From Fluto Shinwaza of the Boston Globe:
Once he locked in Michael Ryder to a three-year, $12 million contract on the first day of free agency, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli acknowledged his days as a buyer this summer might be finished.
Such is reality when you’re up against the salary cap.
The Bruins have 23 players under contract for a cap hit of $54.3 million. That number will be tweaked by the start of the 2008-09 season when bubble players get assigned to Providence (possibilities include Petteri Nokelainen and Vladimir Sobotka), youngsters like Matt Lashoff and Matt Hunwick challenge for NHL duty, Chiarelli deals a player or two, or buyouts take place if Dennis Wideman’s contract is settled via arbitration.
Read the entire article here.
The Bruins are hoping Patrice Bergeron will be healthy and ready for the 2008/09 season. If that is the case, then the team will have essentially added two players (Bergeron, Ryder) capable of scoring 25-30 goals to their roster from last season.
