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The Boston Bruins have essentially confirmed what everyone in the Hub had figured out a long time ago. Third-line center Carl Soderberg, an unrestricted free agent this July, is most likely going to hit the market entirely out of the B’s price range in terms of any extension to keep him with the club.
From Sportsnet:
“They have to deal with [pending restricted free agent] Dougie Hamilton,… Friedman said during Hockey Night in Canada’s Headlines segment on Saturday, also citing the team’s cap issues. “Now teams are going to start to look at [Soderberg] as a potential free agent solution.…
Soderberg has spent his entire NHL career with the Black and Gold, recording 29 goals and 94 points in 161 games over three seasons played, and hits the open market after a year in which he finished third among Boston skaters in points (44) and averaged 16:48 of time on ice per contest.
If they truly believe that the 29-year-old Soderberg is out of their price range, it’d be wise for the club to explore the trade market at the NHL Draft and see if any teams are willing to send anything their way in exchange for the exclusive negotiating rights to Soderberg.
A fellow expiring contract? A prospect? Perhaps. But ideally, a draft pick.
Given how deep this year’s draft is projected to be, the Bruins, who have picks in all seven rounds -- they’re drafting 14th overall in round one and 37th overall in round two (that pick originally belonged to Philadelphia but was sent to Boston in the Johnny Boychuk to the New York Islanders trade) -- could seek a middle-draft pick to find a potential diamond in the rough like they’ve tried in years past.
“We really want the best player that fits what we want to do going forward. Certainly we’ve identified within our group, within our organization that we have needs in areas that we’d like to address,… general manager Don Sweeney said of the B’s goals at this month’s Draft in Florida. “But you’re not going to force feed a player into that or shoehorn him into that situation. I think our guys are excited about where they have their list. We’re going to go back over it for a little while. I’ve got some talks out there, some people that may or not move up or down the ladder. So that might adjust accordingly. If you do have a player that you really coveted or a player that you feel that you need to slide back and a grouping of players will be there and you feel equally comfortable with.…
The Bruins selected selected forwards with four of their five picks at last year’s draft (seventh-round selection Emil Johansson was the lone defenseman picked by Boston), and nabbed forwards with four of their six picks at the 2013 Draft (Linus Arnesson and Wiley Sherman were the d-men).
But there’s still no real focus on a certain position from Sweeney’s point of view.
“I think we have depth in goal at this point in time that I’m very comfortable with. Depends on the spacing of things. But I still wouldn’t balk at if our guys feel that this is a player down the road—who’s ever going to turn down a guy that’s got a chance to develop into a National Hockey League goaltender? Starter or backup. We’re just going to attack the draft overall,… Sweeney admitted. “We’ve identified some areas in our internal structure that we’d like to improve but we’ve even addressed a little bit of that in the free agency period with some players that can come in and challenge. We’re just looking to attack the draft with the best players that fit the identity and style that we want to play going forward and what works in the NHL. You got to pick players that are going to play, that’s the bottom line.…
The Bruins unsuccessfully tried maneuvering Andrew Ference’s negotiating rights into a deal for a mid-draft pick at the 2013 NHL Draft, but Soderberg’s of different value in a market short on impactful, offensive-minded centers under the age of 30 (for a little while longer, anyways). And if Soderberg, a clear goner this summer for a deal the Bruins can’t match, can lead you towards a pick and player you view as a stylistic fit for your club, you absolutely have to explore it, no?
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com