By: Jack Gotsell | Follow me on Twitter @jackgotsell
The Bruins are still in need of a top-six winger after the addition of Ondrej Kase did not quite go as planned. At the deadline, the Bruins kicked the tires on Kyle Palmeri and this offseason Boston will kick the tires again. Could Palmeri be a Bruin and would it make sense?
First, we have to start with what would it take to get Palmeri? Palmeri has only one year left on his deal and he would be a rental who is most likely going to look to cash in on his next contract. The price would likely be the Bruins top defensive prospect Urho Vaakanainen and a 2021 first-round pick. This is a steep price when you consider the Bruins would go three seasons without making a first-round selection.
Palmeri is 29-years-old and had 25 goals, 20 assists, and 45 points in 65 games last season. He would be the finisher that Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci need on the second line to give the Bruins secondary scoring. This would leave a line of Anders Bjork, Charlie Coyle, and Kase as the third line which would be one of the best third lines in the NHL.
If you make this trade happen and buyout Nick Ritchie, the Bruins are left with just over $4.6 million dollars of cap space to still sign a left-shot defenseman. This is if you sign Debrusk on a bridge deal for four million and Matt Grzelcyk on a deal with a $3.5 million dollar cap hit. This is why Palmeri is the perfect player to go after. He comes at a cheap price for his production with a cap hit of $4.65 million dollars.
If injuries happen which they always do you call up Jack Studnicka to fill in a top-nine role and Trent Frederic to fill in on the fourth line if an injury happens there. This is an ideal scenario for the Bruins being able to replace Torey Krug with a defenseman with $4.6 million dollars of cap or around three million dollars if you decide to bring back Zdeno Chara for one last run. If we can make these deals Matt Borowiecki, an assistant captain for the Ottawa Senators, is going to hit the free agency market and could be the perfect piece to replace Krug on the second pair while providing additional leadership in the Bruins locker room.
Palmeri is a consistent 20-plus goal-scorer who has been on a contending team only once in his nine consecutive NHL seasons playing over 20 games a season. With line-mates like DeBrusk and Krejci, it could really spark Palmeri’s offense and allow him to have the stats most NHL fans think he’s capable of putting up. This line would be your true power forward, playmaker, and finisher line that Bruins fans have been clamoring for.
Giving away your first-round pick three years in a row is not something any NHL team wants to do. However, if this is the last year for this nucleus before the window closes it may be the answer to fill the voids and stay under the cap. Palmeri may be the Bruins all-in move if they are to succeed in bringing a parade and a cup back to Boston. Before we start the engines on the Duck boats Palmeri has to not sign an extension and the Bruins need to be the front of the line to make a competitive offer for his services.
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