How might the Bruins set the roster ahead of the NHL free agency period? - The Boston Globe
Free agency begins on July 1, and the Bruins' brass must decide who stays and who goes ahead of the market opening.
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Pending the fait accompli acquisitions here of free agents Jake Guentzel, Patrick Kane, and Chris Tanev, the Bruins still have a few interesting and difficult roster decisions to make regarding the personnel on hand as July 1 free agency approaches.
Per standard practice, general manager Don Sweeney offered zero in terms of specific roster moves when addressing the media Wednesday during the club’s annual postseason autopsy at TD Garden.
Sweeney, in command of the corner office since 2015, took a moment to underscore the point that we in the media frequently are incorrect about our assumptions and calculations regarding the team he manages within a cone of silence the envy of MI6 headquarters.
“Some guys are really wrong,” he emphasized, presumably referring to the winnowing group of reporters with the resources to cover the team on a regular basis, “but it doesn’t stop you from throwing it out there and that’s OK. It’s good for business overall. It’s good for hockey, in terms of drawing attention and eyes to it. So I understand.”
Super. We understand. And hooray for being wrong and offering up false flags, such as, say, that July 1 promises to deliver Guentzel, Kane, and Tanev to the Black-and-Gold’s front door. One, two, or three of those names could be, or should be, on Sweeney’s shopping list, but it’s important to emphasize we’re tossing out names here simply as guesswork among the ranks of the unwashed and understood.
Sweeney has every every right to say nothing about his roster plans, just as those who cover the beat have equal sway to conjure up names or salaries. All good for biz, I guess . . . unless you’re wrong so frequently that readers figure out you’re just slinging fiction as fact, hoping some of it sticks to the back of the net (precisely how the 1-for-16 Bruins power play operated vs. the Panthers).
So with the caveat here that we are offered less than used coffee grounds to guide us in how Sweeney and team president Cam Neely intend to divvy up the dollars, here’s a look at how we imagine they’ll set the roster in preparation of their July 1 free agent shopping:
FORWARDS
Certain to return (with cap hit) — David Pastrnak ($11.25 million), Brad Marchand ($6.125 million), Charlie Coyle ($5.25 million) Pavel Zacha ($4.75 million), Trent Frederic ($2.3 million), Morgan Geekie ($2 million), Johnny Beecher ($925,000), Matthew Poitras ($870,000), Jakub Lauko($787K), Justin Brazeau ($775,00).
Not asked back — James van Riemsdyk.
Undecided (with potential cap hit if brought back) — Jake DeBrusk ($5.25 million), Danton Heinen ($2 million), Jesper Boqvist ($1.1 million), Pat Maroon ($1million).
DeBrusk is the biggest undecided here. After another streaky, spotty regular season — in part because of injury — DeBrusk was the club’s top postseason producer (5-6–11). It’s quite possible he’s had his fill of working for the Bruins, admitting Sunday that he never thought he’d still be here without a contract extension in hand. As he’ll be 28 in October, he’s likely to see UFA offers of approximately six years/$36 million. Feels here like the Bruins won’t offer more than a couple of years at $5.25 million. If the open market delivers as expected, the last of the club’s Round 1 picks in 2015 looks like a goner.
Heinen and the speedy Boqvist should be easy keepers for salary levels suggested above. For $1 million, Maroon’s heft and swagger are worth having in the lineup, if that spare change remains on hand. Of the three, Boqvist, because of his work at center, could be filched away with an offer of $2 million, like the one that landed Geekie here a year ago as a UFA from Seattle.
Warning: Look for a number of parts up front to scramble significantly if Sweeney can land a big fish like, say, Guentzel or Sam Reinhart, or even Kane.
DEFENSEMEN
Certain to return (with cap hit) — Charlie McAvoy ($9.5 million), Hampus Lindholm ($6.5 million), Brandon Carlo ($4.1 million), Andrew Peeke ($2.75 million), Mason Lohrei ($925,00), Parker Wotherspoon ($850,000).
Unlikely to return — Kevin Shattenkirk, Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort.
The issue weighing gorilla-like here on the “unlikely” group is that Sweeney needs to bring in a bona-fide top-four contributor. It would be a solid backliner, Forbort-like with bigger game, who can pair with McAvoy much of the time, then also ride with Carlo as circumstances dictate. That’s probably a $5 million-$6 million cap hit, using up a big chunk of what the other three earned last year.
GOALIES
Certain to return — Jeremy Swayman (RFA, projected $7.5 million cap hit).
Unlikely to return — Linus Ullmark.
To be promoted — Brandon Bussi (RFA, projected $900,000 cap hit).
Sweeney relaxed the cone of silence just slightly on this subject, hinting at a desire to keep Huggable Bros. Swayman and Ullmark on the payroll. It’s a grand idea. The Swayman-Ullmark partnership was the franchise cornerstone this past season. Swayman’s stellar work was the lone reason they made it out of Round 1 vs. the ever-disposable Leafs.
“We’re going to find a landing spot with Jeremy Swayman,” offered Sweeney. “And if we can make the math work, we’re going to have the [league’s] best tandem. If we can’t, we’re going to explore.”
Swayman rightly can seek $8 million a year — just look at the four guys in Ottawa making that coin next year (Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Jake Sanderson, and Thomas Chabot). A franchise stopper is worth every penny of it. Swayman knows it and is eager to cash.
The guess here, reflected in the aforementioned $7.5 million, is that Swayman accepts a fraction below market to stay here, Ullmark (one year left with $5 million cap hit) gets wheeled for a draft pick and cap relief, and Bussi moves up after two years in the minor.
