Bruins’ offseason to-do list
1. Sign Bruce Cassidy to a multiyear deal
This one should not be complicated, and it must be taken care of quickly. Cassidy led this team into the playoffs and, despite crippling injuries, made them very competitive in their six-game playoff loss to Ottawa. He has been in the organization for nine years so the brass knows him well enough. And he's earned this job. It would be within Sweeney's rights to take his time and interview candidates, but that could be damaging. It felt like Claude Julien was Dead Man Walking as soon as Sweeney, new on the job, waited a couple of weeks before announcing Julien would return. Perception became reality and, by the end, players surely felt like they were playing for the coach's job every night. The weight of that showed clearly. By the time they disperse for the offseason, the players should know the identity of their coach moving forward. And it should be Cassidy.
2. Find a third-line center
It's hard to think Ryan Spooner, a restricted free agent, will be back. While a good powerplay specialist, his 5-on-5 play had gotten to the point where faith was lost in him. His season culminated with a healthy scratch the final two games, including Sunday, when the B's were without David Krejci. The long-term thinking is that this job will belong to Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, but it should not be given to him. It may be unfair to judge him on the one game he played, but he didn't look ready. It wouldn't hurt JFK to start on the wing, either. That's where Patrice Bergeron, the consummate centerman, began his career. Maybe the answer as the third-line pivot is David Backes, who came to the B's with a big contract and no clearly defined role. He bounced all over the lineup before settling in as Bergeron's right winger. Or maybe Sweeney has to go outside the organization and find someone who can anchor the third line. But the lack of scoring depth has been a major problem for this team for too long now.
3. Extend Zdeno Chara’s contract
Chara has one year left on his seven-year, $45.5 million contract, and he has been worth every penny of it. Yes, he is 40 years old. And, yes, there are occasions on which he looks it. But at this ripe old age, Chara remains the B's best defender. The captain has also embraced the role of mentoring young defensemen, and the B's will have plenty of them. But it all depends on how Chara wants to play out his remaining years. Ideally for the B's, he would go from year-to-year, signing a succession of one-year deals until he's done. But he could want a multi-year deal and, if he can play next season like he did this year, he could get it elsewhere. This could be a tricky one for Sweeney, who must gauge how soon the inevitable dropoff in Chara's play will come, and how precipitous it will be. He can sign him to an extension starting July 1.
4. Identify second-line left winger
David Krejci's soon-to-be 31-year-old body has taken a beating over the past few years, but he can still be an effective centerman if given the wings. While he tied a career-high in goals with 23, he floundered about for most of the season until Cassidy put David Pastrnak on his line. Then we started to see some of the old Krejci play-making magic. But there was never a fit on the left wing. Deadline acquisition Drew Stafford, a right shot, saw a lot of time there, but he felt like a round peg in a square hole. There are some in-house candidates in Providence. Peter Cehlarik looked like the answer for a bit until his inexperience in the defensive zone cost him the spot. Danton Heinen proved unready when he got an early season taste, but he had a good year in Providence. Jake DeBrusk, a firstround pick from 2015, also came on his first pro season. The B's seem to have enough prospects to land a veteran wing via a trade as well.
5. Protect Kevan Miller
Which three defensemen to protect in the expansion draft is a tough decision. Chara and Torey Krug are musts. The third one is not so easy. You could argue that Colin Miller has too much upside to expose him and, to be fair, he played pretty well when thrust into action in the playoffs. He also showed a valuable ability to play both sides. But with Krug and Charlie McAvoy already here, and Matt Grzelcyk and Jeremy Lauzon in the pipeline, the B's have puck-movers. They need to maintain some physicality and nastiness on the back end. Kevan Miller brings that. Adam McQuaid is one of the most feared fighters in the league, and his penalty killing was dearly missed in the playoffs, but he's had a few more injuries than Kevan Miller, who also
has deceptively good wheels.