Although general manager Don Sweeney may have missed out on several significant NHL trade targets prior to the March 8 NHL Trade Deadline, the Boston Bruins may have set the stage for a fruitful offseason.
According to an NHL executive source who spoke with Boston Hockey Now on Friday, “Sweeney set the table for the offseason.” “His two main trade targets are still scheduled to become free agents—look at all that cap space he has.”
According to our pals at Puckpedia, the cap space the source was talking to is anticipated to be $21.7 million this summer, with the NHL salary cap projected to increase to $87.7 million. The following Boston Bruins players are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents: defenders Matt Grzelcyk, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Derek Forbort; forwards Jake DeBrusk, James van Riemsdyk, Milan Lucic, Pat Maroon, and Danton Heinen. That may mean that eight spots on the roster become available, but it seems more likely that Heinen, van Riemsdyk, and maybe Shattenkirk will be able to return on team-friendly cap hits.
The biggest unknown is Jake DeBrusk, who had not received a response from the Bruins regarding signing a contract extension as of the most recent trade deadline. The 27-year-old winger, who the Bruins selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, is anticipated to receive a contract worth at least four years and a minimum of $6 million annually if he were to go undrafted in July.
Regarding the recent trade targets that were mentioned by the aforementioned source, a number of other sources have verified that Sweeney was very close to getting 29-year-old center Elias Lindholm twice, first from the Flames and then the Canucks. Before the most cunning general manager in the NHL, Kelly McCrimmon, swooped in and signed the former Boston College defenseman for the Vegas Golden Knights, the Bruins general manager also came dangerously close to landing his white whale and native of Norwood, Massachusetts, Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames.
There is a perception in the NHL right now that Lindholm is headed to market since the Canucks are willing to move him less than a month after they acquired him and because the management is evasive about whether they would sign him.
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin stated to TSN and Athletic NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun earlier this week, “At the beginning, when we made the deal, I spoke to his camp and said our intention was to sign him.” It must, of course, benefit both parties. We’ll see. I believe that he has needed some time to acclimate.
Regarding Hanifin, one would assume that if he fits in and the Golden Knights had success in the playoffs, he might be persuaded to stay in Nevada because it has great weather and no income tax. Nevertheless, BHN has established that Hanifin was prepared to forego his no-movement clause in order to play for the Boston Bruins upon returning home, as well as to the Tampa Bay Lightning had the trade to Vegas not taken place. The Bruins’ inability to match the Knights’ offerings is their primary problem. Naturally, that won’t be a problem if and when the defenseman, 27, becomes a free agent on July 1.
Whether Sweeney is able to sign Hanfin and/or Lindholm as unrestricted free agents or not, he will have an abundance of cap space to sign restricted free agent goalie Jeremy Swayman and go shopping. If he could ultimately trade Linus Ullmark, his other goalie, which he will undoubtedly attempt to do, he could have even more.
Leave a Reply