The Boston Bruins may have been the best team in the National Hockey League during last year’s regular season, but lacked skating and scoring depth which was a big reason why they could not beat the more versatile Montreal Canadiens in the second round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With the early exit for a Bruins team that was supposed to be destined to make a long run for the Stanley Cup, the Bruins began the rebuilding process for a new upcoming season.
Bruins Cap Issues
For some time now it was rumored that the NHL Salary Cap could possibly go from $64 million to as much as $72 million, but on the night of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the league came out and revealed that the cap was going up to $69 million, which could hurt some top teams and their desires to retain key players. One of those teams was certainly the Boston Bruins and their issue with hoping to keep veteran forward and 30-goal scorer Jarome Iginla. Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli was up against the wall trying to work out a deal that would make both the Bruins and Iginla happy, but on July 1st of this month the talks would end with Iggy ultimately choosing to go sign a 3 year, $16 million dollar contract with the Colorado Avalanche. Compliance buyouts would have been a great option for the Bruins Brass, but the injury status of defenseman Adam McQuaid and forward Chris Kelly put a hinder on that idea with their very yearly injuries and their combined $4.5 million cap hit. With the recent signings of forward Jordan Caron and Defenseman Matt Bartkowski to one year deals the Bruins are “as of today” are over the cap by a margin of $209,143. Also not to mention that “restricted free agents” like forward Reilly Smith and defenseman Torey Krug whom are also remain unsigned.
Chiarelli has mentioned that he is not in a position to sign any top free agents this summer due to cap restrictions which go into effect in October, but it seems like the word around Bean Town, is the recent signings of Bartkowski and Caron that he might dangle those two players in a future trade to land the services of an Iginla-type player that they lost and squeeze under the cap before the season starts. However some sort of significant piece would likely have to be added to Bartkowski and Caron in order to get a high quality return.
Some other options for the Bruins would be to trade forward David Krejci and his $5.2 million to a team that needs depth throughout the middle of any lineup or possibly move a player like defenseman Johnny Boychuk and his $3 million. Both Krejci and Boychuck are slated to be unresticted free agents in the summer of 2016. Forward Carl Soderberg is also on his last year of a three-year deal worth $1 million a season. If the Bruins stand pat and do not move Boychuck, Krejci, or Soderberg, the Bruins better be prepared to sign them long-term or risk losing them for nothing to free agency next year.
Another cap-friendly move would be as simple as promoting within the organization and bring a prospect or two to fight for one or two possible roster spots on the wing. A few players with the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League have made significant strides in becoming candidates to be auditioning for these said roster spots which are: 2014 first round draft pick David Pastrnak, 2011 second rounder Alexander Khokhlachev, and 2010 second rounder Ryan Spooner. Regardless, the Bruins management team will certainly be juggling with many decisions on which move makes the most sense and if there will be value now or later on their minds. The toughest thing a general manager can do is give away a player who has not quite yet reached his full potential, but that is all int the common game and gamble of putting together a winner before every NHL season.
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