Team: 2021-22 Boston Bruins

Initial Creation Date: Jul. 24, 2021

Published: Jul. 24, 2021

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

It sounds like a) the Bruins will re-sign Krejci if he wants to keep playing and b) they will qualify Kase and Ritchie. That would seemingly fill all starting forwards slots, with Kuhlman needing to be No. 13 or else risk waivers.

On one hand, I hate the idea of not using any cap space to improve at forward. On the other hand, a full season of Hall and (fingers crossed) a healthy Kase would be like having two new players. Coyle will also be healthy this season, Smith will have a year in the system under his belt, and DeBrusk can’t as bad again (can he?). So I like the potential of the top three lines and if Ritchie commits to the checking game then I like the fourth line too. I would like it more with Trent Fredric or Jack Studnicka though, but there doesn’t appear to be room. The one issue I have is with injury depth. Again, on one hand you want Studnicka, Frederic, Lauko, and other P-Bruins to get play time. On the other, all it takes is another Kase concussion and one more injury up front and the forward depth is screwed. Perhaps it’s an issue that can wait for the deadline.

Defense is most important anyway. I think Yandle is a done deal and I think he’s best suited for a PP1/third pair role with a physical bruiser such as Hakanpaa. There are a few free agents I looked at to pair with McAvoy such as Martinez, Suter, Edler, and Goligoski but I feel like if the team wanted an old man to play with McAvoy they should have kept Chara at a fraction of the price. I would be fine with any of these, but I don’t see the long-term payout. I think one of McCabe or Forbort would be the ideal pick and McCabe is the better value coming off a major injury. He can likely be signed to a cheap one-year “show me” that could turn into a successful relationship and long-term extension. He also has ties to the team as a recent teammate of Hall and Lazar.

In the event of injury on D, the Bs are well prepared. Behind their starting six are two capable young D in Zboril and Clifton and two more in Providence in Vaakanainen and Ahcan, plus vets in Moore and Raffety in the minors as well.

In goal, you ride with Swayman and Vladar until Rask is healthy. If Vladar has been good, you trade him or carry three goalies. If Vladar has been bad, then he’s probably already been swapped out for Hutton and likely cleared waivers.

Plenty of cap space to add a pro-rated Rask and a deadline addition if needed.