The Boston Bruins still need to do some house cleaning. With two important restricted free agent defencemen in line for new deals, the Bruins have their hands full with the negotiations. However, there are some rather low-cost deals on this Bruins roster ahead of the 2019-20 season. It doesn’t mean help was provided for the Bruins in their attempt to settle on terms with their young blueliners. It’s encouraging that the Bruins might have some chance to sign yet another bargain agreement. Now we take a peek at the top-five Boston Bruins bargain contracts.
Top Five Boston Bruins Bargain Contracts
Will the Bruins come out successful with signing another bargain deal? Or will it become a disappointing overpayment? Probably only time will tell. The Bruins have certainly locked down some very good players on even better contracts. On this list of the top five Boston Bruins bargain contracts, we don’t count current players who don’t have a contract signed or are still on their entry-level contract.
Brad Marchand
The first name on this list doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the biggest bargain. But $6,125,000 salary cap hit for a 100-point producer is a very pleasant deal for the Boston Bruins. Brad Marchand signed his eight-year deal in September 2016, with the beginning in the 2017-2018 season. This deal may prove risky nearing the end of the term, but as of right now, it sure seems like a huge discount.
After his long eight-year deal gained validity two years ago, Marchand scored 85 points and then 100 points. Last season, when he recorded those 100 points, he ranked as the fifth-best in the NHL alongside 100-point scorer Sidney Crosby. From the players exceeding the 100-point mark in the past season, the nearest contract to Brad Marchand’s is Leon Draisaitl’s deal worth $8,500,000 per campaign.
In addition, Brad Marchand has been a very valuable player for the Bruins in the playoffs. During the past Stanley Cup playoff run, which nearly ended up with Cup glory, Marchand topped the list of the Bruins point-producers with 23 points. In the past two seasons, Marchand has scored 185 points in the regular season and added another 40 points in the playoffs. Just looking at the point production and comparing his AAV of $6,125,000 with that, his deal looks like quite a bargain. Mainly in the past few seasons, Marchand has become one of the most elite forwards in the NHL. At such a price, the Bruins get tremendous value.
David Pastrnak
Talking about how the excellent value the Bruins are getting from Brad Marchand’s contract, just let’s look at another great deal from the general manager Don Sweeney. A year after Sweeney locked Marchand at, so far, a bargain price, he signed David Pastrnak to a six-year deal worth $6,666,667 per campaign. There were some rumours that Pastrnak might be ready to sign a bigger contract worth more than, let’s say, $8 million. Or, he might have signed a bridge deal. The Bruins managed to lock him down for six years in a rather great value deal for them.
In the first two years of his contract, Pastrnak reached 161 points in regular-season contests and another 39 points in the playoffs. The Bruins could have paid a lot more for such a talented player delivering such great digits. Last season, Pastrnak scored 81 points, establishing his new career-high. He exceeded his successful 80-point career-best from the prior season by one point, playing in 16 less games. He had a tougher time in the playoffs, where he collected 19 points in 24 games. That is still very impressive.
As of the 2019-20 season, the Bruins are paying less than $7 million for another at least 80-point season from an elite talent. Pastrnak has the potential to reach a 100-point season for sure, maybe even in the upcoming campaign. David Pastrnak’s contract appears to have enormous value for the Bruins.
Matt Grzelcyk
After two big forwards for the Bruins, we take a glance at underappreciated defencemen. Matt Grzelcyk is living his childhood dream. Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the Boston Bruins selected him in the third round in 2012. In fall of 2017, he made it to the Bruins lineup as the head coach Bruce Cassidy almost immediately recognized a great upside Grzelcyk possessed. In the summer of 2018, the Bruins signed Grzelcyk to a two-year contract extension worth $1,400,000 per season.
In his first season with this new contract, Matt Grzelcyk played in 66 games and added another 20 games in the playoffs. There were expectations from the Bruins fans that Grzelcyk might be the one to replace Torey Krug somewhere in the future. With three goals and 15 assists for 18 points in the regular season, Grzelcyk is not Krug. But he is Matt Grzelcyk. The 25-year-old left-handed defenceman has averaged 19:08 of the ice-time per game and then 16:27 of the ice-time per contest in the playoffs.
Just to seize up how big an impact Grzelcyk has on a well-oiled Bruins third defensive pair, he played every playoff game before getting injured in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. Without him, the Bruins went 2-2 in their next four games. He made his return in Game 7, but after a concussion, he didn’t seem alright at all. Even though he scored in that Game 7, the Bruins felt the absence of his puck-moving ability. In the past season, Grzelcyk had a CF% of 51.5 in the regular season and 54.1 in the playoffs. At solely $1,400,000 per season, that’s a nice contract for the Bruins yet again. He will become a restricted free agent next summer.
Torey Krug
Another left-handed defenceman on the list is Torey Krug. Unlikely Matt Grzelcyk, Krug has a bigger star status of the two. Krug’s deal is worth $5,250,000 per season until June 2020. Krug signed a four year-deal in 2016. As it appears right now, having Krug signed on a contract worth $5,250,000 per season looks like another bargain.
Krug has worked himself out to be one of the most reliable Boston Bruins defencemen over the past seasons. More than that, Krug has been able to produce at a very high level constantly. Last season, Krug collected 53 points and another 18 points in the playoffs. With those 18 points in the playoffs, Krug was the third-best point producer on the Bruins team eventually making it to the Stanley Cup Final.
In the 2017-18 season, Krug managed to score 59 points, which is his career-high. On an another note, he posted that stat while playing 12 more games than in the 2018-19 campaign. In the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs, Krug collected 12 points. Torey Krug also gathered 163 points over the last three seasons.
That ranks him as fifth-best amongst all NHL defencemen. Those making that list are Victor Hedman, Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty, and John Carlson. Their average AAV for the next season is $9.59 million. Krug is more than $4 million under that sum. He may due a large payday next summer to extend his contract, but as of the 2019-20 season, it’s a part of the Boston Bruins bargain contracts.
Charlie Coyle
From all the player’s contracts above, Charlie Coyle is the lone one who hasn’t signed his current deal in Boston. Coyle signed his current five-year deal in 2015 with the Minnesota Wild. The Bruins acquired Coyle in a trade sending Ryan Donato to the Wild ahead of the trade deadline. At first glance, it seemed like Charlie Coyle was experiencing some difficulties settling in the Bruins lineup. After posting 28 points in Minnesota, Coyle scored only six points in 21 games in Boston.
Notwithstanding, in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Charlie Coyle has fully reached his potential. And he didn’t even need to play on the top-six position as he centered the third Bruins line. In 24 playoff games with the Bruins, Coyle scored nine goals and added seven assists for 16 points. That was fifth-best for the Boston Bruins in the playoffs. In his short spell in the regular season with the Bruins, Coyle’s CF% was at 54.9. In the playoffs, Coyle averaged 51%.
His former five-year deal will enter the final year in the 2019-20 season. His salary cap hit is $3,200,000. In the 2020 offseason, he will probably demand a deserved pay raise. But until then, the Bruins can enjoy his deal’s great value. Coyle has shown some enormous chemistry built within the Bruins lineup in the playoffs. If the 27-year-old can produce at the level demonstrated in the playoffs as he is very versatile too (may play as a centre and on the right-wing as well), his cap hit of $3,200,000 is another example of the 2019-20 Boston Bruins bargain contracts.
Top Boston Bruins Bargain Contracts Conclusion
The total value of these five contracts for the upcoming season is $22.65 million. For that sum, based on the numbers from the past season, the Bruins are getting 215 points in the regular season from their three forwards on the list. Then add another 58 points in the playoffs. From the two blueliners on the list, the Bruins get 71 points in the regular season alongside 26 points in the playoffs. That’s a total number of 370 points from these five skaters, equaling 0.81 points per game. That’s approximately $61,000 paid for each point.
Of course, not every deal is looking so bright for the Bruins. Just look at David Backes and his deal worth $6,000,000 per year for two more seasons or dead money tied up to Matt Beleskey and Dennis Seidenberg. Last season, alongside retaining 50% of the Beleskey deal, the Bruins had two buyouts on their list. Nevertheless, these are some of the better deals for the Bruins listed above.
Three of these five deals expire next summer, Marchand’s concludes in six seasons when he will be a 37-year-old player. It’s not about ranking those deals as the best ones from the long-term view or overall benefit of the total length of the contract. This list of the Boston Bruins bargain contracts has been made up of five deals with the best value for the Bruins as of the upcoming 2019-20 season.
