B's Offseason Set to Shift into Full Gear

BostonBruins.com - Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has plenty on his plate this week as the NHL's most unusual offseason shifts into full gear, starting with the NHL Entry Draft on Tuesday night. Boston, however, is without a first-round pick this year, leading to most of the attention during Sweeney's pre-Draft availability on Monday morning to be focused on the team's bevy of free agents, including Zdeno Chara, Torey Krug, and Joakim Nordstrom, all of whom are set to become unrestricted on Friday afternoon.

Zdeno Chara
Sweeney said he has met with Chara and will continue to communicate with Boston's captain and his agent, Matt Keator. The 43-year-old has expressed a strong interest to return for his 15th season in Black & Gold, saying last month that he wants "stay in Boston…I want to be a Boston Bruin."
"We've just had really broad-based discussions on everything," Sweeney said when asked if an altered role has been discussed with Chara. "Not really going to leave any stone unturned in terms of where are we. We've looked at that as part of our roster assessment and making sure we communicate effectively with a very important part and leader of our hockey club."
Torey Krug
Sweeney did not seem as optimistic with the negotiations surrounding Torey Krug, who has spent his entire nine-year professional career with the Bruins. He went on to note that there was no bitterness between the two sides and did not rule out a return for the 29-year-old blue liner, who is the club's all-time leading scorer among American-born players.
"We haven't had any progress as far as Torey," said Sweeney. "There's no animosity whatsoever in this situation with this player. Every team has sticky deals and trying to thread the needle so to speak in this day and age with the salary cap and competitive environment that we're all in and trying to win. Those things collide."
Sweeney also did not rule out the possibility of trading Krug's negotiating rights before the opening of free agency on Friday afternoon.
"We'd consider anything at this point in time, including the fact that several free agents have gone and tested the market and come back to the same place that they were at, and it's something we would also consider," said Sweeney. "There's no way in hell you're going to change my opinion of what I think Torey has the right to do and I believe that. So, he's put himself in a great position either with us or with other teams that have interest in him. I'll listen to any situation that might improve our hockey club and move forward from there if it plays out that way."
Joakim Nordstrom
Sweeney revealed that he has told Joakim Nordstrom and agent J.P. Barry that he will not be "aggressive in trying to sign him for the short term." The winger was an important piece to Boston's fourth line over the past two seasons after signing a two-year, $2 million deal with the club in July 2018.
Nordstrom compiled 11 goals and 19 points in 118 games for the Bruins, while also showing off his patented grit and shot-blocking prowess on the penalty kill.
"We've had a talk with Joakim Nordstrom that it may be challenging for us [to re-sign him], have had good communication with J.P. on that front," said Sweeney. "But I made sure that I spoke with him…it didn't mean we wouldn't consider it, but I wanted to make sure he had an early heads up."

Ritchie, Gaunce Will Be UFAs

Sweeney also confirmed that restricted free agent forwards Brett Ritchie and Brendan Gaunce will not be tendered qualifying offers making them unrestricted. Ritchie had two goals and six points in 27 games for the Bruins, while Gaunce - who spent most of the season in Providence - picked up an assist in his lone contest with the big club.
According to The Boston Globe, Sweeney said later on Monday morning that RFA defenseman Wiley Sherman will also not be tendered a qualifying offer. The 25-year-old Harvard alum was drafted by the Bruins in the fifth round in 2013 and spent the last two-plus seasons with Providence.
Boston's other free agents this offseason include Kevan Miller (UFA), Alex Petrovic (UFA), Max Lagace (UFA), Ryan Fitzgerald (UFA), Jake DeBrusk (RFA), Karson Kuhlman (RFA), Matt Grzelcyk (RFA), Zach Senyshyn (RFA), and Jakub Zboril (RFA). Sweeney was not asked specifically about any of those negotiations.
"We're trying to assess where our current RFAs are and where they fall and then how aggressive to be in the open marketplace or to stand back and wait to see if other teams need to do things accordingly and react," said Sweeney. "I think we're in a decent position that way. We have some flexibility, we're not tight in some of those situations. And we've got to make some hard decisions. I think every club in the league has to make hard decisions in that regard.
"The element of the unknown is certainly a factor here in terms of what our season moving forward is going to look like, and there's probably only a few people in our business that have maybe the most knowledge to be able to help you, but I might not be one of them in that regard. We're all trying to gather the same information and how we're going to look moving forward. But my job is to try to improve this hockey club and that's what we're trying to do both through the draft or through free agency or through acquisition."

No Changes on Rask

Sweeney downplayed the trade rumors swirling around ace netminder Tuukka Rask, saying, "our staff has communicated with Tuukka…he remains a big part of our roster planning going forward - because, I think by my knowledge, he was second in the Vezina balloting - and we feel very, very comfortable with where our goaltending is at."
Sweeney would not confirm the details of Rask's no trade clause, noting that he would like to respect the privacy of the goalie's contractual situation, which expires at the end of the upcoming season.
"I don't think it's my responsibility to confirm what is in a player's contract," said Sweeney. "Again, in player movement, player talks, I hope that everyone will respect the privacy of each and every one of those conversations.
"I do acknowledge it certainly helps [reporters'] jobs, so I'm certainly not trying to make it any more challenging than it is. As a former player, I think everybody should understand why I try to respect the privacy of each and every one of those contractual situations."
With such uncertainty surrounding the 2020-21 campaign and the likelihood of a condensed schedule in some fashion, goaltending depth will be crucial, which Sweeney stressed while acknowledging Rask's importance to the club.
"I think there are a lot of things that are up in the air, but it could be a challenging environment from a season standpoint," said Sweeney. "Might make goaltending even more a big part of what you have to have going forward."
With Rask and Jaroslav Halak both set to become unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2021 and another expansion draft on the horizon, Sweeney said the team will face some "unique challenges" at the position moving forward. Daniel Vladar, Jeremy Swayman, and Kyle Keyser - all under the age of 23 - are expected to battle for playing time in Providence when the American Hockey League season commences.
"I think we'll consider everything," said Sweeney. "You acquire players, where we go with both our current goaltenders moving forward, whether we decide to extend either one of them - a lot of different factors involved. Looking forward to where the development of our young goaltenders are. And roster planning associated with who might be on the horizon a year from now. Those are a lot of variables that you might not have complete answers on.
"But again, you could make one acquisition and think you're in a great spot and all of a sudden you decide to extend and you've got expansion issues. So, there are a lot of variables in play that we're going to try and take into full account and make the decisions.
"We feel great about where our goaltending is at and we've got some young kids that don't have any NHL experience but have a bright future in front of them."

Some Are Untouchable

While he did not disclose any players specifically, Sweeney did say there are some "untouchables" on the Bruins roster that he would not consider trading.
"I think it's pretty apparent in terms of who we don't want to be trading away," said Sweeney. "In some cases, they would control that. But, yes, there are. Teams ask, and again, this is an interesting time for all teams to be having discussions, in a private manner. I know certain names and people, things, make their way into the headlines.
"But again, it's a time where you have to be listening as much as talking in these situations to get an evaluation of where you may be able to look to improve your hockey club. There are a few players that we are not going to consider trading."
Sweeney did say that there has been a "tremendous amount of conversation" around the NHL, particularly when it comes to the uncertain financial standing of so many teams given the COVID-19 pandemic and the league's lengthy shutdown.
"Obviously some teams have acquired some players because they have a lot of flexibility and some teams are in a very good position in controlling especially early in the draft board, so there's been a lot of jockeying, a lot of conversation," said Sweeney. "I don't necessarily know whether or not anything is moving forward at a rapid pace but it's not without trying on everybody's behalf to see what teams are looking to do. There's just been a lot of conversation throughout."