B’s gear up for free agency
So far the Bruins have been on the outside looking in at the player acquisitions that have occurred in the last couple of weeks, but it’s nearing the moment when they might roll out a new name or two.
Today is the final day of the open talking period between free agents and their NHL suitors before the free agency begins at noon tomorrow. One of the team’s priorities, if not the top one, is a left-shooting defenseman. The Bruins are in the running on Trevor Daley, the 33-year-old defenseman who will go to market after winning a pair of Stanley Cup rings with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
But as of late yesterday, it appeared as though the Detroit Red Wings had become strong front-runners for the veteran’s services.
The Bruins would offer Daley a better chance at making the playoffs, but it will be interesting to see what kind of deal he gets. B’s general manager Don Sweeney must balance the experience a player like Daley brings against potentially blocking the path of a promising young player. Daley’s last deal had an annual average value of $3.3 million. The B’s have a handful of left-shot defensemen that could challenge for a roster spot soon.
Another potential fit could be Michael Del Zotto, whose cap hit with the Flyers last year was $3.875 million. He’s not the greatest defender, but just 27 years old, two years younger than Kevan Miller. He’s been working on a string of oneand two-year deals since his entry level contract.
The most sought-after left-shot defenseman is expected to be Washington’s Karl Alzner but, with this being his first shot at unrestricted free agency, he’ll probably be looking for more in both term and money than the B’s are looking to give.
Another possible target, the Rangers’ Brendan Smith, will not hit the market as he signed his anticipated extension with the Blueshirts for four years at $4.35 million per season.
Kevin Shattenkirk’s name continues to be linked with the Bruins. Though it made sense a couple of years ago, it doesn’t make much any more, not without a foundation-shifting trade. First, he’s a right shot and, since his name was first linked with the B’s a couple of seasons ago, both Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy have revealed themselves to be NHL defensemen sooner than expected.
On top of all that, the Bruins have Kevan Miller under contract for three years and Adam McQuaid for another two. They’re good on the right side for the foreseeable future. Secondly, Shattenkirk may be the top free agent available and as such will most likely get overpaid.
Meanwhile, rumblings of a trade for Minnesota’s Marco Scandella that were hot at the draft continue to bubble. Scandella makes a pretty penny, $4 million, and his contract runs for another three years, a deal which again could thwart the progress of the young defensemen in the system, including firstrounders Jakub Zboril and Urho Vaakanainen, the B’s 2017 first-round pick who was in play last week. It’d be interesting to see if Sweeney would part with Vaakanainen, which would carry more of a gamble considering the B’s are still a bubble team and no lock to make the playoffs even if Scandella came aboard.
Up front, an interesting name became available when the Columbus Blue Jackets bought out Scott Hartnell, a 35-year-old left winger who has a blistering shot and plays with a whole lot of edge. He had a down year (13 goals) which, at his age, could just mean that is who he is now. If the B’s could get him on a one-year deal at short money, he could bolster left wing, where they also have a lot of promising but unproven prospects.
Sweeney will speak today in Brighton, but it’s a good bet we won’t get many real answers until tomorrow afternoon.