Boston Bruins still have work to do
Despite signing their last important restricted free agent, the Boston Bruins still have plenty of work to do before October. They have a logjam at centre, are above the cap, and do not look to have the makings of a championship defence core.
Wheeler signing
Although many Bruins fans are happy general manager Peter Chiarelli managed to resign Blake Wheeler, the signing it asks more questions about the Bruins' future than it answers.
Wheeler, a 23-year-old winger, has not been able to break out offensively on any of the teams he has played for in the past. Bruins fans have to understand that he is not going to be the saviour of the offense next season.
In addition, because he was far overpaid in arbitration the Bruins now find themselves $2 million dollars over the cap, meaning Chiarelli could have to make a move to bring them back under.
Logjam at Centre
There is no doubt that the Bruins have too many quality centres. Marc Savard, David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, and Tyler Seguin are all too good to be playing fourth line minutes next season which means Chiarelli may have to move one or two of them to wing.
It looks as though the Bruins are once again serious about moving Marc Savard. The assumption is that Bergeron can play on the second line, while Krejci will take over first line duty for duration of next season. This leaves wunderkind Seguin to fill out the third line centre position.
This is all well and good, except moving Savard’s contract is made complicated by the fact that he has a no-trade clause and is signed for another seven seasons. Chiarelli is really going to have to pull some strings to make this happen before October.
Above the cap
This is perhaps the least of the Bruins worries. Moving Savard would likely bring the squad below the cap. However, Chiarelli does not even have to do that to get his team salary cap compliant before the season starts. It is likely that he will move under-performing Michael Ryder to the American Hockey League, and take his $4 million off the books. If Chiarelli does not feel comfortable taking Ryder out of the line-up then there is also the possibility he could move Marco Sturm down instead.
The salary cap could really come into play however, if the Bruins are looking to improve their defence-core for the beginning of next season.
Defence-Core
The Bruins have a real problem at the blue line. They lack a puck moving defenceman. There is no doubt that Zdeno Chara is one of the best defenceman in the league, capable of logging more minutes than most all-stars. But Chara cannot play defence all on his own, and the remaining five defenders would be lucky to make the second unit on any other squad.
Dennis Seidenburg, and Andrew Ference are not first line quality defenceman, and the other options in Johnny Boychuk and Mark Stuart, are hard to even consider for second line duty.
The Bruins need someone that can play first line minutes with Chara. However, as they are above the cap Chiarelli is going to have to get creative in how he solves this dilemma.
There has always been talk of the Bruins going after the Toronto Maple Leafs' Tomas Kaberle. Kaberle would be a perfect fit with Chara. He would not have to worry as much about the defensive side of the puck and could play on the first power play unit, setting up Chara’s bomb from the point.
The trouble Chiarelli faces is that it appears as though he does not have anything of value to the Maple Leafs. Many are saying Wheeler could be moved, but with a contract of $2.2 million and a one-year deal, that seems unlikely.
The Bruins are in a tough spot, and if they wish to get back to the top of the Eastern Conference, they have a lot of work to do.
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