On the Boston Bruins …
Joe Haggerty of CSNNE: Bruins GM Don Sweeney on areas they’d like to improve on this offseason.
“middle of the lineup, transition-minded defensemen and the backup goaltender position.”
More specifically Sweeney needs to find a left winger to play with David Krejci, to revamp their third line, a puck moving defenseman and a dependable backup.
Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: GM Don Sweeney admits the Bruins need to get deeper and add more talent.
“We need to be a deeper, more talented team,” said Sweeney at TD Garden Thursday, repeating the observation made by pro scout Adam Creighton at the trade deadline. “That’s the bottom line. The onus is right here in this chair.”
Sweeney is at crossroads with pending RFA and arbitration eligible Ryan Spooner. If he can be their No. 3 center, he might require a raise, though may not deserve one.
“To be determined,” said Sweeney when asked if Spooner is in the team’s future. “We’ll look at our roster and what our options are. He has options as well as an RFA. We’ll have discussions with his representatives and see where there’s a fit.
“Ryan struggled down the stretch. Had a nice bump at first when Bruce took over. The familiarity probably helped. Offensively, it tailed off.”
Joe Haggerty of CSSNE: Forward Drew Stafford when asked if he’d like to re-sign with the Bruins before the start of free agency.
“Absolutely. If there’s any kind of a chance , I would definitely be into it. I know my wife wasn’t able to make it out here, but we had talked about it a little bit as a possibility,” said Stafford. “If they feel like it could be a good fit then we’ll cross that bridge moving forward. The business side of it kind of works itself out, but personally I loved my experience here and it would be great. We’ll see what happens.”
Stafford would have to take less than the deal that is expiring – two years, $8.7 million.