BOSTON — “We’ll see what’s going to happen.”
That was the line Loui Eriksson repeated over and over again Monday morning as he met with reporters for what might have been his final time as a member of the Boston Bruins.
The 30-year-old winger is set to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, and it sounds like he has every intention of testing his worth on the open market.
“It’s a big decision, where I end up,” Eriksson said. “So, we’ll see what’s going to happen this summer. I had three great years here, and we’ll see what’s going to happen here this summer. That’s all I can say.”
This season was Eriksson’s best since he came to Boston in the 2013 trade that sent Tyler Seguin to the Dallas Stars. The only Bruins player to appear in all 82 games, Eriksson scored 30 goals (his highest single-season total since 2008-09) and finished tied for third on the team with 63 points.
“I feel good about where I am in my game,” he said. “All I can do now is work hard this summer and get even better.”
It was somewhat surprising to see Eriksson play out the entire season in black and gold, as many assumed the Bruins would trade him if they were unable to re-sign him to a new contract before the NHL trade deadline in late February. They did neither, instead swinging minor deadline deals for veterans Lee Stempniak and John-Michael Liles in an effort to improve the roster for a playoff run.
That run stalled out after Boston dropped nine of its final 12 games and on Saturday was eliminated from postseason contention for a second consecutive season.
“I think the whole team here wanted to make it to the playoffs,” Eriksson said. “It’s just too bad it ended up being like this. I think everyone’s disappointed.”
There’s still a chance Eriksson could re-sign before or after he hits the open market, but he said his camp and the team have not engaged in substantial contract talks of late.
“I think it’s been slowing down a little bit,” he said. “But you never know what’s going to happen now. It’s to up to Boston to see if they want to keep me or what’s going to happen here. So, we’ll see what’s going to happen.”
Thumbnail photo via Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports Images
