Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman makes a save against the Winnipeg Jets in March. The former University of Maine star is awaiting his arbitration case on Sunday. John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP
Amid the avalanche of well-deserved testimonials for Patrice Bergeron, there was an unsettling question not too far from the surface of the news of his retirement.
Where do the Boston Bruins go from here?
With Bergeron’s jersey headed for the rafters, and David Krejci most likely not returning, the Bruins will still be able to dress four centers, with the newly acquired Morgan Geekie, Patrick Brown and Jesper Boqvist competing to fill the third and fourth pivot spots behind Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle.
All of them possess varying degrees of capability at the NHL level. But it’s clear that the Bruins lack some oomph down the middle, which has been a team strength for close to two decades.
But they do have some trade chips if that’s the course General Manager Don Sweeney wants to take in his reset attempts.
First, there is the Jennings Trophy-winning goaltending duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Ullmark is locked in for two more seasons at $5 million – not a bad price for the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, whose contract carries a 16-team no-trade clause. Swayman is awaiting his arbitration case on Sunday. Judging by Maple Leaf goalie Ilya Samsonov’s arbitration award of $3.55 million, Swayman should come in close to that number if a deal isn’t reached before then.
Could the Bruins bite the bullet and trade one of the netminders? Though having both goalies on the roster would go a long way toward covering up the holes in the lineup, the Vegas Golden Knights just won the Stanley Cup with Adin Hill, no one’s idea of a No. 1 goalie before the playoffs started.
Then there is the question of whether the Bruins and Jake DeBrusk are a long-term fit. DeBrusk, who has rounded into an all-situations player, is going into the final year of his contract and, if his career continues to trend upward, he’ll get more on the open market next summer than the $4 million AAV he currently receives. Sweeney will have to determine soon whether the sides can see eye-to-eye on a long-term deal.
Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort are also entering the last year of their deals, and though they may not fetch a return like DeBrusk or one of the goalies , they could be included in a bigger deal.
The two most likely targets among centermen are Calgary’s Elias Lindholm and Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele.
The 30-year-old Scheifele, who is in the last year of a deal worth $6.125 million a season, has recorded 60-plus points in the last eight seasons, twice topping 80 points. He’s also been part of a leadership group in Winnipeg that caused one veteran coach, Paul Maurice, to take a walk and another, Rick Bowness, to give the team a tongue-lashing at the end of the season.
The 28-year-old Lindholm would seem like a better fit. A strong two-way player entering the last season of a deal that pays him $4.85 million, he has recorded 50-plus points four of the last five seasons. His high-water mark was two years ago, when he notched 42-40-82 totals.
If they look within, the Bruins’ top center prospect is 19-year-old Matthew Poitras, who would have to go back to juniors if he does not make the NHL roster. That would be asking a lot of the teenager.
As for the leadership left in Bergeron’s wake, the future is in David Pastrnak’s and Charlie McAvoy’s hands, but the best candidate to wear the “C” for the next couple of years is Bergeron’s long-time linemate, Brad Marchand. Marchand possesses an unassailable compete level and has learned to strike the right tone when speaking for the team.
However things shake out, we are now entering a different Bruins era. Ready or not.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
