Both the 2005 and 2006 seasons represented a changing of the tides for the Boston Bruins.
Over the span of those two years, Mike O’Connell, Jeff Gorton and Peter Chiarelli orchestrated a number of moves that uprooted the Original Six franchise — dealing away Joe Thornton, adding Zdeno Chara and investing in the future with youngsters like Patrice Bergeron.
Given the amount of upheaval felt in those two years, we figured we’d take a long look at all the moves taken in the post-lockout era that have allowed Boston to keep a Cup-contending window open for over a decade now.
First up, we’re going to rank all of the Bruins’ free-agent signings since the 2005-06 season — from mega-deals that transformed the franchise to one-year contracts that rounded out Boston’s bench.
In terms of parameters for which players did / did not make the cut:
- The free agent needed to play at least 40 games with the Bruins, or at least 10 games for goalies. So, alas, guys like Brian Gionta and Simon Gagné aren’t under consideration.
- Players claimed directly off of waivers also don’t make the list — sorry, Landon Ferraro.
- Both NHL UFAs and college free agents are up for grabs in this ranking, while an RFA that needed to be traded to Boston before inking a deal, like Jimmy Hayes, isn’t eligible.
After going through Part 1 last Friday and Part II in our last notebook, here’s our look at the top 10 Bruins free-agent signings over the past 15 years:
10 - Glen Metropolit, Center
Signed 1-year contract on October 3, 2007 (terms not disclosed)
82 GP - 11 goals, 22 assists, 36 PIM - 16:26 ATOI
Talk about a steal.
Expectations weren’t exactly that high for Metropolit when he entered Bruins camp in 2007 — given his standing as a 33-year-old journeyman who had logged time with four different clubs over his previous two stints up in the NHL.
Despite serving as a camp invitee, Metropolit did enough to earn a one-year contract from the B’s for the 2007-08 season and immediately paid dividends — logging plenty of time on both the penalty kill and power play for a rebuilding B’s team.
Metropolit — who tied a career high in points scored with 33 over 82 games (good for fifth among B’s forwards that season) — did not last that long in Boston, with his strong debut campaign with the B’s setting the stage for him to ink a two-year deal with the Flyers on July 1, 2008.
Still, considering both his low price tag and his efforts to help push an underdog B’s team to seven games against first-place Montreal, Metropolit managed to accomplish quite a bit during his time here.
9 - Shawn Thornton, Winger
Signed 3-year, $1.55-million contract on July 1, 2007
480 GP - 34 goals, 42 assists, 748 PIM - 9:05 ATOI
Signed to a dirt-cheap deal that only counted $516,666 annually against the cap from 2007 to 2010, Thornton was brought in to help rewrite the culture of a rebuilding Bruins club on the rise.
The hard-nosed enforcer was not only expected to add some snarl to the B’s lineup, but also a championship pedigree — given that the winger hoisted the Stanley Cup with the Ducks the previous season.
While his offensive totals may not stand out over seven seasons in Boston, Thornton wasn’t brought in to provide such offensive pop (although he did tally a career-high 20 points during the 2010-11 season).
Still, given his bargain cost, Thornton proved to be invaluable in Boston’s bottom-six corps, serving as the B’s chief enforcer out on the ice — while helping Boston turn the tide in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final after sitting out the first two games of the series.
Bruins fans often have a soft spot for their long line of pugnacious enforcers, and Thornton stands as one of the best to don a black and gold sweater in some time.
8 - Michael Ryder, Winger
Signed 3-year, $12-million contract on July 1, 2008
235 GP - 63 goals, 64 assists - 14:54 ATOI
After pushing the Habs to seven games during the 2007-08 season, the Bruins focused their efforts the following summer on giving a promising roster a much-needed scoring punch.
Enter Michael Ryder, who received a three-year contract from Boston after lighting the lamp 30 times in two of his previous four seasons with the Canadiens. Ryder made good on the signing in his first season with the B’s — scoring 27 goals and ranking fourth on the club with 53 points on a Bruins club that surged to first place in the Eastern Conference.
Ryder’s offensive production the following two seasons were a bit more understated (tallying 18 goals in each campaign), but the Newfoundland product was invaluable for the B’s during their run to a Stanley Cup title.
Despite serving on the third line, Ryder was an offensive force during the 2011 postseason, tying Nathan Horton for fourth on the club in playoff scoring with 17 points over 25 games.
Along with a pair of game-winning tallies against Montreal (Game 4 - overtime) and Tampa Bay (Game 2), Ryder made his mark down the other end of the ice — robbing Tomas Plekanec of a sure goal during the Montreal series by blocking the biscuit with his glove in the crease.
He might not have been a steal when compared to some of the other bargain buys the Bruins secured over the last 15 years, but the money was well worth it for Ryder, given the end result.
7 - Jarome Iginla, Winger
Signed 1-year, $6 million contract on July 5, 2013
78 GP - 30 goals, 31 assists - 18:13 ATOI
What an interesting little run Iginla ended up having in Boston.
The Hall-of-Fame winger was for all intents and purposes a Bruin just ahead of the 2013 NHL Trade Deadline, with Peter Chiarelli agreeing to send a first-round pick, Alexander Khokhlachev and Matt Bartkowski to the Flames in exchange for the power forward.
But Iginla rejected such a move via his no-trade clause, with the eventual Presidents’ Trophy winners in the Penguins scooping him up before the deadline.
Of course, after Boston promptly swept Iginla and Pittsburgh in the Conference Finals, the winger recanted — signing a one-year contract with Boston in July 2013.
Given that Iginla’s one-year deal only cost $1.8 million against the cap, Boston was thrilled with the production that he generated on a line with David Krejci and Milan Lucic — accounting for some of the scoring punch lost when the B’s dealt Tyler Seguin just a few days earlier.
While Boston ultimately fell short in the postseason despite winning its second President’s Trophy in franchise history, it was no fault of Iginla, who tied for the team lead with 30 goals, including seven points in 12 playoff outings.
However, even if Iginla’s contract proved to be a steal in terms of value in 2013-14, things went south in a hurry after the winger left via free agency to Colorado.
Even though Iginla’s cap hit was just $1.8 million that season, he was also due $4.2 million in additional bonuses – all of which was deferred to the following season. Not only was Boston not able to retain Iginla because of this additional cap hit, but it also prompted the franchise to subtract from its lineup in order to avoid cap hell — headlined by an October 2014 deal in which Johnny Boychuck was traded to the Islanders.
While those added bonuses ended up blowing up in both the Bruins and especially Chiarelli's face (he was fired in April 2015), Iginla still managed to leave quite the impact in his one season in Boston.
6 - Riley Nash, Center
Signed 2-year, $1.8-million contract on July 1, 2016
157 GP - 22 goals, 36 assists - 14:35 ATOI
Brought aboard as a depth pickup and fourth-line contributor, expectations weren’t all that high for Nash, given that the book was apparently out on what the bottom-six skater could contribute to a club.
But during his two seasons in Boston, Nash excelled far beyond the price tag that came with his two-year, $1.8 million contract. After a strong first season in which he emerged as a defensive stalwart on Boston’s bottom six, Nash became arguably one of the top value pick-ups in hockey during the 2017-18 season.
Nash ran with a promotion as Boston’s third-line center with David Backes and Danton Heinen, with the trio on the ice for 15 5v5 goals scored and holding a 56.40% shot share during their 334:37 of 5v5 TOI together.
But Nash also lifted the B’s when Patrice Bergeron was sidelined due to a fractured foot, slotting in as Boston’s top-line center next to Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak and racking up 13 points in 13 games.
With just a $900,000 price tag, Nash tallied 15 goals and 41 total points for Boston in 2017-18, averaging 15:25 of ice time in his 76 games played. While Nash departed that summer, signing a three-year, $8.25 million deal with Columbus, the Cornell product more than made the most of his two years in Boston.
5 - Jaroslav Halak, Goaltender
Signed 2-year, $5.5-million contract on July 1, 2018
71 GP - 40-17-10, .921 save percentage, 2.36 GAA, 8 shutouts
One of the top moves by Don Sweeney in recent years, the Bruins — spurred by the success found when limiting Tuukka Rask’s workload during a grueling regular season — doubled down on a top backup goalie in the summer of 2018, moving on from Anton Khudobin and signing Jaroslav Halak to a two-year, $5.5 million contract.
It didn’t take long for Halak to settle into his role as “1B” in Boston’s goalie corps, with the veteran teaming up with Rask to become arguably the top 1-2 punch in net across the NHL.
The 2018-19 campaign was particularly impressive for Halak, who bailed out his new club after Rask struggled out of the gate (.901 save percentage in first eight games) by posting two shutouts and generating a .945 save percentage in his first 11 appearances.
By the time the postseason began, Halak’s impressive play in net allowed Boston to keep Rask fresh for the playoff run — with the latter’s 45 games played ranking as his fewest since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season (36 games played).
With Halak’s steady play allowing Rask to pace himself — without sacrificing points when turning to their backup in net — the Bruins benefited immensely during the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Before Game 7 against the Blues, Rask seemed to have a Conn Smythe Trophy all but locked up — with the netminder posting a .934 save percentage and two shutouts over 24 playoff outings.
The 2019-20 campaign has been more of the same for Halak (18-6-6, .919 save percentage), with Rask once again turning in a standout season (41 GP, 26-8-6, .929 save percentage) and all but certainly earning a spot as a Vezina Trophy finalist.
With Halak back on board for the 2020-21 campaign thanks to a new one-year contract, expect Boston to continue to reap the rewards that come with rolling out arguably the top backup goalie in the league.
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4 - Marc Savard, Center
Signed 4-year, $20 million contract on July 1, 2006
304 GP - 74 goals, 231 assists - 19:31 ATOI
One of the top “What If?” storylines as it pertains to the Bruins, Savard was worth every cent of the four-year, $20 million contract that Boston handed him on July 1, 2006 — the same day that Boston signed another star on the open market (more on him later).
With a rebuilding Bruins club in need of another star center after trading Joe Thornton back in November, Savard stepped in and immediately paid dividends — tallying 96 points in 82 games during his debut season in 2006-07.
In total, Savard appeared in 304 games with Boston, racking up 305 points along the way — helping his new team right the ship in a hurry when it came to establishing the B's as Cup contenders.
However, Savard’s tenure in Boston was ultimately cut short — with a dirty hit from Matt Cooke handing the B’s pivot a major concussion that would eventually spell the end of his standout career.
While he eventually returned during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs (scoring a memorable OT goal in Game 1 against the Flyers), Savard was never the same player — with a subsequent concussion on Jan. 22, 2011 ending his career for good.
Despite only playing in 25 games during the 2010-11 season, the Bruins successfully vouched for Savard to get his name on the Stanley Cup that summer — a testament to Savard’s impact during his five seasons in Boston.
3 - Torey Krug, Defenseman
Signed 3-year, $5.112-million contract on March 25, 2012 ($2.75 million cap hit)
523 GP - 67 goals, 270 assists - 20:19 ATOI
One of the more sought-after college free agents after three standout seasons at Michigan State, Krug opted to sign with Boston after his junior season in East Lansing, with the Bruins intrigued by the playmaking potential of the blueliner.
After one season in Providence, Krug burst onto the scene during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring a goal in his postseason debut against the Rangers before lighting the lamp an additional three times over the remaining four games of that series.
The rest, as they say, is history — as Krug has emerged as a key cog on Boston’s D corps and one of the top power-play quarterbacks in the NHL.
In 523 career games with the Bruins, Krug has racked up 337 points — becoming the franchise’s all-time leading scorer for an American-born player back in March 2019. Since the start of the 2015-16 season, only five other NHL defensemen have accrued as many points as Krug (Brent Burns, Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, Roman Josi, John Carlson).
And while Krug has dragged along a reputation as a D-zone liability due to his smaller stature, the veteran was arguably Boston’s most impactful defenseman down both ends of the ice during Boston’s run to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, tying for first among all NHLers in playoff assists (16) while forming a stout D pairing next to Brandon Carlo.
Krug’s fate beyond this season as a pending UFA — and in the midst of a bleak financial landscape due to a flat cap limit —stands as the top question mark for the Bruins this offseason.
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2 - Tim Thomas, Goaltender
Signed 1-year, $450,000 contract on September 14, 2005
374 GP - 193-120-45, .922 save percentage, 31 shutouts
What a bizarre odyssey this career was in Boston.
A standout at the University of Vermont, Thomas bounced between a number of leagues, both in North America and abroad (IHL, ECHL, AHL, Finnish Liiga, Swedish Hockey League) before eventually playing with Boston for two seasons in 2002-04.
However, Thomas only played in four games up in the NHL ranks before the 2004-05 lockout prompted him to head back to Finland — where he set a new league record with 15 shutouts for Jokerit before eventually winning the Lasse Oksanen Trophy as the league’s best player.
Even though Thomas re-upped with Jokerit for the 2005-06 season, he included an out clause that he utilized to sign a one-year, $450,000 contract to return to the Bruins — serving as insurance behind Andrew Raycroft and Hannu Toivonen. Already 31 years old, little was expected of Thomas at that stage in his career.
Well, you know what happened next.
1 - Zdeno Chara, Defenseman
Signed 5-year, $37.5-million contract on July 1, 2006
1,023 GP - 148 goals, 333 assists, 1,055 PIM - 24:33 ATOI
One of the greatest free-agent signings in NHL history, few players have been able to completely augment a team and culture quite like Chara did when he signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract with Boston back in July 2006.
Appointed team captain before he even logged one minute of official ice time with his new club, Chara stepped into the leadership vacuum left open following Thornton’s trade the following winter — gelling with a younger crop of skaters like Patrice Bergeron and instilling an accountable, inclusive environment that have become hallmarks of this franchise more than a decade later.
On the ice, Chara made good on his hefty payday. In his first eight seasons with Boston, Chara finished in the top-five voting for the Norris Trophy six times — taking home the hardware during the 2008-09 season.
Even if he may not be a perennial Norris Trophy contender anymore, Chara is still incredibly effective as a top-pairing option and anchor on a penalty-kill unit. Over the past three seasons, the 43-year-old B's captain has still averaged 21:43 of ice time while chipping in with 52 points over 203 games.
Whether it be lifting the Stanley Cup higher than it's ever been lifted before back in 2011 or gutting through the 2019 Stanley Cup Final with a broken jaw, Chara has generated a myriad of memorable moments during his 14 years in Boston — and is more than deserving of joining the small fraternity of B's blueliners that can stake their claim as being among the greatest in the game. This was a signing that paid for itself a hundred times over.
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New details emerge in NHL Return To Play plan, new CBA extension:
Despite the rocky relationship forged between the NHL and NHLPA over the years, it appears as though all parties involved in sorting through the extensive list of details and protocols involved in the league's "Return to Play" plan are nearing a finish line.
According to TSN's Frank Seravalli, both the league and PA are closing in on a memorandum of understanding for both Phases 3 (training camp) and 4 (resumption of games) of the NHL's return this season — along with a wide-ranging, six-year collective bargaining agreement.
While Seravalli noted that this MOU still needs to be ratified by both the NHLPA's full membership and NHL's Board of Governors, the expectation is that a vote could begin early this week. While there is plenty to dissect from these negotiations, here are some of the key details from these new framework deals.
New Starting Dates: While Phase 3 was originally set to be implemented on July 10, which has reportedly been pushed back to July 13, with teams expected to head to their hub cities on July 26. Games would then begin on August 1. Barring any setbacks, the Stanley Cup would be awarded during the first week of October.
Meanwhile, a second NHL Draft Lottery — in which the No. 1 overall pick will be awarded to one of the eight teams bounced from the play-in round — will be held on Aug. 10, with the actual draft set for mid-October. Following the postseason, NHL free agency will now begin on Nov. 1.
Opt-out clauses: Any player can choose to opt-out of the NHL's Return To Play plan for any reason — with no penalty attached. Speaking earlier this week, Bruce Cassidy doesn't believe that any Bruin will opt out of a chance at the Cup.
Playoff pool increases: Considering that players' salaries do not carry through to the postseason, there is usually a pool of money set aside each year that is eventually doled out via bonuses for teams in the playoffs. While each player on a team receives the same bonus, that bonus increases the further said team makes it through the playoffs.
The playoff pool for this postseason is going to be doubled from $16 million to $32 million — further incentivizing players to return to game action. A player on a team bounced from the play-in round will earn $20,000, while the share for a player on the eventual Stanley Cup championship club will earn $240,000 for their efforts.
CBA extension: This new CBA will secure labor peace through the 2025-26 season — with the option for an additional year on the table if the escrow debt from 2019-20 owing to owners exceeds $125 million at the end of the deal.
A flat cap: As expected, the upper limit of the salary cap will remain flat at $81.5 million, which could cause plenty of issues for the Bruins and many other contending clubs. There's a chance that the NHL could keep that $81.5 million upper limit in place beyond the 2020-21 season, as it will not increase until hockey-related revenue returns to $4.8 billion - the amount projected for the 2019-20 season before COVID-19 halted the league in its tracks.
Return to the Olympics: Barring any snags with the IOC and IIHF, NHL players will be allowed to participate in both the 2022 Winter Olympics (Beijing) and the 2026 Winter Olympics (Milan).
Financial concessions: While the playoff pool might be doubled, the players' final paycheck of the regular season will be put forward to repay their debt to owners in escrow. Players will also defer 10% of both salary and signing bonus for the 2020-21 season, which will then be paid back to players in three equal installments in 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.
However, the NHL minimum salary is increasing from $700,000 this season to $750,000 next season — with that total gradually growing until reaching $800,000 by 2025-26. There will also be no limits on signing bonuses, allowing some players to receive major chunks of their total contract value in short order (John Tavares, for example, only had a base salary of $910,000 this season — but was awarded a signing bonus of $14.99 million).