Maybe this is what the Bruins and GM Don Sweeney have been waiting for to finally re-sign their captain. NHL teams now have some financial clarity for the future.
In case you missed it, the NHL and NHLPA on Friday released their salary cap projections and it’s good news for teams that are bumping up against the cap. It is expected to rise precipitously.
Next season, the cap is expected to go up from this year’s $88 million upper limit to $95.5 million; in 2026-27 up to $104 million; and then in 2027-28 it’s $113.5 million. The second two years could possibly go even higher.
Not a bad hike.
How much it would cost to re-sign Brad Marchand is a matter of conjecture but one analytics website that delves into such things, AFP Analytics, had his next deal pegged at three years at just under $7.8 million.
If it were not for the cap hike, one could argue that that kind of deal – if that’s what Marchand would even be looking for – is a little too much for a player who’ll be 37 in May, especially for a team that very well could be doing a retool with the hopes of being in the mix again as early as next season.
But with this bump? It seems from here to be a no-brainer to get Marchand in the fold.
Next season, they have approximately $71 million dedicated to 14 players who are on the roster right now. They do have to fill out the roster. RFA Mason Lohrei has to be re-signed and fellow RFA Morgan Geekie is making a good case for himself as well. But there should be enough for Marchand. By the third year with a cap of $113.5 million, any Marchand deal would seem like a relative pittance.
It surely looks like the B’s are headed for a modified sell-off, as most teams with a minus-29 goal differential usually are.
But Marchand is not just any player. He is your captain, one that that has been working on a team-friendly eight-year deal worth $6.125 million a season. He has bled Black and Gold his entire career and, despite the appearance that the current team is not as cohesive as in year’s past, that’s not on Marchand. Simply put, most of the offseason moves have not paid off like management thought they would.
While we are not privy to all the behind-the-scenes machinations of the dressing room, to these eyes Marchand has been a good leader and said the right things. When the Bruins lose, he’s front and center after the game. When they win, he usually lets others bask in the good vibes. Does he take the odd penalty that you’d rather he not take? Of course. But he always did. He wasn’t about to become a Lady Byng candidate just because the “C” was put on his jersey. It’s the on-the-edge competitiveness that made him the player he’s been. No. 63 should hang from the Garden rafters some day.
Is he the same player he was at 28, when he was one of the best wings in the NHL? No. His body has been through a lot the last few years. But he’s still second in scoring on this team with 19-21-40.
More importantly, he’s a link to the B’s most recent run of success that saw them win a Stanley Cup in 2011 and make two more runs to the Final in ‘13 and ‘19. That would be a lot of institutional knowledge about the culture that the club talks about so much going out the door. And for what? A second-round pick and maybe a young JAG (just another guy)?
Now, if the losing gets to be too much and he asks management for a trade to a contender, then fine, accommodate him. But all indications are that he’d like nothing better than to be a Bruin for life.
It’s time to make that happen.
And who knows? Maybe giving your emotional leader a little more clarity about his future could help the overall product, too. …
Mark Kastelic has been a full participant in practice and was very happy about how he was feeling, but he won’t be playing against the Rangers. Kastelic had suffered a head injury on Jan. 9 and missed two game before returning against his old team, the Ottawa Senators. But in the next game, he took a reverse hit from Macklin Celebrini on Jan. 20 and he’s been out since then.
Was there a feeling he came back too early?
“It’s hard to say. It’ a weird injury,” said Kastelic. “You never know if you’re overthinking things. You think you’re feeling good and maybe you’re not as good as you’re trying to tell yourself you feel. But it’s a hard to say. All that matters is I feel 100 percent right now, which is great.” …
Hampus Lindholm had a scheduled off day in his rehab from his knee injury. Coach Joe Sacco said there’s still no timetable.
