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 big question mark is Jake DeBrusk, who, as of the recent trade deadline, had not heard back from the Bruins about signing a contract extension. If the 27-year-old winger, whom the Bruins drafted 14th overall at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, went to the open market in July, it’s expected he will get a minimum of $6 million per season and at least a four-year contract.
As for the recent trade targets that the source above mentioned, numerous other sources have confirmed that Sweeney, twice (from the Flames and then the Canucks), came very close to acquiring 29-year-old center Elias Lindholm. The Bruins GM also came close to finally reeling in his white whale and Norwood, MA native Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames before the most stealth GM in the NHL, Kelly McCrimmon, swooped in and acquired the former Boston College defenseman for the Vegas Golden Knights.
With the Canucks willing to trade Lindholm less than a month after they acquired him and management being very non-committal on their intentions to sign or not sign him, the feel around the NHL right now is that Lindholm is headed to market.
“Initially, when we made the deal, I talked to his camp and said our intention was to sign him,” Canucks GM Patrik Allvin told TSN and Athletic NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun earlier this week. “But obviously, it’s got to work for both sides. We’ll see. I think it’s been a little bit of an adjustment time for him.
As for Hanifin, one would think if he fits in and the Golden Knights go on a run in the playoffs, then that, combined with the fact that Nevada is a no-income tax state with beautiful weather and living, he could be enticed to stay there. That being said, BHN has confirmed that Hanifin was willing to waive his no-movement clause not just to the Tampa Bay Lightning, had the trade to Vegas not occurred, but also to come home and play for the Bruins. The main issue with the Bruins is that they couldn’t match what the Knights offered. That, of course, won’t be an issue if and when the 27-year-old defenseman becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Regardless of whether or not Sweeney can land Hanfin and/or Lindholm on the UFA market, he will have plenty of cap space to lock up restricted free agent goalie Jeremy Swayman and go shopping. He could have even more if he finally able to trade his other goalie, Linus Ullmark, which he will indeed try to do.
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