Don Sweeney has checked off an important offseason to-do.
The Boston Bruins on Friday announced they signed backup goalie Jaroslav Halak to a one-year contract extension that will carry a $2.25 million cap hit next season. He’s currently making $2.75 million a year on the two-year deal he signed prior to the 2018-19 season.
It’s a move that makes plenty of sense for both sides. And in the Bruins’ case, it keeps the team’s payroll in a manageable enough position. That’s particularly important since the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting NHL pause has cast doubt on what the salary cap might look like next season.
But operating under the impression the cap remains at $81.5 million, which is where it stands for the 2019-20 season, @BruinsCapSpace on Twitter shared the B’s offseason picture.
Update. Bruins extend Halak for one more year. Great deal IMO. About $18M projected in cap space whenever the offseason begins. pic.twitter.com/foSTOoWaul
— Bruins Cap Space (@BruinsCapSpace) May 1, 2020
As you can see in the above graphic, the Bruins have UFAs in Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara and Joakim Nordstrom, as well as Kevan Miller (who they haven’t ruled out bringing back). Among the RFAs are Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelyck, Karson Kuhlman and Anders Bjork.
Getting all those deals done with about $18 million to work with most certainly will be tight, but not totally impossible.
