7 remaining unrestricted free agents the Boston Bruins should target

Here are seven remaining unrestricted free agents the Boston Bruins should target.

The 2020 NHL offseason is in full swing now that the 2020 NHL Draft has completed and free agency has begun.

Many experts and insiders confirmed that the Boston Bruins were in heavy pursuit of the top names available, but ultimately struck out on striking gold with a marquee name.

While they have been able to make some solid depth signings in the form of Craig Smith and re-signing Matt Grzelcyk, the Bruins have been relatively tame compared to the expectations fans had at the beginning of free agency.

With roughly $6.6 million remaining in cap space (pending a potential deal or transaction involving restricted free agent Jake DeBrusk), there are still a few free agents out there that may be of interest for the Bruins to pursue.

Let’s take a look at seven players that may be worth bringing in for the 2020-21 season.

1. The Boston Bruins should consider signing forward Mike Hoffman.

The 30-year-old Mike Hoffman is arguably the best free agent remaining on the market.

Since joining the NHL in the 2014-15 season, Hoffman has been able to score at least 20 goals in each of his six seasons — with a career-high 36 goals and 70 points for the Florida Panthers in the 2018-19 season.

Hoffman’s goal-scoring ability and his prowess on the power play would help address some of the depth scoring issues that have plagued the Bruins in their last two postseason runs.

While it seems that bringing Hoffman in would be a no-brainer, the price-tag to bring him in might be out of the range of possibility.

With Hoffman’s most recent cap hit of $5.1 million and the likelihood that he’ll be looking for more as a free agent, the Bruins have very little wiggle room to be able to pull off a deal with Hoffman without restructuring the current roster and moving on from young winger Jake DeBrusk.

2. The Boston Bruins should consider signing defenseman Sami Vatanen.

One of the biggest transactions of free agency was the departure of Torey Krug from the Bruins to the St. Louis Blues. With the loss of Krug, the Bruins are losing the quarterback of their power play and one of the most potent offensive defensemen in the game.

While the hope is that Matt Grzelcyk will be able to step up amidst Krug’s departure, a player of Sami Vatanen’s caliber may be able to help make up for some lost production.

Vatanen has played for a few different teams since breaking into the league in the 2012-13 season, but he has been a pretty solid contributor on the offensive end.

Vatanen has 194 points in 434 games and currently averages 0.5 points per game in his playoff career (51 games). Vatanen has shown flashes of brilliance in his career, but he’s seen his production drop the last two seasons in New Jersey.

His most recent cap hit of $4.87 million will likely drop due to his drop in production and the flat salary cap, but the question is how far will it need to drop for the juice to be worth the squeeze for Boston?

3. The Boston Bruins should consider signing forward Conor Sheary.

Conor Sheary, a Massachusetts native and UMass Amherst alum, is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion that has hit free agency following tenures with both the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres.

Obviously, the storyline of bringing a Massachusetts native in to play for the hometown team is great to see, but with Sheary they’ll get more than just the sentimental story.

Sheary scored a career-high 23 goals and 53 points in his breakout 2016-17 season, while additionally contributing seven points in the postseason en route to his first of two Stanley Cup Championships.

His best production so far has come from playing on the same line as the ultimate play-making center, Sidney Crosby.

While players of Crosby’s caliber are hard to match, the Bruins can provide the ability to play with a second-tier playmaking center in the form of David Krejci or Charlie Coyle, which theoretically is an environment Sheary could thrive in.

The true question is whether playing for his hometown team is enough to overcome an offer to continue playing with Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh.

4. The Boston Bruins should consider signing forward Andreas Athanasiou.

Andreas Athanasiou did not receive a qualifying offer from the Edmonton Oilers following the end of this past season and has hit free agency.

Athanasiou has shown flashes of brilliance in the past, including a 30-goal, 54-point campaign for the Detroit Red Wings in the 2018-19 season. A player of Athanasiou’s caliber carries high expectations, and unfortunately, he hasn’t lived up to the hype with only one 20+ goal season.

Due to his under-performance, Athanasiou was traded to Edmonton at the trade deadline this past season and did not record a point in the postseason for Edmonton.

While many have written him off, Athanasiou is only 26 years old and could be able to break through to new heights in the right environment.

Boston’s depth up the middle could give Athanasiou a chance to shine on the wing and maybe recapture that magic he had in the 2018-19 season.

5. The Boston Bruins should consider signing forward Anthony Duclair.

Similar to Athanasiou, Anthony Duclair is one of the youngest players available on the free agent market.

He too has struggled to reach expectations and has remarkably already been a member of five different organizations since breaking into the league in 2014-15.

While Duclair has struggled to meet the expectations many have had, he does have two seasons with 40+ points, including last season for the Ottawa Senators.

Duclair seems to have begun finding his game again in Ottawa, with his points per game up at .62 compared to a .40 average with his other teams.

Duclair is only 25 years old and his cap hit for last season was only $1.67 million, which presents a high ceiling for a moderate to low price and may well be one of the best value signings on the market should he continue to build on his game.

7. The Boston Bruins should consider signing forward Ilya Kovalchuk.

When Ilya Kovalchuk decided to return to the NHL in 2018 following a five-year hiatus, many reports indicated the Bruins were in hot pursuit of Kovalchuk’s services.

Kovalchuk ultimately decided to sign with the Los Angeles Kings and played 81 games for parts of two seasons before being bought out in December 2019.

Following his buyout, the Bruins were once again listed as a top contender to sign Kovalchuk, only to see him sign with the rival Montreal Canadiens. Kovalchuk played 22 games for the Canadiens before being shipped to the Washington Capitals for their 2020 playoff run.

Now as a 37-year-old free agent, it’s once again worth pondering whether Kovalchuk would be a savvy signing for the Bruins.

Kovalchuk’s best days are certainly behind him at 37 years old, but the Bruins might be able to push him towards his ceiling with the playmaking of David Krejci setting Kovalchuk up with quality scoring chances.

While Kovalchuk isn’t the attractive name he once was, he might provide a low-risk, high-reward option for the Bruins to address their secondary scoring issues.