Pierre McGuire believes the Boston Bruins will make a big splash in free agency.
The NHL analyst appeared on TSN Radio earlier this week, at which point he was asked where he thinks free agent defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk will land this offseason. McGuire immediately pointed to the Bruins and suggested Shattenkirk is a specialty player who would help Boston’s power play while young defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk continue their development.
“I think Boston. If I really think about it, I think Boston,” McGuire said. “Kevin’s a specialist player. Kevin is not a top-four guy. If you look at his greatest success, and we’ll use St. Louis as an example — he played behind Alex Pietrangelo and Colton Parayko. He played on the third tandem. But he was on the first power play. He’s a specialist player. And his specialty is the power play, he’s really good at the power play.”
Of course, the Bruins’ possible pursuit of Shattenkirk is a polarizing topic. Because while he’s certainly a good player, it’s been speculated the 28-year-old could command a long-term contract with an annual cap hit north of $7 million. Do the Bruins really want to commit, say, $45 million to a right-shot defenseman — not necessarily a need for Boston — who isn’t considered a top-pairing guy, even though he’s arguably the best blueliner available on the open market?
The Bruins might kick the tires on Shattenkirk, a Boston University product, but the team would need to decide whether he’s worth the financial risk, especially given some other areas the B’s need to address.
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
