Stuck in the dog days of summer as we hit August, Boston Bruins blogger Ty Anderson will be writing a blog of your choice in regards to the Bruins, NHL, or anything related through (hopefully) all 31 days of hockey's worst month. To send a request, forward it on over to Ty's email ([email protected]), Twitter (@_TyAnderson), or private message him via your HockeyBuzz account. Just keep 'em appropriate, 'ya turkey.
Looking at what
Peter Chiarelli has done since taking over the helm as general manager of the Boston Bruins back in 2006 is nothing short of absurd. He played a critical, and absolutely underplayed part in bringing one of the NHL's Original Six franchises back to life from the pit of irrelevancy, all while keeping the Bruins in relatively fair conditions when it comes to retaining, or even adding talent.
Some, including HockeyBuzz friend Josh, wonders if good ole' Pete knows something we don't. Have at it, Josh...
I was wondering, does Peter Chiarelli know something about the cap we dont? He has got all of his big name players coming up for free agency, you know the guys you build teams around, the core, but yet he made sure to get everyone that could be considered replaceable under contract for not only next year but two or three years. I get that this group of players have such a close bond and he doesn't want to "mess with the chemistry in the locker room." I do not pretend to be a GM, unless its NHL12, but that does not seem smart to me. Are we to expect trades this season from a shrewed Chiarelli? Who do you resign, and for what? All these guys are going to command 3.5-6 Million a peice and with the uncertainty of the cap, let alone the season, I feel as though he has set himself up for disaster. I know you can hide the Savard contract and the loveable Tim Thomas will be off your cap next year, but it just seems as though he is going to have to pull something out of somewhere inorder to be in a good spot for the future. Thanks for the time. Keep up the good work.
I guess this one comes with an easy-yet-intricate answer: While I wouldn't venture out to say that Chiarelli knows something nobody else does when it comes to the present (and future) state of the NHL salary cap, I think it's become apparent that he's not naive about it either.
Touching on the first part of your question, Chiarelli is absolutely enamored with the core he's developed over the years and ultimately added to at the '11 trade deadline, and for good reason. Unlike many of their adversaries, Chiarelli's additions and roster tweaks have put the Bruins in a spot where they can roll out any of their four lines in almost any situation without a noticeable lapse in the pressure put forth. While the utilization of those twelve skaters falls back on head coach
Claude Julien, it's a roster loaded with guys that can slide up a line (sometimes even two) while keeping the B's offense as a whole (still) safely situated as one of the East's most lethal equal-opportunity killers.
That's something that doesn't keep cheap on the free agent market in years or dollar signs, especially when it comes to bringing outside talent into the equation. For a perfect example, let's take a peek within the Northeast Division, specifically towards Buffalo where forward
Ville Leino rests as one of the Sabres' third highest paid forward at $4.5 million from now 'til the summer of 2017.
Signed by the Sabres to be a bona fide top-six presence with the ability to move up and down the lineup without a major drop in his play, Buffalo instead got a dismal 25-point output in year one, and truly (Don't try to argue otherwise just yet, Buffalo fans) don't know what to expect from No. 23 in year two, three, or even six.
Yet in Boston, the Bruins know what they have because they've had it in their system for almost two whole seasons now.
The B's have been rewarded with career numbers since trusting
Chris Kelly to be their rock as the club's third line center, have watched
Rich Peverley become the jack-of-all-trades in the top-nine, and have been able to plug
Danny Paille on any line since acquiring him from the Sabres back in 2009. But should five of six skaters slated to be on your bottom-six account for $10.25 million of your cap for at least the next two seasons? The capologist in me is not too sure, but it's undeniably worked for Boston. This is a team that's won four of five playoff series with (most) of this lineup in action, and have established their ground as the dominant force of the Northeast.
In short, it's not a system that's let Chiarelli and the Bruins down just yet.
Almost everyone in Black-and-Gold understand their role, what they're signing up for, and what it'll take to remain a Bruin, which is why fretting about the future seems like a premature idea. Given Chiarelli's proactive approach towards retaining talent, it's not hard to envision a 2012-13 season that plays out with extensions for
Milan Lucic,
Brad Marchand, and countless other key '13 free agents inked during the season. Chiarelli's even said so himself, but as you asked, where exactly does this money come from? Well, there's the
Marc Savard cash that'll be on the long-term injured reserve once the season starts, freeing up a hair over four million dollars, and with
Tim Thomas off the books in 2013-14 barring an extremely unlikely 'tolling' of his contract, Chiarelli's beginning a (currently untouched) '13-14 cap with nine million dollars to play with.
That nine million, along with the 29 million already available, should leave the Bruins in more than fair standing both now and later.
But if it's not enough, is there really a reason to be worried when it comes to the state of the Black-and-Gold? I wouldn't say so. Back when Chiarelli
actually found himself in cap-hell over two seasons ago, the end result was a trade that saw the B's wave bye-bye to just
Marco Sturm and defensemen
Matt Hunwick. On an equal note, guys like
Gregory Campbell, Paille, and
Johnny Boychuk will always have value given their style of play, and their favorable contracts make them movable pieces, but that's if they even have to worry about such a task.
Spoiler: All those "but if's" tell you that it won't really be an issue, now will it?
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