There has been a lot of money thrown around this NHL offseason with the salary cap steadily rising, but thankfully the Boston Bruins have spent out the wild spending sprees for the most part. Instead, they traded for a couple of players signed to longer-term deals in JJ Peterka and Will Borgen in a pretty savvy acknowledgement that one of the more valuable things moving forward is going to be useful players signed at yesterday’s market prices. Still, there will be times when the Bruins will have to extend beyond where they are probably comfortable, just as they did when they re-signed Jeremy Swayman to a long-term contract extension that’s already beginning to look really good in the new landscape.
It’s part of the reason the B’s enter the calmest part of the NHL offseason with over $5 million in salary cap space and depth at all positions that will make the fight for NHL roster spots extremely fierce during training camp.
“We’re in a pretty good spot from a cap standpoint right now. We should try and maintain flexibility, and if we can garner more [cap space] because there’s a trade opportunity with an eye towards the future, of course we’re going to consider it,” said Don Sweeney. “That’s not my main principal point of attack. I’m not looking to just open up space for what might happen, I want to maintain flexibility, I want to pursue things that improve our hockey club when they present.
“If there are players that [view us as a] destination team, but not everybody has identified us. We want to become that place [where players] say, ‘No, no, no, that’s where I want to play.’”
Clearly the Bruins are maintaining some flexibility in case big targets suddenly get traction with the Bruins, as Dylan Larkin still looks for a landing spot as he tries to leave Detroit, and young players like Alexander Nikishin continue to stand in limbo without a contract for their current team.
But there is still a very strong mid-tier level of free agent players without contracts at this point in the offseason that could turn into a bargain for NHL teams looking to pull in a value signing or two.
Here’s a look at some of those Filene’s Basement (does that still even exist anymore or am I completely dating myself?) bargain players still available out on the market to the highest bidder:
*Vladimir Tarasenko – the 34-year-old is coming off a strong season where he posted 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games for the Minnesota Wild and showed that he’s still able to light the lamp even as he creeps into NHL middle age. It would seem that Tarasenko is patiently waiting for the right opportunity to open up on a contending team after hooking on with the Panthers and the Wild in the last few seasons sandwiched around one forgettable year in Detroit.
*Patrik Laine – The 28-year-old Finnish winger is a long way away from the guy who scored 44 goals for the Winnipeg Jets 10 years ago, but he still managed to score 20 goals for the Habs a couple of years ago. Last season, injuries limited him to five games with the Canadiens, and he’s been a minus player for six straight seasons while racking up more publicity and attention for his Bond villain fashion sense than for his offensive production.
Still, he would be an interesting investment for an NHL team starved for offense if you can sign him to a low-to-no-risk contract where he’s looking to prove that he still belongs in the league.
*Michael Bunting – The 30-year-old forward certainly opened eyes during
