Team: 2020-21 Boston Bruins

Initial Creation Date: Oct. 10, 2020

Published: Oct. 10, 2020

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

I really like the Craig Smith signing. Great value. 20+ goals and 40+ points for $3.1MM. With Bjork and Studnicka battling out for the final wing spot, this is the best middle six the Bs have had in a long time and I love the idea of Ritchie on the fourth line.

But the defense needs work. They need to replace Krug's offense and, regardless of whether Chara re-signs or not, you need to get another body who can eat minutes with McAvoy. Grzelcyk is not gonna get it done. With trade values so low, I think the perfect Krug replacement is on the UFA market and with trade values so low a top-pair option can be had for cheap from a cap-crunched team.

The LHD market was pretty weak this year, but at least there's a clear Krug Jr. available. Gustafsson is a perfect candidate to take over the PP QB job and to skate with Carlo. I think money is running out on the market and he will have to settle. Look at the Barrie deal and that's a far more established defenseman. Gustafsson can join one of the best power play's in the league, boost his numbers after a big year, and hit the market again next year. By that time, hopefully Grzelcyk has taken a much-needed leap forward or Vaakanainen or Zboril are deemed ready for a full-time gig and PP role.

If the Golden Knights sign Pietrangelo, they will need to shed a ton of salary. Whereas moving Fleury will cost them an arm and a leg and they'll be lucky to get a late pick for a forward like Smith or Marchessault, I would propose shifting the status quo by offering a valuable pick for Schmidt, provided of course they take back Moore. Vegas might not have a choice but to accept a deal like that.

The end result is a roster than in my opinion is superior to last year's despite losing a legend in Chara and the best PP QB in the league in Krug. The addition of Smith up front combined with full years of Kase and Ritchie and potentially Studnicka makes for exciting depth and potential. The defense is far more balanced and there will still be opportunities for the younger players to step in from time to time. As always, the net is super solid. Cap space is tight, but if Studnicka wins the battle for a starting job there is slight savings over Lindholm's roster spot and Studnicka can be shuffled back and forth on paper to save money. Kevan Miller will certainly not play a full season as well, so there is built-in cap savings from his guaranteed IR stint. With Toronto and Tampa in cap hell and needing to shed major salary and no one else in the division making any major improvements thus far, this is yet another division title team and of course a legit Cup contender.