The top priorities for the Boston Bruins upcoming offseason

Published May 19, 2022 at 1:18 PM
BY DORIN CANADAY

The Boston Bruins are heading into one of the most important offseasons for the franchise in recent memory. The team could either keep its championship window open or even think about a rebuild, and it could very well all hinge on the future of captain Patrice Bergeron.

Projected 2022-23 cap space: $5,370,834

PHOTO SOURCE: Bruins Cap Space on Twitter (@bruinscapspace)

The Bruins don't have a lot of draft picks for the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. They traded their first to the Anaheim Ducks in the package that brought defenseman Hampus Lindholm to Boston. The club only has six draft picks: 2nd, 3rd (CGY), 4th, 6th, 7th (OTT), and 7th.

Obviously, the future of the 36-year-old pending UFA Bergeron will need to be settled, and he's openly stated that he doesn't want to play for another team. Here are some important questions for the club's offseason:

Will he want to play another year? Will the Bruins finally honour DeBrusk's trade request and move him this offseason? Who can the Bruins find as a top-six centre? Will they trade a left-shot defenseman? Can the Bruins lock up Pastrnak long-term?

General manager Don Sweeney will need to find a way to bring more scoring to his lineup with the limited cap space.

Top offseason priorities for the Bruins:

- Get an answer on Patrice Bergeron's future as soon as possible. Of course, it's purely up to Bergy if he retires or comes back to the Bs next season.

- Regardless of Bergeron's decision, the club has to find at least one top-six centre (two if he leaves). Some pending UFAs who might be an interesting choice for Boston could include Vincent Trocheck of the Carolina Hurricanes, Nazem Kadri of the Colorado Avalanche, and Andrew Copp of the New York Rangers. There's also the trade option of Winnipeg Jets' number one centre Mark Scheifele, who is apparently wanting a trade away from the team.

- Check in on David Krejci and his agents to see if there is actually a possibility of a return to the Bruins next season. He can still help this team immensely.

- It appears that Don Sweeney is more of a priority than head coach Bruce Cassidy, which is not fair, in my opinion. Cassidy is getting thrown under the bus for a team that failed to get depth scoring. A roster constructed by Sweeney that didn't include a number two centre, which was his main priority at the deadline. I think the front office has to think about other options for the GM spot.

- Know which prospects are ready to help in the NHL and bring them up. A choice has to be made with centre Jack Studnicka, to give him a shot in the NHL, or trade him.

-Figure out if David Pastrnak wants an extension or to hit the 2023 free-agent market. He could get a lot more money from another team on the open market.

- Decide on Jake Debrusk's trade request from November 2021. Although some fans may not think it, but replacing what JD brings to the table will not be easy.

- I think the Bs have to trade a left-shot defenseman, whether it be Matthew Grzelcyk (who has more trade value) or Mike Reilly. Derek Forbort is another option, but he brings a style not many players can, and we really noticed that in the playoffs. All three carry a cap-hit of around $3,000,000, and the Bs have options to move up in the depth charts like Jack Ahcan and Jakub Zboril. The recent announcement of Grzelcyk needing shoulder surgery most likely makes it unlikely he gets traded.

- Gauge the trade interest in players like Erik Haula, Craig Smith, Tomas Nosek and Nick Foligno (if there is any). All have contracts that expire after next season, and I doubt they'll be brought back after that.

- It may cost more than you'd like but see if there's an option to get a draft pick in the first round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

- There could be better bottom-six and depth options on the market than Curtis Lazar, Josh Brown and Anton Blidhl: