Bruins Offseason Checklist

There are very few times where a Stanley Cup champion is left with very flexible cap space. The 2011-2012 Bruins will have the luxury to do as they please this summer. First, let's address their primary needs.

Resign Marchand.
No brainer. Hopefully, Chiarelli is a little tougher with his extensions than he was handing them out a few years ago. Please, nothing over 3.5 million. Even that is stretching it to me.

Puck Moving Defenseman has become such a cliche that the trade deadline almost became unbearable. People forget that if Lidstrom scored single digits, he would still be an elite defenseman. What the Bruins need to replace Kaberle is another overall solid defenseman with puck skills. A defenseman who can bang the puck up to our forwards, and make crisp passes and good decisions on the power play. If Tomas Kaberle wants to keep his black and gold #12 jersey another season, you can bet there will be a big paycut. He definitely fell victim to the "Savior of the powerplay" burden. The first thing Cam Neely should do is hook up Tomas with Dennis Wideman's number. Maybe they can hug it out and talk about how that responsibility to live up to crushed them both.

Replacing Mark Recchi.
This is a layered need. If Ryder is willing to take a paycut, it appears everything will fall into place. The fourth line can stay intact, other than that the only sure thing is that Bergeron and the Nose Face Killah will stay paired. Replacing Recchi will be a tough call, since Kelly & Peverley showed so much chemistry along with Seguin and Ryder. Seguin out of pure talent alone should get the nod to get the most playing time on the second line, being his job to lose. Most likely that slot will go to either him or Peverley. If Ryder choses to go elsewhere, this void will have to be filled. My personal choice, and I have been called out for having a pants tent over this guy, is Brooks Laich from Washington. Very responsible defensively, with hands, size, and versatility.

The 2011 NHL Draft is knee deep with defensive talent. Most mock drafts have Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Murphy and Duncan Seimens interchangeable at the 7-8-9 slots. I believe Seimens is the second best overall defenseman in the entire draft however. He seems to already "get" the big picture of the position, and possesses the talent for his offense to come out. Murphy may not be too small to be an effective NHL defenseman, however it is a brutal position, just ask undersized Ferrence who other than this year has spent quite a bit of time injured.

Things you should not sleep on:

-Trading the 9th pick. The bruins are young, in win now mode and have plenty of money to burn this summer. This is the type of pick that just landed Columbus Jeff Carter, so watch out.

-Trading Peverly. He did not do what he does best in Boston. He had a few good playoff games but was also invisible in some. Him and the Leafs pick would land something phenominal.

-Making a blockbuster move on an RFA. This is very un-Bruins like, but you have to believe the Bruins think they can win a few more with this team and a little more talent. Crosby & Malkin won't be hurt every year.

-On the opposite end of making a blockuster move, don't be surprised if the Bruins stand pat with what they have. Resigning Kaberle and Ryder could possibly come fairly cheap. If it does, the Bruins will have some serious wiggle room come trade deadline.

-Marc Savard announcing his retirement.

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