The Florida Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins in the opening round. Considering that Don Sweeney put it all on the line for this year, this loss is even more tragic. They spent a lot of assets on Garnet Hathaway, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Dmitry Orlov, leaving them with few picks in upcoming drafts.
Boston gave up 1, 2, 3, and 5 for leases at Orloff and Hathaway.
They waived the first and fourth to hire Bertuzzi.
They took a maximum penalty for next season by structuring Bergeron’s and Krejci’s contracts in a way to keep up with all this season.
big loss.
– Kevin Papetti (@KPapetti) May 1, 2023
However, that’s not all. This summer, they’ll have to deal with a bunch of UFAs, and Sweeney will need a miracle if he hopes to keep any of them.
Given the expected salary cap situation for the team over the next few years, these losses may force General Manager Don Sweeney to reconsider his approach and choose to rebuild. Boston already has $72.9 million in its payroll for the 2023-2024 season, and that amount includes just 14 players.
If Sweeney wants to create a somewhat competitive roster, he’ll have to transfer some higher-paid players. In connection with this, Marc-Olivier Cooke of the DLC website advises the GM to consider trading Brad Marchand.
The Bruins forward hasn’t gotten any younger, now at 34, and he still has an affordable contract for what he brings, at $6.125 million through the end of the 2024-2025 season. There is no doubt that there will be interest in him throughout the NHL.
Next season, Boston will have a wealth of talented players. They include Pastrnak, McAvoy, Zacha, Lindholm, Ullmark, and many more. This would make a strong nucleus for re-establishment.
The Bruins may consider trading players of value to others because they are unable to rebuild through the draft.
Boston might receive a nice return if Marchand was the one to leave the organization, or they might have some room to sign the UFAs.
There would undoubtedly be a lot of interest in him if he were to trade.
Do you anticipate Marchand trading?