Now that the protected player lists are out from all the teams eligible for this years expansion draft we now know that the Boston Bruins are most likely going to lose Jeremy Lauzon or Connor Clifton to the Seattle Kraken come Wednesday. Expansion Draft With the Bruins opting to keep 7 forwards, 3 defensemen and 1 goalie protected it wasn’t a surprise to anyone to see Charlie McAvoy, Marc Grzelcyk and Brando Carlo (fresh off his 6 year extension) as the 3 D-men on that list. Leaving Lauzon and Clifton on the hot seat until Wednesday not knowing if they will be Kraken. But where does this leave the Bruins and their already depleted D-parings? How Can The Bruins Strengthen Their Top-6 Defensemen? Miller just retired after 8 hard years on his body. Sucks he wasn’t able to stay healthy and get a ring here in Boston. And his toughness is gonna be a hole the Bruins are going to have to fill.
Losing Chara last year hurt in terms of depth and certainly leadership last year and seeing what his contract is (1/$795k) it would have been worth it to keep him (Although that “C” of Bergy’s chest is very deserving), and I was as big of fan of Krug’s as there is and losing him is gonna hurt for years to come. So what are the options for the Bruins to look to fill these holes? Here’s a few Unrestricted Free Agent options.
Ryan Suter– After spending the last 9 seasons with the Minnesota Wild Suter only managed 19 points in 56 games. The 36 year old is a former 7th overall pick and a veteran left hand shot that the Bruins desperately need. He was not happy to receive the call from Gm Bill Guerin hearing he is being bought out and hopefully would come to town with a chip on his shoulder. Now that he is an UFA , Don Sweeney and Cam Neely should be looking his way and making some kind of offer. Other Teams such as Florida will also be looking for a guy like Suter. Should the Florida Panthers pursue Ryan Suter?
Alec Martinez– He is an unrestricted free agent coming off a season where he scored 9 goals with 23 assists for 32 points. His 2nd highest point total of his career and best since the 2016-17 season with the LA Kings when he has 9g/30a/39p. He is coming off a post season run with Vegas where he revealed he was playing with a broken foot but that shouldn’t be an issue going into next season. Another good option for a defensive minded left handed shot who has 2 Cup rings and a lot of playoff experience.
Keith Yandle– All the stars are lining up for the hometown boy from Milton, MA to finally play for his beloved Boston Bruins and bring the cup home to Boston! Maybe there’s a little hyperbole in that last sentence but Yandle is still a solid player who is a guy everyone respects in the locker room, has 600 career points, played in over 1,000 games, and could slide in and play as a top-6 defenseman and let him get some power play time. There are a lot of notable free agents available such as Dougie Hamilton (not coming back to Boston), Tyson Barrie, Adam Larsson, David Savard, and how things play out will determine what happens with Boston’s free agent Mike Reilly. The Bruins have plenty of cap space available and can essentially go after more than 1. We will see Whats available after Hall and Krejci both resign with Boston. You heard it here first Taylor Hall is Staying! I hope