Boston Bruins: The Final Year of Max Talbot
By Jay Peterson
With most players locked up and free agency winding down, it is time to look at the members of the Boston Bruins who are in the last year of their respective contracts. In this article, we will determine what Max Talbot needs to do in his final year and whether or not he will return to the Black and Gold.
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Max Talbot, at $900, 000 according to salary cap site General Fanager), is a player, much like Zac Rinaldo, that could be leap frogged (frog leapt?) by some young Bruins prospects who are comfortable with playing a fourth line role (Anthony Camara, Seth Griffith, Brian Ferlin). Whether that happens during this season is still unclear, but, from what looks like a youth movement in Boston, it seems to me that Max Talbot will be playing his last year as a Bruin.
Playing on the fourth line with Chris Kelly and Zac Rinaldo, Talbot will have every opportunity to show the Bruins that he can be an effective grinder, agitator and perhaps even a penalty killer, with Kelly. Even if he is outstanding this year with the Bruins, I doubt that they would resign him. However, an impressive year would most certainly heighten his price tag come next year’s free agent frenzy.
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Talbot definitely plays like a Bruin and, from all accounts, is happy to be a Bruin. It’s just that with the way the cap world works and with Sweeney’s method of bringing young entry-level contract players into the mix when appropriate, the fourth line of Chris Kelly, Talbot and Zac Rinaldo just doesn’t fit when looking ahead.
If Zac Rinaldo was in the last year of his contract, I would be saying the same thing about him, but since he has two years left, the Bruins will keep him around simply as an obstacle for the Providence Bruin hopefuls to pass through. I expect Rinaldo to be the thirteenth forward for the next two years only hitting the ice due to injuries, poor play from others or a desperate need for a spark.
Going back to Max Talbot, I do not expect to see him benched. I expect him to be an effective fourth liner with Kelly and whoever else they play with. I have confidence that Talbot will play hard for the Bruins and, because it is the last year of his contract, play extra hard for himself. Whatever happens this year, I do believe that this is Talbot’s last with the Bruins. I just hope that it is a successful one.