Boston Bruins Will Improve Team Via Free Agency

As the Boston Bruins enter this off-season, the team is going to look for options to improve in order to reach the playoffs next season. The Bruins have a list of their own restricted and unrestricted free agents to decide to bring back or not, but if they are looking to improve they will need to make a splash in the unrestricted free agent market.

One area that needs the most improvement for the Black and Gold is their defense which is currently being led by Zdeno Chara who is in decline in his advanced age. So with the Bruins declining defensive skill that cost them games this past season they will look to improve the defense by bringing in a top four d-man. The issue is the Bruins need more than just one top 4 defensive player. In reality they need to acquire two in order to get their defense back to an elite level.

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Improving the d-core through free agency will be a daunting task for Bruins GM Don Sweeney, bringing in one top 4 defenseman is hard to do let alone two players. A look at the unrestricted defensemen free agent shows a weak market and Sweeney and company will have to decide to bring back either John-Michael Liles or Kevan Miller. It could be both but it would be highly unlikely for that to occur. Kevan Miller feels like the favorite to for the team but he is a solid 3rd pairing defenseman at best.

The 2016 unrestricted free agent market for defensemen is slim with no elite defensemen available as free agents. This means that the Bruins will not acquire the elite defensemen that they desire from the free agent market. Instead the Bruins will have the opportunity to acquire a solid second pairing defensemen from the 2016 free agent class.

The two top free agent defensemen that the Black and Gold should target is Kyle Quincey of the Detroit Red Wings, and potentially Keith Yandle of the New York Rangers. Yandle is an interesting player as he is a Boston area native with his game focusing primarily on offense. The Bruins currently have an offensive defenseman in Torey Krug, but Krug is a RFA and it is up to the Bruins to bring him back. Having Krug’s rights and knowing he already fits in the system is why the Bruins will look to resign Krug instead of going after Yandle. It is unlikely that the Bruins would want to carry two defensemen that focus on offense when the team desperately needs good defensive players.

Kyle Quincey, the other potential free agent target for the Bruins, has played much of his career with the Red Wings where he signed a two-year contract before the 2014 season as an RFA. Now that Quincey is a UFA he can look at other teams, the Bruins should definitely be in the conversation to sign Quincey as he would be a solid 2nd pairing defenseman to help bolster the d-core. Quincey is not elite by any means, but he could be step one in improving the Bruins defensively.

A player that I sneakily like for the Bruins to target is Jordie Benn of the Dallas Stars who is 28 years old and a solid third pairing defensemen who plays very well in his own end. Jordie Benn who is the brother of star Jamie Benn will most likely return to Dallas, but if the Bruins decide to move on from Kevan Miller it wouldn’t shock me if they pursued Jordie Benn.

The Bruins offensively lacked production from their bottom six forwards this past season, a trend that will need to change if they are looking to compete for a Stanley Cup next season. I think that the bottom six woes can be fixed from within the organization. By plugging in young players from Providence, the bottom two lines can produce at the level needed. Some of the players that Boston should think about trying out in the bottom six are Frank Vatrano, Seth Griffith, Austin Czarnik, and Noel Acciari. Inserting high energy players who are trying to prove themselves in the NHL is a cheap and effective way to fill the bottom six. Giving these young players a chance in the NHL can allow them to develop and turn into a top-six forward down the road.

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Another option for the B’s is Jimmy Vesey. The Bruins who are in the Vesey running as of right now will have a chance to sign the Boston native in August and it is believed that he could have an immediate impact at the NHL level. Not top-six but a solid 3rd line option that could develop into a top line guy sooner rather than later.

The biggest free agent for the Boston Bruins is Loui Eriksson who came to the team via the Tyler Seguin trade. Eriksson played well this past season when the Bruins shifted to an offensive focused game. Loui is expected to seek a big payday that might be out of the Bruins reach if it means compromising their cap situation in the pursuit of acquiring a defensemen via trade. Eriksson’s price tag could also hinder the team’s ability of resigning Brad Marchand who is a free agent after next season.

If either the Bruins or Eriksson decide to not come together and agree to a contract the Bruins have plenty of other options as the free agent market for forwards is deep this off-season. There are three players that could come in at or under budget for the Bruins that could be a stop-gap until a prospect develops into a top six caliber forward. The wingers that the Bruins should target this offseason are Andrew Ladd, Mikkel Boedker, and Kyle Okposo. All of whom will come cheaper than Eriksson.

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Andrew Ladd who returned to Chicago via a trade deadline trade, is 30 years old and will become a free agent as soon as the Blackhawks current playoff run ends. Ladd is a solid winger who could fit in right on the 2nd line for the Bruins, Ladd is a player that can reach 50 points or more in a season but he is not a 30 goal scorer. Ladd is an option for the Bruins but he is not the same player as Loui.

Mikkel Boedker of the Colorodo Avalanche is 26 years old and another player who can hit the 50 point mark. There are questions on whether he can play on the 2nd line with a team like Boston. If he comes to Boston it will likely be as a third line player who bounces up to the top 6 on certain occasions

Kyle Okposo of the New York Islanders is 28 years old and would be the best option for the Boston Bruins to pursue as he is a 50 pt guy with 60+ pt seasons as he has notched 2 seasons with 60+ pts. Okposo has played his entire career with the Islanders, but it isn’t out of the question for him to leave the team this off-season in pursuit of a different team. Okposo will have his fair share of suitors in free agency, and his price tag will likely be higher than Ladd’s and Boedker’s. But Okposo should be cheaper than Eriksson and a good fit in the top six for the Boston Bruins.

It is worth noting that Ladd, Boedker, and Okposo are not as good as Eriksson. But the Bruins will have to seek a free agent forward if Eriksson walks this off-season and my pick would be Okposo. The B’s would be wise to not offer any long term contracts to forwards this off-season in the hopes that a young player in the organization grows into a top six role.

Next: Boston Bruins Restricted Free Agents

The Boston Bruins clearly are going through a rebuild but they are only two solid defensemen and a a few reliable scoring options away from competing in the Eastern Conference next season. If I was the Bruins I would be thinking long term rather than short term. A team that competes year after year isn’t built in one off-season, with the prospects that Sweeney has been acquiring, the Bruins future looks bright. The Bruins have options in free agency but it is key for them not to overspend on mediocre options. This off-season should be electric for the Bruins, let us hope that Bruins management knows what they are doing.