BRIGHTON, MA – As per traditional, the Boston Bruins damage state of affairs got here to the forefront now that their Stanley Cup playoff run has ended with the first-round exit by the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes. Most notably, Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk revealed that he’d been enjoying with a bum proper shoulder for almost all of this previous season that it’ll require surgical procedure within the coming week.
It’s anticipated that Grzelcyk isn’t going to be prepared to start out subsequent season given the rehab timetable following shoulder surgical procedure within the coming weeks.
“I had a dislocated shoulder that occurred at dwelling towards Winnipeg, so I have to get surgical procedure subsequent week,” stated Grzelcyk, who estimated he performed roughly 50 video games with the injured shoulder. “I’m undecided of the timetable, however I’ll most likely miss the beginning of the season. It was fairly tough simply not feeling like myself. Ache-wise it might maintain popping out and in, and that’s why I’d need to miss a sport or two to let issues relax.
“I’m simply trying ahead to being wholesome once more. It actually restricted what I used to be capable of do on the market. Simply getting via follow some days was fairly powerful, however I’d positively make that call once more to intestine it out and attempt to assist the crew.”
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The damage might return even additional as his proper shoulder has most positively sustained some injury over the past couple of seasons.
Matt Grzelcyk heads to the room after getting tied up with Jordan Eberle. Not good. pic.twitter.com/2ljVDgJONJ
Grzelcyk stated he had surgical procedure on the alternative left shoulder when he was a defenseman at Boston College, and not less than is aware of what to anticipate with the restoration and rehab.
It explains loads for Grzelcyk, who completed out of the lineup in the previous few video games of Boston’s Stanley Cup playoff run after posting zero factors and a minus-6 within the first 5 video games of the sequence. He was shedding bodily battles within the D-zone when he was within the lineup and taking stick fouls to maybe attempt to compensate whereas enjoying injured.
It was clear at a number of factors throughout the season that he was enjoying via an higher physique damage, so the information of the separated shoulder was hardly a shocking growth with the 5-foot-9, 170-pound defenseman.
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The shoulder damage could possibly be a complication for the Boston Bruins, nonetheless, because the 28-year-old defenseman might need been a participant they’d take into account transferring this summer season amidst a really crowded group of NHL defensemen on the B’s roster. However that gained’t be taking place with a participant like Grzelcyk coming off surgical procedure that’s going to wish to point out that he’s wholesome earlier than one thing like that would even be thought-about.
Grzelcyk completed with 4 targets and 24 factors together with a plus-22 in 73 video games with the Boston Bruins this season, and at his finest is a strong top-4 puck-moving defensemen adept at transferring pucks and defending regardless of his small stature. With Hampus Lindholm within the fold, Jakub Zboril signed to a brand new two-year contract and Derek Forbort established as a strong bottom-pairing defenseman, it appears like there’s going to be an odd-man out between Grzelcyk and Mike Reilly as soon as all people will get wholesome subsequent season.
For now, although, Grzelcyk will clearly be targeted on relaxation and rehab from a shoulder surgical procedure that may require time for restoration.
A harbinger of that is the report today by The Warren Group, which shows the cost of a single-family home climbed 10% in February in the Bay State, with a new median price of $548,250.
“February was another record-setting month for median single-family home prices as sales activity was flat on a year-over-year basis,” said Cassidy Norton of The Warren Group. “A lack of inventory is the biggest factor driving these trends, and with fewer and fewer homes hitting the market, we can fully expect to see more recording-setting prices paired with a low sales volume in the coming months.”
The report lists 2,042 single-family homes sold in Massachusetts during February. That’s flat year-over-year — or up 0.1% with 4,434 home sold in 2023 vs 4,438 this past February, the report states.
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The median condo price increased 6.5% on a year-over-year basis to $490,000.
Condo sales also increased 5.8% when compared to last February, with 1,017 sales vs 1,076 closings this winter, the report adds.
“Although condo sales increased 5.8% in February on a year-over-year basis, activity is still nowhere near what we saw even two or three years ago,” Norton said. “Record high prices and high-interest rates are likely a big factor in the long-term decline in activity, and prospective buyers shouldn’t expect much relief in the near future.”
The Fed is meeting this week, and all eyes are on the benchmark interest rate but don’t bet on any immediate relief.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell and his fellow Fed officials are expected to play it safe and keep rates frozen, according to multiple reports.
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The Fed’s benchmark rate stands at about 5.4%, the highest level in 23 years, after a series of 11 rate hikes that were intended to curb the worst inflation in four decades but have also made borrowing much more expensive for consumers and businesses, the Associated Press reports.
Mortgage rates are hovering near 7.2% for a 30-year fixed rate, with other similar rates being promoted for slightly less. “Upper” 6% rates are also in play as of Monday, with Business Insider stating “hotter-than-expected economic data has helped push them back up.”
As for Greater Boston, the housing picture is even more costly.
The Warren Group report states the median price of a single-family home has soared 11.9% year-over-year in February from $620,000 to $693,750. That’s for the 139 towns located within Interstate 495. Condo prices are also up 5.7%.
There’s not much movement in Boston, where single-family home sales — though very rare — climb past $1 million, statistics show. The same holds true for Cambridge, Arlington, Dover, Belmont, Brookline, Concord, Edgartown, Hingham, Lexington, Lincoln, Needham, Wellesley, Weston, and Westwood.
The PWHL trade deadline came and went Monday, bringing about two last-day swaps. One brought Roslindaleâs Caitrin Lonergan back home to Boston.
Boston acquired the rights to forwards Lonergan, who spent three seasons at Boston College from 2016-19, and Lexie Adzija from Ottawa for forward Shiann Darkangelo. The 26-year-old Lonergan was twice a finalist for the Patty Kazmeier Award, given annually to the best womenâs college player, and played for both Clarkson and the PHFâs Connecticut Whale after departing BC.
Lonergan was taken in the 14th round of this yearâs PWHL Draft by Ottawa, but did not sign.
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âSo excited for the opportunity,â she wrote on social media Monday.
Adzija, 23, played five seasons at Quinnipiac from 2018-23, finishing as team captain. Taken in the 11th round of the draft, she had single points in six of her first seven PWHL games, with 5-3â8 totals 17 games into the season. Despite the cool-off, those eight points would tie for fourth on Boston, whose 35 goals through 17 games are worst in the league.
Darkangelo, 30, had one assist in 17 games with Boston. She was captain of the PHFâs Toronto Six last season, when it won the final Isobel Cup championship in league history.
Boston city councilors unhappy with having to work this past New Year’s Day are seeking a change in the city charter that would prevent mayoral and council inaugurations from being held on a federal holiday.
Councilor Gabriela Coletta, chair of the government operations committee, is recommending that the body vote favorably Wednesday on a home rule petition that would amend the city charter by moving the inauguration date from the first Monday of January to the first weekday after Jan. 2.
If approved, Mayor Michelle Wu would need to sign off on the petition before it could be pitched to state lawmakers on Beacon Hill, who would also have to approve a charter change moving the end of mayoral and council terms in the same way.
“The purpose of this docket is to ensure that City of Boston employees will not be required to work on the federally observed holiday for Jan. 1 New Year’s Day solely to participate in and facilitate city council and mayoral inaugurations (and) the commencement of the municipal year,” Coletta wrote in a committee report.
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The docket for the petition, filed by Council Vice President Brian Worrell, drew laughter when it was read into the record by City Clerk Alex Geourntas at a Jan. 24 City Council meeting.
“Lots of snickering, I wonder why,” Council President Ruthzee Louijeune said at the time, perhaps alluding to the late-night celebrations that occurred on New Year’s Eve followed by the quick turnaround of a 10 a.m. inauguration, where the 13 councilors elected in November were required to take the oath of office.
A brief City Council meeting was also held at noon on New Year’s Day, where a vote was taken to select Louijeune as the body’s new president.
Worrell, in a Monday statement to the Herald, spoke to the strain that quick turnaround placed on the city’s public safety employees.
“This year, our first responders had to staff our inauguration 10 hours after First Night and New Year’s Eve,” Worrell said. “That’s too great a strain to put on our public safety officers. Other years, we wait till Jan. 7 to have an inauguration.
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“I’d rather get to work earlier,” he added. “This solution solves for both problems, updating a centuries-old document with an easy fix that will ensure inauguration is Jan. 3-5, which is more in line with federal standards and should increase civic engagement.”
In January, he said the home rule petition “follows Congress’ rule for the most part, which has its inauguration Jan. 3 so it would never fall on either New Year’s Day or its observed holiday.”
Louijeune also spoke favorably of the measure in January, saying that many council staff members had to work on the holiday this year as well, and were given the Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend off to make up for it.
The tradition of swearing in on New Year’s Day is nothing unique to Boston. Media reports indicate that a number of mayors and city councilors were sworn into office in other Massachusetts municipalities this year on Jan. 1.
Under the city charter, the inauguration date, municipal years, and elected terms can fall from Jan. 1-7 as the “first Monday in January.” The petition seeks to change those dates to between Jan. 3-5, as the first weekday after Jan. 2.
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The act, if passed locally and by the state, would take effect starting with the elected terms and the municipal year that begins Jan. 5, 2026.
While 10 councilors signed onto Worrell’s petition after it was introduced in late January, two others didn’t: Ed Flynn, who was absent, and Erin Murphy. Both say they plan to vote ‘no’ if it is brought to a vote on Wednesday.
“As elected officials, I believe we have the obligation to serve the public at all times, even during a holiday,” Flynn said on Monday. “I’m honored to serve as a city councilor, and I will continue to work hard for my constituents day and night.”
Murphy said “winning an election and representing the City Council is an honor,” and that she doesn’t think working on a federal holiday for the inauguration is a “sacrifice.”
In terms of civic engagement, she said, having the ceremony on a federal holiday is “actually more convenient that family and others don’t have to take the day off work to join.”
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Murphy said there isn’t a need, in her opinion, to change the city charter, established in 1822, pointing to the lack of frequency with which the inauguration falls on a federal holiday.
It wouldn’t occur again until 2040, when the first Monday of the month is Jan. 2, the observed date. The inauguration would next fall on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, in 2046.
If the proposed charter change is because an inauguration “falls after people going out on New Year’s Eve,” Murphy said, “then I’m 100% against it.”