Bruins Lockout Central: Get All Your B's Lockout News Right Here

Bruins fans, we feel your pain. Your beloved NHL is in a lockout, and the Boston Bruins won't be playing any games for quite some time. It's a bummer, we know, but we have you covered during the lockout with Bruins Lockout Central.

Tyler Seguin Of Bruins Will Play In Switzerland During NHL Lockout

See you later, Tyler Seguin. The third-year Boston Bruins forward will be playing hockey for EHC Biel in Switzerland this season during the 2012 NHL Lockout. Seguin, 20, scored 29 goals and had 38 assists in 81 games last season.

Milan Lucic Signs With Bruins For 3 Years, $18 Million

The Boston Bruins have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with Milan Lucic, according to a WEEI report. Lucic will earn $18 million dollars over the three years, making Lucic the highest paid forward on the Bruins.

The Bruins and Lucic had until 12 a.m. Sunday to reach an agreement. Once the NHL's second lockout in the last seven years begins, teams will be unable to sign players to contracts.

Lucic was set to hit restricted free agency following the 2012-13 season, but that's no longer the case. Lucic is now under contract with the Bruins for the next four seasons.

Lucic enjoyed a successful 2011-12 campaign, scoring 26 goals and assisting on 35. Lucic had his breakout year in 2010-11, helping lead the Bruins capture the Stanley Cup. In 2010-11, Lucic scored 30 goals and notched 32 assists.

For more on the Bruins, be sure to check out Stanley Cup of Chowder.

Gary Bettman Says NHL Lockout Starts Saturday Without New Deal

The NHL owners and players are currently locked in a battle over a new collective bargaining agreement, and commissioner Gary Bettman says the league will start locking players out on Saturday if a new deal is not reached.

Bettman already had the authority to lock out players beginning Saturday at 11:59 p.m. ET, but the owners unanimously stood behind Bettman when he asked them for support on the lockout measure, according to excerpts of Bettman's press conference on Thursday compiled by Michael Russ of the StarTribune.

The chance of a full-length season for the Boston Bruins and the rest of the NHL is getting slimmer by the day. With the two sides still far apart on the issue of how much hockey-related revenue should be shared with the players, the start of a lockout on Saturday seems inevitable.

For more on the Boston Bruins, be sure to check out Stanley Cup Of Chowder and SB Nation's NHL page.

Bruins Offseason 2012: Boston Places Four Players On Waivers

The Boston Bruins have put four players on waivers -- center Trent Whitfield, forward Jamie Tardif, defenseman Garnet Exelby and center Christian Hanson - TSN's Bob McKenzie is reporting. The news comes just a day after the organization announced it was signing forward Tyler Seguin to a six-year extension worth about $34.5 million.

Whitfield appeared in only one game for the Bruins last season after two years with minor league Providence. Tardiff, also a teammate in Providence has never appeared in a NHL game but signed a two year deal with the Bruins following the 2009-'10 season. Exelby was a longtime starter for the Atlanta Thrashers who most recently played with Detroit minor league affiliate Grand Rapids. Hanson - son of "Slap Shot" start Dave Hanson - bounced around with Toronto and their minor league teams before signing a one-year deal with Boston in July.

For more on the Boston Bruins, be sure to check out Stanley Cup Of Chowder and SB Nation's NHL page.

Tyler Seguin, Boston Bruins Agree Six Year, $34.5 Million Contract Extension

Tyler Seguin and the Boston Bruins have reached an agreement on a six-year contract extension worth $34.5 million, which will pay the third-year forward an average annual salary of $5.75 million and keep him in Boston through 2018-2019.

Center Brad Marchand Signs $18M Extension With Boston Bruins

The Bruins and Brad Marchand have agreed to terms for a contract extension that will keep the center in Boston through the 2016-2017 season. The Halifax native will receive $4.5 million per year, which is $2 million better than his previous contract. The new deal will begin during the 2012-13 NHL season.

Marchand scored a career-high 28 goals last season, just one less than team-leader Tyler Seguin. Playing in 76 games for the Bruins, his plus-31 rating was good for fifth in the league. Marchand was particularly instrumental in Boston's 2011 Stanley Cup run, when the then-rookie contributed 11 goals and eight assists in 25 postseason games on the road to the championship.

Marchand was selected in the third round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Bruins.

For more on the Bruins, visit the SB Nation blog Stanley Cup of Chowder. For the latest NHL news, check out SB Nation's NHL homepage.

Nathan Horton Injury Update: Bruins Forward Cleared For Contact

Boston Bruins forward Nathan Horton has been cleared for contact, according to Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli (via NESN). Chiarelli said about Horton, "Nathan Horton has been cleared for contact. And by all accounts from our medical staff will be ready to play when it's time to play."

Horton sustained his second concussion in less than a year on Jan. 22 and it knocked him out for the rest of the 2011-2012 season. Last season before the concussion, Horton had 17 goals and 15 assists in 46 games on the top line for the Bruins.

The veteran winger has scored 185 goals and 195 assists in his eight-year career. Horton has 43 goals (12 power-play goals, 5 game-winning goals) in 126 games with Boston.

For more on the Bruins, please be sure to check out our blog Stanley Cup Of Chowder and SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.

Claude Julien Extension: Bruins, Julien Agree To Multi-Year Extension

The Boston Bruins and head coach Claude Julien have reached an agreement on a multi-year extension on Monday (via NHL). Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Julien has been behind the bench for the Bruins for five seasons and helped the Boston win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 39 years in 2011. Julien's record with Boston is 228-132-50 in the regular season and 36-27 in the playoffs. Julien has won 347 regular season games and is six games above .500 all-time (40-34) in the playoffs during his coaching career which began in 2002-2003 with the Montreal Canadiens.

Last year, the Bruins advanced to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season under Julien. They were defeated by the Washington Capitals in the first round.

For more on the Bruins, please be sure to check out our blog Stanley Cup Of Chowder and SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.

Bruins Offseason 2012: Bruins Announce Multi-Year Extension With 98.5 The Sports Hub

The Boston Bruins and local radio outlet, 98.5 The Sports Hub announced today that they have reached an agreement on a multi-year extension of their current deal to keep Bruins games on the popular FM station.

The Bruins have been on the station for the past three seasons after moving from fellow CBS station, WBZ 1030, including the teams run to the Stanley Cup in 2010 and will be there for many more to come, though terms were not disclosed.

Both the Bruins and CBS (the parent company of 98.5) released statements praising their arrangement.

“Over the past three years, the Bruins have been very happy to be partners with ‘98.5 The Sports Hub’ as the station has launched and grown,” said Bruins President Cam Neely. “We feel that 98.5 has truly embraced the Bruins and our fans across all of their programming, and we are happy that The Sports Hub will be the home for Boston hockey fans for years to come.”

“The Bruins are one of the NHL’s treasured franchises and an Original Six team, and we are honored to continue broadcasting the games to fans throughout New England, “ said Mark Hannon, Senior Vice President and Market Manager for CBS RADIO Boston.

For more on the Bruins, please be sure to check out our blog Stanley Cup Of Chowder and SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.

NHL Collective Bargaining 2012: Bruins' Daniel Paille Talks About NHL's Looming CBA Crisis

Bruins forward Daniel Paille feels optimistic about striking a deal with the owners to avoid another NHL work stoppage.

Bruins Offseason 2012: Boston Not Interested In Rick Nash Or Bobby Ryan; Sign Aaron Johnson

The Boston Bruins offseason seems to have hit a lull, and fans should expect it to stay that way. According to ESPNBoston.com's hockey guru Jimmy Murphy, sources are telling him the Bruins are not in the Rick Nash or Bobby Ryan sweepstakes and aren't willing to deal David Krejci and Milan Luci.

It seems after swinging and missing on Zach Praise, who elected to return home to the Minnesota Wild during the early part of free agency, the Bruins are ok with their roster and just want to add depth -- which they did Wednesday when they signed defenseman Aaron Johnson to a one-year, two-way contract.

Last season, Johnson played 56 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he tallied 13 assists and 16 points.

For more on the Boston Bruins, check back to this SB Nation Boston StoryStream. For complete discussion and commentary about the B's, check out the SB Nation blog Stanley Cup of Chowder.

NHL Free Agency 2012: Bruins Sign Matt Bartkowski To One-Year Deal

The Boston Bruins have re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Matt Bartkowski according to Joe Haggerty of CSN New England. Its a one-year, two-way contract for Bartkowski, who will make $600,000 at the NHL level and $62,500 at the AHL level.

Bartkowski spent most of the year with the Providence Bruins of the AHL last year, recording 22 points in 50 games for the P-Bruins. Bartkowski also spent some time in Boston, playing in three games and not recording a point when he filled in for Adam McQuaid.

It is a good depth move for GM Peter Chiarelli. Bartkowski is expected to spend a majority of the season with Providence while he still works on his game, but he will be the first player called up to Boston if there are any injuries to the Bruins backline.

For more on the Boston Bruins, check back to this SB Nation Boston StoryStream. For complete discussion and commentary about the B's, check out the SB Nation blog Stanley Cup of Chowder.

NHL Free Agency Rumors 2012: Zach Parise Reportedly Received Big Offer From Boston Bruins Before Signing With Minnesota Wild

The Boston Bruins made a "significant offer" to Zach Parise before the star free agent chose the Minnesota Wild as his next team, according to a Boston Globe report on Thursday.

Parise left the New Jersey Devils to sign a 13-year, $98 million deal with the Wild on Wednesday. It's unclear how close Boston's offer came to that deal, but Parise noted after signing his new deal that playing in his home state of Minnesota and with his friend Ryan Suter were important reasons for his choice.

The Bruins have just $3 million in cap space, but could have offered Parise a large deal because teams are allowed to exceed the cap by 10 percent in the offseason. General manager Peter Chiarelli has said the Bruins are likely to have a quiet summer, but he intended to make a big splash.

For more on the Boston Bruins, check back to this SB Nation Boston StoryStream. For complete discussion and commentary about the B's, check out the SB Nation blog Stanley Cup of Chowder.

NHL Free Agency 2012: Benoit Pouliot, Joe Corvo, Greg Zanon Head Elsewhere

The Boston Bruins lost three former players on the opening day of the 2012 NHL free agency period Sunday. Forward Benoit Pouliot and defenseman Joe Corvo signed one-year deals with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively. Defenseman Greg Zanon signed a two-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche.

Zanon was considered to have the best chance of being re-signed by the Bruins. The blue-liner recorded two points--one goal, one assist--and four penalty minutes in 17 games played with the Bruins after being acquired at the trade deadline. His deal with the Avalanche is worth $2.25 million per season.

Pouliot came on strong with the Bruins late last season. In 74 games played with Boston last season, he notched 32 points-16 goals, 16 assists--and a plus-18 rating. The organization apparently didn't think too highly of him, however. His rights were traded to the Lightning last week in exchange for a fifth-rounder at the 2012 NHL Draft. Pouliot reportedly inked his one-year deal for $1.8 million.

Corvo struggled mightily as a Bruin. He scored a career low four goals last season, and was made a healthy scratch for seven games down the regular season stretch. Corvo's one-year deal is worth $2 million.

For more on the Bruins check out Stanley Cup of Chowder and stay tuned to SB Nation Boston.

Tuuka Rask Signs 1-Year Deal With Bruins

Tuuka Rask re-signed with the Boston Bruins for one year, $3.5 million on Thursday. Rask is expected to start in net for 2012-13 season.

Former Bruin Adam Oates Reportedly Named Washington Capitals Head Coach

Former Boston Bruins star Adam Oates is set to become the next Washington Capitals head coach, according to reports from TSN and Sportsnet.

Oates spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils, and was given plenty of credit for the turnaround of the team's power play. The 49-year old does not have any experience as a head coach at any level, but can draw from his19 NHL seasons as a player. General manager George McPhee has previously hired four head coaches and none of them had head coaching experience.

Oates spent several of his most productive seasons as a player with the Bruins, including the 1992-93 season, when he registered 45 goals and 97 assists for 142 points.

For more on the Boston Bruins, check back to this SB Nation Boston StoryStream. For complete discussion and commentary about the B's, check out the SB Nation blog Stanley Cup of Chowder.

Tim Thomas Waives No-Trade Clause: Boston Bruins Now Free To Deal Star Goalie

Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas has indicated that his plans to sit out the 2012-2013 season are not to induce a trade.

But the two-time Vezina Trophy winner has waived his no-trade clause, general manager Peter Chiarelli told reporters on Friday, giving the Bruins freedom to deal Thomas before July 1 if they find a reasonable offer.

Chiarelli said that several teams have already called about acquiring the 38-year old goalie, who is due $3 million salary for the upcoming season. The Boston GM said most teams have been calling about the salary cap floor, which projects to be $54 million in the 2012-13 season. Even if Thomas sits out the year, his contract will still come with a $5 million cap hit.

For more on Thomas and the Boston Bruins, check back to this SB Nation Boston StoryStream. For complete discussion and commentary about the Thomas, check out the SB Nation blog Stanley Cup of Chowder.

NHL Draft 2012: Order, Time, TV Schedule, Results And More

The 2012 NHL Draft will start tonight at 7:00 p.m. at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The Boston Bruins will make their first selection in the draft with the 24th overall selection, while the Edmonton Oilers will make the first selection of the draft.

The entire draft will be televised live, with the first round being aired on NBC Sports Network Friday night. The NHL Network will air rounds 2-7 starting at 10 a.m. The first round draft order is below.

Draft Order:

1. Edmonton Oilers

2. Columbus Blue Jackets

3. Montreal Canadiens

4. New York Islanders

5. Toronto Maple Leafs

6. Anaheim Ducks

7. Minnesota Wild

8. Carolina Hurricanes

9. Winnipeg Jets

10. Tampa Bay Lightning

11. Washington Capitals (from Colorado Avalanche)

12. Buffalo Sabres

13. Dallas Stars

14. Calgary Flames

15. Ottawa Senators

16. Washington Capitals

17. San Jose Sharks

18. Chicago Blackhawks

19. Tampa Bay Lightning (from Detroit Red Wings)

20. Philadelphia Flyers

21. Buffalo Sabres (from Nashville Predators)

22. Pittsburgh Penguins

23. Florida Panthers

24. Boston Bruins

25. St. Louis Blues

26. Vancouver Canucks

27. Phoenix Coyotes

28. New York Rangers

29. New Jersey Devils

30. Los Angeles Kings

For more NHL Draft 2012 coverage, follow along with our stream. Also, for additional Boston Bruins coverage, visit our team page and blog, Stanley Cup Of Chowder.

2012 NHL Mock Draft: Bruins To Select Mark Jankowski In Latest Mock Draft

The 2012 NHL Draft is tonight, and everyone's final mock drafts are starting to be released to the public. In his latest mock draft Kevin Allen of the USA Today has the Bruins taking center Mark Jankowski

24. Boston Bruins: C Mark Jankowski (6-2, 175, Stanstead boarding school, Quebec). Hard to evaluate because he didn't play against elite-level competition, but he showed enough for teams to consider taking him in the first round. He netted 53 goals in 57 games. He's a strong skater. His grandfather, Lou Jankowski, played 127 NHL games and his great-uncle was Red Kelly.

Most bloggers around the network have Jankowski as a high-risk high-reward type of player. Jankowski has grown eight inches over the last 18 months and has the family lineage to make a mark in the league. For a pick this late in the first round, Jankowski would certainly be worth the risk for the Bruins this late in the first round.

For more on the Boston Bruins, check back to this SB Nation Boston StoryStream. For complete discussion and commentary about the B's, check out the SB Nation blog Stanley Cup of Chowder.

NHL Draft Rumors 2012: Who Will The Bruins Select At No. 24?

The Boston Bruins are selecting at No. 24 overall in the 2012 NHL Draft, which begins this Friday. A late first round pick can be difficult to project. The well-dissected marquee names are gone, leaving a murkier, yet talented pool of athletes to sift through. The SB Nation blog Stanley Cup of Chowder gave its best shot, however, predicting Saskatoon Blades defenseman Dale Thrower to be selected with the Bruins' first pick.

Thrower models his own game after his favorite player, Kevin Bieksa of the Vancouver Canucks, and Bruins fans would do well to look past the fact that he has poor taste in hockey clubs. There's a good article on his career so far posted on canada.com today which states that scouting reports have him ranked anywhere from 20th to 47th. He put up 18-36=54 totals for the Blades this year; due to injuries on that roster, he often played close to 30 minutes per game on the team's #1 defense pairing with Colorado draft pick Duncan Siemens.

The Bruins are in need of defense after giving up 2.4 goals per game last season. From the sounds of things, Thrower could be a valuable addition down the line.

For more on the Boston Bruins, check back to this SB Nation Boston StoryStream. For complete discussion and commentary about the B's, check out the SB Nation blog Stanley Cup of Chowder.

Boston Bruins Offseason 2012: Bruins Training Camp Opens Sept. 21, Preseason Schedule Announced

The Boston Bruins will be back on the ice for training camp on September 21.

While the rosters for the B's rookie camp and training camp are not yet available, the dates for the camps as well as the Bruins preseason schedule have been released:

- Rookie camp opens on Sep. 14 at Ristuccia Arena (Wilmington, Mass.)
- Training camp opens on Sep. 21 at Ristuccia Arena (Wilmington, Mass.)

The Bruins will play their first preseason game against the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m..

Here is the rest of Boston's preseason schedule:

Sept. 26 at Buffalo Sabres at First Niagra Center, Buffalo, NY (7 p.m.)
Sep. 29 vs. Winnipeg Jets in Saskatoon, SK at Credit Union Centre (9 p.m.)
Sep. 30 at Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB (8 p.m.)
Oct. 3 vs. Washington Capitals at TD Garden, Boston, Mass. (7 p.m.)
Oct. 5 vs Buffalo Sabres TD Garden, Boston, Mass. (7 p.m.)
Oct. 6 at Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre, Montreal, QC (7 p.m.)

For more on the Boston Bruins, check back to this SB Nation Boston StoryStream. For complete discussion and commentary about the B's, check out the SB Nation blog Stanley Cup of Chowder.

Tim Thomas Year Off Not To Force A Trade Or Restructured Contract, Says Agent

Tim Thomas' agent, Bill Zito, told the Boston Globe that his client isn't using the threat of a year off to look for a trade or restructured contract.

"It didn't have anything to do with a contract or trade," said Zito, Thomas's agent of 15 years. "It did not."

Thomas announced on Facebook that he will take the 2012-13 season off to focus on "family, friends and faith." The 38-year old goalie is under contract for $5 million next season in the final season of his four-year deal.

The Bruins will be able to trade Thomas on July 1, when his no-movement clause runs out. But with the declaration coming from Thomas' agent that the goalie doesn't want to play anywhere else, either, the Bruins are unlikely to find a taker.

For more on Thomas and the Boston Bruins, check back to this SB Nation Boston StoryStream. For complete discussion and commentary about the Thomas, check out the SB Nation blog Stanley Cup of Chowder.

Tim Thomas To Take 2012-13 Season Off, Announcement Made Via Facebook

Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas has always had one of the most outspoken Facebook pages for an athlete, and on Sunday the world-class netminder decided to use the social media forum to announce his one-year leave from the NHL.

In a Facebook post, Thomas announce his plans to take a year off from the game and begin focusing on other more personal things in his life.

From the earliest age I can remember, I've wanted to be a hockey player. I've been blessed in my life to not only be able to live that dream, but to achieve more than I ever thought possible.

The singleminded focus that is necessary to accomplish a dream of this magnitude entails (by necessity) sacrifice in other areas and relationships in life.

At the age of 38, I believe it is time to put my time and energies into those areas and relationships that I have neglected. That is why at this time I feel the most important thing I can do in my life is to reconnect with the three F's.

Friends, Family, and Faith.

This is what I plan on doing over the course of the next year.

Thomas' statement comes days after Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli confirmed he had talked with the goalie and there was a strong possibility Thomas would miss the 2012-13 season.

With Thomas "officially" gone, Boston will move on with goaltenders Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin. Rask had been the backup for Thomas and saw a lot of action last season, while Khudobin played well in the AHL.

For more on Thomas and the Boston Bruins, check back to this SB Nation Boston StoryStream. For complete discussion and commentary about the Thomas, check out the SB Nation blog Stanley Cup of Chowder.

Tim Thomas Considering Taking A Year Away From Boston Bruins, NHL

Boston Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli confirmed a report that goalie Tim Thomas is considering a year off from hockey.