Boston Bruins: Top 3 free agents still available worth signing
Here are three free agents that are still available that the Boston Bruins should consider signing.
With just under a month left until the Jan. 13 start date for the 2021 NHL season, there are still many free agents available that the Boston Bruins should consider signing.
As of right now, the B’s have just under $3 million left in cap space for the 2021 season. This doesn’t leave much room for general manager Don Sweeney to make a huge signing, but moves can be made to clear some room so he can.
With some holes left in the lineup, like replacing David Pastrnak on the first line until he returns and just getting another right wing that can consistently score, and having another experienced defenseman on the left side of the defense, Boston should really consider one of these three guys I’m about to bring up.
3. The Boston Bruins should consider signing Karl Alzner.
At 32 years old, Karl Alzner could be just the veteran defenseman the Black and Gold need. He was recently bought out by the Montreal Canadiens and should be a cheap option to replace Zdeno Chara if he decides not to return to Boston for 2021.
Alzner has suited up for 686 games over his 12-year NHL career. During this time he has been an ironman, playing in every single game for eight straight seasons.
However, the injury bug has caught Alzner over the last two seasons as he’s only playing in 13 games.
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Over the course of his career, Alzner has been considered a shutdown defenseman with a career plus/minus (+/-) of +54. However, he doesn’t bring much offensively as he’s never surpassed 21 points in a season and only has 130 career points (20 goals, 110 assists).
But with the Bruins lacking NHL experience on the left side of their blueline, Alzner could be a cheap option to fix this as he could be a solid choice for either their second or third pairing.
Overall, I would consider Alzner a low risk, high reward option. If the B’s were to sign him, he would be very cheap and could be buried in the minors if he’s terrible. But, if he’s good and can play great defense as he has in the past, it could be a genius move.
2. The Boston Bruins should consider signing Mikael Granlund.
Mikael Granlund is the youngest player on this list at 28 years old and could be what the B’s need at right wing. Additionally, he also has the ability to slot in at center if the team needed it.
A former ninth-overall pick in 2010, Granlund went from 2016-17 to 2018-19 scoring at least 50 points in each season. In 2016-17 and 2017-18, Granlund nearly his the 70-point mark scoring 69 and 67 points.
Additionally, these two seasons saw Granlund also scoring at least 20 goals as he scored 26 in 2016-17 and 21 in 2017-18. However, Granlund has failed to reach this mark over the last two seasons.
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Granlund’s claim to fame is his playmaking ability. With 241 assists in 540 games, Granlund went six straight seasons with at least 30 assists and two with at least 40.
His ability to both score and create opportunities for his teammates to score could be very valuable to Boston. As he could help left wing Jake DeBrusk get back to his form of two years ago and fill in nicely for Pastrnak until he returns to help set up Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.
However, Granlund’s last contract saw him with a cap hit of $5.75 million per season. But with a down year in 2019-20, Granlund could be due for a bit of a decrease in his pay. I would say between $4 and $5 million would be appropriate for Granlund.
If the B’s are looking to make this signing, Sweeney will have to get creative and create about $2 million in cap space.
1. The Boston Bruins should consider signing Mike Hoffman.
Mike Hoffman makes the absolute most sense. He’s the pure goal scorer that the B’s have been seeking to put on the right wing of David Krejci for years now.
Hoffman has now scored at least 20 goals in the last six seasons, including four where he’s scored at least 25 and one where he’s scored 36. Additionally, Hoffman has not registered less than 48 points in the last six seasons and has scored at least 55 points in the last five which includes 61 in 2016-17 and 70 in 2018-19.
It seems that the only thing holding the Bruins back from pulling the trigger on Hoffman is their cap situation. However, I think Sweeney needs to make some moves to open up the cap for Hoffman, even if it’s just for a one-year deal.
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Signing Hoffman even for just this season would greatly benefit the team. Hoffman’s scoring ability would make up for the loss of Torey Krug at the blueline. Additionally, with Pastrnak expected to miss around a month as he’s still recovering from offseason surgery, Hoffman would be a worthy replacement until Pasta returns.
Hoffman being in the B’s lineup gives them a crazy amount of depth at right wing. With Hoffman but without Pasta, they still have a Hoffman, Ondrej Kase, Craig Smith, and Chris Wagner. A very solid depth chart.
When Pasta returns, Boston would have Pasta, Hoffman, Kase, and Smith. That’s a 20-goal scorer on each line!
But as I mentioned earlier, Hoffman’s potential cap hit is an issue. Hoffman’s previous cap hit was $5,187,500, and he’s due for a raise. However, because of the flat cap, he’s most likely not going to see this raise this offseason. So the Bruins could potentially get him for the same price or even a bit cheaper.
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Overall, Hoffman would give Boston options for their lineup and create an insane amount of depth for them at right wing. It’s crazy that he’s still unsigned, but with the flat cap situation, it’s not surprising.