The Boston Bruins are desperate for salary cap space, and according to multiple reports, the front office is working the phone lines in search of deals that will give the Original Six franchise some additional roster flexibility.
The Bruins currently have just under $5 million in salary cap space, per CapFriendly. That's a very small amount, especially when you consider the fact that Boston has more than 10 of its own players eligible for unrestricted or restricted free agency this summer. The Bruins' list of free agents includes some pretty important players, such as Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Tyler Bertuzzi, Trent Frederic, Dmitry Orlov and Jeremy Swayman.
The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa reported Wednesday that "general manager Don Sweeney and assistant GM Evan Gold have been pounding the phones in pursuit of deals, according to multiple team sources who have communicated with the executives. At this time, the Bruins bosses have one priority: cap flexibility."
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There have been reports that the Bruins want to keep Tyler Bertuzzi, which makes a lot of sense. He was a tremendous fit in Boston after the team acquired him from the Detroit Red Wings one day before the trade deadline in March. Bertuzzi tied for the team lead with 10 points during the first round playoff series loss against the Florida Panthers.
Another trade deadline acquisition the Bruins would like to re-sign is Garnet Hathaway, per Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
"We've talked about how Boston would like to keep Bertuzzi. I think they'd also like to keep (Garnet) Hathaway," Friedman said on Wednesday's episode of the "32 Thoughts" podcast. "That's another guy I think they really want to keep. I've heard Sweeney is burning up the phone lines. I think he's got some interesting stuff going on."
Which players could the Bruins trade to free up salary cap space?
Taylor Hall is one option. The veteran left wing has a $6 million cap hit for two more seasons. Veteran defenseman Derek Forbort ($3 million cap hit) and Matt Grzelcyk ($3.68 million cap hit) are entering the final year of their contracts. Linus Ullmark, who will likely win the Vezina Trophy next week, is another potential trade candidate. The team's No. 1 goalie has a $5 million cap hit for two more seasons. The no-movement clause in his contract becomes a no-trade clause on July 1.
Buyouts are another way for the Bruins to create cap space. Veteran defenseman Mike Reilly is a candidate to be bought out.
There aren't a ton of teams with cap space, so making trades won't be easy, but Sweeney has to do something to give the Bruins more cap flexibility so they can put together a quality roster for next season. That means making some really tough, but necessary choices.