It has nearly been six weeks since the Boston Bruins were eliminated in historic fashion in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Florida Panthers. After winning a record 65 games and racking up another record with 135 points, it was a disappointing ending to the season for the Black and Gold.
General manager (GM) Don Sweeney went all-in for the 2022-23 edition of the Bruins and he made the right move to put his team in position to win their first Stanley Cup since 2011. He traded away multiple first-round picks to acquire Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals and Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings. In the end, while those additions were big at the time, it just didn’t work out after Boston blew a 3-1 series lead to the Panthers. No, the Panthers advancing all the way to the Stanley Cup Final against former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy and the Vegas Golden Knights did not make the elimination any easier. It made more of a “what if’’ had they advanced past the opening round.
At the end-of-the-season media availability, Sweeney made it clear that the 2023-23 Boston Bruins will have a different look to them when they gather at Warrior Ice Arena in mid-September for training camp. Just what will they look like? It remains to be seen, but questions since their playoff elimination could be answered soon. Here is a blueprint for what would be considered a good offseason for Sweeney and the rest of the front office.
Patrice Bergeron Returns, David Krejci Retires
After watching Patrice Bergeron play this season, it’s hard to think that he doesn’t have anything left in the tank. He clearly does. He is the front-runner to win another Selke Trophy in Nashville at the NHL Awards in late June and can still win faceoffs and produce at a high level. He has yet to announce what his future holds, but you have to think with free agency beginning on July 1, he has given Sweeney and the front office an idea so they can get to work constructing the roster for next season. With it being the centennial season for Boston Bruins hockey, it’s hard not seeing him play another season.
Bergeron returning would a long way into help put a dent into the questions surrounding who will be playing down the middle, however, it would be in the best interest of David Krejci and the Bruins if he was to retire. All signs point to that after the Panthers series. He struggled with injuries in the regular season and playoffs and it appears that Pavel Zacha is ready to make the move into the middle on a full-time basis.
Clear Up Cap Space With Multiple Trades
This is necessary to clear some cap space to re-sign some free agents. There are many options that Sweeney can go here, but the best is trading Taylor Hall and Matt Grzelcyk, which would free up $9.687 million. Hall is owed $6 million for two more seasons and it’s a hefty price for a 31-year-old who has battled injuries. There seemed to be some disagreement with the injury he suffered on Feb. 25 against the Vancouver Canucks and when he was able to return. It was clear he was ready to return earlier than he did, but the Bruins, because of limited cap space, held him out until right before the playoffs. In order to get a team to take on his cap hit, Sweeney will have to add a sweetener to the deal.
Boston has an abundance of left-shot blueliners and moving one or two with a year remaining is a route that Sweeney needs to go. Moving Grzelcyk makes the most sense because he has a higher cap hit than Derek Forbort, but if he fell out of Montgomery’s playoff rotation at a time when they needed him the most speaks volumes. If you’re not going to use him then, then you never will in key situations. If Sweeney wants to clear up more space, moving Trent Frederic’s restricted free agent (RFA) rights is an option. If the Boston GM wants to get more creative then he could move Linus Ullmark or Hampus Lindholm, but those would be very surprising moves, as would Brandon Carlo.
Another way to clear cap space is to buy out Mike Reilly and eat the money that will count against the cap.
Bruins Re-Sign Bertuzzi, Nosek & Clifton
Moving some of those players is necessary to bring some free agents, both restricted and unrestricted. Not all are coming back, but some are still an option. Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman reported recently that the Bruins “are exploring what it needs to do to keep Tyler Bertuzzi” and were exploring ways to clear cap space to re-sign him. At 29 years old, he’s two years younger than Hall and when healthy, he’s shown that he can produce. A second line of Bertuzzi, Zacha, and Pastrnak would be as good of a second line as there is out there. Signing Bertuzzi gives the Black and Gold a future first line when Bergeron and Marchand are gone.
Connor Clifton had an outstanding 2022-23 season and will get a hefty bump in pay from the $1 million he earned this season. Where that is remains to be seen, but he would be welcomed back with open arms in Boston. He struggled as most of his defensive teammates did against Florida, but he brings a physical style that the Bruins need and is a good shot blocker. He’s going to require a bump in pay, but if Sweeney and Montgomery want him back, they can figure out a way to do it.
Related: Boston Bruins 2022-23 Player Grades: Jeremy Swayman
Like Clifton, Tomas Nosek had a very good season, and bringing him back around the same deal he had last season with an average annual value (AAV) of $1.75 million would be a win-win for the Bruins. He solidified the fourth-line center spot and was key on faceoffs in the defensive zone as well as becoming a valuable penalty-killer. It’s not going to make much more than he got last season to bring him back.
Those three re-signing in Boston would be ideal. Orlov, Hathaway, Nick Foligno, and other free agents will be tough to bring back. Jeremy Swayman, Frederic, and Jakub Lauko are RFAs and you would expect to fit in somewhere under the cap, which is why moving some contracts and buying out Reilly are ways Boston needs to go.
Sweeney’s Path to a Successful 2023 Offseason Needs Creativity
If the Bruins really like Bertuzzi as much as Friedman says, then finding ways to create cap space is a must. Of all of the trade deadline additions Sweeney added, it makes the most sense to bring him back. Orlov is looking for a bigger payday than the Bruins can give him and Hathaway would be an odd-man out and can be replaced with prospects from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League.
Some tough decisions are going to have to be made, but they need to be made. Moving Hall and Grzeclyk seem like the most obvious options and maybe even one more. Change is coming for next season and difficult decisions are going to be made. That’s the business.