Bruins Off-Season 2021 Edition: Plans, Rumors, And Draft Goals
Just like that, after a shortened season leading to a second year in a row Stanley Cup Final Victory by the Tampa Bay Lightning over the Montreal Canadienes in 5 games; the 2021 NHL Draft is near upon us, and with it the Seattle Kraken expansion team draft coupled with numerous circulating trade and free agent rumors. Unfortunately for us Bruins fans, however, this usually spells a time of frustration, anxiety, and personally for me, shear disappointment in Bruins General Manager, Don Sweeney, Bruins President of Hockey Operations, Cam Neely, and the entirety of the Bruin’s scouting staff. Although I expect no fireworks for another 6th straight off-season for the Bruins, it is always fun to divulge into our hockey fantasies and examine the legitimacy, and impact, of any potential players the Bruins could be in on, be it via trade or free agency. With a little under two weeks until the Draft, let’s take a look at what to expect first.
This year will play out very similarly, if not identically, to the 2017 NHL off-season when the Vegas Golden Knights were founded. The NHL’s website, www.nhl.com, has a good article on how the expansion draft works which you can read here. Essentially, every single team, with the exception of the Vegas Golden Knights, could potentially lose 1 player. The Kraken will take a total of 14 forwards, 9 Defensemen, and 3 goaltenders in all (or at the very least, 20 players). Additionally, the contracts of these players must combine to reach at least anywhere between 60 to 100% of the max salary cap from the previous year. Each team is presented with two options for protecting their most valued players. Option 1, protect 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and a goaltender. Option 2, protect 8 skaters (defensemen and forwards) and a goaltender. Some other rules that I would like to mention in regards to teams’ protection list are as follows:
- Players that have no movement clauses at the time of this expansion draft and who do not wish to wave those clauses MUST be one of the players protected by the team. With regards to the Boston Bruins, those players are Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and Charlie Coyle (David Krejci is a no-trade clause) according to the website The Fourth Period.
- All first and second year professionals, as well as all unsigned draft choices, do not have to be added to the protection list for they are exempt. For the Bruins, this means players like young goaltender Jeremy Swayman and defenseman Urho Vaakanienen. However, players like Jeremy Lauzon, Trent Frederic, Connor Clifton, and Jakub Zboril have all played the number of pro-rated games necessary for them to be considered part of the expansion draft according to Boston Hockey Now author, Joe Haggerty.
- Although not an official rule, it should be common sense that all Unrestricted Free Agents are able to sign where ever they choose. Restricted Free Agents, however, will require protection if a team hopes to keep them during the expansion draft. In the Bruins case, the Bruins have unrestricted free agents David Krejci, Taylor Hall, Mike Reilly, Jaroslav Halak, Sean Kuraly, Kevan Miller, and Tuuka Rask who are free to either re-sign with the Bruins or any team of their choosing. However, they do have restricted free agents, Brandon Carlo, Ondrej Kase, and Nick Ritchie who will need to be a protected player if the Bruins want to retain him.
Now, with all this into consideration, and with only 8 days until the Seattle Kraken expansion draft on July 21st, 2021, each team should have a pretty good picture as to who they wish to protect. In the case of the Boston Bruins, I have to agree with much of what author Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now writes in his article “NHL Expansion Draft: Boston Bruins Expansion Draft Projection”. The Bruins will most likely go with option 1 from above; protect 7 forwards, 3 defensemen, and a goaltender. Their list will most likely be as follows.
Forwards: Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Charlie Coyle, Nick Ritchie, Craig Smith, and Jake Debrusk. Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Charlie Coyle all have no movement clauses and therefore must be protected. They do not need to worry about forwards Sean Kuraly, David Krejci, or Taylor Hall as they are all unrestricted free agents. What worries me here is that Trent Frederic will most likely not be on their protected list which is concerning. He is a young, tough, agitator in this league. A player that is necessary on any NHL team to help provide that grit that makes them all that much harder to play against. I understand protecting Jake Debrusk, he is an asset that the Bruins could look to move if another team is willing to take a chance on him, but Nick Ritchie? My qualms with Ritchie are numerous, but my biggest issue comes in that you have a younger, more physical, faster agitator in Trent Frederic, and whose offense hasn’t yet fully developed. He may not have the talent of his so called NHL counterpart Tom Wilson, but he could still be a fixture in the Bruin’s bottom 6 that will build the team for the future. Instead, the Bruins will waste it on Nick Ritchie, who in my eyes is another Jimmy Hayes; slow, offensively boring, and does not use his size well. What a Don Sweeney move, is it not?
Defensemen: Matt Grzelcyk, Charlie McAvoy, and Brandon Carlo. These also don’t come as much of a surprise. Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo are both the stalwarts on the right side of the Bruins defense, and with any luck, will be for years to come. Matt Grzelcyk, however, is the one I very much so disagree with. Defensemen Mike Reilly and Kevan Miller do not require protection as they are unrestricted free agents. Jakub Zboril, Jeremy Lauzon, and Connor Clifton are the players that are eligible to be taken by Seattle. Going back to Matt Grzelcyk, although he is a great skater and solid puck mover, he is undersized and does not belong anywhere in anyone’s top 4 defensive pairings. As it is with many small defensemen like Matt Grelcyk around the league, he has a history of recurring injuries. Additionally, he struggles when facing larger sized opponents, fails to win a puck battles in the corners, gets bounced off the puck a lot, and struggles clearing bigger guys from in front of the net. Undersized defensemen like him just get inevitably worn down and bullied in their own end. Grzelcyk played next to McAvoy for a good chunk of the season, but he should really only be a bottom pairing guy who gets some time on the power play. With the left side of their defense lacking in size and shut down abilities, it should be a no brainer to me that the Bruins protect Jeremy Lauzon instead of Matt Grzelcyk. Lauzon did have a rough second half of the season and some dreaded postseason games, but he is still young and has the potential to be at least a second pairing, shut down defenseman in this league. Although I love Connor Clifton, he is a right shot and the Bruins need a natural left shot defensemen on their left side. Unless they plan on trading Grzelcyk, I think this is a very questionable decision again by the Bruins brass.
Goaltenders: Dan Vladar. This is an easy one for the Bruins. Both Tuuka Rask and Jaroslav Halak are unrestricted free agents and do not need to be protected. Jeremy Swayman is only a first year professional and as such, not eligible to be selected. This leaves Dan Vladar as the only goaltender needing protection. No surprises or disagreement here.
So who could the Bruins lose in the expansion draft to the Seattle Kraken? Author Joe Haggerty believes that it will be Jeremy Lauzon who is selected by the Seattle Kraken. Unfortunately, I believe he is right. Young, shut down defensemen are an essential piece when building up a defensive unit. They are also players any team needs if they want to make a deep postseason run. This would be a wise selection for the Seattle Kraken, but an unnecessary loss for the Bruins who are so very thin and undersized on the left side of their defense already. However, even if they end up selecting Trent Frederic I will be equally as frustrated, as they could have protected him over Nick Ritchie (and should). He would be another young player that can and will have a good impact on your team for years to come. But instead, the Bruins will probably choose the older, less impactful, and quite frankly, lesser player. No Surprise there.
Now that we have looked at what we can most likely expect from the Bruins during the expansion draft, let us quickly look at what the Bruin’s options are with the 21st overall selection at the 2021 NHL draft. Please be advised, they will most likely end up choosing a player who should be taken in the second round or later, and who may or may not be able to play at the NHL level. So do not get your hopes up.
Overall, the Bruins have 6 picks in the upcoming draft according to puckpedia.com. They have a 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th round pick. In this writer’s opinion, they should prioritize a young, highly skilled centerman with the 21st pick in the draft. A centerman capable of playing a solid two-way game but who has high hockey IQ, playmaking skills, and CAN SCORE GOALS. Out of Sweeney’s 7 first round selections, he has selected 3 defensemen, 2 right wingers, and 2 centermen. It seems like nearly every other year, Sweeney drafts a defenseman in the first round, what a shocker. What is worse is that he seems to draft defensemen in nearly every round of each draft, only choosing random forwards along the way. Well, the farm system, and team for that matter is getting killed by these poor draft choices. The Bruin’s farm system is loaded with young defensemen, most of whom need substantial more development time. There are not nearly enough reliable, top 6 NHL forward talent. After this years showing, Jack Studnicka still needs more development time, needs to put on weight, and needs to find his offensive touch in this league. Even at that, he is most likely a middle 6 centerman. Trent Frederic, who may leave due to the expansion draft anyways, is most definitely a bottom 6 forward given his lack of offensive skill. John Beecher, who is still developing in the collegiate program at Michigan, has had a rough go of it given that he was excluded from the World Juniors due testing positive for COVID-19, and he just had season-ending shoulder surgery. With no idea what his capabilities are at the NHL level, the Bruins are left with no real, high-end centerman prospects. What is more alarming is that the centermen the Bruins do have are way past their primes and nearing the end of their careers. David Krejci may not resign this season, and even if he does, he is past his prime at 35. How much longer does he truly have? Patrice Bergeron is also way past his prime at 36, has chronic groin issues among other ailments, and his quality of play has definitely begun to decline (particularly the later into the postseason he goes). Their only real hope is Charlie Coyle. However, he is 29 years old, and although still youngish, he is coming off a very bad season and just had knee surgery. So his production and level of play is still questionable. Point being? The Bruins have nothing in terms of a young, franchise #1 centerman. This year NEEDS to be the year where Don Sweeney tries to get a valuable young centerman who they can develop, and hopefully, become our next franchise centerman. That is why I hope to see the Bruins draft these young players at this years NHL Draft.
The first player is QMJHL center, Zach Dean,who is projected to be on the board when the Bruins make their selection.
There are many reasons to really like this young player. He is 6'0, 176 lbs (a little undersized but he will put on weight), is a natural left-shot center who has been praised for his two-way play, offensive creativity, vision, and excellent passing. Dean was named to the QMJHL all-rookie team following the abrupt end to their 2019–2020 season due to COVID-19. He also played for team Canada in the U17 tournament where he was tied for most points on the team. Souts on him have further reported that he is hard nosed player who jumps on loose pucks and can be a real pest to opponents defenses. In addition to his skills, he has an incredible work ethic according to The Hockey Writers. Sounds like a player that would fit the Bruins system perfectly.
Another player the Bruins could land is MHL/VHL center, Fyodor Svechkov, projected 18th overall. He is 6'0, 187 lbs (more built than Dean), is a natural center and one of the best two-way forwards in his draft class (that just smells of a Bruins player), has excellent intelligence, and has the intangible competitiveness that any future #1 centerman needs to be successful at the NHL level. Although he may need to fine tune his offense and build strength in his lower body, there is no question in the minds of scouts he will be an excellent center in this league according to Elite Prospects. He, like Dean, is a player the Bruins DESPERATELY need in their farm system and one that sounds as though he would be a perfect fit in their system. Despite these players possibly falling to the Bruins with the 21st overall selection, there is no doubt that me and the rest of us Bruins fans will watch again this year as the Bruins aimlessly select another raw defensemen who needs a few years of development, or a bottom 6 projected forward who may or may not be capable at the NHL level. So, with inevitable disappointment in the draft, what about some of those rumors that have been circulating the NHL media? As always, the Bruins have been linked to some big names.
The first name being thrown around the rumor mill is a familiar one to the Bruins, especially considering he helped the St. Louis Blues defeat the Bruins in 7 games to win the Stanley Cup in 2019. That is star right winger, Vladimir Tarasenko.
Reports have come out from Athletic reporter Jeremy Rutherford that the 29 year old winger would like a trade out of St. Louis. Given his salary cap hit at $7.5 million dollars per year for the next two years, his 3 shoulder surgeries which limited him to just 34 games over the past two seasons, the fact he is 29 years old (who knows how many more serviceable years he has left), and his strong desire to leave St. Louis, it is hard to imagine that St. Louis will get any sort of huge value in a trade deal. Still, Tarasenko does have a Stanley Cup pedigree and has scored 30 or more goals in 5 consecutive years during his 9 year tenure with the St. Louis Blues. He may not go for pennies on the dollar like Taylor Hall, especially where there are top names on the market like Johnny Gaudreau, Seth Jones, and Jack Eichel, but St. Louis will definitely look for a decent return. I do not hate the idea of Tarasenko. The Bruins have the cap space and he does have the talent and experience that would make him a valuable piece in Boston’s middle 6. But with questions surrounding his future productivity given the 3 shoulder surgeries all while presenting a $7.5 million dollar hit against the cap, I would not give St. Louis a lot, or at the very least, not a first round pick (something the Bruins need to have right now). If they would take Jake Debrusk and Urho Vaakanienen, with maybe a 2nd round pick in the 2022 NHL draft, I would do it in a heartbeat. Otherwise, anything too much more then the Bruins should take a hard pass on this winger who is most certainly, on the decline.
Other names that have been linked to the Boston Bruins are Calgary Flame’s star left-winger, Johnny Gaudreau, and Buffalo’s disgruntled star centerman, Jack Eichel. I will first off make this clear to Bruins fans. If these players are indeed on the trade block with their current franchises, they will most definitely cost quite a lot in assets. Assets which, quite frankly, the Bruins do NOT have. It has been made known by Sabre’s General Manager, Kevyn Adams, that if Eichel was to be traded, he would be looking to get back the equivalent to four 1st round draft picks. This more than likely means 1st round draft prospects, or young, developing NHL stars. As Nick Goss says in his article “NHL trade rumors: Latest buzz on Jack Eichel’s situation with Sabres”, the Boston Bruins farm system is “arguably the weakest in the league, which is the result of poor drafting and trading away recent first-round picks in 2018 and 2020, among other factors.” This should be absolutely apparent to Bruins fans. Due to Don Sweeneys horrid draft selections outside of Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman, and Brandon Carlo, particularly his dumpster fire of a draft in 2015, the Bruins have no real high end talent in their system that would be of real interest to other teams. If the Bruins are in trade talks for these players he will most likely get out bid in any trade discussions with other teams. Acquiring either Jack Eichel or Johnny Gaudreau would most likely take, at the very least, a package of either David Pastrnak or Charlie McAvoy to START. They would most likely have to throw in first round picks, and two of the best prospects the Bruins have to offer (Urho Vaakanienen? Jack Studnicka? Jeremy Swayman?). Other teams who have been reported by Pierre LeBrun of the Athletic to be in on those players are teams like the Anaheim Ducks, Minnesota Wild, and New York Rangers. All teams with really good farm systems and more assets than what the Bruins have, and who probably don’t need those assets as badly as the Bruins do. Although I would love to have a player like Jack Eichel or Johnny Gaudreau don the Black and Gold, do not get your hopes up Bruins fans, because despite Jack Eichel’s comments to Boston 25’s Sara Underwood stating that “Yeah, I think every kid grows up dreaming of playing for their hometown team. Whether that happens now or later in my career. If it ever happens, it would be pretty cool.” Boston just simply does not have the assets necessary to even be in the conversation for such a player. Furthermore, after their so called “steal” of a trade during this years trade deadline when Sweeney got Taylor Hall for a 2nd round pick and Anders Bjork, I am doubtful Sabre’s GM, Kevyn Adams, will want to give his division rival another superstar for pennies on the dollar.
That brings us to our next item of business which happens to be another one of Don Sweeney’s notorious Achilles heels, free agency. The Bruins have a few free agents of their own: Taylor Hall, Mike Reilly, David Krejci, Sean Kuraly, and Tuuka Rask to name some. Although I think almost all of their free agents should walk, I think that unfortunately, we will see the return of most if not all of them. In a recent press conference, team President Cam Neely stated that “I know that March [Brad Marchand] and Bergy, understandably, would like us to take another run. If we get the pieces signed that we’d like to, I think it’s worth one more shot at it here.” These reports come from Kevin Paul DuPont in the Boston Globe. Neely’s statement most definitely suggests that the Bruins are going to be “all in” one more year with this core (which is a terrible decision). I think then it is fair to assume that to give the Bruins the best chance at reaching the Stanley Cup again, they need to keep these players. A surprisingly more realistic comment, however, came from general manager Don Sweeney “Can they continue to do it? The tread life of the tires … you don’t get to swap that out. So, it’s going to drop off. The performance level of several of the guys we’ve discussed has been pretty proficient over the years and we’ve been fortunate in that regard.” This definitely came as a surprise to me, but it is encouraging to finally hear the lack luster GM finally provide us with some realities surrounding this team. However, can he act on them?
If you have read any of my prior articles, you already know then that I have long felt that this team has not been, and will not be, a Stanley Cup contender now or for years to come. That is why hearing Cam Neely’s statement regarding taking another run at the cup was so frustrating. It means that, most likely, we can expect the Bruins to resign David Krejci and Tuuka Rask and yet again remain “buyers”, selling away assets when they should be looking to get more assets. I love Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. They are one of the most dynamic forward pairings in the NHL. David Krejci was a pleasure to watch during the 2011 Stanley Cup run when he made terrific plays to the well known Bruins power forwards; Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton. I will even admit that net minder Tuuka Rask has provided us with some very good regular season goaltending over the past few years. I have nothing but respect and appreciation for these players and the years of good hockey we have been lucky enough to witness because of them. However, their good years are clearly behind them and they are not getting any better. It would be a huge mistake to resign Krejci and Rask, as well as to try and buy rentals or sign bad contracts for players who may or may not be a help to the team instead of build for the future. What Don Sweeney and Cam Neely should be doing, is telling both Krejci and Rask that they will not move forward with contract discussions, all the while informing Bergeron and Marchand that the plan is to build for the future, not take another run at the cup. But alas, the more time goes on, the more it becomes apparent that the Bruins are still moving forward with the old core, and will attempt to get one more year out of them. With this in mind, let us take a look at some of the notable free agents the Bruins have been rumored in and who I would like to see the Bruins go after, if at all.
First, let us address Taylor Hall and Mike Reilly. Both are players I would like to resign, but only for a certain term and price. Taylor Hall, age 29, definitely had a resurgence in the regular season after being traded from the lowly Buffalo Sabres. However, I again look more at his postseason performance, which was frankly, lackluster. He had a mere 1 goal (empty net), and 1 assist, and was a -3 vs the New York Islanders (a heavy defensive team, hmm). He did play better vs the Washington Capitals; 2 goals, 1 assist, and was a +1, but he did not play nearly as well as a player of his caliber can or needed to in order to elevate this team to the later rounds (did we not trade for him so he would do that?). Furthermore, although he has stated that where he signs next is more about “fit” than it is money, wouldn’t that mean he would be most likely to resign with the Bruins? So why then are reports coming out stating that he is “testing the open market” and that our division rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs, are making a big push for him. My point being, he may have added some pop to this team during the regular season, but his performance in the postseason was mediocre at best. Given his age, his aloofness over where to sign next, lack of production in his brief postseason stint, and that he wants a 3 to 4 year deal, I would offer him no more than 3 or 4 years at $5.5 million per. He should make more than centerman Charlie Coyle, but he should not come anywhere close to Marchand, Bergeron, or Pastrnaks salary. For a guy with a lot still to prove to this Bruins writer, I am definitely not breaking the bank for him.
The next free agent the Bruins should sign is Mike Reilly. The 28 year old defenseman brought an added boost in size and puck moving ability to the back end, particularly on the left side. He is also in the prime of his career and played decently enough in the playoffs. I do not think he is a top pairing defenseman, and although he brings size, physicality is not his game (again, something the Bruins defense desperately needs). Furthermore, in his 6 year NHL stint, he has scored only 8 goals. He may have plenty of assists, and from what we saw this year, some good offensive instincts, he is definitely not an offensive juggernaut like the late Torey Krug. Regardless, he would be very useful as a puck moving defenseman on a second or third pairing. In my eyes, a 6 year deal worth anywhere from 3 to 4 million dollars annually is a very reasonable contract for a player like him.
Turning towards the Bruin’s restricted free agents, most noteably Brandon Carlo, I would personally only like to see him resigned. Brandon Carlo has emerged as a solid shut down defenseman in this league and has helped solidify the right side of the Bruin’s top 4 which is lead by Charlie McAvoy. He will most likely be looking for a long term deal worth anywhere between 3 to 4 million annually. This is a good price range for this type of player. I would be more than happy to offer him anywhere from a 6 year to 8 year deal worth $3.5 million dollars annually or thereabouts. The only question is, however, is if he can remain healthy enough to be a long term asset for this team. Given his concussion history, this could be something that would make any long term deal with this player a question mark.
The other two restricted free agents the Bruins have are Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase. Both of which they should not touch with a 10 foot pole. Ondrej Kase has been an issue from the beginning. He has yet to score a goal for the Bruins, seems to have a very mediocre offensive skill set, and oh that’s right, a history of concussions. He has played in a mere 20 games for the Bruins since they have acquired him (11 in the playoffs and 9 during the regular season) and has an abysmal 5 points in all of those 20 games, all of which are assists. In no way should the Bruins look to keep this player, yet another of Don Sweeney’s busts. Nick Ritchie, on the other hand, has been slightly more productive, scoring 15 goals in 56 games this season while bringing somewhat of a physical presence. However, he is still a player I have definitely seen enough of. I won’t go back and analyze all of his goals, but most of them came from the power play, and most of them were funky bounces or deflections. If you watch him carefully, he is a very slow skater, has little to no offensive creativity, and although he is a huge body, physicality is really not his game. I believe the Bruins already have a young power forward who is not only more physical and more of an agitator than Nick Ritchie, but who is younger, faster, and has more of an offensive upside once it develops. That is youngster, Trent Frederic, who will most likely be left unprotected during the expansion draft. If Sweeney had any sense at all, he would protect Trent Frederic and leave Nick Ritchie to the expansion draft, though I highly doubt that Seattle would actually take him.
Outside of Taylor Hall, Mike Reilly, and Brandon Carlo, I would be more than happy to see Don Sweeney to say goodbye to the likes of: David Krejci, Tuuka Rask, Nick Ritchie, Sean Kuraly, Kevan Miller, and Jarred Tinordi. It is time to build for the future, and none of the above players will build this team for the future. They are arguably, players that are old, injury prone, past their primes, or simply useless to the team. But again, it seems more apparent as time moves on that Sweeney and Neely will be moving forward with David Krejci, Tuuka Rask, and most likely Nick Ritchie and Sean Kuraly. Let it be known now that if this off season does not bear any fruits, both Don Sweeney and Cam Neely deserve to be fired.
After addressing the internal free agents, let us now turn towards the free agent market which is a historically poor area for Don Sweeney. Again, please be advised, I do not believe any fireworks will come from free agency. Not only does Don Sweeney seemingly not know his ass from his elbow when assessing free agent talent, but there aren’t any incredibly notable free agents on the market this year that would make a significant impact with the Bruins. None the less, I have a few names in mind that I would not mind seeing don the Black and Gold for the right price. For the sake of time and the length of this article, I will just mention them briefly.
Forwards:
Phillip Danault — a 28 year old centerman who currently plays for the Montreal Canadienes. With the depature of David Krejci, decline of Patrice Bergeron, the uncertainty of Charlie Coyle, and the lack of high level center prospects, he could bring skill and experience down the middle of the Bruins lineup.
Gabriel Landeskog — a 28 year old left-winger who currently plays for the Colorado Avalanche. He plays a heavy physical style (which the Bruins need in their forward group) and would be a nice addition to the Bruins middle 6 and help the Bruins transition to a younger core. He would bring added leadership to any lineup and would help fill in the leadership gap left by Torey Krug and Zdeno Chara.
Brandon Saad — a 28 year old left-winger who currently plays for the Colorado Avalanche. Like his teammate, Saad would bring added skill and size to the middle 6 of the Bruins lineup. Furthermore, he has a Stanley Cup Pedigree and would help keep the Bruins relevant while they transition to a younger core.
Blake Coleman — a 29 year old right-winger who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning. Coleman was a huge addition for the Tampa Bay Lightning and made their third line one of the best in hockey. He brings that gritty, physical play coupled with a really good skill set. He can play up and down the lineup and would automatically upgrade the Bruins middle 6. I think the biggest thing about this player is that he has played a lot of hard minutes recently after going to the Stanley Cup finals twice in the span of 9 months. There should definitely be uncertainty surrounding whether his performance can hold up for any substantial amount of years, particularly given the way he plays.
Defenseman:
Adam Larrson — a 28 year old defenseman who currently plays for the Edmonton Oilers. He brings size at 6'3, 208 lbs, and plays the role of a shut down defenseman. He is at a good age and would be a welcomed physical prensence on the Bruins back end. The only issue is that he is a right shot. Unless he is willing to play on the left side, it may be difficult for him to get appropriate playing time. Still, he is a player the Bruins should absolutely inquire about.
Alec Martinez — a 33 year old defenseman who currently plays for the Vegas Golden Knights. Martinez brings size at 6'1, 203 lbs, and is a left shot defenseman. He would bring a valuable, physical, shutdown presence to the Bruins defense (how many times can I reiterate, THIS IS SOMETHING THE BRUINS DESPARATELY NEED).
Ryan Suter — Recently, the Minnesota Wild just bought out the contracts of forward Zach Parise, and defenseman Ryan Suter. He is a 36 year old, veteran shut down defenseman who has played a lot of important minutes for the Minnesota Wild. He would bring a ton of experience and leadership that would help Charlie McAvoy and the rest of the Bruins young defense grow. Furthermore, he is a left shot, and at 6'1 and 205 lbs would bring size to the Bruins defensive unit.
David Savard — a 30 year old defenseman who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was a in season, trade deadline acquisition from the Columbus Blue Jackets, and was definitely a boost to a defensive unit that is already the best in the league. He comes in at 6'2, 233 lbs and yet again would be a welcomed physical presence. However, like Larrson, he is a right shot defenseman and may not get that much playing time if he isn’t able or willing to play the left side. Again, a player the Bruins should absolutely inquire about.
More on the above players can be found on www.nhl.com.
As of right now, the free agents I listed above are the ones which have been most linked to the Bruins, and players I would love to see added to this team for the right price. With the 2021 NHL draft less than two weeks out, the expansion draft less than a week out, and with free agency looming, the summer is about to heat up with player movement and signings. I hope for the organization, the team, and the rest of our endearing fan base that Don Sweeney finally makes sensible and impactful decisions this off season. Otherwise, this organization may be headed for another 39 year drought.
Please stay tuned for my most anticipated article (for me at least) to be released later this week, “Don Sweeney: The Aftermath”.
