Sweeney in thick of offseason
Expects Tory Krug to hit free agency
With the financial times nearly as uncertain as when the NHL shut down operations back in March, the Bruins embark upon a week that could have major ramifications on the direction of the franchise, both short- and long-term.
B’s general manger Don Sweeney, in his predraft virtual media scrum on Monday, had some answers to a few of the lesser issues, but the outcomes of some of the more major situations facing the team have yet to be fully determined.
While Sweeney would not completely shut the door on free agent-to-be Torey Krug returning, there has been no progress toward keeping the offensive defenseman in black and gold, and it certainly seems as if he’ll hit the open market at the opening bell on Friday.
Sweeney did not rule out trading his exclusive negotiating rights to Krug before then, though that could further hinder the chances of Krug coming back into the fold if he should discover the market is not what he hoped it would be on Oct. 9.
“Yeah we’d consider anything at this point in time including the fact that several free agents
have have gone and tested the market and come back to the same place that they were at, and it’s something we would also consider,” said Sweeney. “There’s no way in hell you’re going to change my opinion of what I think Torey has the right to do and I believe that. So, he’s put himself in a great position either with us or with other teams that have interest in him. I’ll listen to any situation that might improve our hockey club and move forward from there if it plays out that way.”
The B’s have reportedly offered Krug a six-year deal worth $6.5 million annually. The GM said that, despite not reaching pay dirt on a deal, there’s been no acrimony with Krug.
“There’s no animosity whatsoever in this situation with this player. Every team has sticky deals and trying to thread the needle so to speak in this day and age with the salary cap and competitive environment that we’re all in and trying to win. Those things collide,” said Sweeney.
Rask’ll be back
In his end of season press conference, Sweeney said he had “zero reservations” about Tuukka Rask returning to the B’s after leaving the bubble in the first round of the playoffs. And despite rampant trade rumors, Sweeney said nothing has changed on that front.
“As a matter of fact, our staff has communicated with Tuukka and as I said before, he remains a big part of our roster planning going forward because I think by my knowledge, he was second in the Vezina balloting and we feel very, very comfortable with where our goaltending is at,” said Sweeney. “And I think you’re going to need it. I don’t know what the
schedule and what the season — I think there are a lot of things that are up in the air, but it could be a challenging environment from a season standpoint. Might make goaltending even more a big part of what you have to have going forward.”
Still, with both Rask and Jaroslav Halak scheduled to be free agents next offseason and the Seattle expansion draft also looming in 2021, Sweeney did not rule anything out.
“I think we’ll consider everything,” said Sweeney. “There are some unique challenges on the horizon as far as expansion. You acquire players, where we go with both our current goaltenders moving forward, whether we decide to extend either one of them. A lot of different factors involved. Looking forward to where the development of our young goaltenders are. And roster-planning associated with who might be on the horizon a year from now. Those are a lot of variables that you might not have complete answers on. But again, you could make one acquisition and think you’re in a great spot and all of a sudden you decide to extend and you’ve got expansion issues. So, there are a lot of variables in play that we’re going to try and take into full account and make the decisions. We feel great about where our
goaltending is at and we’ve got some young kids that don’t have any NHL experience but have a bright future in front of them.”
Chara in talks
With the Bruins still one of only two teams to whom Arizona’s Oliver EkmanLarsson has agreed to be traded ( Vancouver being the other one), the B’s and captain Zdeno Chara, a pending UFA, have not landed on a deal, but negotiations are ongoing. If the B’s are able to consummate a deal, Ekman-Larsson’s massive contract ($8.25 million a year with seven years left) will have a significant effect on the rest of the puzzle pieces. But Sweeney said talks are ongoing with Chara.
“I’ve met with Zdeno, had conversations, have continued to have conversations so that we have to be on the same as we move forward. We’ve conveyed where we are with that and we’re going to continue to have communication with he and (agent) Matt Keator,” said Sweeney.
Chara has been amenable to working around the B’s needs and constrictions. Last offseason he signed a one-year deal at a base salary of $2 million with bonuses that bumped it up to $3.75 million. There’s also the question of how the role for the 43year-old will continue to evolve.
“Yeah, we’ve just had really broad-based discussions on everything. Not really going to leave any stone unturned in terms of where are we. We’ve looked at that as part of our roster assessment and making sure we communicate effectively with a very important part and leader of our hockey club,” said Sweeney.
Nordstrom not a priority
It appears Joakim Nordstrom will have to look elsewhere for employment.
“We’ve had a talk with Joakim Nordstrom that it may be challenging for us as well, have had good communication with (agent JP Barry) on that front. But I made sure that I spoke with him, that I wasn’t going to be aggressive in trying to sign him for the short term. It didn’t mean we wouldn’t consider it, but I wanted to make sure he had an early heads up,” said Sweeney.
Sweeney also said that the club would not be extending qualifying offers to Brett Ritchie, Brendan Gaunce and Wiley Sherman, making them free to sign elsewhere.
No first round pick
Sweeney traded away his first-round pick in the Ondrej Kase deal with Anaheim. He’d like to get back into the first round, but that’s easier said than done. The first round is on Tuesday with the remaining rounds on Wednesday.
“Well, it’s certainly difficult,” said Sweeney. “Your scouts do a tremendous amount of work and you’d like to reward them. Clearly, the first round, is talent laden, the draft is deep overall. I think if the opportunity presents itself, we’re going to have to explore it. There has been plenty of talk overall. It’s just that there hasn’t been a heck of a lot of player movement … . It’s just expensive this time of the year.”