While Kaberle remains unsigned and could still return to Boston, Ryder's days as a Bruin are now over after the veteran forward signed a two-year deal with Dallas.
"I talked to Mike, or I texted him, and I wished him well, and I said, 'Make sure you light up all of those Eastern Conference teams except us,'" Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said. "At the end of the day he provided us with good service when we needed it and it's going to be something that we're going to have to replace. But I like the growth of our guys, and our forward group and I feel confident that they collectively can replace that."
While Ryder was inconsistent throughout his three-year stay in Boston, his departure does leave a hole in the Bruins' lineup. After putting up 27 goals, 53 points and a plus-28 in his first year in Boston after signing a three-year, $12-million deal in 2008, Ryder slipped to 18-15-33 and a plus-3 in 2009-10 and 18-23-41 and a minus-1 this past season.
But Ryder always delivered when it mattered most. In three postseasons with the Bruins, he had 17-18-35 totals and was a plus-8 in 49 games, including 8-9-17 totals and a plus-8 in 25 games during this spring's Cup run.
"Well you know what, in the three years we had him, he was really good in the postseason," Chiarelli said. "So that's going to be an area I hope that the group will, I talked about leadership earlier, the group inheriting some of that responsibility if we don’t bring in someone else [will have to fill that void]. And you know, the timely scoring is something that I've liked what I've seen with the rest of the group."
The Bruins have youngsters ready to compete for bigger roles with Tyler Seguin expected to take on more responsibilities in his second season and Jordan Caron leading a contingent of talented youngsters seeking jobs on the big club. Boston also added another potential replacement for Ryder by signing free agent Benoit Pouliot to a one-year, $1.1-million deal on Friday.
If Pouliot can match Ryder's production, that would be quite a bargain for Boston. Ryder took a slight cut from his previous deal, but still landed a solid payday with a two-year contract worth $7 million from the Stars. The $3.5-million cap hit over two years was a little too rich for the Bruins, who have ample cap space this season, but have to be judicious in planning for next year when David Krejci, Tuukka Rask, Adam McQuaid, Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley, Daniel Paille, Shawn Thornton, Gregory Campbell and Johnny Boychuk will all be seeking new deals.
"What I told them both is what I told you guys yesterday, that [was] 'let's see where the market goes and let's follow up tomorrow,' meaning today," Chiarelli said of Kaberle and Ryder. "And in my mind I had maybe, whether I was going to make an offer or not, I had a concept in place. In the meantime with Pouliot becoming available and us talking to Pouliot, we felt it was a good alternative in light of where we thought the market was going with Ryds.
"Rydes got a good deal, so good for him," Chiarelli added. "But that's kind of, I didn't necessarily have an offer to make. I had arranged my mind, if I decided to make an offer and, I just wanted to see how the market unfolded."
The market proved too rich for Ryder to remain in Boston. Whether that ends up costing the Bruins won't really be determined until the next postseason. That's when Ryder earned his money in the past, and that's when the Bruins will need someone else to step up and come through with that clutch scoring next spring.
