Team: 2022-23 Boston Bruins

Initial Creation Date: Feb. 11, 2022

Published: Feb. 11, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Full disclosure; I guessed at the $ on the contracts. This is more of an exercise in what’s available for options so save the outrage for elsewhere please. I went with Kadri here but I’d rather have Hertl. I think that Hertl eiter resigns for 8 years in SJ or gets 7 at a bigger number than the Bs can afford if they want to add elsewhere.

Lindholm is the other big splash. Would love to see full seasons out of Zboril and Urho as they were both playing solidly before injuries. Reilly and Clifton could be moved to clear $ and spots.

This is one version of a “reset” and it’s still not nearly enough to win a cup. It’s probably the 6th to 9th best team in the East depending on how everyone else shakes out.

The other reset version would involve trading picks/prospects for younger players on more friendly contracts (Chychrun, etc). But again, the team is still more than one or two pieces away.

That leaves a rebuild. I think that there’s two ways to go about that as well. As long as they have Marchand, McAvoy, Gryz, Carlo, etc, they won’t bottom out. They could try to trade off guys like Reilly, Forbot, Haula, etc and try to acquire as many picks as possible. It won’t be high picks but it opens up cap and roster spots to start moving in younger pieces like Studs, Lauko and maybe Lysell and Lohrei in 2 years. They’d be picking on the 12-16 range every year but they’ve gotten CM73, Pasta and Lysell in worse spots.

The other would be a full tear down. They have pieces that would have teams lining up (depending on who’s on some of the NTCs). Having just watched thw B squad get curb stomped last night and then NESN replay a game from 2016, I would almost rather do a full tear down. It sucks but watching the Bruins spend 2 or 3 years finishing 5th in the division playing mediocre hockey is less than appealing.

It’s Friday and I’m rambling…

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