The Bruins are hopeful that they’ll be able to avoid arbitration with their three free agents who filed earlier this week, GM Don Sweeney told reporters (video link). Goaltender Jeremy Swayman highlights that group as his reward will ultimately determine if they need to make another cost-clearing move; recent comparable signings could push his award past the $4MM mark in a hearing. Winger Trent Frederic will be in for a nice raise after putting up a career-best 31 points in 79 games and could double his previous $1.05MM AAV on his next deal. Meanwhile, blueliner Ian Mitchell is the other filer but he isn’t likely to get much more than his $874K qualifying offer; it wouldn’t be shocking to see them settle for a lower NHL price tag in exchange for a pricier AHL salary. Boston has just shy of $7MM in cap space at the moment, per CapFriendly, and it’s possible that it could cost more than that to sign these three.
Bruins Rumors
Bruins Sign Kyle Keyser To One Year Contract
Ty Anderson of NBC Sports Boston tweeted that the Boston Bruins have signed goaltender Kyle Keyser to a one-year, two-way contract extension worth $775K at the NHL level and $90,000 while Keyser plays in the AHL. The 24-year-old was a restricted free agent after spending the bulk of last season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins. Anderson also added the team has signed forward Jakub Lauko to a two-year contract carrying a cap hit of $787.5K. It’s a partial two-way/one-way deal, breaking down as follows, per CapFriendly:
2023-24: $775K NHL salary, $200K AHL salary, $300K guaranteed salary
2024-25: $800K NHL salary
The native of Coral Springs, Florida, went undrafted after coming out of the OHL, where he played a single season with the Flint Firebirds before spending three years with the Oshawa Generals. He posted solid numbers in his last two years in Oshawa and caught the attention of the Bruins, who signed him to an entry-level contract in 2019.
Since signing his original deal, Keyser has spent the past four seasons in Providence but has shuffled back to the ECHL on several occasions. His best ECHL season came with the Jacksonville Icemen in 2020-21, where he went 9-9-2 with a 2.46 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. Last season in the AHL with Providence, Keyser posted a .900 save percentage with a 2.72 goals-against average as he went 13-6-2. He was called up to Boston at one point during the year but never dressed for an NHL game.
At 24 years old, it’s hard to call Keyser a prospect anymore, and his play hasn’t exactly warranted a call-up, particularly with how stacked the Bruins’ goaltending depth is at the NHL level. His numbers in the AHL have been pedestrian thus far, as last season, he finished 44th in AHL save percentage out of 74 goaltenders. Given his track record, it seems likely that Keyser will continue to be a depth AHL goaltender in the Bruins system.
Lauko appeared in 23 games for the Bruins, his first set of action in the NHL. Recording four goals and seven points, he didn’t look out of place and will certainly warrant additional call-ups in the coming season – if he doesn’t make the team out of camp. Most would have him penciled in for a fourth-line role ahead of other depth signings like Jayson Megna, and he’s outperformed other Bruins prospects like Oskar Steen when given NHL minutes.
Boston Bruins Sign Kevin Shattenkirk, Five Others
Per Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest, the Boston Bruins have signed veteran defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to a one-year deal, just over $1MM. NBC Sports Boston’s Ty Anderson adds they’ve also signed forward Patrick Brown, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman saying it’s a two-year deal worth $800K per season.
They’ve also added forward Anthony Richard on a one-year deal with a hefty $450k AHL salary, per TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie. In another signing, they’ve brought in right-shot blueliner Parker Wotherspoon on a two-way deal, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger. Dreger adds that Wotherspoon’s deal has a league-minimum cap hit and a hefty $500k AHL salary, underscoring the Bruins’ significant investment in their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins.
The Bruins have also signed forward Jayson Megna to a one-year, two-way contract at a league-minimum $775k cap hit, as well as Luke Toporowski to a two-year entry-level deal, per Anderson.
Shattenkirk provides the Bruins with some proven NHL experience on the cheap and won’t be forced into anything higher than a bottom-pairing role, sitting behind Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo on the Bruins’ depth chart of right-shot defenders. A dual threat on the power play and penalty kill, this should be an incredibly effective use of space for the cap-strapped Bruins.
Brown, who played in a career-high 61 NHL games this season, is a likely candidate to stick around on Boston’s roster without many AHL talents ready for NHL ice time. He could very well begin the season slotted as the team’s fourth-line center. Richard, Wotherspoon, Megna, and Toporwoski are all likely destined for AHL Providence.
Carolina Hurricanes Sign Dmitry Orlov
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed arguably the top defenseman available on the free agent market, inking former Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals rearguard Dmitry Orlov to a two-year, $7.75MM AAV deal.
As a leading free agent defenseman, Orlov securing just a two-year term on his deal comes as a bit of a surprise. IF any defenseman was going to get a maximum-term seven-year deal, it would be Orlov.
But instead, he follows the lead of countryman and Los Angeles Kings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, who secured his own pricey two-year deal earlier this offseason.
Orlov is an all-situations minutes-eating top-four defenseman who averages over 20 minutes of ice time per night for his career, including this past season where he averaged over 22.
Not only is Orlov a capable defensive defenseman and a penalty-kill contributor, he’s also a valuable offensive defenseman as well.
After a mid-season trade to the Boston Bruins, Orlov scored 17 points in just 23 regular-season games as well as eight points in seven playoff games.
That put Orlov in his peak range which has been around 35 points, though his scorching hot run with the Bruins suggests there’s more offensive potential in Orlov’s game than he may have shown as a Capital.
Orlov will be turning 34 when this contract with the Hurricanes ends, meaning one has to wonder if he’ll truly be in line to cash in on a significant long-term deal. That being said, there are few better places for him to land than Carolina. Adding to incumbent left-handers Jaccob Slavin and Brady Skjei, Orlov gives the Hurricanes easily the NHL’s best left side of their defense.
He’ll be leaned upon heavily by head coach Rod Brind’Amour and be a major help to the Hurricanes’ hopes for a Stanley Cup championship, all without the long-term commitment that can bite teams in later years.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Milan Lucic Returns To Boston Bruins
Veteran winger Milan Lucic has returned to the team that drafted him, signing a one-year, $1MM contract plus performance bonuses with the Boston Bruins, per CapFriendly.
Even if he is far beyond the player that he used to be, Lucic’s return to Boston is more than just sentimental. In the past several years playing with the Calgary Flames, Lucic has shown that he still has the ability to score 10 goals and 10 assists a year. It’s a far cry from the 50-60 point seasons he used to put up with Boston back in the mid-2010s, but the signing of Lucic strengthens this team’s bottom six and adds some serious grit to the lineup.
At 35 years of age, and a significant decrease in offensive output over the last six seasons, this very well may be the last contract that Lucic signs in the NHL. In the meantime, having already played 566 games in Boston, scoring 342 points and adding a Stanley Cup to the trophy case back in 2012, Lucic will only add to those accomplishments next year.
Boston Bruins To Sign Morgan Geekie
The Boston Bruins are acquiring center Morgan Geekie on a two-year, $4MM deal worth $2MM per season, per a team announcement.
Geekie, 24, lands in Boston after going without a qualifying offer from his former team, the Seattle Kraken. Geekie was originally acquired by Seattle in their expansion draft, coming over from the Carolina Hurricanes with the hope that his success at the WHL and AHL levels would finally translate in a new environment.
While Geekie showed some flashes in Seattle, he couldn’t put together enough consistent production to earn larger roles in head coach Dave Hakstol’s lineup. With Boston expecting to enter next season without their top two centers from last year, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, Geekie has perhaps the best opportunity of his career to advance his NHL career.
If he can have a srong training camp and snatch a top-nine center role, Geekie could feasibly have a career-best season with the Bruins and provide them with exceptional surplus value for their $2MM cap hit. He has shown some offensive touch at lower levels, such as in the AHL where in his last full season he scored 42 points in 55 games, so perhaps he has some more offensive upside to be unlocked in his six-foot-three frame.
If he can’t manage to finally become a consistent NHL producer, this $2MM cap hit could look a bit pricey for what Geekie provides as a bottom-sixer. But even taking into account that risk, it’s a decent bet for the Bruins to make.
Boston Bruins Sign James Van Riemsdyk
The Boston Bruins are signing forward James van Riemsdyk to a one-year, $1MM deal, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
The Bruins are looking to add some talent to their forward corps at affordable prices, and securing Van Riemsdyk at a $1MM cost accomplishes exactly that. The 34-year-old is a seven-time 20-goal scorer who has hit 30 goals multiple times earlier in his career. He has notably slowed down in recent seasons, though, and only scored 12 goals and 29 points in 61 games.
That decline in production is what allows Boston to secure his services at such a cheap price, though, and in doing so they’re placing a bet that he can return to something closer to his 2021-22 production, when he scored 24 goals and 38 points. Van Riemsdyk has long been among the most talented net-front scorers in the NHL, and he’ll boost the Bruins’ efforts to crowd the front of the net and tip pucks in.
He might not bring the type of energy or scoring ability of younger talent like Tyler Bertuzzi, but he comes at a far cheaper price and brings a wealth of experience younger players can’t offer.
With Boston looking to have another strong regular season and go on a longer playoff run, this addition of van Riemsdyk is a solid bit of shopping by the Bruins front office, assuming the player can stay healthy and perform up to his career standard.
Mike Reilly To Be Bought Out By Bruins
The Boston Bruins have been trying to create cap space all week long and according to TSN it looks as though they’ll make a little bit of room after placing defenseman Mike Reilly on waivers for the purposes of a buyout. Reilly has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $3MM, the buyout will leave the Bruins with a cap charge of $1.33MM in each of the next two seasons, but will save Boston $1.66MM this year.
Reilly signed a three-year contract with the Bruins back in July 2021 and it seemed ill-fated even at the time. Reilly had never been able to produce much in the way of offence, and he seemed like an odd fit for Bruce Cassidy’s style of play. He managed to produce four goals and 13 assists in 70 games during his first season in Boston, but last year dressed in just 10 games and produced a single assist. Reilly became a cap casualty midway through last season and was sent to Boston’s AHL affiliate Providence where he played in 36 games posting seven goals and 19 assists. He didn’t dress in any playoff games for the Bruins.
While the buyout will hurt Reilly’s pocketbook it does seem likely that an NHL team will give him another look, although it will probably come at a very reduced salary. The free agent market is thin, but Reilly can offer a team veteran experience at a low cost. He does have his shortcomings though, as mentioned earlier he is very limited offensively and he struggles with his gap control as well as defending the rush. Should he find himself in an NHL lineup he would be best suited for a sheltered role on a third pairing.
Latest On Boston’s Pending Unrestricted Free Agents
Veteran center David Krejci indicated after the playoffs that he’d take some time to think about his future. While he hasn’t made a final decision about retiring yet, he told Dominik Dubovci of hokej.cz that when the puck drops on the 2023-24 campaign, he will not be playing, either in Boston or back home.
The 37-year-old returned to the Bruins this past season after spending a year back home. He basically picked up where he left off, notching 16 goals and 40 assists in 70 games, providing Boston with an important secondary scoring boost which helped play a role in them taking home the Presidents’ Trophy during the regular season. That performance helped earn Krejci the 16th spot on our Top 50 free agents list, even with the expectation that it would be the Bruins or retirement for him.
Krejci admitted that Prague hosting the 2024 World Championship is particularly appealing to him so he’s not ruling out playing at some point next season. While it’s possible that it could be with the Bruins, signing with them would run the risk of not being able to play in the tournament if Boston was able to pull off a long playoff run.
If that’s the case, it’s possible that Krejci could opt to play for part of next season back home, get named to Czechia’s entry for the Worlds, and call it a career on home ice. It’s a scenario that Krejci himself didn’t think was feasible back in May when he said he’d either play in Boston or retire. But a chance to go out on home soil while representing his country certainly is an enticing scenario.
Either way, the Bruins will be entering this weekend’s free agent period with certainty now that Krejci will not be on their roster in October when 2023-24 gets underway. It remains to be seen what happens with fellow veteran middleman Patrice Bergeron and with his future also being in question, Boston will undoubtedly be looking to try to fill two center spots over the coming days.
They also will be looking to fill a key winger slot as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period relays (Twitter link) that Tyler Bertuzzi will be heading to the open market on Saturday. When they moved Taylor Hall to Chicago on Monday to free up $6MM in cap space, there was some expectation that Boston would then turn around and try to get something done with Bertuzzi and then make another cap-clearing move. Clearly, that hasn’t happened.
The 28-year-old is coming off a quiet season, one that saw him manage just eight goals and 22 assists in 50 games. However, Bertuzzi is only a year removed from a 30-goal campaign while he also has two other 21-goal campaigns under his belt so it’s believed that this was a blip and not a sign of things to come.
Bertuzzi’s performance with Boston certainly helps to fuel that belief. After being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline, he picked up 16 points in 21 games down the stretch before tying for the team lead in scoring in their first-round loss to Florida with five goals and five assists in seven contests. That performance landed him in the tenth spot in our rankings, fifth among wingers.
Barring any moves being made tomorrow, Boston will enter Saturday’s free agent period with a little over $11MM in cap space, per CapFriendly. However, with six forwards to sign with that money along with re-signing netminder Jeremy Swayman, a lot of their shopping is likely to come at the lower end of the market even though they have several prominent players to try to replace.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Milan Lucic Linked To Boston Bruins
Veteran grinder Milan Lucic still has some hockey left in the tank and will be looking for a new home in 2023-24. While reports had connected him to playing for his hometown Vancouver Canucks, it now appears he’ll be joining another nostalgic franchise for him, per CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal – the Boston Bruins.