How To Fill Out The Roster Without Moving Salary

Team: 2022-23 Boston Bruins

Initial Creation Date: Dec. 1, 2022

Published: Dec. 1, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Bruins are playing with 22 players and still don't have any cap space. At their current cap number, even as they accrue space up to the deadline, it won't be enough to add even a minimum $750K contract to the roster to fill that 23rd spot. The Bs could get into trouble down the stretch if guys are banged up and the only options are put them on IR, play them, or play short of a full roster. With 22 players, all it takes is couple slightly injured players and you're without a paddle. Now ideally they can move Mike Reilly (because even this alternative plan is limited to only helping at one position) but if not the Bruins' only option to address the missing roster player is to move another player off the roster to open up cap space or to do the following:

Looking at their projected deadline cap space and what that amounts to in prorated cap space at the deadline, the B's can only add a contract of about $650K max, which of course means they would need to trade for a player with the other side retaining salary. This is the only alternative: acquire a player with a maximum salary of $1.3MM with retention from the other team. As silly as it seems, since they currently have a top four of NHL vets in Providence, if nothing changes with the cap then the priority will be to add an eighth defenseman to give guys rest down the stretch. One extra forward is not great either and I would be happy to address that area instead, but to me rested D are more important especially given the B's recent injury history in the playoffs.

Erik Gustafsson has been a nice piece for the Capitals this season but Washington is still on the outside looking in. If they are out of the mix by the deadline, Gustafsson can be had and at a $800K cap hit, the Bruins would only be asking Washington to retain a meager $150K, which is next to nothing in prorated terms. A fifth-rounder should cut it. Given the Bruins' immense depth in defense in Providence, which would all become available in the playoffs, I also threw in a swap of AHLers - a defenseman for a forward. Renouf is signed through next year, something that the Caps can't say about nearly every other defenseman they have not named John Carlson. He can provide a little 2023-24 security, while the B's get another depth option in Borgstrom, a pending RFA who played under Montgomery at Denver.