Bruins HC welcomes Toronto as hub: 'We've played well' there in playoffs

Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy wouldn't mind if Toronto serves as one of the NHL's two hub cities.

"We've played well in that rink in the playoffs, for the most part," he said, according to WEEI's Scott McLaughlin.

The Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the past two postseasons, clinching each in a Game 7. Three of Toronto's last four playoff appearances ended in a Game 7 loss to the Bruins in the opening round, including the 2013 contest in which the Maples Leafs were up 4-1.

Cassidy became the Bruins' head coach in 2017, and the team owns a 3-3 playoff record at Scotiabank Arena since his hiring.

The NHL's hub cities are expected to be announced sometime this week, according to TSN's Bob McKenzie. He adds that Las Vegas and Toronto appear to be the front-runners, though it's still a "fluid process."

Toronto's latest proposal reportedly featured players and team personnel living in a 40-acre bubble on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition just outside the downtown core.

The Eastern Conference's No. 1-seeded Bruins received a bye to the first round of the playoffs and will jostle with the conference's other top-three teams for seeding while clubs ranked fifth through 12th partake in the qualifying round.

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