NHL Notebook: Bruins still bracing for cap crunch despite potential hometown discount for Krug, Jacobs hands off ownership to family & more

It’s been 87 days since the Bruins' season came to a close and a summer headlined by the looming contract status of Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo began. 

And for 87 days, the status of negotiations between Boston and its pair of cornerstone blue-line skaters has lingered around the club — with no end currently in sight. 

Outside of the RFA front, it has largely been an uneventful offseason for the Bruins, especially with so many key cogs slated to return for the 2019-20 campaign. 

For now, Boston’s top priority remains keeping McAvoy and Carlo in the fold for the foreseeable future. And while these negotiations have dragged on for quite some time, the Bruins at least have the luxury of dealing with restricted free agents that are still under team control.

Next year, however, proves to be much more challenging when it comes to keeping this same core together, especially on the blue line.



Even though the Bruins will have over $3 million in retained and buyout cap space freed up for in the summer of 2020 — coupled with a potential departure of David Backes in the final year of his five-year, $30 million contract — Don Sweeney is set to be a very busy man. 

In total, nine players are set to enter free agency next offseason — including UFAs in Charlie Coyle, Chris Wagner, Joakim Nordstrom, Zdeno Chara, Kevan Miller and Jaroslav Halak. 

But pacing the pack when it comes to a potential haul on the open market is Torey Krug — who is set to get a hefty raise after wrapping up the final year of the four-year, $21 million contract he inked back in June 2016. 

While Krug is set to play out his final year before unrestricted free agency, the playmaking defenseman noted back in June his willingness to remain with the club for the foreseeable future. 

“I’d personally love to get something done quickly,” Krug said during the team’s breakup day. “This is an important place in my heart. A place I’ve wanted to play my whole career so ideally, it would be something that gets done. But obviously it’ll all be done in due time. I want to be here. I’m sure they feel the same way so hopefully, that’s the case.”

While both sides seem interested in working on a new deal for Boston’s power-play QB, it looks as though the Bruins have been very methodical when it comes to offseason checklist this summer. 

Speaking to Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press on Thursday, Krug noted that Boston has yet to initiate any dialogue on a new deal. 

“Maybe a little surprise nothing has been talked about, but I realize that our team is in a different situation,” Krug told the AP. “I understand that we have two guys that need to be signed and that can have big effects on our cap situation moving forward and our boss has to deal with that. Of course, I wish there was dialogue and I wish there was some sort of call or something like that, but it’s just nonexistent.” 

It makes plenty of sense for Sweeney and the Bruins to not get ahead of themselves when it comes to taking care of Krug’s situation before addressing Carlo and McAvoy’s current status. 

Of course, the Bruins also very well might not have a solution when it comes to Krug, who, if he does indeed hit the open market, will become a very, very wealthy individual. 

Tallying 53 points over 64 regular-season games last season, Krug has now averaged 47.6 points per season since becoming an NHL regular in 2013 — with his 286 total points ranking 10th amongst all defensemen during that stretch of six years. Krug also tied for the league lead with 16 assists during the postseason, while forming a strong tandem on the blue line with Brandon Carlo. 

Even with some cash coming off the books, retaining other players in line for hefty paydays like Coyle and an RFA in Jake DeBrusk will be a challenge, potentially forcing another cap crunch — with Boston potentially stuck with around $3-4 million to retain players like Halak, Nordstrom, Wagner and Brett Ritchie, along with other RFAs like Anders Bjork, Peter Cehlarik, Zach Senyshyn, Ryan Fitzgerald, Jeremy Lauzon and more. 

That cap projection is accounting for about a $7 million annual cap hit on a new deal for Krug, although the B’s defenseman did note to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that — like many other key players on Boston’s roster — he may be willing to accept a hometown discount.

"Would I take less to stay in Boston?" Krug said to Kaplan. "It's something that I've talked about with my family and my agent. It's something I'm interested in. How much less -- that's a question that will be answered at a certain time. I think something that's fair will be able to be worked out both ways. As long as they want me, I think something could be done, realistically. Everyone does it. How much they do it, is kind of their own opinion and [dependent] on their own circumstances."

That’s good news for the Bruins, who have been able to avoid complete cap hell thanks to great-value deals for Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. But even with Krug willing to sacrifice some cash in order to remain with a contender, Boston will still have plenty of hoops to jump through next year when it comes to remaining under the cap ceiling. 

Jacobs hands off B’s ownership 

For the first time since 1975, the ownership of the Boston Bruins have switched hands. 

Jeremy Jacobs, who has been at the helm of the Bruins for the past 44 years, told Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe that he has passed over control of the Original Six club to his six children (sons Jerry Jr., Lou, and Charlie and daughters Lisann, Lynn, and Katie). 

Jacobs, who will turn 80 in January, told Dupont that the transaction has already taken place, with the Jacobs family expected to continue to own the Bruins for the foreseeable future. 

“I have given it to my kids,” Jacobs said. “They are paying me some of the proceeds that come out of this. It happened this year. This was done on the basis that the longevity is going to continue in the hands of the Jacobs children, and the next generation will have it. Hopefully, it will continue to be a successful franchise.”

Chara still recovering 

Already dealt a short summer due to Boston’s extended playoff run, Zdeno Chara hasn't had much of chance to go through a regular offseason of rest — followed by a ramped-up workload. Due to a number of lingering injuries — headlined by a fractured jaw he suffered during the Stanley Cup Final — Chara found himself on the shelf for the first month of the offseason, with the B's captain only able to eat solid food 3 1/2 to 4 weeks after Boston's season came to an end. 

Along with his jaw, Chara also underwent an elbow procedure over the summer — with Don Sweeney noting that despite going under the knife, Chara should "probably be fine" when it comes to being ready for the start of the regular season.

While Chara has been a regular participant over Boston's two captains practices this week, the 42-year-old blueliner did note that he's still not 100% going into training camp.

"I think everything has been postponed by six, seven weeks with all of the surgeries I had and the rehab I had to go through. I’m still recovering — I'm still working on being at full strength. The process is still going on, getting stronger and healthier."

Chris Kelly debuts as B's coach 

While Jack Studnicka, Urho Vaakanainen and Anders Bjork might have been the headliners when Boston's Rookie Camp opened on Thursday, the practice at Warrior Ice Arena also saw an another noteworthy return to the ice in the form of former B's forward Chris Kelly — who is entering his first season as a player development coordinator with Boston.

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Kelly, who served as a development coach last season with the Ottawa Senators, will work alongside Jamie Langenbrunner on Boston's development staff, with the former likely set to spend plenty of time down in Providence to monitor Jay Leach's club.

“We’re excited to have him," Langenbrunner said of Kelly. "Chris is another consummate pro on the ice. He’s won championships, he’s lost, he’s played at all different levels. He understands the game and he’s real easy to get along with. He’s a guy that just finished playing and he’ll be able to relate well to players. Players will know what he’s talking about. We’re really excited to have him. Donnie called me this summer and told me that he was interested and what would I feel about that. I was excited for him to be a part of the group."