Predicting Which Bruins Free Agents Return or Leave
Tuukka Rask
During the postseason, as the second-round series with the New York Islanders continued on, coach Bruce Cassidy said that Tuukka Rask was dealing with some nagging injuries. Follow the Bruins’ elimination to the Islanders, Rask announced that he was playing with a torn hip labrum, which is going to require surgery. His time frame to return is January or February of 2022.
Will Rask be here in January or February of 2022? That’s the question. The 34-year-old has said that he only wants to play in Boston and has no desire to sign elsewhere. His eight-year, $56 million contract is up and what would he be looking for in a new deal with the Bruins?
If he does return, it will most likely be on a two-year deal and a pay cut from what he earned the last eight seasons. With him down and out until after the New Year, Sweeney has to decide that if Rask does re-sign, do they hit the free-agent goalie market for a veteran to go with either Jeremy Swayman or Dan Vladar, or do they go with the two rookies?
Prediction: Rask re-signs.
David Krejci
One of the few remaining members of the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup championship team, Krejci has been a staple as the second-line center for the Black and Gold. The 35-year-old said that he would like to return to Boston, but there are some factors that would go into his decision.
One thing is for sure, it doesn’t sound like whether he returns to the Bruins or not, that his career is over. He has expressed a desire to play in his home country of the Czech Republic.
As far as Boston goes, if the Bruins can make the numbers work and Krejci agrees to take somewhat of a pay cut, then something can get done.
When the Bruins acquired Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabres on April 11, slotting him beside Krejci and Craig Smith brought a different looking Krejci in terms of his play. He looked like someone who had found a strong step in his play and it gave the Bruins a solid second-line behind their top-line.
A key member of the Boston power play, losing Krejci would be a tough blow up the middle for the Bruins as they are not blessed with depth behind Krejci and Patrice Bergeron.
Prediction: Krejci re-signs.
Taylor Hall
Hall took his game to another level once he got his feet under him in Boston and when he did, so did the rest of his line.
After scoring two goals and dishing out 17 assists in Western New York with the Sabres, Hall had eight goals and six assists in 16 games for the Black and Gold. In 11 postseason games, he had three goals and two helpers.
The former Hart Trophy winner expressed interest in signing long-term in Boston following the April deal and then he doubled down on June 11 in the final media availability. Three days later, Sweeney expressed the same interest in retaining Hall beyond this season.
Hall has said money won’t be an issue as even he knows he won’t be getting an offer from the Bruins like the one-year, $8 million contract he got from Buffalo. A lot of what happens with Krejci, could help decide what happens with Hall.
Having a second-line producing behind the first-line has been an issue for the Bruins in past seasons, but if Hall and Krejci return with Smith and can do during an 82-game season what they did following the trade, the Bruins could be a good team again.
Prediction: Hall re-signs.
Nick Ritchie
Acquired at the trade deadline in February of 2019 from the Anaheim Ducks, Ritchie struggled in the seven regular-season games before the COVID-19 shut down in March. Things didn’t get any better in the Toronto playoff bubble as he found himself in the doghouse with not only Cassidy, but Bruins fans as well.
In eight playoff games, he had one goal, but he will be remembered for his major penalty in Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning that basically sank Boston’s Stanley Cup hopes when he buried Lightning forward Yanno Gourde into the boards. During the offseason, it would not have surprised anyone if Ritchie was dealt.
Sweeney held onto the 25-year-old and despite struggling in the middle and the latter part of the season, Ritchie was a big reason by the Bruins began the season 10-1-2. In all 56 regular-season games, he finished with 15 goals and 11 assists. Five of his 15 goals were on the power play.
As the season went on, Ritchie slowed down in the production department, but without a doubt, his play early in the season helped the Bruins without the services of David Pastrnak. This is going to be an interesting decision by the Boston front office as he would fit into the bottom six, but where?
Prediction: Ritchie re-signs.
Ondrej Kase
Sweeney pulled off two deals with the Ducks in the last week of February of 2019 leading up to the trade deadline when he acquired Kase in exchange for David Backes, defensive prospect Axel Andersson and Boston’s 2020 first-round pick.
What a dud of a deal this turned out to be. Kase never was able to find his footing before the COVID-19 shutdown or the Toronto playoff bubble. In six regular-season games, he had one assist, then in the playoffs, he picked four more helpers in 11 games.
Boston was hoping for bigger and better things from Kase this season, especially with Pastrnak missing the first couple of weeks recovering from offseason surgery. Unfortunately for Kase and the Bruins, it didn’t work out that way.
Kase played in just three games. He played Opening Night against Devils in New Jersey, but was knocked out in the second period of the second game of the two-game set in N.J. with a concussion. He returned to the lineup on May 10 against the Islanders, before leaving with another injury. He never played in the playoff game this spring.
With his concussion and injury history, the Bruins should cut their losses of Andersson and the first-round pick and move on from Kase. With the emergency of Smith on the second-line, bringing back Kase as a bottom-six forward doesn’t make much sense.
Prediction: Kase signs somewhere else.
Jaroslav Halak
Over the previous two seasons, Halak played a big part in the Bruins’ success, while also allowing Rask time to rest and be more ready for the playoffs. In 2019-20, Rask and Halak combined to win the William Jennings Award in the shortened 70-game season.
Last season in the Toronto bubble, Halak took over the main responsibilities when Rask left in the first round of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to go home and tend to a family matter. After helping the Black and Gold finish off the Carolina Hurricanes, things got tougher and fell apart in the Semifinals against the Lightning, as Boston was bounced in five games.
In May of 2020, Halak signed a one-year deal to return in 2021 as Rask’s backup, but the success he had in the last two years didn’t translate to another good third year. When Rask went down with an injury in early March, Halak found himself on the sidelines too when he was shut down because of COVID-19.
Rask is also a free agent as mentioned above and if he re-signs, he will be out until January or February of 2022 because of surgery he’s going to have for a torn hip labrum. The Bruins could bring back Halak on another one-year deal to split time with either Jeremy Swayman or Dan Vladar, but that seems like a long shot.
Prediction: Halak signs somewhere else or retires.
Brandon Carlo
Carlo has grown up with the Bruins and at 6-foot-5, his long reach can still be a weapon to frustrate opponents. This season, he dealt with injuries, including a concussion, which limited him to just 27 games in the 56-game season.
When Krug and Chara left in free agency last offseason, Carlo was expected to be a foundation piece with Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk to rebuild the defense around the trio. Carlo, along with Lauzon, were key pieces to the Boston penalty-killing unit this season and a reason why they finished ranked second in the regular season behind the Vegas Golden Knights.
Carlo was injured in Game 3 of the second-round series against the Islanders when he took a hit from Cal Clutterbuck in the third period of a 2-1 Bruins overtime victory. Carlo did not return for the final three games, which were all Bruins’ losses.
A restricted free agent this summer, Boston still sees Carlo as a piece of the future and a key body for next season with the core group and making a run for another Stanley Cup championship.
Prediction: Carlo re-signs.
Kevan Miller
When Miller suffered a knee injury early in the 2019 postseason, the veteran went through nearly 18 months of rehab to continue his NHL career.
Last October when free agency started, the Bruins surprisingly announced that they reached an agreement with Miller on a one-year deal to return to the Black and Gold. It certainly a head-scratcher, but Miller made the roster on Opening Night in New Jersey and was paired with rookie Jakub Zboril on the third pairing.
As has been his case in the Boston career, Miller once again battled injuries this season, playing in just exactly half of the 56 games this regular season with a goal and an assist. He averaged 19:04 a night.
In the playoffs, the former University of Vermont standout played in four games and suffered an injury in Game 4 of the first-round against the Capitals when he was hit up high by Caps defensemen Dmitry Orlov carrying the puck into the offensive zone.
Miller missed the final seven playoff games and the 33-year-old once again enters free agency. Like last season, it would be a bigger surprise if the Bruins bring him back. A physical veteran blueliner, but he just can’t stay healthy.
Prediction: Miller signs somewhere else or retires.
Sean Kuraly
To say that Kuraly has had an up and down time in Boston would be a major understatement. This season, however, was a struggle for him as he battled inconsistent play on the third and fourth lines, while juggling time between center and wing.
During the season, some of his numbers jumped off the page at you. In 47 games, he had four goals and five assists, but more importantly, he finished with a plus/minus of minus-10. Ouch.
In five seasons in Beantown, Kuraly has minus-12, but in the 2019 run to the Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues, Kuraly had four goals and six assists in 20 games. That was two years ago and things have changed.
There is no doubt that the Bruins need to undergo some changes in their bottom-six and Kuraly could be one of those players that won’t be back. A good penalty-killer, he just does not bring enough to the table for a team looking to make one more run with their core group for a championship.
A change might be good for Kuraly and hopefully, Boston too, which should be excited for Curtis Lazar to play a full season wearing the Spoked-B.
Prediction: Kuraly leaves and signs somewhere else.
Mike Reilly
The biggest move that fans will remember will be Sweeney’s deal with the Sabres that landed Hall and Lazar from Buffalo at the trade deadline. However, the first deal the Bruins GM pulled off earlier in the night of April got Reilly from the Ottawa Senators.
The left-shot blueliner had 19 assists this season prior to the trade to the Black and Gold with the Senators and he continued his offensive game in Boston with eight assists in 15 games with a plus-7. A steady defenseman, the 27-year-old Reilly had four assists in 11 postseason games and had a plus-3.
Yes, he did struggle towards the end of the Islanders’ series, but that could be said for anyone on the blueline, including McAvoy and Grzelcyk. The crunch of the playoffs caught up with the unit.
Boston is looking to add pieces to their defense this offseason, but Reilly clearly made a case to be an every-night defenseman for a contending team in his short stint in Boston.
Prediction: Reilly re-signs.
Other notable free agents.
The Bruins have other notable free agents hitting the open market from the ones mentioned above. Some are fan-favorite names, while some were added to the roster this season as emergency players for injuries.
Trent Frederic
With the Bruins looking to retool their bottom-six forwards, Frederic should find himself in the mix next season, if not in the lineup on Opening Night. There were people calling for him in the playoffs, but having not played a game since May 11, it did not make sense to throw him into the lineup. Frederic will return for another go-around with the B’s.
Jarred Tinordi
Picked up on waivers during the season from the Nashville Predators when the defense was hurt with multiple injuries, Tinordi filled a void during the season, but was also forced into action in the playoffs because of……. wait for it…… injuries on defense. A journeyman, Tinordi will most likely move on to continue his career.
Zach Senyshyn
A first-round pick, No. 15 overall in the 2015 Entry Draft, Senyshyn has not been able to break through finding his way onto the Bruins roster. Six years after being drafted, how much longer does Sweeney hope he can do something in the NHL? The gut feeling is he re-signs for one or two years one last time to prove he can contribute more than just in Providence.
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All three players above played last season on contracts under a million and should re-sign for basically the same amounts. If they want more, except for Frederic, Sweeney should move on. Regardless, this will be an interesting offseason when it comes to free agency for the Boston Bruins.