Malcolm Subban to Be Called Up to Boston Again

While the Boston Bruins continue their west coast road trip, head coach Claude Julien announced today that the team will soon recall goaltender Malcolm Subban. Subban had a small stint earlier in the month but did not see any action. He was sent back to Providence when Niklas Svedberg was recalled.

The Bruins lost on Friday night in Vancouver and tonight play in Calgary. Their road trip still involved Edmonton, St. Louis, and Chicago, and they have been slumping for most of the season. Currently they are just four points ahead of the Florida Panthers for the final playoff spot in the east.

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“Malcolm was with us for the week there [in early February], so we didn’t get a chance to play him.” Julien said on Monday. “Maybe after a week and going back, he gets that opportunity.”

Subban won’t be in Calgary tonight, but Julien said he will be on the roster at some point on the trip. Some reports have said that he could start against the Edmonton Oilers, who struggle to score, to make his NHL debut. Svedberg played very poorly in his one start since being recalled himself.

According to NBC Sports, the Providence Bruins are already short on goaltenders and their strength coach dressed as the backup in Monday’s game against the Manchester Monarchs. This makes the move rather interesting for the Bruins.

Svedberg has been pulled in two of his last three starts, so they could just be looking for Subban to replace him. However, a couple of days ago TSN reported that general manager Peter Chiarelli has been fielding calls about trading Subban as we approach the March 2nd NHL trade deadline.

Tuukka Rask has been far from the problem in Boston, and he is locked up for six more seasons, so if the Bruins want to make a trade it might make sense for them to showcase Subban.

One report has also indicated that the Buffalo Sabres showed interest in Subban, but since they recently traded for Dallas Stars backup Anders Lindback, it seems unlikely that they would still be interested.

Subban was the Bruins first round draft pick in 2012 and he was playing well with Providence with a 2.42 goals against average on the season. He is one of the top goalie prospects in the league, so it would make sense for a team with a lack of goalie depth to take a look as the trade deadline gets near.