQ, because some guys don't pick up on that, when the right time is to do that kind of thing.''


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Over a long season, there are losses and then there are losses.

For the P-Bruins, Friday night's 2-1 defeat in Manchester on a penalty shot by Oscar Moller with 1:51 to go in regulation definitely left a mark.

Murray said that the call by referee Chris Cozzan -- Adam McQuaid tripped Moller, who had a breakaway -- probably was legitimate. But that didn't make it any easier to swallow.

Penalty shots have become "the flavor of the month for referees'' over the past couple of seasons, Murray said.

"Our argument was that one camera showed Adam got a stick on the puck before he trips him,'' said Murray.

Murray conceded, though, that "if the situation is flip-flopped, we'd be expecting a penalty shot.''

By MARK DIVVER
Assistant Sports Editor

PROVIDENCE -- Former Harvard captain Jimmy Fraser has been recalled from Reading and will be in the P-Bruins lineup tonight in Manchester.

Fraser, 22, was a late cut in Providence's training camp. Not known as a scorer, the 5'11'', 185-pound center had 15-39-54 totals in 118 career games at Harvard.

"I'm not necessarily looking for him to contribute offensively very much,'' said coach Rob Murray. "That's not necessarily his game. But he skates well enough and he gets himself in position, hopefully he can help in that aspect.

"He gives me another centerman. We've had three natural centermen in (Drew) Larman, (Jamie) Arniel and (Zach) Hamill. Somewhere along the line you're going to get a guy in the penalty box or hurt, and then there really wasn't another potential centerman in the lineup,'' said Murray.

Before college, Fraser was the captain of the U.S. National Development Team's U-17 and U-18 squads that featured current NHL stars such as Phil Kessel, Jack Johnson, Peter Mueller and Eric Johnson.

Fraser flew to Providence this morning after playing Thursday night in Reading's 2-2 tie with Toledo. He has an assist in 6 games with Reading and is minus-5.


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Dany Sabourin will start in goal tonight and Matt Dalton will start on Saturday in Hartford.

"We'll see about Sunday,'' Murray said.


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Murray said he had not decided on his lines for tonight. Jeff LoVecchio, who was sick for most of the week, will play tonight, but might not dress for all three games this weekend.