BOSTON — Three days ago, Mike Zalewski didn't have a National Hockey League contract. Tonight, he'll be in the Vancouver Canucks' lineup against the Boston Bruins, playing a few hours from where he grew up.
"It's been pretty crazy, you know?" Zalewski, 23, said after skating with the Canucks this morning at the TD Garden. "To get the call yesterday afternoon and have a couple of hours to get ready, and the day before to get the call about the contract … it's been a crazy week. It's pretty awesome."
Not for everyone.
Veterans Brandon Prust and Adam Cracknell will sit out tonight for the Canucks, victims of a youth movement that is transforming the team faster than many people imagined.