Boston Bruins Cannot Afford Loui Eriksson

Loui Eriksson has been one of the more valuable players on the Boston Bruins this year. He plays on the power play, the penalty kill and has led all forwards in ice time on many occasions. This has been, without a doubt, his best season since signing with the Bruins and the team remains in the playoff hunt largely due to his contributions. However, for a variety of reasons, the Boston Bruins cannot afford to resign Eriksson to a contract extension.

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It is important in this situations, to consider what would happen if Eriksson were to resign. Already, players like Matt Beleskey, Brett Connolly and Jimmy Hayes are compiling less time on ice then they should be due to Eriksson’s overloaded responsibilities. Obviously this is because Eriksson is a better, and more reliable, member of the team, but the lack of opportunities have stunted, and will continue to hinder the growth of these other players that the Bruins have already committed themselves to.

I understand that the Boston forward group will be worse without Eriksson, but when you look at the three aforementioned players, along with Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak, the team is full of players ready to take their game to the level. The only way they can do this is if they are given the appropriate amount of ice time and opportunity.

Dec 12, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Loui Eriksson (21) controls the puck during the first period against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /

Looking at Loui Eriksson’s play this year and what he could ask for on the UFA market, he will most likely be signed to 6 million a year and will be looking for a 5 year long term, at the very least. That means that a team will have Eriksson at the ages of 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35. Now, every player is different, but at this time in a player’s career, it would not be a surprise if their play and production begins to falter. The Boston Bruins already have David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron signed to similar deals at similar ages and simply cannot risk to have another contract like this.

When looking at the other Boston UFAs, it seems highly likely, especially if Eriksson is signed, that Kevan Miller, Max Talbot and Chris Kelly would be leaving the Bruins. Including dropping the rest of Milan Lucic’s contract, this gives the Bruins almost 7.5 million dollars in additional cap space. However, with Eriksson receiving a raise, that additional cap space decreases to 5.5 million.

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Then you consider the raise that Torey Krug, currently sitting at 3.4 million dollars will expect. Krug will be given roughly 5 million for a very long term, which would bring the additional cap space down to 4 million. With this remaining 4 million dollars, the Bruins would need to resign RFAs, Brett Connolly, Colin Miller, Zach Trotman, Joe Morrow, Tyler Randel and Landon Ferraro who are all currently on the NHL payroll and will respectfully be looking to increase their income. Keep in mind that I am not even considering what the Bruins will do about UFAs Joonas Kemppainen and Jonas Gustavsson.

Now, if you think, with the current cap space the Bruins have now, that all of this is possible in offseason 2016, you may be right. However, in offseason 2017, we have Brad Marchand up for free agency and David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner up for significant raises as RFAs. So the question becomes, “Is it worth resigning Eriksson when it could mean losing Brad Marchand, Ryan Spooner or David Pastrnak?”

The answer is no. The Boston Bruins need to look ahead and take the younger assets they have under contract more seriously. When Loui Eriksson is traded away, or let go in July, he will give the Boston Bruins an additional 4.25 million dollars in cap space. That kind of breathing room, plus the potential salary drops mentioned above, could give the Bruins a lot of options on how to improve their team when Eriksson departs.

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Boston has a good team without Loui Eriksson, and, with the young players that have yet to reach their prime, it could be a great team without Loui Eriksson. It is time to let go and use the cap space we have to managed the future instead of attempting to sustain the past.

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