Bruins Offseason Moves

BoSoxFink

Stripes
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A lot of us are still hurting after last night, but it's time to move on and start thinking about next year.

Forwards - I think the Bruins could really use someone to go with Krejci with a little more scoring touch. I would not mind bringing back Iginla for the right deal, but I would also love to put someone else on Krejci's wing in Lucic's place. It's been well noted, I hate Lucic. The guy turns the puck over like the plague, he's dirty sometimes, and he has hands made of stone, and he seems to struggle the majority of the time in the postseason because people expect to much offense out of him. He is just not that type of guy. He can score, but he is not someone with great offensive talent. He also has an awful contract for the type of player he is in my opinion. I wouldn't mind if he made 3.5-4 million a year, but he's paid 6 million a year. If Lucic was moved to the second or third line, he could get back to being the more physical presence and not worry so much about having to be a primary goalscorer, which I believe would make him more valuable. I highly doubt anything like this will happen, but it's something I would think about. I also let Thornton go, obviously, and replace him with one of the kids. There is also a logjam at center, with Krejci, Bergy, Soderberg, Kelly, and Campbell. You also have Spooner who they don't want to move to wing either. You may need to move one of those guys for something else this offseason as well.

Defense - I don't want to make too many adjustments here. Getting Seids and McQuaid back healthy will make you a better team already. I suppose if you needed cap space you could see what teams will give you for Boychuk. However I am not that interested in moving him. I just am not a fan of Bartkowski. I hope they are not forced to use him again unless it's a fill in role for a short period of time.

Edit: I also forgot to mention, Marchand is another guy the Bruins could think about moving this offseason as well.


What are some other thoughts about what the Bruins could do this offseason?
 

jsinger121

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Who says no to this hypothetical trade?
 
Lucic, Marchand, Malcolm Subban, Ryan Spooner and a first round pick for Alexander Ovechkin.
 

MiracleOfO2704

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TheShynessClinic said:
And the Bruins.

And hopefully anyone on this forum who enjoys hockey.
Yeah, this is a no-brainer for both sides: Washington does that trade so fast there'd be a cartoon smoke silhouette left behind, and Chiarelli would laugh so hard at McPhee's replacement that he'd probably throw out his back.
 

BoSoxFink

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Yea I am not interested in Ovechkin. He's a one dimensional player. And while that one dimension is probably better than anyone else in the league, it's not enough.
 

ivanvamp

captain obvious
Jul 18, 2005
6,104
Time to play GM for a little while...
 
First, let's look here (http://www.capgeek.com/bruins/)
 
Here are their UFAs and RFAs following this season, and what they made in 2013-14:
 
UFAs
F - Iginla - $1.8 m
F - Thornton - $1.1 m
D - Meszaros - $2.0 m
D - Potter - $775 k
G - Johnson - $600 k
 
RFAs
F - R. Smith - $900 k
F - Florek - $690 k
F - Caron - $640 k
F - Cunningham - $615 k
D - Krug - $916 k
D - Bartkowski - $650 k
 
The RFAs won't be costly to keep, though I'd be fine if Bartkowski was let go.  Retaining Johnson as the backup goalie won't cost them much either, and he was pretty good.  I like Shawn Thornton, but I'm fine if he is let go.  Meszaros is as good as gone.  Iginla is someone I think they should try to retain.  He had 30 goals during the regular season (61 points, which is 2nd most among FA forwards, and tied for top goal scorer on the Bruins), and led Boston with 5 playoff goals.  At his age he won't cost tons, but he still gives you terrific production.  
 
According to cap geek the Bruins look to have about $7.5 million in cap space.  That's plenty to sign Iginla and then another solid FA. They have enough depth in the minors to fill in around the edges, I think, for very little money.
 
So I'd like to see Bartkowski and Thornton and Meszaros gone.  I'd like to see them try to sign a good FA forward.  Here's the list:  http://www.capgeek.com/ufa-finder/
 
Name Pos Age Team GP G A P PIM +/- TOI-TOT   Vanek, Thomas » L 30 MTL 78 27 41 68 46 7 19.35 Iginla, Jarome » R 36 BOS 78 30 31 61 47 34 18.22 Stastny, Paul » C 28 COL 71 25 35 60 22 9 18.39 Jokinen, Jussi » L 31 PIT 81 21 36 57 18 12 15.70 Moulson, Matt » L 30 MIN 75 23 28 51 34 2 17.97 Vrbata, Radim » R 32 PHX 80 20 31 51 22 -6 17.96 Legwand, David » C 33 DET 83 14 37 51 61 -17 16.98 Alfredsson, D. » R 41 DET 68 18 31 49 10 2 16.93 Niskanen, Matt » D 27 PIT 81 10 36 46 51 33 21.29 Cammalleri, Mike » L 31 CGY 63 26 19 45 26 -13 19.84 Raymond, Mason » L 28 TOR 82 19 26 45 22 -7 17.33 Jokinen, Olli » C 35 WPG 82 18 25 43 62 -8 17.02 Hemsky, Ales » R 30 OTT 75 13 30 43 24 -15 15.96 Markov, Andrei » D 35 MTL 81 7 36 43 34 12 25.24 Zidlicky, Marek » D 37 NJD 81 12 30 42 60 -3 21.65 Gionta, Brian » R 35 MTL 81 18 22 40 22 1 17.85 Michalek, Milan » L 29 OTT 82 17 22 39 41 -25 17.59 Roy, Derek » C 31 STL 75 9 28 37 30 -1 13.62 Callahan, Ryan » R 29 TBL 65 17 19 36 24 1 18.65 Pouliot, Benoit » L 27 NYR 80 15 21 36 56 10 13.44 Boyle, Dan » D 37 SJS 75 12 24 36 32 -8 21.28 Penner, Dustin » L 31 WAS 67 14 21 35 30 25 14.47 Grabovski, M. » C 30 WAS 58 13 22 35 26 6 15.75 Timonen, Kimmo » D 39 PHI 77 6 29 35 32 5 20.33 Stempniak, Lee » R 31 PIT 73 12 22 34 32 -16 18.46 Whitney, Ray » L 42 DAL 69 9 23 32 14 -6 13.96 Gaborik, Marian » R 32 LAK 41 11 19 30 10 7 17.01 Winnik, Daniel » L 29 ANA 76 6 24 30 23 6 15.39 Koivu, Saku » C 39 ANA 65 11 18 29 46 3 15.05 Heatley, Dany » L 33 MIN 76 12 16 28 18 -18 14.82 Santorelli, Mike » C 28 VAN 49 10 18 28 6 9 18.56 Benoit, Andre » D 30 COL 79 7 21 28 26 2 20.21 Gilbert, Tom » D 31 FLA 73 3 25 28 18 -5 21.34 Setoguchi, Devin » R 27 WPG 75 11 16 27 22 -7 15.05 Selanne, Teemu » R 43 ANA 64 9 18 27 12 8 14.13 Morrow, Brenden » L 35 STL 71 13 12 25 76 1 11.90 Goc, Marcel » C 30 PIT 74 11 14 25 35 -7 16.33 Downie, Steve » R 27 PHI 62 4 20 24 106 1 14.10 Smyth, Ryan » L 38 EDM 72 10 13 23 44 -18 15.42 Ott, Steve » C 31 STL 82 9 14 23 92 -38 18.23 Fiddler, Vernon » C 34 DAL 76 6 17 23 37 3 13.28 Moss, David » R 32 PHX 79 8 14 22 18 -1 14.65 Meszaros, Andrej » D 28 BOS 52 7 15 22 40 5 17.79 Kulemin, Nikolai » R 27 TOR 70 9 11 20 24 -4 16.23 Winchester, Jesse » C 30 FLA 52 9 9 18 38 -2 12.74 MacKenzie, Derek » C 32 CLB 71 9 9 18 47 0 11.27 Moore, Dominic » C 33 NYR 73 6 12 18 18 0 11.73 Boyle, Brian » C 29 NYR 82 6 12 18 56 1 12.77 Gibbons, Brian » C 26 PIT 41 5 12 17 6 5 11.94 Morris, Derek » D 35 PHX 63 5 12 17 41 -2 19.45 Salo, Sami » D 39 TBL 71 4 13 17 18 11 18.19 Bertuzzi, Todd » R 39 DET 59 9 7 16 40 -17 14.65 Comeau, Blake » L 28 CLB 61 5 11 16 36 -2 12.06 Handzus, Michal » C 37 CHI 59 4 12 16 16 0 13.65 Butler, Chris » D 27 CGY 82 2 14 16 39 -23 20.27 Hainsey, Ron » D 33 CAR 82 4 11 15 45 -9 21.44 Diaz, Raphael » D 28 NYR 63 2 13 15 16 -2 17.99 Nikitin, Nikita » D 27 CLB 66 2 13 15 20 9 17.11 Ranger, Paul » D 29 TOR 53 6 8 14 36 -1 17.42 Vitale, Joe » C 28 PIT 53 1 13 14 29 -1 10.97 Malhotra, Manny » C 33 CAR 69 7 6 13 18 0 11.60 Glass, Tanner » L 30 PIT 67 4 9 13 90 -8 11.79 Quincey, Kyle » D 28 DET 82 4 9 13 88 -5 20.81 Orpik, Brooks » D 33 PIT 72 2 11 13 46 -3 21.20 Weaver, Mike » D 36 MTL 72 1 12 13 31 0 18.48 Stralman, Anton » D 27 NYR 81 1 12 13 26 9 19.40 Bolland, Dave » C 27 TOR 23 8 4 12 24 -1 14.47 Engelland, Deryk » D 32 PIT 56 6 6 12 58 -6 13.04 D'Agostini, Matt » R 27 BUF 57 5 7 12 26 -15 14.85 Halpern, Jeff » C 38 PHX 69 5 7 12 24 -8 10.29 Hannan, Scott » D 35 SJS 56 3 9 12 55 1 17.77 Bernier, Steve » R 29 NJD 78 3 9 12 33 -15 12.45 Gomez, Scott » C 34 FLA 46 2 10 12 24 -11 13.13 Mitchell, Willie » D 37 LAK 76 1 11 12 58 14 20.33 Kostka, Mike » D 28 TBL 28 4 7 11 8 10 15.43 Regin, Peter » C 28 CHI 61 4 7 11 20 -5 11.44 Gionta, Stephen » R 30 NJD 66 4 7 11 18 -8 12.46 Fayne, Mark » D 27 NJD 72 4 7 11 30 -5 18.31 Thorburn, Chris » R 30 WPG 55 2 9 11 65 0 8.95 Carter, Ryan » C 30 NJD 62 7 3 10 35 -6 11.33 Robidas, Stephane » D 37 ANA 38 5 5 10 20 10 20.17 McClement, Jay » C 31 TOR 81 4 6 10 32 -8 14.76 Corvo, Joe » D 36 OTT 25 3 7 10 10 -7 17.52 Bodie, Troy » L 29 TOR 47 3 7 10 26 5 8.62 Sarich, Cory » D 35 COL 54 1 9 10 38 7 17.09 Bouchard, P. » R 30 CHI 28 4 5 9 12 -9 13.95 Smith, Trevor » C 29 TOR 28 4 5 9 4 -3 10.37 Dvorak, Radek » R 37 CAR 60 4 5 9 41 3 10.64 Hall, Adam » C 33 PHI 80 4 5 9 23 -15 9.84 Thornton, Shawn » R 36 BOS 64 5 3 8 74 3 8.79 Cleary, Danny » L 35 DET 52 4 4 8 31 -11 13.90 Kennedy, Tim » L 28 PHX 37 2 6 8 4 0 11.76 Bissonnette, Paul » L 29 PHX 39 2 6 8 53 6 4.75 Prosser, Nate » D 28 MIN 53 2 6 8 58 2 14.53 Bellemore, Brett » D 25 CAR 64 2 6 8 45 -1 17.47 Tallinder, Henrik » D 35 BUF 64 2 6 8 34 -21 19.00 Westgarth, Kevin » R 30 CGY 48 4 3 7 68 -4 6.49 Pyatt, Tom » L 27 TBL 27 3 4 7 4 -2 11.46 McCormick, Cody » C 31 MIN 43 2 5 7 52 -6 8.91 Brookbank, S. » D 33 CHI 48 2 5 7 52 2 12.89
 
Given their ages and production, I think going after a guy like Stastny (yes, I know he's a center and they have a lot of them already) or Vanek or Moulson might make some sense.  
 
I'd also look to trade both Marchand and Lucic.  That's a combined $10.5 million cap savings if they are both gone.  Maybe deal them for prospects and/or picks, just to free up the space, and then sign Vanek and Moulson.  Something like that.  Or maybe you can get something really useful for either of those guys - someone that can contribute now.
 
Maybe that's too much to move away.  I don't know.  Lucic, when right, is a beast, but he too often is not a beast.  Marchand can be spectacular, but also can be pretty ineffective as well.  I'd like the B's to explore moving both of them.
 
EDIT:  Ugh, that formatting came out crappy.  It looked good as I entered it in, but when I hit "Post" it came out all garbled.  Apologies for the eyesore.
 

FL4WL3SS

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BoSoxFink said:
Defense - I don't want to make too many adjustments here. Getting Seids and McQuaid back healthy will make you a better team already. I suppose if you needed cap space you could see what teams will give you for Boychuk. However I am not that interested in moving him. I just am not a fan of Bartkowski. I hope they are not forced to use him again unless it's a fill in role for a short period of time.
Defense is the reason they lost this series. I don't want status quo on defense, they need an upgrade. I'm not counting on Seidenberg coming back and being old Seidenberg. Dougie took a step forward in the playoffs, but they need to upgrade the 2nd defenseman spot.

I don't have any problem with how the offensive players, but I do think they need to be shuffled. I agree that Lucic needs to not be on the 'first' line and Soderberg needs a lot more playing time going forward.
 

BoSoxFink

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FL4W, I don't know if I agree they lost because of their defense. Yes they did have their big breakdowns which led to goals, but the Bruins lack of finish really killed them all series. They missed the net and hit the post constantly. The Bruins had many better chances to score than Montreal did, but the difference was Montreal finished when they got their chances and the Bruins didn't.
 

jsinger121

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I think they need to make Hamilton that 25 minute plus guy a night next year and cut Chara down to 20 at best.
 

berniecarbo1

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I agree that there needs some tweaking. I agree Marchand should be moved if the right deal is there. On defense, I think Chara is on the downside of his career so maybe they need to start thinking about finding his replacement at some point. As to goalie, IMHO, Tuuka is a good but not great goalie. I think there are maybe 6-8 goalies out there that are better than him and maybe 5 or so that are as a good as him.  Having said that, I wouldn't think of moving him  right now unless a deal fell in their lap, and am hopeful  Subban is a year or 2 away from having a good goalie tandem, ala the B's in 2011.
 
The really missed Seidenberg and Krejci was a no show. You get those guys back and playing their usual game and we are talking about Game 1 this weekend against the Rangers.
 

MiracleOfO2704

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You get those two back in their typical form, and we would've spent Monday night saying, "Okay, finally, we get the Rangers."

As far as replacing Chara and his current role on the defense, a certain 6'5" ginger would like to have a word.
 

FL4WL3SS

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BoSoxFink said:
FL4W, I don't know if I agree they lost because of their defense. Yes they did have their big breakdowns which led to goals, but the Bruins lack of finish really killed them all series. They missed the net and hit the post constantly. The Bruins had many better chances to score than Montreal did, but the difference was Montreal finished when they got their chances and the Bruins didn't.
While true, the Bruins also generated a lot of offense. The lack of luck shouldn't be confused with lack of talent.

The Bruins relied very heavily on the defense's ability to clear pucks and make effective outlet passes all season. The lack of consistent breakout passes, egregious breakdowns in the defensive zone and mind-numbing turnovers were the reasons the Bruins lost this series.

Chara, Krug, and Hamilton are the only guys worth keeping in my mind. The rest of the defense could get a big make-over and I wouldn't bat an eye. Seidenberg is my favorite Bruin, but what are we expecting from a soon to be 33 year old defenseman coming off of major knee surgery?
 

BoSoxFink

Stripes
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FL4WL3SS said:
While true, the Bruins also generated a lot of offense. The lack of luck shouldn't be confused with lack of talent.

The Bruins relied very heavily on the defense's ability to clear pucks and make effective outlet passes all season. The lack of consistent breakout passes, egregious breakdowns in the defensive zone and mind-numbing turnovers were the reasons the Bruins lost this series.

Chara, Krug, and Hamilton are the only guys worth keeping in my mind. The rest of the defense could get a big make-over and I wouldn't bat an eye. Seidenberg is my favorite Bruin, but what are we expecting from a soon to be 33 year old defenseman coming off of major knee surgery?
I thought Boychuk was fine. Not a fan of his?
 

Salem's Lot

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They also have to make a decision on Krejci, who's going into his walk year. Do you extend him or try to trade him for that goal scoring winger to put next to either Bergeron or Soderberg, while bringing Spooner up to be the #3 center and replace Soderberg in the top six in '15-'16? 
 

Salem's Lot

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jsinger121 said:
Who says no to this hypothetical trade?
 
Lucic, Marchand, Malcolm Subban, Ryan Spooner and a first round pick for Alexander Ovechkin.
 
Both teams say no. The Bruins wouldn't part with that much value for a one-dimensional player and Ownership in Washington would never trade their face of the franchise player for marketing reasons. 
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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Salem's Lot said:
They also have to make a decision on Krejci, who's going into his walk year. Do you extend him or try to trade him for that goal scoring winger to put next to either Bergeron or Soderberg, while bringing Spooner up to be the #3 center and replace Soderberg in the top six in '15-'16? 
 
I'd let him walk after next year. He'll make too much money and he doesn't produce enough for a number 1 center. And he disappeared in the playoffs.
 

MiracleOfO2704

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FL4WL3SS said:
Is anyone losing any sleep if they decide to trade Boychuk?
I get what you're saying, and I wouldn't literally lost sleep over it, but the thing that stood out this series was the lack of NHL-capable defensemen in the organization. Right now, trading one away seems a bit like dealing from a position of weakness.
 

Salem's Lot

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Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
 
I'd let him walk after next year. He'll make too much money and he doesn't produce enough for a number 1 center. And he disappeared in the playoffs.
 
I'd be against paying him #1 center money as well. I would try to trade him this off season. 
 

BoSoxFink

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I am against trading Krejc, period. I honestly think if Krejci played with someone other than Looch he would have better numbers. I also don't think asking Bergeron to be that number one center is a good idea either. Bergeron fits that number two center perfectly where he doesn't have to focus on being the primary offensive forward and can concentrate on being the shutdown guy at the defensive end, while letting the offense cone second.

Krejci had a poor playoffs, no doubt. I think he was injured, but who knows. He is still the best offensive player on this team right now and they cannot afford to lose another guy like that this offseason. As I stated earlier I would try to give Krejci a better scorer on his wing and see if his numbers improve at all
 

McDrew

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I'm assuming they'll sign Krug, and with Krug, they'll have Chara, Seidenberg, McQuaid, Boychuck, Krug, Hamilton, and Miller under contract already.  We can let Bart go, along with Potter and Meszaros. 
 

Salem's Lot

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Honestly, I think they need a major shake up. Montreal is better then them right now. I don't care how many more regular season points the Bruins put up then them. Look at the head to head records the last couple of years and this playoff series, Montreal is faster and better at putting the puck in the net. I don't want to hear about posts, all hitting posts tells me is that they have a hard time finishing around the net. Detroit is also going to be better then they were this year with a healthy Datsyuk and Zetterberg. They need to add speed and finish to this team or they'll be in the same spot next May. And I'll be the first one to say it. I was wrong, they shouldn't have traded Tyler Seguin. They needed to find a way to get through to the kid like they managed to do in Dallas. This organization would be in a much better spot going forward with this years' version of Seguin on the first line.
 

lexrageorge

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I think their defense will be fine.  We will likely see improvements from Hamilton and Krug next season, and probably even Bartkowski.  Although I would not argue with a decent depth pickup for the 2nd or 3rd pairing, as long as Hamilton and Krug stay. A healthy Seidenberg would have gone a long way towards keeping Chara's legs fresh at the end of this series.  
 
They do need to improve their forward lines.  On the bottom end, both Thornton and Caron need to go.  I've said this before, but neither add anything come playoff time, and both are fungible enough to be easily replaced with younger and quicker legs.  
 
The other tweak is to the top end.  First, keep Iginla; he was the only one on the #1 line that did anything all playoffs.  I think at least one of Marchand, Krejci, or Lucic should be moved.  I could care less about Lucic's comments in the handshake, but I believe these 3 guys have trade value, and it seems like a good time to "sell high" on one of these guys.  
 
Of the RFA's, they have to keep Krug and Reilly Smith; preferably Bartkowski as well (he can be useful as trade bait as well).  It would be nice to retain Florek; the rest can go.  
 

ivanvamp

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Jul 18, 2005
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One thing to think about, perhaps, and it's worth comparing to the Patriots (the situations aren't exactly parallel, but there are similarities).  The Pats are built for the long haul.  They spend a good chunk of their money on the second layer of talent, so that if they suffer injuries, they can still field a quality team.  And that has been borne out time and time and time again.  This past year, of course, they were decimated by injuries, but they had enough quality depth to still reach the AFCCG.
 
However, their depth isn't enough to play against teams that are healthy.  In other words, the Patriots' reserves can't play with other teams' top units.  So when they get to the playoffs their team just can't beat other teams if the other teams are healthier, which they usually are.  So the depth can get them there; it just can't get them over the top.
 
Now, injuries weren't the issue with the Bruins, but think along the same lines.  Their depth was outstanding all year long.  Four productive lines.  Constantly able to bring up young guys to fill in as players got injured.  Excellent.  Ideal for the long grind of a season.  And not too bad for the playoffs, because the playoffs are a grind.
 
However, maybe it's the case that the top talent on the Bruins just isn't quite good enough to get them over the top against quality competition.  Maybe Lucic-Bergeron-Iginla, as talented as they are, just isn't quite good enough against quality opponents.  Maybe Chara by the end of the year just isn't quite good enough against quality opponents.  In other words, maybe over the long haul the Bruins' depth is what makes them great, but they just aren't quite good enough at the top end to beat the teams they need to beat.
 
Just a thought.
 

ivanvamp

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Jul 18, 2005
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Salem's Lot said:
Honestly, I think they need a major shake up. Montreal is better then them right now. I don't care how many more regular season points the Bruins put up then them. Look at the head to head records the last couple of years and this playoff series, Montreal is faster and better at putting the puck in the net. I don't want to hear about posts, all hitting posts tells me is that they have a hard time finishing around the net. Detroit is also going to be better then they were this year with a healthy Datsyuk and Zetterberg. They need to add speed and finish to this team or they'll be in the same spot next May. And I'll be the first one to say it. I was wrong, they shouldn't have traded Tyler Seguin. They needed to find a way to get through to the kid like they managed to do in Dallas. This organization would be in a much better spot going forward with this years' version of Seguin on the first line.
 
Seguin was good during the regular season.  But in the playoffs?  1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points in 6 games.  
 
What reason do you have to believe he would have helped the Bruins?  Tantalizing talent, doesn't show up in the playoffs.  
 

IdiotKicker

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So after a full night's sleep, here are my thoughts going through the team:
 
Lucic - Look to move in offseason for combination of picks and prospects.  Don't know what you'll get, but I would hope a couple prospects in the Reilly Smith mold and a 2nd round pick
Krejci - Had a shit series, but I'm not going to let one bad playoff series change the fact that he has consistently been a beast in the playoffs.  Still one of your core guys
Iginla - Bring back on a 2-3 year deal if you can get the number at $4-5M per year
 
Marchand - Look for a similar deal to Lucic, probably only going to get one prospect and a 2nd or 3rd round pick
Bergeron - Yes
Smith - Yes
 
Kelly - Look for upgrades in free agency or trade, but no urgency to make a move
Soderberg - Yes
Eriksson - Yes
 
Paille - Yes
Cambell - Yes
Thornton - This one is really, really tough.  I love Thornton, but I think at this point, you need to make better use of this spot.  Whether a guy like Florek or Fraser, I think it's possible to get someone cheaper and younger who occupies a different role here.  I also wouldn't be surprised if he's back, and I don't think the 4th line wing is the core of this team's problems either, so I'm ok if that's the case, but I'd like to see a move in a perfect situation
 
Chara - Starting to show signs of age.  Cut minutes back into the 20-22 range
Hamilton - Huge maturation the last 3 months.  He is your new #1 defenseman
Seidenberg - Yes
Boychuk - I don't think you'll get a ton for him, so I expect him back, but I would explore trades
Meszaros - Gone
Krug - Resign
McQuaid - Explore trade options, but no need to move since his cap number is so low
Bartkowski - Gone
Miller - Yes
Potter - Gone
 
Tuukka - Yes
Johnson - Gone
 

cshea

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Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
 
I'd let him walk after next year. He'll make too much money and he doesn't produce enough for a number 1 center. And he disappeared in the playoffs.
His post-season, including this debacle of a post-season, scoring is roughly equivalent to what Chicago gets out of Jonathan Toews (0.85 PPG vs Krejci's 0.82). He produces like a #1 center in the playoffs.
 

Moosey

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Soderberg was unbelievable in the playoffs.  Moving forward, if he retains that same level, how do the Bruins get him more ice time?  I love Krejci, and I think he was in a funk and is overall a great player, but in terms of who I want on the team in the center slot, he ranks behind Bergeron and Soderberg for me.
 
That being said, can Soderberg be a #1 center, can Bergeron?  I love Bergeron's role right now and believe Soderberg could be moved up with the correct wingers.  That guy killed it in puck battles, and the most impressive part for me was his ability to put a pass across immediately out of a puck battle to a teammate or at least to a dangerous position out front.  Get his some chemistry with a winger with some speed and better "scoring touch" as mentioned here, and that could be a pretty lethal line.  In this fantasy, I would keep Iginla as the right winger with Soderberg, and dangle Lucic in a trade.
 
Would Vanek make sense in an arrangement like that?  Im way out on a raft here, so if the powers that be here that know way more than me tell me its ridiculous and stupid, I will take it as a learning moment.  =)
 

IdiotKicker

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FarvinMoosey said:
Would Vanek make sense in an arrangement like that?  Im way out on a raft here, so if the powers that be here that know way more than me tell me its ridiculous and stupid, I will take it as a learning moment.  =)
 
If you could move Lucic out, Vanek does make sense as a potential replacement.  Vanek is probably going to cost you somewhere in the ballpark of $7-8M per year, so you may have to clear a little more cash to give yourself some wiggle room, but it is doable, and I would make that switch in a heartbeat.
 

BoSoxFink

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Chuck Z said:
 
If you could move Lucic out, Vanek does make sense as a potential replacement.  Vanek is probably going to cost you somewhere in the ballpark of $7-8M per year, so you may have to clear a little more cash to give yourself some wiggle room, but it is doable, and I would make that switch in a heartbeat.
to be fair, with all my Lucic hate, Vanek was invisible for the most part in that series too for Montreal. And I generally like Vanek.
 

IdiotKicker

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BoSoxFink said:
to be fair, with all my Lucic hate, Vanek was invisible for the most part in that series too for Montreal. And I generally like Vanek.
 
Yeah, no disagreement there.  I see Vanek as a guy who has played on shitty teams for most of his career, and I think with a good center like Krejci or Soderberg he could be really, really good for this team.  He could also disappear completely, but I'd be more willing to bet on him than Lucic going forward.
 

Reardon's Beard

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I suspect most of the team stays intact with some moves on the margins. What the team should do is build on the revelations and improvements discovered over the last three months of the season and the playoffs. If they can really zero in on those areas I'm convinced they'll be significantly improved and balanced to beat the Habs, Detroit, or more importantly - Chicago, granted that concern seems less important after this series debacle.
 
1) Resign Iggy and keep the first line intact. They shit the bed in the playoffs, but if not for a few posts and crossbars we might not even be talking about it. Sometimes that's how it goes.
2) Reilly Smith was a find for the first half the year. Marchand is hot and cold but I firmly believe in the devil I know more than the devil I don't.
3) Yeti and Loui can play like a first line at times but could use that veteran winger. Sweet talk Daniel Alfredsson into a one year year to get a Cup and the Swede line is complete.
4) Fourth line needs work for today's game. Not sure Thornton does anything for you anymore. Could turn this into a faster skating line overall. Less clarity here IMO.
5) The D was already good. By natural evolution the D will be better (Krug + Hamilton) next year despite Chara and Seidenberg aging. Retool sixth and seventh options.
6) Rask is arguably the best goalie in the league - not going anywhere.
 

SpacemanzGerbil

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Reardons Beard said:
.
4) Fourth line needs work for today's game. Not sure Thornton does anything for you anymore. Could turn this into a faster skating line overall. Less clarity here IMO.
 
To me, the fourth line is a big thing. Claude rolls four and we all know that. So, if the fourth line is getting minutes, they should produce and they obviously produced nothing in the playoffs. 
 

The Napkin

wise ass al kaprielian
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right here
The thing with the 4th line is that they're a great line to have when the team is front running and they're useless when the team is trailing. And there was a lot of trailing this series. I don't know what to do about that. But I'm guessing Thornton has played his last game as a Bruin unless he's willing to take a decent pay cut (I have no idea if he even can or if he's at the minimum for his years).
I could see a 4th line of Spooner-Paille-Campbell to ease him into the lineup.
 
I'm also interested to see what (if any) future Koko has with the team and am looking forward to seeing him in camp again this summer.
 

soxfan121

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Is there any chance Chris Kelly and his contract find a new home this summer? 
 

PedroSpecialK

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soxfan121 said:
Is there any chance Chris Kelly and his contract find a new home this summer? 
 
Pasting thoughts from the injury thread
 


Kelly's got a back issue apparently. The only thing that worries me about it is that, if there is no interest for him as damaged goods on the trade market/waiver wire, he won't be ready to be deemed healthy by the time the amnesty buyout period rolls around. His loss can be absorbed a lot more easily than others thanks to the bottom-six depth Chiarelli has accrued.
 
With Lindblad, Florek, Paille, Cunningham, etc. all in the system, there's no reason to pay $3m for a luxury like Kelly. The PK will suffer without him as it did this postseason, and the Söderberg line will miss his puck possession, but those are replaceable skillsets that hopefully one of the young bottom 6ers can pick up at 1/4 of the cap hit.
 
Also, Dom Tiano (a much better/more connected cap guy than myself) is quoting a $3.12m bonus carryover that could go up pending Krug/Hamilton's final bonuses vesting at the NHL Awards.
 

pappymojo

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My biggest priority is extending Soderberg.  After that, my next change is to reduce Chara's ice time through the regular season.  Specifically, I have him rest on the power play and focus on trying to infuse more creativity within our power play. 
 
I think the Bruins are still a very good and balanced team with a very strong level of talent and ability.  Tough way for the year to end, but no need to break things up or to make any drastic changes. 
 

Ed Hillel

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jsinger121 said:
Who says no to this hypothetical trade?
 
Lucic, Marchand, Malcolm Subban, Ryan Spooner and a first round pick for Alexander Ovechkin.
 
That's ok, but Rask wasn't himself this series and I'd like an upgrade, so maybe throw him in and get Holtby back.
 
One thing to keep in mind for next year is they're facing a ~$4.5 million bonus charge from this season.
 
True, but didn't they basically set that money aside this past season? We determined earlier they'd have around 11 million or so to spend, right?
 
My biggest priority is extending Soderberg.
 
I agree with you here. I think the best course may be to kick the tires on Krejci, see if you can get some good young prospects/picks in return, and the money you would spend on his extension on Sorderberg instead, and there will probably be some money left over. Then you can call up Spooner and use the money trading Krejci frees this year to address other areas on the team. Hopefully a few of those picks/prospects work out down the line as well. If they decide to just extend Krejci and bring Spooner up to the 4th line, I wouldn't be all that upset either. I just worry about losing Sorderberg if that happens, and I think trading Krejci may maximize value overall if you can get something promising in return.  
 

BoSoxFink

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I like Carl Soderberg and I thought he was one of their best players in these playoffs, but I think people need to calm down a bit on the sploogefest over him.  He played well down the stretch and into the playoffs but it is a relatively small sample size.  I would like to think he can carry it over but one never knows.  The people rushing to trade Krejci and replace him with Soderberg I think are being a little rash there.  I don't know if people also realize that Soderberg is older than Krejci, albeit only by 6 months, but I have a feeling seeing as he only joined the NHL last year that people think he is a lot younger than he is.  He is 28 years old.
 

Dogman

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BoSoxFink said:
I like Carl Soderberg and I thought he was one of their best players in these playoffs, but I think people need to calm down a bit on the sploogefest over him.  He played well down the stretch and into the playoffs but it is a relatively small sample size.  I would like to think he can carry it over but one never knows.  The people rushing to trade Krejci and replace him with Soderberg I think are being a little rash there.  I don't know if people also realize that Soderberg is older than Krejci, albeit only by 6 months, but I have a feeling seeing as he only joined the NHL last year that people think he is a lot younger than he is.  He is 28 years old.
 
I like Milan Lucic and I thought he played one tough series in these playoffs, but I think people need to calm down a bit on the trade Lucic front.  He didn't play well down the stretch and into the playoffs but it is a relatively small sample and Iginla and Krejci were both playing injured. I would like to think he can carry he solid play when his line mates are not injured but one never knows. The people rushing to trade Lucic and replace him with nobody as good as he is I think are being a little rash there.  I don't know if people also realize that Lucic is younger than anyone over 25, albeit only by how old the older guys are, but I have a feeling seeing as he only is one of the best power forward in the NHL that people think he has reached his ceiling. He is 25 years old and very  much like Cam Neely.
 

durandal1707

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Cursory look at CapGeek suggests that the Bruins have about $11.5m in cap space to work with next year (factoring in Savard's LTIR), and they will need the fill the following positions: 1st line winger, 4th line winger, backup goalie and resolve RFA deals with Krug and Smith.  I'm not sure how much money Krug and Smith can command as RFAs (they both had very good seasons), but I'm guessing that it should be pretty easy to bring everyone back if that's what they want to do.

If a shake-up is indeed in the works, I'll say what I said in the gamethread: I believe Soderberg is the new first line center.  I think he's comparable to Krejci in terms of playmaking ability, but I feel Carl is better overall: faster, better shooter, better on puck battles along the boards.  With Spooner in the organization and Krejci's impending UFA status next offseason, that means Krejci is the highest value trading chip the Bruins have at the moment and for the right price I'd definitely make a trade.
 
Going with a radical "blow it up" hypothetical situation, I wouldn't flinch to trade away any member of defense corps outside of Hamilton (the future #1 of the franchise) and Krug (the PP QB that Chia's been searching for all these years).  I don't think Bartkowski, Miller or McQuaid are worth much in terms of a trade - they're 3rd pairing guys, who by definition are quite fungible.  Boychuk is pretty obvious candidate for trade, but more radically I'd entertain the notion of trading Seidenberg or even Chara - whose best days are in the past (2011) but also will still command a hefty haul in trade based on reputation.  For example, I wouldn't mind sending Seidenberg to Tampa Bay (a team that desperately needs to upgrade its defense) if the Bruins could get back the rights for Ondrej Palat or Tyler Johnson plus picks/prospects.  There's also Toronto, Edmonton and the Islanders who I could see being a good fit - terrible defensive teams that may have a young, high-upside scoring winger which the Bruins could use post-Iginla.
 

BoSoxFink

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Dogman2 said:
 
I like Milan Lucic and I thought he played one tough series in these playoffs, but I think people need to calm down a bit on the trade Lucic front.  He didn't play well down the stretch and into the playoffs but it is a relatively small sample and Iginla and Krejci were both playing injured. I would like to think he can carry he solid play when his line mates are not injured but one never knows. The people rushing to trade Lucic and replace him with nobody as good as he is I think are being a little rash there.  I don't know if people also realize that Lucic is younger than anyone over 25, albeit only by how old the older guys are, but I have a feeling seeing as he only is one of the best power forward in the NHL that people think he has reached his ceiling. He is 25 years old and very  much like Cam Neely.
Yes because I said trade him away and replace him with nobody.  Also if you read my original post I said I would like to trade him but I also wouldn't be terribly upset about it if they didn't.  My main point is that he should not be on the first line.  They need someone with more scoring touch to play alongside Krejci.  Lucic is better suited on the second or third line, where he can run around hitting everything that moves again, rather than having to worry about being a top line winger and scoring.  You can keep saying he is like Neely all you want, true hockey fans know that it's a ridiculous statement, but keep trolling, we all know you love to do it.
 

cshea

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Lucic was 11th in scoring amongst left wingers, while getting the lowest TOI amongst the top 30 left wingers. His offensive production is fine.