How Will the Boston Bruins Replace Patrice Bergeron?

It won’t be easy for the Boston Bruins to replace retired captain Patrice Bergeron. Winner of the Selke Trophy for a record six times, his departure leaves a big hole at center that they’ll struggle to fill going forward. NBC Sports Boston’s Nick Goss looked at their internal options, suggesting Charlie Coyle centering Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk on the top line. That would leave Pavel Zacha on the second line with all-star scorer David Pastrnak should David Krejci follow Bergeron into retirement. More suitable options might be found in the trade market. Goss suggested Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames and Mark Scheifele of the Winnipeg Jets. Eligible to become UFAs next July, both centers are reportedly reluctant to sign contract extensions with their current clubs.

Goss believes Lindholm, 28, is the better fit. He cited the Flames center’s all-around skills, plus he’s two years younger than Scheifele. Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald shares Goss’ opinion of Lindholm and Scheifele. He also looked at which players the Bruins might draw on for trade bait. Conroy wondered if the Bruins might break up their goalie tandem by shopping 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman, a co-holder of the 2023 William M. Jennings Trophy with Ullmark. Swayman, 24, could be the easiest to move. He’s currently filed for salary arbitration, but a new contract will be more affordable than Ullmark and lack no-trade protection if it goes to the hearing. Like Lindholm and Scheifele, DeBrusk and defensemen Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort are eligible for UFA status next summer. Only Forbort carries a modified no-trade clause. The Bruins could package Swayman or DeBrusk along with Grzelcyk or Forbort and perhaps a draft pick or promising prospect for Lindholm or Scheifele. Whether that’s enough to outbid other interested clubs is another matter.

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It’s time once again for another edition of NHL rumours. We’re deep into the off-season and the month of August is almost upon us. However, there are still some NHL rumours to talk about. Arbitration hearings are being held and some decisions have already been made. That may have an impact on what some teams do as we close in on the start of training camps in September. Today’s NHL rumours focus on the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings.

Analysis: It looks like Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha are going to be the top-two centres with Bergeron’s departure. David Krejci remains unsigned, but it’s uncertain if he’s going to come back. The battle for the centre spots will likely come down to Morgan Geekie, Jesper Boqvist and Patrick Brown if no acquisitions are made.

However, the Bruins could be in the market to shore up their ranks down the middle. Boston does have some assets to move if they want to do something. Conroy speculates that Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman could be traded to give the Bruins some cap space. The Bruins will need that space. However, it’s going to be tough to decide who to trade. Ullmark has two years at $5 million per season, but a 16-team no-trade clause. Swayman will have his arbitration case decided on Sunday, but a contract could be signed.

Jake DeBrusk could also be offloaded with his $4 million cap hit coming off the books. Other players like Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort could be tossed into any potential deal. Conroy said in the article that Elias Lindholm and Mark Scheifele are potential targets, but the Bruins would have to clear space.

Analysis: Both Raymond and Moritz Seider are eligible for contract extensions as both are in the final year of their entry-level contracts. A previous NHL rumours edition looked into a Seider extension. However, Bultman said there’s no hurry to make a deal for both players at this time.

Our previous article on Seider said that he’s more likely to get a long-term contract than Raymond. Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman could give Seider a longer deal a la like he did with players when he ran the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Raymond is a potential breakout candidate for the Red Wings this season. However, he may get a bridge deal to prove that he can do it for more than one season. The young Swede could take the next step up, but Yzerman wants to see if it’s going to more than one season of production. A strong season may sway Detroit to give Raymond more than a couple seasons in his next contract.