Boston Bruins 2023 Off-Season CAP, Trade Rumors and Free Agent Talk XI

[Kegs]

Look, I'm not giving up Zacha, Poitras and Lohrie for Lindolm and an overaged cap dump, that's f***ing nuts. How many good years does Linholm have left,
3 maybe 4 and the return is gonna be 25 years worth of NHL players? Why the f*** would the Bruins be interested in Kevin Rooney ? GTFO.

You gotta give to get but the Flames are not in a position of strength. You also can't be looking to abuse them because then you end up empty handed like the Habs did in the PLD pursuit. The Flames are struggling , as are a few teams in Canada, to retain players. Hanifin who is not willing to sign a new deal with the Flames would fit in nicely in Boston. So I have been beating the drum on acquiring both Linholm and Hannifin. That deal starts with DeBrusk, someone who is from Alberta, has family in Alberta and probably wouldn't be as adverse to signing there. Would it be ideal to trade DeBrusk? Of course not but offering guys like TFred who are not likely to re-sign there are likely to be of little interest to the Flames. Maybe Ullmark who maybe can deal with the colder weather given where he's from, might be of interest if your willing to take one of their goalie's off their hands. (preferably Vladar) throw in 2025 1st and as many as they want of Grizz,Forbort and Zboril (probably none of interest to the Flames but worth a try) any prospect(s) not named Lohrie,Poitras and Lysell . A tweak here and a tweak there and a deal could be had.

The Bruins will have money to spend next season, I'd like them to spend it on proven players like Linholm and Hanifin. However, not at any cost.

The Bruins have zero blue-chip prospects. They do however potentially have several 2 line/pairing level players.

Lohrie
Poitras
Lysell
Merkulov

Guys like Harrison, McLaughlin and Beecher are potentially 3rd and 4th line guys. I'd make anyone of them available in any deal.

So there you have it , that's the frame work. If it's not enough so be it . Ride out the season .

I’ve seen enough of McLaughlin myself. Not my kind of player. Wouldn’t shock me at all if lohrei, poitras and Locmelis are considered blue chip.

 

[Guelph Bruin]

Maybe Poitras has a fire under his ass and earns a spot right out of training camp?

Who knows. But I wanna see the kids play. I'm fine going into the season with what we have right now. I think we're gonna be fine.

Trust me, I want this to happen ... he's like a home town boy we are all rooting for to succeed here where he plays. He has serious skill and I agree he has nothing left to prove in the OHL but my real concern is he ready for the physicality of the NHL? Might be best for asset protection if we let him simmer and dominate another year in the OHL then take the AHL route.

 

[Kegs]

Trust me, I want this to happen ... he's like a home town boy we are all rooting for to succeed here where he plays. He has serious skill and I agree he has nothing left to prove in the OHL but my real concern is he ready for the physicality of the NHL? Might be best for asset protection if we let him simmer and dominate another year in the OHL then take the AHL route.

Everyone has the same concerns :p it’s all good we about to find out. It’s been a while since the bruins found a 19 year old that can play in the nhl.

 

[Guelph Bruin]

Everyone has the same concerns :p it’s all good we about to find out. It’s been a while since the bruins found a 19 year old that can play in the nhl.

I just don't want the Bruin's brass to make a decision based out of desperate need for a play making C, I hope they judge it on ability/readiness for the kid's sake.

 

[Kegs]

I just don't want the Bruin's brass to make a decision based out of desperate need for a play making C, I hope they judge it on ability/readiness for the kid's sake.

They won’t. If he isn’t strong enough he will most certainly be shipped back to the ohl.

 

[Blowfish]

We will see. Did u think Bergeron was ready his first season ? Or Pasternak ? I can’t wait to see him at camp. I think if he is better than Locmelis then he is close. Locmelis looks close to me.

I watched him play live OHL...not sure what it is but nothing really jumps out in my eyes. Guelph Bruin is a regular Guelph Storm. He has his concerns as well. Size/strength jumped out.

By all accounts he had a good development camp, added some weight, etc...Hope I'm wrong and he makes the team.

 

[Blowfish]

Look, I'm not giving up Zacha, Poitras and Lohrie for Lindolm and an overaged cap dump, that's f***ing nuts. How many good years does Linholm have left,
3 maybe 4 and the return is gonna be 25 years worth of NHL players? Why the f*** would the Bruins be interested in Kevin Rooney ? GTFO.

You gotta give to get but the Flames are not in a position of strength. You also can't be looking to abuse them because then you end up empty handed like the Habs did in the PLD pursuit. The Flames are struggling , as are a few teams in Canada, to retain players. Hanifin who is not willing to sign a new deal with the Flames would fit in nicely in Boston. So I have been beating the drum on acquiring both Linholm and Hannifin. That deal starts with DeBrusk, someone who is from Alberta, has family in Alberta and probably wouldn't be as adverse to signing there. Would it be ideal to trade DeBrusk? Of course not but offering guys like TFred who are not likely to re-sign there are likely to be of little interest to the Flames. Maybe Ullmark who maybe can deal with the colder weather given where he's from, might be of interest if your willing to take one of their goalie's off their hands. (preferably Vladar) throw in 2025 1st and as many as they want of Grizz,Forbort and Zboril (probably none of interest to the Flames but worth a try) any prospect(s) not named Lohrie,Poitras and Lysell . A tweak here and a tweak there and a deal could be had.

The Bruins will have money to spend next season, I'd like them to spend it on proven players like Linholm and Hanifin. However, not at any cost.

The Bruins have zero blue-chip prospects. They do however potentially have several 2 line/pairing level players.

Lohrie
Poitras
Lysell
Merkulov

Guys like Harrison, McLaughlin and Beecher are potentially 3rd and 4th line guys. I'd make anyone of them available in any deal.

So there you have it , that's the frame work. If it's not enough so be it . Ride out the season .

Good stuff...thinking we're on the same page.

 

[Blowfish]

Debrusk a Pending UFA undetermined Boston career/future contract. Save key prospects. What makes the team better moving forward? A 28 year old top tier difficult to find/get center Linholm? A 26 year old top tier winger Debrusk?

Bruins Trade Talk: Source Says Lindholm Will Cost DeBrusk

Are the Boston Bruins about to become significant players for Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm on the NHL trade market? With longtime Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron retiring on Tuesday, the Boston Bruins do not have a bonafide No. 1 center. If the season began today, the Bruins would...

bostonhockeynow.com

------

Are the Boston Bruins about to become significant players for Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm on the NHL trade market?

With longtime Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron retiring on Tuesday, the Boston Bruins do not have a bonafide No. 1 center. If the season began today, the Bruins would have Pavel Zacha or Charlie Coyle as their No. 1 center. That has led to increased NHL trade speculation that the Bruins will intensify their pursuit to acquire the 28-year Flames center heading into the final season of a six-year contract with a $4.85 million salary cap hit.

Elias Lindholm had 22 goals and 42 assists in 80 games this past season but had a career season in 2021-22 with 42 goals and 40 assists in 82 games. The 6-foot-1, 202-pound pivot was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes fifth overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and has 203 goals and 310 assists in 743 games in the NHL.

Since Bergeron retired on Tuesday, Boston Hockey Now has contacted numerous NHL sources to confirm if Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has contacted Flames GM Craig Conroy about Lindholm. Not one source could do so, but one NHL team hockey operations source, had this to say:

“If the Bruins want Lindholm, likely [Jake] DeBrusk. They don’t want any picks, and the Bruins have none. They want a scoring winger that can make up for [Tyler] Toffoli being traded. There’s probably more that would be in that trade, but DeBrusk would be the target, I think.”

Jake DeBrusk is entering the final season of a two-year, $8 million contract, and following a season in which he scored 27 goals and had 23 assists in 64 games, he could be primed for a big contract year.

On Wednesday, Boston Bruins team President Cam Neely was asked about his team’s center position.

“We know that that’s a position, organizationally, that we need to improve upon,” Neely acknowledged.

Neely was then asked if that meant exploring the NHL trade or free agent markets.

“We’ll do whatever we can to bolster that position,” he replied.

He was then pressed on whether or not the Bruins had a plan in place for when Bergeron and fellow center David Krejci finally retired.

“Just the organization, we’ve recognized that our center position was getting older the last few years and ‘Krech’ coming back so. …it’s challenging when you’re competing every year and you give up draft capital,” Neely replied. “So, it’s hard to find those players in the later rounds, but it’s something we have to and we have been focused on.”

 

[Patdud]

Debrusk a Pending UFA undetermined Boston career/future contract. Save key prospects. What makes the team better moving forward? 28 year old top tier center Linholm? 26 year old top tier winger Debrusk?

Bruins Trade Talk: Source Says Lindholm Will Cost DeBrusk

Are the Boston Bruins about to become significant players for Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm on the NHL trade market? With longtime Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron retiring on Tuesday, the Boston Bruins do not have a bonafide No. 1 center. If the season began today, the Bruins would...

bostonhockeynow.com

------

Are the Boston Bruins about to become significant players for Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm on the NHL trade market?

With longtime Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron retiring on Tuesday, the Boston Bruins do not have a bonafide No. 1 center. If the season began today, the Bruins would have Pavel Zacha or Charlie Coyle as their No. 1 center. That has led to increased NHL trade speculation that the Bruins will intensify their pursuit to acquire the 28-year Flames center heading into the final season of a six-year contract with a $4.85 million salary cap hit.

Elias Lindholm had 22 goals and 42 assists in 80 games this past season but had a career season in 2021-22 with 42 goals and 40 assists in 82 games. The 6-foot-1, 202-pound pivot was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes fifth overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and has 203 goals and 310 assists in 743 games in the NHL.

Since Bergeron retired on Tuesday, Boston Hockey Now has contacted numerous NHL sources to confirm if Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has contacted Flames GM Craig Conroy about Lindholm. Not one source could do so, but one NHL team hockey operations source, had this to say:

“If the Bruins want Lindholm, likely [Jake] DeBrusk. They don’t want any picks, and the Bruins have none. They want a scoring winger that can make up for [Tyler] Toffoli being traded. There’s probably more that would be in that trade, but DeBrusk would be the target, I think.”

Jake DeBrusk is entering the final season of a two-year, $8 million contract, and following a season in which he scored 27 goals and had 23 assists in 64 games, he could be primed for a big contract year.

On Wednesday, Boston Bruins team President Cam Neely was asked about his team’s center position.

“We know that that’s a position, organizationally, that we need to improve upon,” Neely acknowledged.

Neely was then asked if that meant exploring the NHL trade or free agent markets.

“We’ll do whatever we can to bolster that position,” he replied.

He was then pressed on whether or not the Bruins had a plan in place for when Bergeron and fellow center David Krejci finally retired.

“Just the organization, we’ve recognized that our center position was getting older the last few years and ‘Krech’ coming back so. …it’s challenging when you’re competing every year and you give up draft capital,” Neely replied. “So, it’s hard to find those players in the later rounds, but it’s something we have to and we have been focused on.”

If CAL does Lindholm for say DeBrusk and Frederic I do that yesterday in a heartbeat.

I’ve seen enough of McLaughlin myself. Not my kind of player. Wouldn’t shock me at all if lohrei, poitras and Locmelis are considered blue chip.

the bruins dont really have a top line/pair prospect outside of MAYBE Lohrei

 

[RHR37]

I think if Krejci comes back 1 more year (not saying he will or will not) certainly might intrigue him to play 1 season out of Bergeron shadow.

This would be ideal, as it would give the Bruins time to evaluate what they have and by some time for next year when they have cap space.

We all know #46 will not play a full season but could fill some gaps along the way. Will also give guys time to move up and down the lineup.

Marchand Krejci Debrusk
Lauko Zacha Pasta
Freddy Coyle JVR
Lucic Geekie XXX

 

[Dr Quincy]

Maybe Poitras has a fire under his ass and earns a spot right out of training camp?

Who knows. But I wanna see the kids play. I'm fine going into the season with what we have right now. I think we're gonna be fine.

I don't think it has anything to do with fire or effort. I don't think he's physically ready for the NHL and I don't think it makes sense to have him jump a level like the AHL. I know he had 95 pts in the OHL last year, but Ty Voit, Evan Vierling, Amadeus Lombardi and Sasha Pastujov all had similar (but more) and none of them should be playing in the NHL this year either.

Signing JVR and Boqvist and Lucic tipped Sweeney's hand for the year. Veteran 1 year band-aids. Maybe a McLaughlin or Lauko, Merkulov make the team or take a spot. Maybe a Lysell or Beecher or Toporowski come up later in the year and get their feet wet.

 

[bruinmann77]

I want them to keep their Prospects and see what and who breaks camp with the big Club

 

[BruinDust]

I think the key point in any potential Lindholm trade is the Flames do not want a pile of lottery tickets. They want players who can help them right here and now.

The Flames are a bit of a pickle business-wise. They really need paid attendance to be strong as the building itself doesn't offer the type of revenue streams now normally found in modern pro sports arenas and they really are beholden to their fanbase.

A new arena and entertainment district is on the horizon. But in the meantime, they can't afford to do a tear-down rebuild as attendance numbers have dropped a bit the past 5-6 years (Covid years not withstanding) after an 8-year run of consecutive sell-outs. Down about 1300 fans last year from it's peak. A full rebuild could further hurt paid attendance and can they afford that?

I think their arena/attendance/revenue issues force their hand and prevents them from going into a massive rebuild. They've never done a massive teardown in any way that I can recall.

If the Bruins want Lindholm, you need cap space for him and NHL assets for him.

I think it's clearly our pending UFA star forward in Debrusk who would be the centerpiece of a deal.

The problem IMO is what else do you add after that?

Sorry but the Frederic's and Gryz's of the world ain't gonna cut it.

To me, if you want Lindholm, it's Debrusk and Carlo. Similar to Tkachuk for Huberdeau and Weegar. That's the price if your Boston. Just as well accept it.

 

[Hookslide]

No

that is a double no...........

 

[Blowfish]

I think the key point in any potential Lindholm trade is the Flames do not want a pile of lottery tickets. They want players who can help them right here and now.

The Flames are a bit of a pickle business-wise. They really need paid attendance to be strong as the building itself doesn't offer the type of revenue streams now normally found in modern pro sports arenas and they really are beholden to their fanbase.

A new arena and entertainment district is on the horizon. But in the meantime, they can't afford to do a tear-down rebuild as attendance numbers have dropped a bit the past 5-6 years (Covid years not withstanding) after an 8-year run of consecutive sell-outs. Down about 1300 fans last year from it's peak. A full rebuild could further hurt paid attendance and can they afford that?

I think their arena/attendance/revenue issues force their hand and prevents them from going into a massive rebuild. They've never done a massive teardown in any way that I can recall.

If the Bruins want Lindholm, you need cap space for him and NHL assets for him.

I think it's clearly our pending UFA star forward in Debrusk who would be the centerpiece of a deal.

The problem IMO is what else do you add after that?

Sorry but the Frederic's and Gryz's of the world ain't gonna cut it.

To me, if you want Lindholm, it's Debrusk and Carlo. Similar to Tkachuk for Huberdeau and Weegar. That's the price if your Boston. Just as well accept it.

This. Well done BD. Logical.

 

[Fenian24]

We will see. Did u think Bergeron was ready his first season ? Or Pasternak ? I can’t wait to see him at camp. I think if he is better than Locmelis then he is close. Locmelis looks close to me.

Bergeron's first season he played wing and scored 39 points. He then spent a year in the AHL because of the lockout and came back the next season and put up 73 points. His first year he had Rolston and Thornton ahead of him at center. I have never seen Locmelis play but i find it interesting that no scouting service has him ranked very high and you have him making a supposed playoff contender. Where does he play number 2 center?

They need to make a trade, if they knew Bergeron wasn't coming back it should have been done already. They do not have any prospects that I would consider top 6 candidates. Every scouting service and prospect website has them in the bottom 5 prospect pools and we hear far too often on hear "let the kids play" or "I like this guy or that guy". If they had top end prospects I would be fine with this, what they have are a bunch of third or fourth line prospects that I doubt many other teams would have much interest in.

If Sweeney is counting on having cap space next year for one of the high end UFA centers he may be in for a surprise as most top end players rarely make free agency. Think Austin Matthews is going to be there? He won't

 

[Fenian24]

I think the key point in any potential Lindholm trade is the Flames do not want a pile of lottery tickets. They want players who can help them right here and now.

The Flames are a bit of a pickle business-wise. They really need paid attendance to be strong as the building itself doesn't offer the type of revenue streams now normally found in modern pro sports arenas and they really are beholden to their fanbase.

A new arena and entertainment district is on the horizon. But in the meantime, they can't afford to do a tear-down rebuild as attendance numbers have dropped a bit the past 5-6 years (Covid years not withstanding) after an 8-year run of consecutive sell-outs. Down about 1300 fans last year from it's peak. A full rebuild could further hurt paid attendance and can they afford that?

I think their arena/attendance/revenue issues force their hand and prevents them from going into a massive rebuild. They've never done a massive teardown in any way that I can recall.

If the Bruins want Lindholm, you need cap space for him and NHL assets for him.

I think it's clearly our pending UFA star forward in Debrusk who would be the centerpiece of a deal.

The problem IMO is what else do you add after that?

Sorry but the Frederic's and Gryz's of the world ain't gonna cut it.

To me, if you want Lindholm, it's Debrusk and Carlo. Similar to Tkachuk for Huberdeau and Weegar. That's the price if your Boston. Just as well accept it.

If you do that you should be able to replace Carlo with Dumba, at least for the season.

 

[Hookslide]

I’m still waiting for the list of players you think are better than coyle and make less or equal…

Good job Kegs ,I have been asking for a similar response from the Coyle haters .............

 

[BruinDust]

If you do that you should be able to replace Carlo with Dumba, at least for the season.

I'm perplexed he's still out there. But I really like that idea. I wonder what he's looking for in terms of a contract. Would be up for a Bertuzzi-like 1 or 2 year deal waiting for the cap to go up.

 

[Hookslide]

I’ve seen enough of McLaughlin myself. Not my kind of player. Wouldn’t shock me at all if lohrei, poitras and Locmelis are considered blue chip.

Agree , have not seen much from McLaughlin to make me optimistic about him..........

 

[JOKER 192]

I’ve seen enough of McLaughlin myself. Not my kind of player. Wouldn’t shock me at all if lohrei, poitras and Locmelis are considered blue chip.

Semantics I guess, blue chip to me are sure fire 1st liners. I don't see any of those.

 

[TCB]

Maybe Poitras has a fire under his ass and earns a spot right out of training camp?

Who knows. But I wanna see the kids play. I'm fine going into the season with what we have right now. I think we're gonna be fine.

Im more than fine wih this and I like this thought moving forward. Watching young talent with promise either in Boston, Providence or just a prospect in general. Im all for staying status quo im not. Either go out and acquire a lindholm/Schefeile type or make moves to bring in more youth.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

I think the key point in any potential Lindholm trade is the Flames do not want a pile of lottery tickets. They want players who can help them right here and now.

The Flames are a bit of a pickle business-wise. They really need paid attendance to be strong as the building itself doesn't offer the type of revenue streams now normally found in modern pro sports arenas and they really are beholden to their fanbase.

A new arena and entertainment district is on the horizon. But in the meantime, they can't afford to do a tear-down rebuild as attendance numbers have dropped a bit the past 5-6 years (Covid years not withstanding) after an 8-year run of consecutive sell-outs. Down about 1300 fans last year from it's peak. A full rebuild could further hurt paid attendance and can they afford that?

I think their arena/attendance/revenue issues force their hand and prevents them from going into a massive rebuild. They've never done a massive teardown in any way that I can recall.

If the Bruins want Lindholm, you need cap space for him and NHL assets for him.

I think it's clearly our pending UFA star forward in Debrusk who would be the centerpiece of a deal.

The problem IMO is what else do you add after that?

Sorry but the Frederic's and Gryz's of the world ain't gonna cut it.

To me, if you want Lindholm, it's Debrusk and Carlo. Similar to Tkachuk for Huberdeau and Weegar. That's the price if your Boston. Just as well accept it.

The issue for Calgary is no one wants to stay there. Everyone assumes Debrusk would sign there because of geography but what if he wants to play for a good team? One with facilities better than a D3 club hockey program? One that didn’t just trade their two best players (including Lindholm) and lose their previous best player via FA?

This whole Jake wants to be in western Canada angle is overblown.

 

[TCB]

If it's Poitras it's because Zacha, Coyle and Frederic all got hurt.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. The state of this team with not having a number one, or for that matter a number two center, and a young Talent comes in who looks like he may become just that down the road and shows he belongs. I think the bruins make room for him. It would be a travesty if he played his way onto the team, but he was blocked because the Bruins had a healthy Zacha, Coyle and Tfred on the team.

 

[Fenian24]

I'm perplexed he's still out there. But I really like that idea. I wonder what he's looking for in terms of a contract. Would be up for a Bertuzzi-like 1 or 2 year deal waiting for the cap to go up.

I'm a bit curious about this as well. I can't believe no one is interested in him, all I can see is he is pricing himself out right now. If it takes Carlo and DeBrusk that would open up some cap space for a move like Dumba.