Boston Bruins Can Beat The System Going Into Expansion Draft
By Joseph Ochs
The Boston Bruins Can Beat The System Going Into The Expansion Draft, Should Jimmy Vesey Sign
With the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft looming less than one year away, NHL GM’s have been even more judicious than usual, wary of adding talent to their roster and subsequently being unable to protect and retain that player (or another). This, in conjunction with the fact that it’s always difficult to acquire a legitimate Top 4 Defenseman via trade has kept Don Sweeney and the Bruins in a bind this offseason. Unable to facilitate a trade, and unwilling to part with young players like David Pastrnak and Frank Vatrano, the Bruins’ blue line resembles last year’s nearly to a tee, save for Dennis Seidenberg’s departure via buyout.
With the future of the blue line looking very bright, and the aforementioned factors inhibiting Boston’s ability to bring in the kind of defensive help they need in the here and now, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised to see Boston stand pat and wait until after the season has started to address their Achilles’s heel. However, should Jimmy Vesey pull the spoked “B” over his head on Aug 15 or shortly thereafter, things could change in a big, big way. And with a little guile and savvy, Sweeney could wind up not only acquiring the top-four defenseman the team badly needs, but he could also effectively beat the system by “protecting” four defensemen as opposed to three, along with seven forwards. Do I have your attention?
Do I have your attention?
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As the roster currently stands, Boston would protect (either through NMC or just plain merit) Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand, David Backes, David Pastrnak, Frank Vatrano, and either Matt Beleskey or Ryan Spooner. The Bruins could choose to keep Spooner in the fold due to his marginally higher ceiling, but he will be a RFA at season’s end, and will likely be looking at a hefty raise from his current AAV of $950,000.
They could elect to protect Beleskey instead due to the three reasonably priced years left on his deal, as well as being the kind of physical forward who plays the “Bruins” style game Neely and Sweeney wish to see represented on the roster. Regardless, as things currently stand one of these players will need to be left exposed, meaning the B’s will likely be losing a useful forward with nothing coming back in return. For those of you who want to see Adam McQuaid or Kevan Miller be selected as the Bruin headed to Sin City, you (we) are out of luck in this scenario. If Vesey were to
For those of you who want to see Adam McQuaid or Kevan Miller be selected as the Bruin headed to Sin City, you (we) are out of luck in this scenario. If Vesey were to join the Bruins, he would not require protection due to his first-year-player status, but it would create even more of a logjam in the pool of forwards: Jimmy Hayes (though uninspiring thus far, to say the least), would be forced onto the fourth line, playing with either inexperienced youngsters or grinders, making a rebound season unlikely for the Dorchester native.
Seth Griffith is deserving of a real shot this season, having put up 77 points in 57 games in Providence a year ago. Burying him (and his friendly $600,000 cap hit) on the fourth line, in the press box, or again in Providence would be a disservice to all, and would also be eerily reminiscent of how the Bruins handled Alexander Khokhlachev.
At some point, the organization needs to play these players or trade them while other teams are still interested. And this is all before taking into account the possibility that Danton Heinen, Jake DeBrusk, Austin Czarnik, or Sean Kuraly might be ready for primetime, never mind Riley Nash, Noel Acciari, and Tyler Randell’s presence on the roster. Someone’s gotta go.
As far as which defensemen the Bruins would protect, things are much simpler:
Zeno Chara, Torey Krug, Colin Miller.
Easy.
The issue with acquiring a defenseman of note in the here and now is that they would require protection heading into the Expansion Draft. If the Bruins are giving up the requisite assets to acquire a bonafide top-four guy, you can bet your checking account it won’t be for one year of his services. With Krug having just re-signed (not to mention being good AND young), and Chara’s possessing of a full NMC going into the final year of his contract, the Bruins would be forced to leave Colin Miller exposed, where he would almost certainly be selected by the Las Vegas Call Girls (working title). Vegas will be forced to acquire many over-priced, past their prime, plug and play options, and a young talent like “Chiller” would be a big acquisition for an expansion team.
So how can the Bruins navigate these waters, should Vesey sign in Boston? They can limit their pursuits to one man: Kevin Shattenkirk.
St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong is in no hurry to trade Kevin Shattenkirk, and why should he be? His team came within two wins of last year’s Clarence Campbell Trophy, they lost David Backes and Troy Brouwer in free agency, shedding the salary needed to re-sign Jaden Schwartz, they’re under the $73 million salary cap and have one of the best defense corps in the league. His reported asking price of David Pastrnak and BOTH of this past year’s first round picks from Boston (as well as Dylan Larkin in a potential deal with Detroit) shows that he intends to get his money’s worth out of a Shattenkirk trade. However, a deal can be made here. Kevin Shattenkirk will not be a member of the Blues next season…that much is almost certain given his upcoming UFA status, pending raise, and Colton Parayko’s emergence. And with Jimmy Vesey securely in the fold, the Bruins could base their trade package around another young, talented left winger from Massachusetts: Frank Vatrano.
The pride and joy of East Longmeadow, Massachusetts burst onto the scene from seemingly out of nowhere last season, scoring 36 goals in just 36 games in Providence, while potting eight more goals in 39 games with the parent club. As impressive as those AHL stats are (as well as the NHL stats, albeit to a lesser degree), the key part of that last sentence is “seemingly out of nowhere.” All Bruins fans are rightfully excited about Frank Vatrano and his perceived ceiling (yours truly included), but the fact remains that Vatrano was signed by Boston as an undrafted free agent following a good (but not great) 37 game career at UMass-Amherst. There is a good chance we’ve already seen Vatrano at least near his ceiling. Case in point: Cory Conacher.
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A similarly-built and skilled forward, Conacher burst onto the pro hockey scene in 2011, posting 39 goals and 41 assists in 75 games for the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL. The following season he posted a 9-15-24 line in 35 games for Tampa Bay as a 23-year-old rookie. He was so promising, in fact, that he was traded mid-season to Ottawa for goaltender Ben Bishop. Since the trade, Bishop has been nominated for two Vezina Trophies in three years, while Cory Conacher has scored 10 goals over the course of three NHL seasons, and was last seen plying his trade in the Swiss Alps.
Frank Vatrano is a young, talented, hard-working, likable guy…whose value may never be higher than it currently is. The Blues currently have a need on the wings, and Vatrano could very well be an attractive alternative to David Pastrnak for St. Louis, at least as a starting point. A combination of Vatrano, Jimmy Hayes, Joe Morrow and a 1st round pick should be enough to entice Armstrong to pull the trigger. Hayes brings much-needed size (and relatively cheap upside) to a team that lost power forwards David Backes and Troy Brouwer, Joe Morrow is a former 1st round pick who still has potential, despite being passed on the B’s “Depth and Excitement” chart by Colin Miller, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Jeremy Lauzon, and Jakub Zboril.
The first round pick is begrudgingly expendable, having made five first-round selections in the past two years, not to mention four picks in the second round. The cupboard is stocked…the time to get back into the playoffs is now. And please, before lambasting me in the comments section, remember that it takes quality assets to acquire quality assets, so your proposal of “Randell, Hayes, and Gord Kluzak,” probably wouldn’t entice Doug Armstrong to make a trade he doesn’t NEED to make. But I do appreciate your vigor…
With Shattenkirk in the fold, the Bruins can now beat the system heading into the Expansion Draft. With Shattenkirk’s deal set to expire at season’s end, here are some dates to examine:
June 17-Protection lists are due to the league office
June 20-Las Vegas makes their selections
July 1-Free Agency begins
The dates above show that Las Vegas will have three days to vet the players they have an interest in, and eleven days to sign any pending UFA’s they choose to select. This is where the Bruins can be crafty:
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Kevin Shattenkirk is on record as wanting to play on the East Coast, closer to his hometown of New Rochelle, New York. He played his college hockey in Boston. We’ve all read or heard this over the course of the last five months. He turns 28 years old this upcoming season, his next contract could very well be his last, and it’s not a stretch to suggest the Cup-less, East Coast Native has little to zero desire to help launch an expansion franchise in the desert of Nevada.
Theoretically, the Bruins could work on an extension with Shattenkirk’s camp during the season, come to an agreement, and temporarily shelve it. They can leave Shattenkirk unprotected for the Expansion Draft, choosing to protect Chara, Krug, and Colin Miller instead. When Las Vegas INEVITABLY checks in with Shattenkirk’s camp between June 17 and June 20, he can inform GM George McPhee that he has no interest in signing an extension with the club, should he be their selection.
Following the Expansion Draft or on the first day of Free Agency, the Bruins and Shattenkirk make the extension official. This does not constitute as tampering. Las Vegas is allowed to select up to 10 Free Agents whose deals expire come July 1, and pending free agents are under no obligation to sign with Las Vegas, should they be selected….. the Bruins would just need to make damn sure they’re giving Shattenkirk the deal he wants.
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Should the Bruins be able to pull this off, they will have acquired the Top 4, puck moving defenseman they desperately need, protected four defensemen as opposed to three, and the departure of Frank Vatrano would enable the Bruins to add Spooner AND Beleskey to their list of protected players, all while remaining compliant with the rules and bylaws of NHL Expansion. If this sounds kind of fishy to you, that’s probably because it is. Fishy, and within the current rules in place. Grey areas can be wonderful….