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On the first day of NHL free agency, the Don Sweeney roller coaster went for another whirl.
If there’s one thing you can say about the freshman general manager, it’s that he’s not afraid to make moves. Big ones, too. And Sweeney’s reconstruction of the Boston Bruins continued on into July with two significant moves for the Black and Gold on Wednesday, as the club signed Matt Beleskey, regarded as one of this summer’s big gets, to a five-year deal worth $19 million and traded Reilly Smith and Marc Savard to the Florida Panthers for winger Jimmy Hayes. (He also re-signed Ryan Spooner to a two-year deal worth $1.9 million, but more on that later.)
The Beleskey signing itself was, well, a ride.
The 27-year-old hit the market after a 22-goal season in which he shot a completely unsustainable 15.2% (145 shots on goal), scored eight goals and nine points in 16 postseason affairs, and allegedly said no to a four-year contract worth over $16 million from the Anaheim Ducks. The early read seemingly put Beleskey in line for a $5 million per year contract, which would have raised red flags across the board, and line him up for Ville Leino- or David Clarkson-like bashings from pundits for the next half decade. Given the silence surrounding his name in regards to the Bruins for much of the day, it appeared as if the B’s knew this, and were staying away from the Windsor, Ont. native.
And when the Bruins delayed Sweeney’s 5 p.m. teleconference with the media while speculation that the Beleskey sweeps were heating up ran rampant, panic set in. It seemed that the Bruins, a club that already overpaid in both cash and years for Adam McQuaid, were set to complicate their salary cap structure even further by way of a massive overpayment for a potential one-year wonder.
But when the signing became official and Beleskey contract featured a modest $3.8 million cap-hit for the next five seasons (and came with a no-move clause in just the first two years), it was like the skies opened up in a major way. This contract is a straight-up good deal for the club. Clearly, the Bruins think that Beleskey has progress into more of the 22-goal talent he was a year ago, and not the inconsistent previous-career-high-of-11-goals talent he was for much of his tenure in Anaheim. In Boston, Beleskey is most likely going to be the Bruins’ replacement for Milan Lucic on the top line, and the $3.8 million per year gamble on that idea is a safer fiscal bet than paying Lucic $7.5 million (or more) per year.
It’s impossible to hate this deal when Beleskey’s on the books for less than $4 million. That’s because the Bruins are paying Beleskey to be a top-six winger. And if he flops in that role, $3.8 million is just half a million more than what you were paying Reilly Smith for third-line production (with a cap that’ll more than likely go up significantly over the life of that five-year pact). The sky is not falling.
“Boston’s always been a team that I’ve watched. Obviously, the Big Bad Bruins has been something I’ve loved as a player and as a fan of the game. You know, guys like Cam Neely you watch as a kid, you look up to,… Beleskey said. “An Original Six team with an amazing fan base. I actually got to play there for the first time in my career last year and it was just a great feeling playing in that building, and I’m extremely excited to wear the ‘B’ on my chest this season and for the next five years.…
Then came the Smith trade.
The obvious headline when it comes to that trade involves the Bruins bringing Hayes, a Dorchester, Mass. native, back to the Hub. The 6-foot-6 Hayes, though a restricted free agent, arrives to Boston on the heels of an impressive 19-goal campaign with the ‘Cats, and is just beaming about the trade.
“It’s a dream come true for me. I grew up a Boston Bruins fan, and having the chance to play for the Boston Bruins is a dream come true,… Hayes, who moves on to his third organization, said. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet, but it’s probably one of the most exciting moments I’ve had in a while.
“I got a call from [Panthers’ GM] Dale Tallon, and he let me know that I had been traded and then he said, “We’re sad to let you go, but you’ve been traded to Boston.… So it’s a hometown team, but it’s a sad situation leaving; Florida’s a team that’s given me an opportunity to develop my game, and I’m very appreciative of that, but now it’s a dream come true to play for your hometown team.…
Not only did the Bruins get the big-bodied Hayes, who will bring another right-handed shot to the right-wing, which was a rarity for the Bruins last year, but they shed over $7 million in salary off their books between Smith and Savard. The decision to move on from Savard, a fixture on the Bruins’ long-term injured reserve since 2011, was a pure financial decision, but didn’t hurt from a feeling standpoint, as Sweeney noted that Savard is in a ‘much better place’ in regards to his personal life. In true Savard fashion, Sweeney said that when they talked today to discuss the trade Savard bragged about his golf game coming around. (That’s honestly the best thing you can hear about No. 91.)
These trades, above all else, are Sweeney’s way of invigorating new blood into a Boston roster that’s looked entirely too stagnant for his comfort over the last season plus. Sweeney even said that the organization wants players that wanna be here. “It’s about wanting to be a Boston Bruin,… he noted.
(Tell me that that’s not a thinly veiled shot at Dougie Hamilton…)
And between Beleskey -- a player that idolized Cam Neely as a kid -- and the hometown Hayes, the Bruins have found that extra energy, and do not appear to be done just yet.
If you factor in bonus overages, the Bruins have just under $9 million left to spend on Hayes, restricted free agent Brett Connolly, and maybe -- just maybe -- an offensive top-four defenseman. And given the fact that they kicked the tires (and were in) on Mike Green earlier this afternoon, you have to believe that the Bruins would still like to add a defender there. Cody Franson is still on the free agent, and Keith Yandle’s name has resurfaced in the rumor mill. Both could be an option for the Bruins, as could the Blues’ Kevin Shattenkirk, although the price seems out of this world at the moment. At the same time, however, Sweeney feels that a guys like Zach Trotman, Joe Morrow, and Kevan Miller are ready to take that next step and become regulars for the big club.
So, while the search for a defenseman will continue, it might not be as desperate as once imagined.
In a pair of housekeeping moves, too, the Bruins re-signed both Spooner and goaltender Jeremy Smith. The Spooner deal is a complete steal for the B’s as well, with Spooner on the hook for a $950,000 cap-hit through 2016-17, while Smith’s deal is a one-year, two-way contract worth $600,000. I would expect that Smith is going to battle Malcolm Subban for the B’s backup job this fall.
Some former Bruins found new homes today, too, as Gregory Campbell inked a two-year deal worth $3 million with the Columbus Blue Jackets, while Matt Bartkowski landed in Vancouver on an affordable one-year contract. Organizational tweeners Matt Lindblad and defenseman David Warsofsky traded in their black and gold sweaters for new digs today as well, with Lindblad landing in New York with the Rangers while Warsofsky signed a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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