The Bruins entered the offseason not only riding the high of the franchise's first Cup in 39 years, but also secure in the knowledge that nearly the entire roster will be back to try to defend that title.
Just four members of last year's squad were eligible for unrestricted free agency, and while it now appears than none of those players will be back in Boston, the changes shouldn't create much of a void in the lineup or greatly disrupt the chemistry that was so vital to this spring's championship run.
"We're in a good position," Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said after the season. "We've got a lot of the team under contract. We're in a good cap situation for once. We've got some young guys that are coming [up in the system]. My charge is to win so we have to continue to keep that standard."
Chiarelli didn't have much work to do this summer, and after a couple of modest moves at the start of free agency, he's likely done shaping the club for its title defense.
Before the start of free agency, Chiarelli announced that he would not re-sign depth defenseman Shane Hnidy. The veteran blueliner saw very little action in his second stint with the club after signing in late February. He played just three games in the regular season, then saw very limited ice time in three postseason appearances.
Chiarelli did have discussions with forward Michael Ryder and defenseman Tomas Kaberle, but both were able to land lucrative deals elsewhere. Ryder, despite his inconsistent play in the regular season, was always a valuable contributor come playoff time. That will be missed next spring, but Chiarelli made the right decision to not tie up the kind of cap space it would have required to retain Ryder, who landed a two-year deal with Dallas worth $7 million.
It was no doubt tougher for Chiarelli to let Kaberle walk after giving up so much to acquire him at the trade deadline, but that was a prudent decision as well. Kaberle's play in Boston didn't warrant the kind of commitment he got from Carolina in the form of a three-year, $12.75-million deal.
Chiarelli wasted no time in finding a suitable replacement, acquiring Joe Corvo from those same Hurricanes the day Kaberle signed. For the price of a fourth-round pick, Corvo brings a similar ability to move the puck quickly in the transition game, while also adding a much more effective shot from the point that may help the power play more than Kaberle's patient passing was able to.
With Corvo added to a blue-line mix that already features Norris finalist Zdeno Chara, playoff stalwart Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid, the Bruins defense is set for next season.
Youngsters Steven Kampfer and Matt Bartkowski will compete for the seventh defenseman role in camp, with Kampfer holding the inside track after a solid debut in 38 games with the big club last year. If the Bruins feel Kampfer would be better served playing regularly in Providence rather than sitting in the press box in Boston, it's possible Chiarelli could still sign a cheap veteran to play a Hnidy-like reserve role. The Bruins could also wait and invite a veteran or two to camp on tryouts and let them compete for a spot.
Up front, Chiarelli didn't attempt to directly replace Ryder and Mark Recchi, who retired after winning his third Cup in a Hall-of-Fame worthy, 22-season NHL career. Chiarelli took a flyer on Benoit Pouliot, risking little with a one-year, $1.1-million deal in the hopes that Claude Julien can get something out of the fourth overall pick of the 2005 draft. The Bruins are also counting on Tyler Seguin to take on a bigger role in his second season, while fellow youngsters like Jordan Caron will push Pouliot for a roster spot.
The Bruins could try to fill the leadership void left by Recchi's retirement with a cheap veteran, perhaps even going the tryout route at that position as well, but Chiarelli made it clear that wasn't a priority. He's confident there's more than enough strong leaders already in place, and the qualities that made Recchi so valuable aren't easy to find anyway.
"I don't think you can replace Mark Recchi," Chiarelli said. "He's brought so much to this team, so I'm not going to try to replace Rex because you can't. There will be elements that certain players can bring or help in that leadership role. But I'm also comfortable going into the year without having replaced that element."
The one big item left on Chiarelli's to do list is getting Brad Marchand's signature on a new contract. The feisty winger is a restricted free agent, so the Bruins can match any offer made by another team. It's not likely to come to that though, as Chiarelli stated on Monday that talks are ongoing with Marchand's representatives.
If Chiarelli can get that deal done, the rest of the summer should be quiet. The heavy lifting in putting this roster together was done long before this offseason, and that work led to the Bruins finally lifting the Cup again.
Doug Flynn will be answering one Bruins question a day until Aug. 8.
Tuesday, July 12: Will Peter Chiarelli make any more moves this summer?
Wednesday, July 13: How long before Dougie Hamilton can make an impact in Boston?
The Bruins entered the offseason not only riding the high of the franchise's first Cup in 39 years, but also secure in the knowledge that nearly the entire roster would be back to try to defend that title.
Just four members of last year's squad were eligible for unrestricted free agency, and while it now appears than none of those players will be back in Boston, the changes shouldn't create much of a void in the lineup or great disrupt the chemistry that was so vital to this spring's championship run.
"We're in a good position," Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said after the season. "We've got a lot of the team under contract. We're in a good cap situation for once. We've got some young guys that are coming [up in the system]. My charge is to win so we have to continue to keep that standard."
Chiarelli didn't have much work to do this summer, and after a couple of modest moves at the start of free agency, he's likely done shaping the club for its title defense.
Before the start of free agency, Chiarelli announced that he would not re-sign depth defenseman Shane Hnidy. The veteran blueliner saw very little action in his second stint with the club after signing in late February. He played just three games in the regular season, then saw very limited ice time in three postseason appearances.
Chiarelli did have discussions with forward Michael Ryder and defenseman Tomas Kaberle, but both were able to land lucrative deals elsewhere. Ryder, despite his inconsistent play in the regular season, was always a valuable contributor come playoff time. That will be missed next spring, but Chiarelli made the right decision to not tie up the kind of cap space it would have required to retain Ryder, who landed a two-year deal with Dallas worth $7 million.
It was no doubt tougher for Chiarelli to let Kaberle walk after giving up so much to acquire him at the trade deadline, but that was a prudent decision as well. Kaberle's play in Boston didn't warrant the kind of commitment he got from Carolina in the form of a three-year, $12.75-million deal.
Chiarelli wasted no time in finding a suitable replacement, acquiring Joe Corvo from those same Hurricanes the day Kaberle signed. For the price of a fourth-round pick, Corvo brings a similar ability to move the puck quickly in the transition game, while also adding a much more effective shot from the point that may help the power play more than Kaberle's patient passing was able to.
With Corvo added to a blue-line mix that already features Norris finalist Zdeno Chara, playoff stalwart Dennis Seidenberg, Andrew Ference, Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid, the Bruins defense is set for next season.
Youngsters Steven Kampfer and Matt Bartkowski will compete for the seventh defenseman role in camp, with Kampfer holding the inside track after solid debut in 38 games with the big club last year. If the Bruins feel Kampfer would be better served playing regularly in Providence rather than sitting in the press box in Boston, it's possible Chiarelli could still sign a cheap veteran to play a Hnidy-like reserve role. The Bruins could also wait and invite a veteran or two to camp on tryouts and let them compete for a spot.
Up front, Chiarelli didn't attempt to directly replace Ryder and Mark Recchi, who retired after winning his third Cup in a hall-of-fame worthy 22-season NHL career. Chiarelli took a flyer on Benoit Pouliot, risking little with a one-year, $1.1-million deal in the hopes that Claude Julien can get something out of the fourth overall pick of the 2005 draft. The Bruins are also counting on Tyler Seguin to take on a bigger role in his second season, while fellow youngsters like Jordan Caron will push Pouliot for a roster spot.
The Bruins could try to fill the leadership void left by Recchi's retirement with a cheap veteran, perhaps even going the tryout route at that position as well, but Chiarelli made it clear that wasn't a priority. He's confident there's more than enough strong leaders already in place, and the qualities that made Recchi so valuable aren't easy to find anyway.
"I don't think you can replace Mark Recchi," Chiarelli said. "He's brought so much to this team. So I'm not going to try to replace Rex because you can't. There will be elements that certain players can bring or help in that leadership role. But I'm also comfortable going into the year without having replaced that element."
The one big item left on Chiarelli's to do list is getting Brad Marchand's signature on a new contract. The feisty winger is a restricted free agent, so the Bruins can match any offer made by another team. It's not likely to come to that though, as Chiarelli stated on Monday that talks are ongoing with Marchand's representatives.
If Chiarelli can get that deal done, the rest of the summer should be quiet. The heavy lifting in putting this roster together was done long before this offseason, and that work led to the Bruins finally lifting the Cup again.
NESN.com Bruins beat writer Douglas Flynn will be answering one question facing the Bruins this offseason each day until Aug. 8.
Wednesday, July 13: How long will it take before Dougie Hamilton can make an impact in Boston?
