Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Bruins off-season plan is simple, and I’m okay with that

July 1, 2019, 6:45 PM ET [5 Comments]
Anthony Travalgia
Boston Bruins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Sure, Artemi Panarin or Joe Pavelski flying down the wing next to Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci would be fun to watch. Sure, Gustav Nyquist or Mats Zuccarello would be great fits on the right side of either Bergeron or Krejci as guys who can move up and down the lineup.

But let’s be honest here, those guys were never realistic options for the Bruins.

Since losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, general manager Don Sweeney continued to drop hints towards what the Bruins off-season plan was.

On Monday, the start of free agency, those hints came to life and confirmed what we all expected.

And I am okay with that.

The Bruins plan all-along was with their remaining cap space to focus on resigning Danton Heinen, Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo,—the team’s three pending restricted free agents—while adding some organizational depth once free agency began.

The Bruins did the latter on Monday by signing forwards Par Lindholm, Brett Ritchie and Brandan Gaunce. The Bruins also added defenseman Josiah Didier and goalie Maxime Legace, both of whom will find regular playing time in Providence.

As the dust settled on an eventful opening day of free agency, Sweeney admitted he believes the Bruins are done adding pieces via free agency for now, but also knows to never say never.

“For right now I think we are,” Sweeney said Monday afternoon. “I mean I've been in touch with teams that if you're gonna make, start to make player transactions that may change that. So, I can't dictate when those, the players that are currently available will sign. I would suspect that we're out. But you never say never because the phones been ringing.”

As expected, the Bruins were priced out on unrestricted free agent Noel Acciari who signed a three-year $5 million contract with the Florida Panthers. Also as expected, fellow UFA Marcus Johansson won’t be back in Boston next year as Sweeney revealed that the Bruins have not offered Johansson a new contract.

With Acciari and Johansson no longer in the picture, it appears as if there will be an internal competition for playing time on the Bruins fourth line between Lindholm, Ritchie, Gaunce, Chris Wagner, Joakim Nordstrom and Sean Kuraly, as well as a competition for minutes up and down the Bruins three other lines thanks to the departure of Johansson.

Similar to last July 1 when Sweeney brought in Wagner and Nordstrom to create more internal competition, the additions the Bruins made on Monday will do just that.

“I've said all along we need to infuse internal competition, bring in some players that can fill some gaps and holes,” said Sweeney. “We lost a couple of good players. But I also want excitement generated as a result of some of the players that should recognize opportunity.”

The hole created by the loss of Johansson will be tougher to fill than the one left by Acciari. Sweeney made it known they were looking for a right-handed shot to do so, but despite right-handed shots like Justin Williams and Thomas Vanek still being available, it’s going to be from within where the Bruins fill their need for right wing production behind David Pastrnak.

“I think Heinen, depends on which side we play him on. If you think whether Karson [Kuhlman] or [Zach] Senyshyn, whoever, Ritchie, obviously guys who are right shot if we play lefty/righty and move Danton over, I think fits into that same milk of player, creative wise,” Sweeney said of filling the void left by Johansson.

“We’ll see when Anders Bjork comes back online. We’ll see what Peter Cehlarik does. I think we have, as I referenced, some guys internally. Paul Carey’s another guy that’s played a lot of games in the National Hockey League with his skillset. You never know where guys are going to come back at and assimilate with.”

With the transactions made on Monday, the Bruins have just over $10 million to get deals done with their three RFA’s. Sweeney does not see any problem doing so.

“Well, it depends on where those deals land and the terms, obviously. We feel comfortable where we’re at, you know, from our current cap space,” said Sweeney. “We don’t foresee any problems reaching deals with players, depending on the terms.”

After falling one game short of hockey’s ultimate prize, it’s easy to become frustrated with the Bruins boring day on July 1st. But at the end of the day Sweeney’s hands were tied and he made the smart choice for both the immediate needs of the Bruins, and the organizations future by adding depth and continuing to make the RFA’s the team’s priority.

“Well, you're always trying to look, really a year, two, three, four, five years out and try and map those things out,” said Sweeney. “But this trade deadline also affected some of those plans. Charlie Coyle, you can look at it like an acquisition for us for next year and possibly going forward. So, I think you have to react accordingly.”

A lot can change for the Bruins in the coming days and weeks as other teams continue negotiations with both their own RFA’s and the remaining class of UFA’s.

One thing that may change is the Bruins ties to David Backes. In the first year of a modified trade clause, Backes can submit a list of eight teams he would accept a trade to. Sweeney has that list and is having conversations with those eight teams.

Moving Backes in a trade is still an unlikely result, but one that is on the table nonetheless.

“Yeah, we have [Backes’] trade list. Again, not going to talk about which teams I may or may not be discussing with David or with any of our other players,” added Sweeney. “It’s a possibility. It’s on the table that we may, but you know, as of right now he’s a part of our group.”

The Bruins also took care of two of their own on Monday, inking Ryan Fitzgerald to a one-year, two-way contract with a NHL cap hit of $700,000 and extended Connor Clifton through the 2022-23 season with an annual cap hit of $1 million per season.

“Connor did a really good job, and he deserved to play. All the situations he did. He took advantage of it, provided a lot of depth for our club,” said Sweeney. “There’s a lot of value in what Connor brings to the table. You can slot him in. He was out of the lineup, and he’d go back in and play the exact same way. There’s a lot of value there.”

Unless something crazy happens between now and training camp, the Bruins are going to look to fill their right wing needs from within. They addressed their fourth line competition on Monday, as well as adressing bottom-six depth.

Next up on Sweeney’s to-do list is his biggest summer task yet: sign Carlo, McAvoy and Heinen.

Those three have dictated his summer plans to date, right?
Join the Discussion: » 5 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Anthony Travalgia
» The End of an Era?
» Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman in Game 7?
» Home Not So Sweet Home
» Bruins Depth On Full Display In Sunrise Sweep
» Bruins Drop Game 2 After Ugly Performance