Do Bruins need to get younger?
Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston: Believe that the Boston Bruins Stanley Cup window is now closed under their current roster makeup. Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Brad Marchand range from 32 to 43 years old.
They need to get younger, faster and deeper.
“The reality is, as every team gets a year older, there is an effect on the team,” Cassidy said. “And for us, I think every summer Donny would tell you, when we sit down and go over our team, we’re always trying to get to be bigger, faster, stronger, better. That’s just the way it is. Does that mean moving out younger guys, older guys, middle of the road guys? There is always that discussion. We’ll have that again. I’m not trying to evade your question. A couple of the older guys, a couple of the core guys are free agents. There’s a decision to be made by the player and by management. It’s not only on management. How do you supplement a core that’s got another year on them?”
Chara is a pending UFA and if he wants to come back on a one-year deal at a ‘low salary’ to be on the third pairing, that is okay.
Defenseman Torey Krug could be looking at $8 million, which the Bruins may not be able to do if they want to improve in other areas.
Can the Maple Leafs find a better, cheaper replacement for Andersen?
Luke Fox of Sportsnet: The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting trade inquiries for goaltender Frederik Andersen.
The Leafs must have an idea of what Andersen will be looking for when his contract expires after next season. It won’t be easy for the Leafs given the flat salary cap and forward Zach Hyman also needing a new deal.
So if the Maple Leafs don’t see Andersen in their long-term future, it makes sense to move him now.
Potential teams looking for a goaltender that have the assets/defensemen include the Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, Calgary Flames and Buffalo Sabres.
One thing the Maple Leafs should also keep in mind is that will they be able to get another goaltender who is better than Andersen at $5 million or less?
Pending UFAs Robin Lehner and Jacob Markstrom would be expensive. Corey Crawford has injuries concerns. Alexandar Georgiev isn’t a sure thing and Matt Murray has been inconsistent lately.
Arizona Coyotes Darcy Kuemper at $4.5 million is intriguing.