Five players Bruins should target to improve roster
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2022 NHL free agents: Five players Bruins should target originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins enter the 2022 NHL offseason without much salary cap space, but there are ways to create more room for free agency.
The Bruins have about $2.38 million in cap space right now. They also need to sign Patrice Bergeron, who reportedly has decided to return, likely on a one-year contract.
The list of B’s players who have had offseason surgeries is a long one. Boston could free up cap space by putting some of them, including Brad Marchand or Charlie McAvoy, on long-term injured reserve (LTIR). However, the Bruins would need to be cap compliant when those players return at some point in the first half of the regular season.
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The Bruins also could create cap space by trading away a defensemen. They currently have eight d-men signed to NHL contracts, including five or six who play the left side. Trading away a veteran forward like Nick Foligno, Craig Smith or even Jake DeBrusk would open up $3-plus million in room, too.
It’s unlikely the Bruins will be major players in free agency, but given the options they have to generate cap space, it would be wrong to totally give up on the idea of them adding a player on the open market.
Let’s look at five players the Bruins should seriously consider signing in free agency this summer.
Nazem Kadri
Position: C
Age: 31
2021-22 Stats: 28 G, 59 A in 71 GP
Kadri has a history with the Bruins. He was suspended for the last five games of the 2019 first-round playoff series between the Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs after the veteran center cross checked Jake DeBrusk in the head during Game 2.
But that incident was three years ago, and while Kadri still plays on the edge, he doesn’t go over the line as much as he did in the past. Kadri also has blossomed into a fantastic offensive player. He posted a career-high 87 points (28 goals, 58 assists) in 71 games for the…
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Source : yahoo
