Boston Bruins: Kevan Miller Extension And What It Means

Boston Bruins: Kevan Miller Extension And What It Means For The Team Moving Forward

The Boston Bruins started the 2016 offseason by stating that they were prioritizing fixing their blue-line woes. The pledge was made to start the 2015 offseason as well, but the four-year contract extension to Adam McQuaid worth $2,750,000 per season as well as trading away potential blue-chip defenseman Dougie Hamilton seemed to show that the team was doomed to stagnate in mediocrity. Fans of the Bruins were certainly hoping things would change this offseason, but the first corresponding move on defense was clearly one that most fans will not be happy about.

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General manager Don Sweeney announced on Tuesday that the Bruins’ had re-signed defenseman Kevan Miller to a four-year contract extensions worth $10,000,000, providing a $2,500,000 annual cap hit. Kevan Miller played in his third season with Boston this year, and it was a year to forget despite posting career-highs in games (71) goals (5) assists (13) points (18) and penalty minutes (53). The amount of times that Kevan Miller looked lost in the defensive zone this season seems countless, and it will certainly not be overlooked by Bruins’ fans moving forward.

While Kevan Miller didn’t have a good season, it’s also hard to argue that he was misused (as were most Bruins defensemen) this season due to the severe lack of established top-four defensemen on the roster. Players like Zdeno Chara, Adam McQuaid, Dennis Seidenberg, and Kevan Miller should not be relied on as a team’s top-four defensemen; there’s simply no way to justify it. With that being said, out of the four defenders mentioned, only Zdeno Chara seems to still have some top-four minutes left in the tank.

What Does This Mean For The Bruins Salary Cap?

When reviewing the money that is being invested into the remaining three defensemen mentioned, the fact is clear that the Bruins’ management team is not in-touch with what it takes to make a proper roster that complies with the salary cap. The Bruins’ just starting escaping the cap-stranglehold that they were in for the previous few seasons, but with the path the Bruins’ are heading show that another cap-struggle could be on the horizon.

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Kevan Miller is set to be paid $2,500,000 this season, Adam McQuaid is set to make $2,750,000, and Dennis Seidenberg is set to make $4,000,000. When combining those cap totals together, a total $9,250,000 is being spent on three bottom-pairing defensemen. What’s even worse is the fact that the Bruins still have the $6,916,667 cap hit of Zdeno Chara on their books.

The Bruins’ aren’t on the hook for these horrendous salary cap-hits for only this year either, as Chara and Seidenberg’s contracts are set to expire following the 2017-18 season, McQuaid’s expiring after the 2018-19 season, and Miller’s ending after the 2019-20 season. The Bruins’ are in need of top-four defensemen, and Torey Krug‘s extension is still left to be dealt with.

Next: Kevan Miller Signs Four-Year Extension

It’s unclear where the Bruins’ are heading this offseason, but if this first signing is any indication, it could be another long year in Beantown. Don Sweeney could still surprise the city of Boston and make another Milan Lucic-type deal that provides the Bruins’ with valuable assets, but anything less than a playoff berth this season is a clear-cut disappointment.