CNN is reporting passengers on an earlier flight 1549 (Jan 13) with the same incident plane contacting them about an engine event on climb out from La Guardia ... A couple of very loud bangs, announcement that emergency landing may be necessary, but flight then continued after pilots resolved the issue to satisfaction.
Passengers report scare on earlier US Airways Flight 1549 - CNN.com
What do people think? Potentially relevant?
Yes, relevant.
Pay attention to any photos or stated evidences of bird strikes across the whole frontal area of the aircraft. Flock encounters leave this kind of evidence.
Examine the DFDR engine parameters in the event. There is a difference between only a surge encounter and one where the bird damage causes it.
Also look at the crew actions between the initial event and the time that they actually begin a restart action. The crew knows what the engine symptoms were and whether they actually shut down engines for exceedances or simply attempted restarts from flamed out engines.