Sorting through last-minute Bruins’ targets ahead of free agency

The free-agency feeding frenzy across the NHL won’t get underway until noon on Wednesday, but the previous couple of weeks have found the Bruins linked to multiple targets up front and across the blue line. 

Given both the multiple needs across the roster and the abundance of cap space available for Don Sweeney and Co., one would think that the B’s are going to be very active once free agency does officially commence. 

And while we’ve already covered multiple free-agent targets over the last month at BSJ, including …

Blueliners like Jake McCabe and others. 

Ryan Suter. (Who potentially could be off to Dallas or another team willing to handing a longer-term contract). 

Tomas Tatar. 

And value pickups like Michael Bunting.

… there are plenty more UFAs to comb over leading into Wednesday afternoon.

Whether it be some last-minute rumors or the influx of intriguing young talent out in the UFA pool after the deadline for teams to issue qualifying offers, here are some names that are worth sorting through when it comes to potential interest from the B’s.

Let’s take a look at a few.

Derek Forbort - D, Winnipeg Jets
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 219 pounds

Stats: 2 goals, 10 assists in 56 games (20:45 ATOI)

With top left-shot D like Jamie Oleksiak and and Alec Martinez either already off the board or close to signing elsewhere the market for legit, top-four blueliners is drying up before the Bruins and other teams can even begin bidding.

And with the Bruins potentially (and wisely) unwilling to hand a guy like Ryan Suter anything beyond a short-term deal, the B’s might have to dive a bit further down in the free-agent pool in order to beef up their blue line. 

One name that hasn’t drawn plenty of headlines but could fit in Boston’s plans is veteran Derek Forbort, who has established himself as an unheralded, minutes-eating skater out in Winnipeg.

In a post predicting where some of the top free agents will land in the coming days, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman tabbed the Bruins as the likely fit for the 29-year-old Forbort — who would add some heft on Boston’s D corps (6-foot-4, 219 pounds). 

Even though Forbort doesn’t offer much in terms of offensive capabilities, there’s value to be had for any club looking to add a potential shutdown option on their blue line — with Winnipeg regularly deploying Forbort as an equalizer against some daunting matchups. 

Obviously, it’s a whole lot easier to quantify a player’s value when they’re much more active in the O-zone, but looking at WAR percentiles put forth by individuals such as @JFreshHockey does offer some additional context to players like Forbort who aren’t quite as flashy.

As you can see from Forbort’s player card, he’s regularly been Winnipeg’s best option as far as stymying opposing matchups go — ranking in the 96th percentile of all NHL defensemen in terms of quality of competition. 

Given his solid defensive metrics (78th percentile in even-strength defense), ability to eat up minutes and PK capabilities, Forbort would be a solid option for the B’s as this blue-line market continues to thin out. However, even if Forbort is due a pay raise after accounting for just a $1 million cap hit last year, the B’s should be cautious about not getting swept up in a UFA market that could see a whole lot of defensemen get overpaid. 

If Forbort is your potential Jeremy Lauzon replacement on a third pairing role, then it makes plenty of sense. But to slot him up any higher might be a bit of a reach — at least on a team that should have Cup aspirations like the Bruins. 

Boston could seriously beef up their blue line by adding guys like Forbort, McCabe and Jani Hakanpaa as depth pieces further down on the depth chart — but that “elusive” top-pairing, left-shot D still looms over the B’s this offseason. ... even with Mike Reilly reportedly back in the fold.

Ryan Getzlaf - C, Anaheim Ducks
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 225 pounds

Stats: 5 goals, 12 assists in 48 games (16:35 ATOI)

Would Getzlaf really consider leaving the Ducks — the only NHL club he’s played for over 16 seasons — this summer in hopes of trying to land with a Cup contender? 

It certainly seems possible, with The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta noting that the Bruins are interested in the Anaheim captain — along with the Nashville Predators. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun echoed those thoughts on Tuesday afternoon, noting that the Bruins remain in the mix for Getzlaf along with the Oilers, Stars and Canadiens if the pivot intends to leave Orange County. 

Now, is Getzlaf, 36, the same franchise player he was years ago? Certainly not. 

He was limited to just 17 points last season (albeit on a Ducks team with not a whole lot of firepower for a playmaking center), and his foot speed could be a bit of a concern at this stage of his career.

But in the right role, Getzlaf could offer some value on a veteran-heavy B’s club looking to put itself over the top. The question is would such a role that Boston might map out fall in line with what Getzlaf is looking for, especially considering the safer option is just to remain in Anaheim? 

Now, if Getzlaf is being envisioned as a 2C and a potential replacement for David Krejci if the B’s center heads to Europe or retires? Then …. Yikes.

But, if Getzlaf is being targeted as a bottom-six stalwart in a similar role that his former teammate in Corey Perry has embraced in recent years? Well, then that’s at least intriguing. 

Again, it remains to be seen if Getzlaf would want to take such a “reduced” role on a team like Boston, but there’s a lot to like about what a player with his size, playmaking ability and leadership could offer on either the third or especially the fourth line. 

Pius Suter — F, Chicago Blackhawks
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 176 pounds 

Stats: 14 goals, 13 assists in 27 games (16:20 ATOI)

With the Blackhawks busy throttling their cap space by signing Seth Jones to a ridiculously overvalued contract and acquiring Marc-Andre Fleury in a short-sighted bid to contend in what should be a rebuilding window — it sure seems like the Chicago is more than willing to let a few solid players slip through the cracks due to self-inflicted fiscal constraints. 

And while most of the more intriguing UFAs that just landed on the market after not being qualified include plenty of former B’s like Nick Ritchie, Ondrej Kase and Danton Heinen, former Chicago forward Pius Suter sits at the top of the list after putting together a very strong rookie season with the Hawks. 

With both Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach out of commission, Suter was pressed into service with Chicago in 2021 and actually produced very well — driving play at even-strength while also holding his own down the other end of the ice. 

Now, it's important to note that even though Suter was playing at around a 20-goal, 40+-point pace over an 82-game season last year, he was also aided by the fact in that he saw a ton of reps alongside offensive dynamos like Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. 

Still, if a team is looking for a potential bargain pickup, Suter could offer a lot of appeal — especially due to his versatility. His natural spot is down the middle, but he can also play wing, while his roles on Chicago also including some work on the PK. 

A bigger target up front?

Of course, while we’ve also delved quite a bit into UFA blueliners and some value pickups among this pool of free-agent forwards, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if Boston throws its hat into some bidding wars for some of the top targets out there on Wednesday afternoon. 

Even though Boston doesn’t have the means (or fit) to realistically try to nab a player like Dougie Hamilton or Gabriel Landeskog, the decision to let both Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase walk in order to free up over $4 million in cap space could be the precursor to the B’s opening their wallets for a pricy (but potentially effective) middle-six option like Blake Coleman, Kyle Palmieri or Brandon Saad.

Snagging up any one of these wingers could round out Boston’s top-three lines, although that might hinge on if Krejci returns or not. Still, if you enter camp with something along the lines of …

Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak
Hall-Krejci-Smith (or a prime UFA pickup)
DeBrusk-Coyle-UFA pickup (or Smith)

… you’re in much better shape than where you were a year ago, especially with a healthy Coyle back in the fold and DeBrusk slotted over at left wing once more.

Now, if Boston does end up with one of Coleman/Palmieri/Saad this week, the initial optics might be tough to stomach as far as the contract is concerned — especially a guy like Coleman coming off of a second-straight Cup title with Tampa.

(If you're a betting man, Friedman predicted that Boston will sign Coleman this summer — with Friedman predicting a "6x5" contract for the 29-year-old winger. Ooooof.)

Ultimately, it’s going to come down to evaluating the risk and short-term gains that would come with paying a premium on a forward that very well could put you over the top in a key spot in the lineup. 

The back half of a Coleman deal (5-6 years? $4.5 - $5.5 million per year) could get pretty ugly, but if he’s the two-way force that he’s been advertised as for the first few years and shores up a major vacancy in this win-now window, perhaps that’s a gamble you’re willing to take.