Bruins Hit Sweet Spot In NHL Free Agnecy With Deals Sweeney Didn’t Make.
Even before NHL free agency officially opened this offseason, the Boston Bruins had their sights zeroed in on two targets.
Soon after the clocks struck noon on July 1, the Bruins announced that they agreed to terms with center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov, addressing a pair of key needs early on.
“We checked off a lot of boxes with two key components,” said Bruins general manager Don Sweeney following the signings. “We feel they will internally increase our competition.”
By looking at the contract figures alone, it’s easy to tell how interested the Bruins were in adding Lindholm and Zadorov.
Lindholm will earn $54.25 million over the next seven years as Boston’s top centerman. While his deal is the largest free-agent contract in Bruins history, it’s also two years longer and worth $20 million more than he was projected to sign for this offseason, according to AFP Analytics. Zadorov was also paid handsomely, agreeing to a six-year deal worth a total of $30 million, which was one year longer but also slightly cheaper than anticipated.
The contracts are a heavy investment made by Sweeney, but only time will tell if they are worth it. On the one hand, it was an absolute necessity for the Bruins to bring in a front-line center and add some heft on the back end this summer. However, both Lindholm and Zadorov are coming off down years last season and are about to hit the age of 30.
But as much as all general managers are evaluated on the moves they do make, equal weight is given to the ones they don’t.
Although the Bruins identified Lindholm and Zadorov early on, they weren’t the only ones available this summer who fit their needs as similar players signed elsewhere.
Aside from Lindholm, there were two other centers of comparable age, ability and career performance that were potential fits for the Bruins in Sean Monahan and Chandler Stephenson.
Monahan and Lindholm were taken with consecutive picks at the top of the 2013 draft, but neither has turned into a true franchise player. Instead, both are more so strong second-line centers rather than bonafide number ones like others in their draft class, such as Nathan MacKinnon or Aleksander Barkov.
Nevertheless, the two share similar skill sets as 200-foot skaters with capabilities as playmakers and penalty-killers. However, Lindholm signed a much larger deal in free agency than Monahan, who is joining the Columbus Blue Jackets on a five-year, $27.5 million contract.
Monahan’s lengthy injury history was likely a factor in his negotiations. Even still, his deal in Columbus is in line with what he was expected to earn on the open market.
Meanwhile, like Lindholm, Stephenson also agreed to a seven-year deal. He’ll make $43.75 million playing for the Seattle Krake on a contract that is two years longer and nearly $16 million more than what he was projected to receive.
Boston may be paying Lindholm more than Seattle is Stephenson, but it’s at least justified that Lindholm has been the better player historically. In fact, Stephenson’s deal in Seattle is under such scrutiny that Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic is calling it the second-worst contract in the entire NHL.
So it seems that while the Bruins overpaid for Lindholm, they hit the sweet spot negotiating his deal compared to the rest of the market and appeared to do the same with Zadorov.
In need of added size and physicality on their back end, the Bruins found the ideal fit in Zadorov. However, they could’ve had a significantly cheaper option if they chose to pursue Brenden Dillon, who will play for the New Jersey Devils for the next three years, earning $12 million. At the other end of the spectrum, the Bruins could’ve had Brady Skjei if they were willing to offer him the seven-year, $49 million contract he received from the Nashville Predators.
Albeit, while Dillon is significantly cheaper and Skjei possesses more of an offensive upside, Zadorov provides a healthy balance by satisfying the Bruins’ needs without forcing them to pick between on-ice ability or financial flexibility.
“The presence that [Zadorov] brings is important to us,” Sweeney said. “Playing a lot of top-four minutes in the playoffs against top guys, he comes with a bit of swagger, he has certainly seen his game grow and probably get a little more defined in terms of what he’s capable of doing.”
Following the signings of Lindhom, Zadorov, and several other players this offseason, the Bruins have a projected $8.36 million in remaining cap space, according to Puckpedia.
With Jeremy Swayman still in need of a new contract, it’s not a lot for the Bruins to work, but it maybe just enough.
