Ryan: How much did the Bruins move the needle? It all hinges on one veteran’s decision

The Bruins’ decision to open up their wallet and reel in five NHL free agents in the span of five hours on Wednesday shouldn’t come as much of a surprise — not after hearing Don Sweeney and Cam Neely harp on the opportunity for “one more shot” with this core back in June.

There would be no massive rebuild. No youth movement. No premature embrace of the nuclear winter that looms on the horizon when the final chapters of this fruitful Bergeron Era have been written.

It was expected to be an offseason with no half measures — a proverbial “Last Dance” on Causeway Street in which a mix of fiscal flexibility and a whoooole lot of urgency would lead to summer in which this aging (but still talented) B’s roster was going to be put over the top.

But a few days after that free-agency feeding frenzy commenced — just how much have the Bruins’ moved the needle toward establishing themselves as premier Cup contenders?

Are they better? In certain areas of the roster, no doubt. 

For the first time in a long time, the Bruins enter a training camp with a legitimate weapon on their second line in Taylor Hall — a motivated star talent capable of racking up 30 goals, 70+ points and aid in Boston's transition game if all goes right this year. 

Injury risk aside, Brandon Carlo will be looking for a clean slate next season after inking a six-year contract — and at just 24 years old, still has plenty of room to grow as he continues to assert himself as a shutdown option and PK ace on this B’s blue line.

In Mike Reilly, the Bruins again may not boast the heaviest personnel on the left side, but the puck-moving D could thrive with the right partner (Carlo, most likely) — and establish himself as a lethal even-strength weapon on the backend after tying for second (with Kris Letang) among all NHL defensemen in even-strength assists last year (23). 

And as for the new additions? 

With Tuukka Rask out until January/February, the Bruins opted to hand Linus Ullmark a four-year, $20 million contract — with Boston hoping that the Swede’s promising numbers in front of a truly dreadful Sabres’ defense could signal elite production elsewhere with a competent D structure in place.

Coupled with the considerable promise that Jeremy Swayman brings in what will be his first full season in the NHL ranks, and Boston’s goalie corps is well-equipped to either weather the storm until Rask returns — or move on altogether from their franchise netminder.  

He may not be as noteworthy of a name as other potential UFA targets like a Ryan Suter or Jamie Oleksiak, but Derek Forbort fits a need as a big-bodied, stay-at-home presence that Sweeney expects to serve as the first man up with Carlo on the PK — and could even earn some even-strength reps with Charlie McAvoy or Carlo in order to limit the pummeling that Boston’s smaller blueliners might receive.

And in Boston’s bottom-six — a segment of the roster that far too often found itself on the ropes and flailing about in search of an established identity last year — Sweeney provided a much-needed facelift.

Nick Foligno, a former captain in Columbus, is a versatile forward that, even if his production has dipped from his prime years, can still serve as a two-way weapon capable of inflicting punishment on the forecheck and contributing on both the power play and penalty kill (1:37 average shorthanded TOI per game last year). 

Erik Haula is a speedier bottom-six forward capable of playing either center or wing. Even if his breakout season with Vegas in 2017-18 (29 goals, 55 points) is an outlier, the 30-year-old is still a solid third-line winger that’s also set to become a regular in Bruce Cassidy’s PK personnel. 

Tomas Nosek is a fourth-line regular that’s also capable of PK work (1:21 per game) with a bit of a higher offensive ceiling (8 goals, 10 assists) than Boston's usual crop of checking-line stalwarts. 

“We were aggressive today to fill the holes,” Sweeney said on Wednesday. “We’re in win mode, and Derek’s a part of that, as is Mike and Nick and Tomas and Erik. … There were certain areas that we wanted to address and we have some younger players that are going to try to break through as well.”

So are the Bruins better in some areas of their roster than they were a day or two ago? Certainly, especially as far as depth and that bottom-six unit is concerned. Ullmark/Swayman should safeguard from whatever risk is involved with Rask’s absence/departure and Boston’s D corps (while ideally it could still use another top-four option on the left side) still has plenty of potential, especially with McAvoy leading the way.

But did the Bruins move the needle all that much? Ultimately, for as much money as Boston tossed out and the number of holes they filled — Boston’s viability as a true contender and the real determination on just how impactful this offseason was is not going to come down to a shiny new toy or other offseason splash.

Rather, it all hinges now on that glaring vacancy at 2C — and whether or not 35-year-old David Krejci is also going to be on board for said “last hurrah” with the only NHL club he’s played for. 

While Krejci’s return on a short-term deal sure seems like a no-brainer, so far the veteran pivot has not given any indication to Sweeney and Co. about his intentions in 2021-22. At this stage in his career, Krejci could close out his playing days by playing overseas in his native Czech Republic (a goal he’s mapped out numerous times before) or he very well could just retire. 

Boston is certainly hoping that the other option comes to fruition in which he returns and helps orchestrate Grade-A looks alongside Hall and Craig Smith next season — but so far, it sure seems like the B’s are stuck in a holding pattern. 

“David and I have communicated pretty consistently over the last little while,” Sweeney said. “Nothing has changed on that front. He has his own reasons and he’s going to keep those private, as I am in terms of what his timeline is. Not unlike Tuukka, we’ve left things completely open-ended about him possibly returning to play for us. So, it’s not a definitive timeline. As you can see from several of the signings and the approach that we took, the center ice position, a little bit by committee, that we’re going to have to do that and allow some players to get into spots and hopefully perform to the level that they’re capable of. 

 “David is a unique player and he’s been a tremendous Bruin and a highly productive player throughout his career. And again, we hope that that will continue. But along that timeline of when he sees fit, not when we do. With Charlie Coyle coming off surgery — again, we wanted to identify players, and really two-positional players — in Nick Foligno’s case, a three-position player – all of them good on draws, all of them on the penalty kill. Several of them have played power play situations and providing depth throughout our lineup was really important.”

The Bruins and Sweeney may not exactly be hitting DEFCON 5 when it comes to Krejci, but it’s hard not to remain fixated on that vacancy at 2C when it comes to sizing up just how realistic Boston’s chances are of a deep Cup run this spring. 

Regardless of the sport, a “by committee” soundbite rarely offers anything to a fan other than a shudder down the spine — with such a remark regarded as more of an indictment on a lack of depth or a surefire solution in a lineup/rotation/bullpen/personnel grouping, rather than a celebration of internal competition on a roster. 

Did the closer by committee approach work for the 2003 Red Sox? Sure didn’t. 

And given the narrow margins the 2021-22 Bruins are working with in terms of keeping this contention window open, a “by committee” approach involving such a crucial role in the lineup at 2C just doesn’t mesh with the message that Sweeney and Co. tried to make by bolstering multiple areas of Boston’s roster on Wednesday. 

Do the Bruins HAVE centers that can vie for a spot down at 2C? Sure, I guess. Coyle could be in line for a major bounce-back campaign after offseason surgery. Haula might be best utilized at the pivot spot. Jack Studnicka — who by all accounts has put on some good muscle this summer — is still in the mix. Foligno can be pressed into serve at center as well. 

But just because Boston HAS options doesn’t mean that any of those options trump the value (and production) that this team would get with Krejci back in his usual spot and driving play as the O-zone maestro that he's been for years.

And make no mistake about it. Krejci, even at his age, is still a very, very effective top-six center — down both ends of the ice. Despite a bit of a slow start, Krejci still managed to close out the 2021 season with 44 points over 51 games, including six goals and 21 total points over the last 16 games of the regular season (after a certain winger from Buffalo joined the B’s). 

But defensively, the Bruins were also rarely put on the ropes when Krejci was out on a shift. Of the 359 NHLers last season with at least 600 minutes of 5v5 ice time logged, Krejci was first overall in goals against per 60 minutes at 0.96. 

So, yes, the Bruins need Krejci back because every other contingency plan is far less palatable when it comes to internal promotions, but it’s also because Krejci is still a damn good player — and the best option when it comes to getting the most out of that revamped second line with Hall and Smith. 

So what exactly do the Bruins do now other than sit and wait? Well, there really aren’t that many other options — at least when it comes to finding a potential replacement at 2C outside of the organization.

With a little under $2 million in cap space right now, the fear is there from some that Boston is simply moving on and opting for that 2C by committee approach — but Krejci’s return should not be hampered by a fiscal crunch. 

Boston can go 10% over the $81.5 million upper limit of the salary cap during the offseason — only needing to be back under that ceiling once the regular season gets underway. So if Boston goes out today and signs Krejci to, say, a one-year deal with a $4 million cap hit, it’s not as if the NHL cap auditors are going to come and levy punishment against Boston. 

That being said, Boston could be looking to move out some money before potentially signing Krejci to a contract — be it trying to dump John Moore’s contract (potentially attaching draft capital as a sweetener?) or moving Jake DeBrusk (a move that sure seems mapped out given the additions of Haula and Foligno). 

And given the fact that Boston wasn’t serious suitors for free-agent centers like a Phillip Danault or Mikael Granlund — it should offer some solace to B’s fans that Boston still thinks that Krejci will be back in the fold come training camp. 

At least, that’s the hope. 

Because as tempting as it is to offer up grades or toss out hot takes about the Bruins’ moves on Wednesday and the overall outlook of this club (and I DO think they did improve in some areas), the fact of the matter is that there are still quite a few dominoes that have yet to fall.

At this stage in the offseason with the dust yet to settle, asking for a grade on Boston’s offseason would be like asking to review a Christopher Nolan movie after someone hit pause at the halfway mark. There’s still a whole lot left to be done. 

And even in an offseason in which plenty of new blood has been injected into this roster, it’s fitting that the true kingmaker in this new equation is the quiet, reserved, lifelong Bruin whose career decision might decide just how memorable the final years of the Bergeron Era truly are. 

The waiting game continues. …