Bruins going after big-time player in free agency to avoid rebuild
There is a plan in place and it could catch many fans by surprise. Get the details below:
The Boston Bruins are likely to spend to the salary cap for next season That’s what Ty Anderson of Boston’s sports radio 98.5 The Sports Hub expects and strongly believes the Bruins’ management will be very aggressive and go after a big-time player in free agency.
While Boston will need to keep in mind how money needs to be available to ensure sufficient long-term cap space for the player they will select if they win the draft lottery in May, a significant chunk of money will be allotted to pursue a big-name player through free agency like Toronto Maple Leafs, Mitch Marner, or second-tier stars like Vancouver Canucks’ Brock Boeser, Winnipeg Jets’ Nikolaj Ehlers and Florida Panthers Sam Bennett. They might even have enough left to bring back former captain Brad Marchand.
“And so I think they’re going to be big time players. And I look at things like this. The business model isn’t hurting, but it will if you keep this kind of roster. They have a season ticket waiting list, but ticket prices in Boston have gone up 13% over the last two years. I believe it’s the second highest get-in in the United States behind Madison Square Garden. So fans want a reason to come to the games. What you have right now is not a reason to come to the games.
“So I think their star power is really lacking. And for that reason, I expect them to try to make a move for a big-time player in free agency, because that’s when ownership gets their eyebrows raised a little bit, when the business suffers. And it hasn’t happened yet, but if they roll out this roster in the fall, it’s going to hurt, and it’s going to hurt them in a big way.”
The Bruins have a projected cap space of $27.1 million next season with 13 active roster players under contract. They have six pending restricted free agents, including Morgan Geekie to be re-signed.
Boston is not going to be the only team going after the big names out on the free-agent market. If the competition gets too intense and prices raise too much, they could instead attempt to add a player through the offer-sheet route. If they head that route, the Bruins could be targeting players like Minnesota Wild’s Marco Rossi, Toronto’s Matthew Knies or Buffalo Sabres’ JJ Peterka with an offer sheet.
Time will tell and it will be very intriguing to see if the Bruins, of all teams, go after Marner in Toronto.
Stay tuned…
