Bruins Notebook: David Backes given green light, Clifton’s loss of waiver exemption limits Boston’s roster flexibility

It’s been just under a month since David Backes collided with Ottawa’s Scott Sabourin in a scary scene at TD Garden, but the Bruins’ veteran forward has only been able to ramp up his on-ice activity in the past 10 days or so, given both the violent nature of the incident and his own lengthy history when it comes to head injuries.  

Backes, who has suffered at least three concussions during his time in Boston before knocking heads with Sabourin on November 2, did his due diligence during his time on the shelf, including consulting with an independent neurologist about the potential risk for future injuries and his well being when he finally decides to hang up his skates.

“I’ve been in great hands, I’ve gone through the full regimen of health checks,” Backes told reporters Saturday. “The guys that go to 12 years of schooling or more and all the studying are telling me I’m ready to go and I’m excited to be back.”

While Backes did not confirm that his most recent “upper-body injury” was indeed a concussion, he did add that he felt as though he was ready to return to the lineup. 

"Just going through the process of what the doctors are telling me and trying to get back as soon as possible," he said. “Some of that comes quicker. Some of it's been fits and starts. But feeling really great as of maybe 10 days ago and been a full go, off the ice training, on the ice training, and feeling more like myself.

"Couldn't be happier to be a full go and hopefully playing contact hockey against a different team in short order."

It looks as though Backes is going to get his wish on Sunday.



After completing a full round of practice on Saturday with the club, Backes will return to the lineup against Montreal on Sunday night, with Bruce Cassidy confirming that the forward will start in the bottom six — skating next to Sean Kuraly and Anders Bjork. 

Backes has appeared in eight games with Boston so far this season, recording one assist while landing 14 hits and averaging just 8:17 of ice time. 

“We just like to see him being able to perform at an NHL pace right now, because when you miss a month or close to that, whatever it is, it’s a lot of hockey games,” Cassidy said Sunday. “So getting back in, getting his feet under him, being able to do things with limited time and space. 

“It’s not practice anymore where guys are on you, just being able to do his job. I don’t want to say he’s gonna play X amount of minutes because that depends on penalty kills, power plays often influence the 5v5, but hopefully, he’s up to task for his shifts at 5v5 and try to work him into the second power play. See where it leads us.”

Clifton reaches 60 games

With his expected start Sunday against Montreal, Connor Clifton will have reached 60 games up in the NHL ranks (18 playoff matchups included), putting Boston in a bit of a predicament as far as roster construction goes.

By hitting this service time up in the NHL, Clifton is no longer exempt from waivers if he was sent down to Providence. As such, it looks as though Clifton is up here to stay with the big club, considering that there’s no way another team wouldn’t pluck the promising defenseman (under contract through 2023) if he was sent down to the AHL.

It’s not particularly a surprise that Clifton has carved out a role for himself, as he’s served admirably on Boston’s third pair this year — filling in for both Kevan Miller and John Moore, who have yet to play this season while recovering from major injuries. 

“I think it’s, maybe expectations were higher after performing in the playoffs at a high level,” Cassidy said when asked to assess Clifton’s game this year. “Then we realize that he’s still new to the NHL, so we want to see a little more assertiveness in his game without being reckless. Some of that recklessness has made him a better player at times, so we’re okay with that as long as it doesn't get out of hand. 

“I think he’s trying to play a nice, consistent game and make good decisions, so I think sometimes he loses a bit of that, being on his toes, so we have to remind him. So some of that is on us to make sure he still feels good about being assertive without putting himself in bad spots. Where do I rank him? He’s played well for us. There’s a reason why he’s in the lineup most nights. We want to keep working with him. I’d say he’s been solid, room for improvement, probably like a lot of guys.”

With Clifton staying up with the Bruins for good, it remains to be seen just what Boston will do once Moore and Miller do return to the lineup. Moore, who was sent down to Providence on a conditioning loan Sunday, could return to game action in the next week or so. 

Before Miller suffered a setback, the veteran was expected to be cleared last week — which would have allowed Boston to send down Clifton (without worrying about waivers) in order to give Miller an extended look. 

But now, with Clifton pretty much locked into a roster spot, it will be curious to see how Boston juggles its D corps when both Moore and Miller are expected to start fighting for playing time.