Boston Bruins forward Loui Eriksson has spent the last three seasons in the Black and Gold. Eriksson becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1. It’s doubtful that the B’s will be able to come to terms with the 30-year old forward, and Loui will be looking for greener pastures elsewhere.
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Eriksson will be one of the big stars in this offseason’s trade market. The Swedish forward put up 62 points (30 goals) this season, and was the only member of the Boston Bruins to play in all 82 games (the only Bruins player to play in every game). Eriksson will certainly get a raise over his current $4.25 million, and he’ll have his pick of teams.
“I’ve been in this league for a long time and I think everyone knows how I play the game,” said Eriksson of his style of play. “I’ve got a lot of good experience. Like I said, we’ll see what’s going to happen this summer and where I’m going to end up being.”
The Boston Bruins have failed to make the playoffs for the last two seasons. That’s a big part of Eriksson looking for a better opportunity and a bigger paycheck elsewhere. Eriksson could have been moved at this year’s trade deadline, but the Bruins chose to take a gamble on keeping him. That gamble turned out to be as bad as some of the Bruins’ signings this year. In the end, the Bruins may end up with another massively bad choice that gives them nothing to show for their efforts.
For his part, Eriksson is just looking for a place where he, his wife, and their four children can settle down in.
“I’ve never been in this situation before, said Eriksson during the Bruins breakup day. “It’s a little bit different for the whole family. Hopefully we can find a place to play on a good team and we’ll see if it’s going to be here. That’s something me and my family have to sit down and talk about.
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“It’s definitely important to be on a good team and feel good about yourself, and especially I have a big family now that I have to think about. We have to sit down…think about where we want to be and see what teams are out there and if Boston wants to keep me.”
The Boston Bruins certainly want to keep Eriksson. He was tied for second in overall scoring. While he was regarded as a ‘soft Swede’ by some journalists and fans, the 30-year old forward showed his willingness to adapt to the Bruins more physical style of play. It doesn’t seem in the cards for Boston though. It’s just a matter of money in a salary-capped league. The Bruins won’t have enough money to keep Eriksson unless they’re willing to adapt to a top-heavy style of salary cap (like the Chicago Blackhawks do).
Loui Eriksson’s departure from Boston will signify just another failure from the Peter Chiarelli era.