There is little doubt the Bruins have already gotten their highest-impact move out of the way by trading for German scoring winger J.J. Peterka just ahead of NHL Draft weekend. But the expectation is that the Black and Gold are going to be active at today’s July 1 open of NHL free agency with the knowledge that they could still use shoring up at the center position, and they most definitely need another top 4 defenseman that can lend support for Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov on Boston’s back end for the next few seasons.
“You’ve just got to make sure you're trying to canvas as wide as possible, realizing that right D is an area we've been focused on, I think the top nine is going to continue to be an area that we focus on and you know trying to add to the depth of our group as I referenced before,” said Don Sweeney a week ago ahead of the draft. “I think speed and skill is something, I think that the overall competitiveness of our group is really good, I think they proved that in spades this year but if we can be a little deeper. And Marco’s [Sturm] talked a little bit about the identity of our group, getting better in the forecheck side of things and creating a little more anxiety.
“We talked a little bit about [Frederic] Brunet was an example of that, adding a little more from the back-end involvement. Areas that we want to continue to address and get better at.”
Those are not easy pieces to acquire in an admittedly thin free agency crop this summer, where teams are trying to get the jump on signing players by trading for their rights with their current teams, a bold move that Carolina made with D-man John Carlson a few days ago that has not turned into a completed contract at this point.
Expect the Black and Gold to be very interested in the 36-year-old that posted 14 goals and 60 points last season for the Capitals and Ducks and would be looking for a short-term deal for bigger money ($10 million per season) for an East Coast landing spot with legit Stanley Cup chances. Carlson would be a perfect fit for the Bruins as an experienced puck-moving D-man with power play quarterback expertise that would be a good complement to what Boston already has.
There are still intriguing names on the trade market as Zach Werenski doesn’t seem to be happy in Columbus with the Blue Jackets, and Darnell Nurse is another player that might come at a bargain discount with the Edmonton Oilers looking to unload his contract while footing part of the bill.
For a player like Carlson or Werenski, the Bruins will be looking to move a veteran player to create cap space. Expect Mason Lohrei’s name to be in play along with Casey Mittelstadt or even Joonas Korpisalo as the Bruins will need to create some cap space elbow room if they want to land a really big fish after taking on Peterka’s nearly $8 million per season contract in the deal with Utah.
“Speed and skill. He’s got an elite shot. He probably gives us another option at the elbows on the power play. His power-play time dipped last year, but his five-on-five production was really good,” said Sweeney of Peterka. “He plays both wings and can play with a couple of different kinds of centers. He can drive a line or complement it if he’s playing with one of the better guys [at the center position].
“We’re certainly trying to improve [our roster]. We acknowledge that we’re a competitive group and our guys did a really good job last year, but we’re trying to get deeper, add more speed and adding speed is something that we needed to continue to address with our younger players, and externally [from outside our organization] if we can recognize situations where it’s available.”
The other part to that equation, though, is on the forward side where Sweeney wouldn’t shut the door on re-signing Victor Arvidsson even after the trade for Peterka, a younger, faster wing that should be looked at as an upgrade if he becomes a second-line replacement on the wing. The Bruins have reportedly made offers to Arvidsson on a two-year, $10 million contract to keep him in Boston, but the scrappy 34-year-old is likely to get more than that in free agency coming off a rebound 25-goal campaign that saw him become an important figure in Boston’s return to the playoffs.
“The cap starts to become a little challenge if we’re going to add anywhere else,” said Sweeney after adding Peterka, which leaves the B’s with a little under $8 million in salary cap space. “I may have to look at moving something else, but I would not say that we are categorically out [on Viktor Arvidsson].
“We’re trying to add the best players we can. Whether it’s free agency or if it’s the player movement side of things to fill the holes, we still have work to do over the next few days. Improving the team is our priority. We have to continue to get better whether it’s internal growth…we can leave as is, but that’s not how we’re wired and how we’re built as we continue to look to improve in all areas.”
It may be that the Bruins are also done on the major upgrade front when it comes to the forward area for next season, with 21-year-old Fraser Minten and 23-year-old Marat Khusnutdinov emerging last season, and 19-year-old James Hagens pushing this coming season with Dean Loutoureau and Will Zellers right behind him. But one would expect to see a capable top 4 defenseman walking through that Black and Gold door on July 1, so the Bruins aren’t forced into giving a great AHL success story like Jonathan Aspirot top-pair minutes next to McAvoy next season in a really tough position against the best hockey players in the world.