We're less than three weeks away from the start of training camp, and the Bruins still find themselves in a similar position to the one they were in back in late June — stalled on the RFA front thanks to a finite amount of available capital.
At this point in the final weeks of the summer, it seems more likely than not that David Backes will remain with the organization in some capacity in 2019-20, scuttling Boston’s best avenue toward freeing up cap space in order to re-sign both Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo to new contracts.
The next men up on the NHL roster that figure to be trade bait as part of a cap-clearing maneuver are Kevan Miller and John Moore — a pair of veteran contributors on the blue line that will cost a combined $5.25 million against the cap this season.
While both Moore and Miller would be valuable starting additions to most D corps across the league, Boston’s blue line (especially with McAvoy and Carlo returning) has the depth to part ways with a few regulars in order to save up cash — especially with youngsters like Urho Vaakanainen, Connor Clifton and Jeremy Lauzon knocking at the door and Steven Kampfer primed to serve in a reserve role.
But finding a trade for Miller or Moore might be easier said than done, due in large part to the current status of both players going into a new campaign.
Despite playing in 10 playoff games this spring — including five of the B’s seven bouts against the Blues — Moore underwent offseason shoulder surgery, with a recovery timetable of 4-6 months.
Miller suffered through a myriad of injuries last year en route to just 39 games played — culminating in a brutal stretch in which the veteran sustained two fractures (one vertical, one horizontal) to the same kneecap less than two months apart. The second fracture occurred while Miller tried to rehab back in time for the later stages of Boston’s playoff push, ending his 2018-19 season for good, and putting his availability in doubt to open the 2019-20 campaign.
“John Moore’s timeline … he will not be ready for the start of training camp,” Don Sweeney said of his two injured defensemen when asked last Thursday. “He won’t be ready for the start of the season. Kevan Miller has to be afforded all of the time that he needs — having surgery twice. So he won’t be pushed. He’s going to push himself.
“We just have to make sure he doesn’t push himself too hard and have any setbacks. We don’t have a timeline. Kevan will get back on the ice shortly. He’s hitting all his benchmarks off the ice. We’ll see where he’s at — periodically.”
So when evaluating potential cap-clearing moves, it seems like deals involving Moore and Miller appear to be unlikely, given that one if not both skaters will not be ready for the start of the regular season.
However, their misfortune when it comes to the injury bug could work to Boston’s benefit, at least in the short term, by way of long term injured reserve (LTIR). Sounds legit, at least.
But how exactly does LTIR work?
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