What’s next for the Bruins in a busy and painful offseason?
The Bruins likely need to clear more cap space before free agency kicks off on Saturday afternoon.
COMMENTARY
The first domino of the Bruins’ offseason fell on Monday afternoon when Boston dealt Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno to the Blackhawks in what was largely a salary dump.
The swap more than doubled Boston’s available cap space, which currently sits at $10.9 million, per CapFriendly.
But with just 14 players signed to NHL contracts (including one goalie and six total forwards), Don Sweeney still has plenty of work to do when it comes to retooling Boston’s 2023-24 roster.
With the NHL Draft commencing on Wednesday night and the start of free agency set for Saturday, things are about to get hectic for the Bruins and the rest of the league.
So what should be next on the docket for the Bruins in the coming days?
1. Clear more cap space
After freeing up $6 million in cap space on Monday, Sweeney was asked by reporters in Nashville about whether or not more money-clearing moves were on the horizon.
His answer was a bit surprising.
“No, we’re in a fine spot to be able to… We’ve always said that there is going to be some turnover associated with that,” Sweeney said. “I was pretty honest at the end of the year, realizing that might include some of our younger guys getting an opportunity or bringing in some players that might be looking for that platform or second opportunities and that is just the nature of where we’re at right now.”
As we’ve noted before, Sweeney isn’t exactly the most forthright NHL exec when it comes to showing his hand as far as offseason objectives.
Still, it sure feels like something’s got to give when it comes to additional financial bloat.
Yes, Boston now has $10.9 million in cap space to work with this offseason following the Hall trade.
But that should dissipate in a hurry, especially with just six forwards currently signed. Even if Boston was to just re-up its restricted free agents in Jeremy Swayman, Trent Frederic, and Jakub Lauko, they’re likely back to where they started before dumping Hall’s contract.
And that’s not factoring in trying to re-sign Tyler Bertuzzi, addressing the potential vacancies of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, adding in free agency … need I go on?
If the Bruins realistically want to shake things up this summer, more players are going to have to be on the move.
With two days left in this current buyout window, both Mike Reilly and Derek Forbort could be options in order to clear cap space. Matt Grzelcyk might be a coveted asset at the right price.
Arguably the most seismic move Boston can make this offseason centers around their 1-2 punch in net of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.
Sweeney signaled on Tuesday that Boston’s prerogative is to keep the Ullmark-Swayman tandem in place in 2023-24, even if Swayman’s expected pay raise will further complicate Boston’s financial situation.
“I think we’re in a terrific spot, if we do decide [to run it back] and that is what our indications are right now, unless something else materialized between now and then,” Sweeney said. “It doesn’t mean I won’t, you guys know me well enough, I have to do my job as to what might present, and the goalie market is an interesting one right now.”
The play of Ullmark and Swayman served a key role in Boston’s record-setting run from October through April.
But with Ullmark’s value at an all-time high as the reigning Vezina Trophy winner and Swayman a coveted asset given his age and potential, Boston should leave no stone unturned when it comes to cap relief.
2. Try to keep players off the open market
Sweeney didn’t mince words when it came to Boston’s efforts to retain its wide swath of pending free agents.
Clearly, Boston does not have the financial leeway to retain all of its trade-deadline haul in Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Garnet Hathaway.
But moving on from an effective middle-six wing in Hall would be far more palatable if Boston manages to lock in Bertuzzi before he hits the open market on Saturday afternoon.
The 28-year-old Bertuzzi does have a few red flags if Boston does commit to him long-term. His defensive game left a lot to be desired during his short stint with the team in 2023. His injury history is lengthy.
But if Boston is looking to build a foundation for the post-Bergeron era (especially before the cap ceiling jumps next summer), Bertuzzi is an intriguing building block.
Not only is he younger than Hall, Bertuzzi’s playmaking capabilities at the netfront added a much-needed (and sought-after) dynamic in Boston’s lineup.
His chemistry with Boston’s focal point on offense in David Pastrnak is tough to ignore.
Even if Krejci hangs up his skates this summer, a second line of Pastrnak, Bertuzzi, and Pavel Zacha should do plenty of damage in 2023-24 and beyond.
If Bertuzzi does hit free agency on Saturday, he can easily be priced out of whatever Boston has submitted so far.
But as Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald reported on Twitter, Boston inevitably might have to join in on a bidding war if it wants to keep Bertuzzi here.
3. Assess the state of the center position
It’s an offseason objective easier said than done.
Neely and Sweeney’s comments on Tuesday weren’t exactly all that encouraging when it came to the future of both Bergeron and Krejci in Boston.
“Yeah, I mean for us, we have to kind of plan like they aren’t coming back until we hear otherwise,” Neely said of both centers. “We would not be doing the organization a service if we planned that they are coming back and then they weren’t.
So for us it’s kind of two paths, going down two paths. Hopefully we’ll hear something soon, but we’re certainly going to give those guys the time that they need.”
The hunch here is still that Bergeron returns as Boston’s captain for the Original Six franchise’s centennial season, bailing out the team once again by way of a cheap, one-year contract.
But if both Bergeron and Krejci do call it quits, Boston is going to find itself in a serious pickle.
The Bruins’ top brass was encouraged by the play of Zacha and Charlie Coyle when they filled in as Boston’s top-six centers during Games 3 and 4 against the Panthers. But it’s a lot to ask of Coyle to serve in such a role for an entire 82-game stretch and beyond.
If Boston needs to acquire a top-six center this offseason, there isn’t a whole lot working in their favor. Acquiring a proven talent will sap their limited cap space, potentially putting them out of the running for a pending UFA like Bertuzzi.
Dealing for a rumored trade target like Elias Lindholm or Mark Schiefele will also require a hefty return, including both valuable prospects and key contributors at the NHL level.
In an ideal scenario, Boston can roll with him and Zacha as its top-six centers and kick the center dilemma down the road until 2024-25 when more cap space should be available.
Rather than give up assets like a Mason Lohrei or Jake DeBrusk in a deal for Lindholm, they might be able to sign him in free agency the following summer.
Of course, little seems to have gone right for Boston since late April.
4. Try to regain draft capital
If the Bruins want to check off multiple offseason objectives in one swoop, dealing a player like Ullmark or Grzelcyk could be an avenue Boston takes in order to restock a barren cupboard of draft capital.
Boston has only drafted in the first round twice since the 2018 season. As of right now, they won’t draft again in the first round until 2025. Their next second-round selection won’t come until 2026.
Even though a blueliner like Grzelcyk likely won’t get you into the first round, Ullmark could get the job done, saving Boston $5 million in cap space in the process.
If Boston is going to continue to trade away assets this offseason, the NHL Draft stands as the best stage to do so.
“A difficult task on the doorstep, but we’ve had some conversations,” Sweeney said Tuesday of trading back into the first round. “I don’t necessarily know; it’s going to take a lot of traction between now and then and you just never know.
“We’ve had, certainly some opportunities, but obviously we made a move yesterday that sort of put us in pause motion for a little bit in terms of a regroup and how we’re going to fill the rest of the roster out as a result of really losing two quality individuals.”
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