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Bruins NHL Trade, UFA Chatter: Krejci, Rask Updates; Flyers Sign Yandle

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The NHL trade and free agent markets continued to buzz with chatter and action on the eve of NHL free agency. Unfortunately, for the Boston Bruins and their fans, the Bruins remained part of the chatter and none of the action.

The Bruins remain involved in multiple NHL trade and free agent talks and we will get to that in a bit, but first, let’s discuss the latest on two current Bruins who can become unrestricted free agents tomorrow. Things have been eerily quiet on the David Krejci and Tuukka Rask fronts but early Friday afternoon, Kirk Luedeke of the New England Hockey Journal, reported that the Bruins and the 35-year-old center, who has spent his entire career with the Bruins, were working on a contract to keep Krejci in Black and Gold.

If true, and considering Luedeke’s longstanding ties to the Bruins scouting department, we have no doubts it is, the dominoes could begin to fall on what the 2020-21 Boston Bruins roster will look like. The Bruins have been rumored to be interested in longtime Anaheim Ducks center Ryan Getzlaf, who can also become a UFA tomorrow, as well as Nashville Predators center Ryan Johansen. If Krejci signs, one would imagine, that could change as they will still have their longtime second-line center. Stay tuned!

Now onto Rask. Well, there’s really not much to report here and one can take that as a good or bad sign when it comes to Rask’s future with the Bruins. BHN emailed Rask’s agent for an update Tuesday morning and this was his reply:

“Nothing really.”

Rask is set to have hip surgery very soon and neither he nor the Bruins have given any indication of what will happen next. One thing that is for sure is that Rask has a long rehab ahead of him and that’s why the Bruins remain in the hunt for a veteran NHL goalie on the NHL trade and free agent markets. As reported by our newest member to the National Hockey Now Network, Vancouver Hockey Now, one goalie the Bruins have interest in, Braden Holtby was bought out by the Canucks Tuesday and is now an unrestricted free agent. Sources continued to indicate that the Bruins are also staying in touch with the Arizona Coyotes on goalie Darcy Kuemper.

The long-running ‘Keith Yandle to the Bruins’ rumors will remain just that, rumors. In fact, it may be time to squash those rumors once and for all because it appears the Bruins were lukewarm at best when it came to signing the Milton, MA native. As Frank Seravalli first reported, Yandle signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday.

According to numerous sources, much like they wouldn’t with former captain Zdeno Chara, the Bruins weren’t willing to promise the 34-year-old Yandle a regular role. Yandle was looking for a regular role 5-on-5 and on the powerplay, and the promise of that if he signed with the Flyers, along with his close relationship with Dorchester, MA native Kevin Hayes, is why Yandle will be a Flyer this coming season.

It has been reported here numerous times here, that the Bruins and Yandle have shared a mutual interest in each other over the years, but something BHN learned Tuesday could prove otherwise. According to two NHL sources, just prior to last season, the Boston Bruins had an NHL trade offer from an undisclosed team offering a defenseman swap involving Bruins defenseman John Moore on the table but the Bruins bailed at the last minute. That team was willing to assume the remaining annual salary cap hit ($2.7 million), left on Moore’s contract, and absorb part of the remaining cap hit left on the defenseman the Bruins could’ve acquired. According to one source, who would not reveal the team and player, that cap hit of the defenseman in question was ‘much higher’ than Moore’s.

Hmmm, Yandle’s cap hit before he was bought out by the Florida Panthers earlier this month was $6.3 million. Again, this is pure speculation here, but if that team was the Florida Panthers and Yandle was the player coming back to the Bruins, one has to wonder if the Bruins ever really wanted to bring Yandle home. Maybe all along, it was simply interest and a good story that never got the ending Yandle, his family and friends and plenty of Bruins fans wanted?

 

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