Boston Bruins: Salary cap increase means something has got to give

With the salary cap only increasing to $81.5 million next season, as opposed to the widely-predicted $83 million; teams around the league, not least the Boston Bruins suddenly have bigger challenges on their hands.

Heading into this off-season, the biggest deal the Boston Bruins need to renew is that of young stud defenseman, Charlie McAvoy who has more than proven his worth, often alongside Zdeno Chara, who has already re-signed with the Bruins at a significantly lower cost, no doubt to help retain his first pairing partner.

Beyond that restricted free agency deal that absolutely must be done, you’ve got new deals expected by Brandon Carlo and Danton Heinen; both of who you’d have to view as vital renewals for the long-term stability of the Boston Bruins’ side.

Much as people question Danton Heinen’s abilities, he is a key player in terms of his 200-foot game for the Bruins and wouldn’t be easily replaced. The question is just how much is there available to give him and what does his production and other skill set really entail.

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Likewise, Brandon Carlo needs a renewal and isn’t going to come cheap – he has thrived this season often alongside next year’s big contractual concern, Torey Krug. The pair make up a very dynamic second-pairing that is more than comfortable stepping up the minutes and facing opposition’s first lines if need be.

Carlo, Heinen and McAvoy make up the core group that you’d really like the Boston Bruins to be locking down to long-term deals, albeit at reasonable rates. No point locking them in long-term if the rate is too high!

Beyond that trio, you’ve got Noel Acciari and Marcus Johansson, both of whom you’d imagine the Boston Bruins would dearly like to keep, but something has got to give. It seems highly unlikely that either will take a pay cut just to remain with the team that took them to the Stanley Cup Final. In all fairness, it may be a little unfair to ask either of them to do so, anyway.

Odds are one of them is priced out of staying in Boston, with the needle swinging more towards Marcus Johansson, who proved himself to be a worthy competitor alongside Charlie Coyle on the Bruins’ third line. His play-off performances have likely attracted some potential suitors and he has the best chance of taking his skills to market.

Unfortunately for the Bruins, he is probably the harder of the two players to replace. Noel Acciari is a workhorse on the fourth line at a very low price, but guys like him are always available. If Boston insist upon keeping David Backes around, you’d have to imagine it’s a guy like Acciari that has to step out of the line-up.

Therein lies the challenge; how much value do you place on a player that may or may not be a regular contributor?

If you can bring Noel Acciari back for a few more years at near league-minimum, absolutely do it. But if he’s going to cost more than about $1 million, suddenly you’re into the territory of asking whether there’s a better prospect in the AHL ready for promotion, at a lower cost against the cap.

This off-season, as always, will be full of speculation and full of projected salaries versus cap calculations. The Boston Bruins looked to be in a nice place, but with $1.5 million less each year to spend than expected, the bank is tight.