Soderberg's upside and the B's future at center...

[PlayMakers]

The Bruins are certainly in a tough spot cap-wise this year. So much so, that it's going to be hard to ice a team as good as the one that finished last season. Making matters more complicated, are the futures of David Krejci and Carl Soderberg. Both of these guys are schedule to be UFA's in 12 months. Krejci has proven himself an excellent 1b center in this league and will probably command a deal in the $7-8m range. Soderberg put up ~50 points this year while playing just 14 minutes a game. If he puts up 50-60 this year, he's going to get $5m+ on the open market as well. That leads me to ask a couple questions...

What is Soderberg's upside? Could he be a #1 center?

Are the Bruins going to tie up ~$20m in centers with Krejci at $7.5, Bergeron at $6.5 and Soderberg at $5.5? Would Soderberg even be content with a 3rd line role?

Click to read more...

 

[PB37]

Krejci is an excellent piece to our core, but I don't think he's that untouchable to say that we'd be hurting the team by trading him.

The problem is, what's his value and finding a willing trading partner to give us said value. I'd love to move him for an upper tier RH shot / right winger, but they're going to command top coin as well, meaning we'd still be in a bind with the cap.

I think if Krejci is traded, it'll probably be for a guy who's still on his ELC and some other prospects.

 

[Alicat]

On the flip side and something no one is talking about, with the Bruins being in cap trouble, what happens if Soderberg regresses this season at that position? How do you solve that problem without disrupting the makeup of the bottom 6?

 

[Bearcrap]

His next contract should be his 2.5-3 million bridge contract. I think 5 million will be too high.

 

[774EVER]

Love Carl's game. He was the Bruins best forward in the playoffs IMO.

Handling players like this is tough when you are perennially a Cup contending team. For a non playoff team, the hope would be for CS to blow up points wise right off the bat and then deal him around trade deadline for a top prospect and a young player with less $$ - knowing that you won;t be able to resign him and knowing that Spooner is waiting in the wings.

It will be interesting to see what Chia does.

 

[finchster]

Soderberg's one good season doesn't convince me he can play top six in the NHL against top defencemen night in night out. I always saw Krejci as expendable when we had three centres and I wanted youth on defence, but with our current roster and youth on defence I don't think he's expendable.

This is one reason why I thought Soderberg IS expendable. Lets not forget he's not a kid, he's 28, he's a UFA and if there is a deal out there where the Bruins benefit they need to look at it. We could replace Soderberg with Spooner or Koko and not lose a lot, while gaining contract control and trading a position of strength to one of weakness.

 

[ReggieMoto]

What is Soderberg's upside? Could he be a #1 center?

I think he's ready to be a top 2 center, as opposed to "a #1 center".

Personally I think Krejci could be expendable due to his expected bump in salary. Soderberg won't be as large a hit, I'm guessing.

I could see Bergeron, Soderberg, Spooner, and Kelly/Campbell/someone else.

 

[Baddkarma]

Carl is gonna tear it up this year if he has players than can finish a bit. Not a Bruins strong suit...

 

[Rubber Biscuit]

I'm not sold on Soderberg just yet as a top 6 center. Not enough to hand him the reigns and hope it works out. One thing everyone has said about him is that he's very loyal. I don't know if that'll transition to his contract negotiations, but it would nice if it did.

 

[DNE3]

Soderberg's one good season doesn't convince me he can play top six in the NHL against top defencemen night in night out. I always saw Krejci as expendable when we had three centres and I wanted youth on defence, but with our current roster and youth on defence I don't think he's expendable.
This is one reason why I thought Soderberg IS expendable. Lets not forget he's not a kid, he's 28, he's a UFA and if there is a deal out there where the Bruins benefit they need to look at it. We could replace Soderberg with Spooner or Koko and not lose a lot, while gaining contract control and trading a position of strength to one of weakness.

David Krejci is also 28 and will be looking for a big payday next contract. Soderberg came on like gangbusters after moving to center and could remain affordable salarywise compared with what Krejci's agent could be seeking in future. Spooner and Khokhlachev are the wild cards and this means there's a real choice going forward.

 

[finchster]

David Krejci is also 28 and will be looking for a big payday next contract. Soderberg came on like gangbusters after moving to center and could remain affordable salarywise compared with what Krejci's agent could be seeking in future. Spooner and Khokhlachev are the wild cards and this means there's a real choice going forward.

I am more willing to pay Krejci based on past performance than I am willing to take a chance Soderberg can replicate it. If Soderberg can out play Krejci next year, I wouldn't mind a big LH centre on the top six and trading Krejci, but I don't see it happening.

 

[ODAAT]

I am more willing to pay Krejci based on past performance than I am willing to take a chance Soderberg can replicate it. If Soderberg can out play Krejci next year, I wouldn't mind a big LH centre on the top six and trading Krejci, but I don't see it happening.

Can we pay him based solely on this years playoff performance

 

[chizzler]

Can we pay him based solely on this years playoff performance

Exactly what I was thinking. I'm not thinking the Krejci we saw this is worth that 7-8 mil deal. No way. He tends to have lolls in the regular season makes up for it in the playoffs. Not this year. Not sold on Krejci going forward with our cap problem.

 

[finchster]

Exactly what I was thinking. I'm not thinking the Krejci we saw this is worth that 7-8 mil deal. No way. He tends to have lolls in the regular season makes up for it in the playoffs. Not this year. Not sold on Krejci going forward with our cap problem.

With the Canadian TV deal effecting the cap next year, Krejci is probably worth 7-8 million with a 75m cap

 

[PlayMakers]

The problem is, what's his value and finding a willing trading partner to give us said value. I'd love to move him for an upper tier RH shot / right winger, but they're going to command top coin as well, meaning we'd still be in a bind with the cap.

I don't know Veddar, a guy signed to a long deal under a lower cap is probably going to look pretty cap friendly in a year. Remember, we don't necessarily have to cut all off Krejci's money (if that's the route they go), just getting a guy locked in at $5m would save us $3m over keeping Krech at his market value.

 

[Hippie]

Can we pay him based solely on this years playoff performance

I assume you mean Krejci, not Soderberg.

I love what DK brings and want to keep him long term (and I am sure Pastrnak does too!), but $7.5M is way too much for him IMHO. From where I sit much over $6M and we would need to walk away. Soderberg is an interesting negotiation... I think the team should try to get him on a bridge contract of 2-3 years in the $3-4M range, and get it done as an extension and do it fairly early (IIRC that won't effect this years cap). Maybe sweeten it with a LTC but no NMC, giving us some flexibility at the deadline. I think that Soderberg is an asset that we should make every effort to retain since we don't have much size at that position in the organization and he really blossomed once he went back to it.

 

[finchster]

I don't know Veddar, a guy signed to a long deal under a lower cap is probably going to look pretty cap friendly in a year. Remember, we don't necessarily have to cut all off Krejci's money (if that's the route they go), just getting a guy locked in at $5m would save us $3m over keeping Krech at his market value.

Haha, Bill Ladd is advocating trading Krejci, Finchster is not. Bizzaro world

I assume you mean Krejci, not Soderberg.

I love what DK brings and want to keep him long term (and I am sure Pastrnak does too!), but $7.5M is way too much for him IMHO. From where I sit much over $6M and we would need to walk away. Soderberg is an interesting negotiation... I think the team should try to get him on a bridge contract of 2-3 years in the $3-4M range, and get it done as an extension and do it fairly early (IIRC that won't effect this years cap). Maybe sweeten it with a LTC but no NMC, giving us some flexibility at the deadline. I think that Soderberg is an asset that we should make every effort to retain since we don't have much size at that position in the organization and he really blossomed once he went back to it.

Soderberg is 28, this is his one contract to strike it rich. I highly doubt he will settle early and that low. If he does then we can afford to keep both Krejci and Soderberg with a 75m cap

 

[David Krejci*]

Soderberg does not make Krejci expendable. He had a nice little season last year, and I like him and his style of play, but he isn't even close to Krejci.

 

[BMC]

Keep in mind too that Krejci didn't hold up the Bruins last time he was up for free agency. IIRC he took less than what he could have gotten elsewhere because he wanted to stay here.

And I would think at 28-29 a player would start looking more at length of contract as opposed to dollar amount- not that he wouldn't want both!!!

 

[PlayMakers]

On the flip side and something no one is talking about, with the Bruins being in cap trouble, what happens if Soderberg regresses this season at that position? How do you solve that problem without disrupting the makeup of the bottom 6?

It's a fair point. Though I do wonder if those regressive sophomore slumps are as much about age as anything else, and with Soder being fully grown and mature maybe he's less at risk to that kind of slump? That said, even gets have their up and down seasons.

This also speaks to Finchster's point that we really don't know how CS would handle tougher matchups if he's moved up the lineup.

 

[DominicT]

With the Canadian TV deal effecting the cap next year, Krejci is probably worth 7-8 million with a 75m cap

The Canadian TV deal already figures in to the cap for this upcoming season. Won't make a difference.

The 5% escalator is a different story. If the NHLPA chooses to invoke it, you're already looking at a $73 million cap with no increase in revenue.

That's $10 million more in cap space than the Bruins have for 2014-2015. The only cap issue the Bruins will have that will have any effect in them re-signing Krejci/Soderberg is if they hand out a bonus filled contract like Iginla's that penalizes them again in 2015-2016.

Krejci/Soderberg will not eat up the extra $10 million they will have to spend. But let me make that more clear: It's $10 million more in space than this season and what ever their roster is this season has to fit under this cap. They'll have an extra $10 million to add to that the following season

 

[Gordoff]

It's a fair point. Though I do wonder if those regressive sophomore slumps are as much about age as anything else, and with Soder being fully grown and mature maybe he's less at risk to that kind of slump? That said, even gets have their up and down seasons.

This also speaks to Finchster's point that we really don't know how CS would handle tougher matchups if he's moved up the lineup.

Examples?

 

[PlayMakers]

Haha, Bill Ladd is advocating trading Krejci, Finchster is not. Bizzaro world.

Fwiw I'm not advocating it (yet). I just think the cap situation we're in now is very real, and these guys are going to get paid (along with Dougie), so the situation is going to come to a head. We've also heard Kaoz and others make some compelling arguments regarding moving a center, so I just wanted to debate and discuss it a little, to see where it leads.

 

[DominicT]

Fwiw I'm not advocating it (yet). I just think the cap situation we're in now is very real, and these guys are going to get paid, so the situation is going to come to a head. We've also heard Kaoz and others make some compelling arguments regarding moving a center, so I just wanted to debate and discuss it a little, to see where it leads.

The cap situation Bill is for 2014-2015.

As I said in my earlier post, whatever the team is for 2014-2015 they will have an extra $10 million in cap space by the time Krejci/Soderberg are due just in the natural cap increase and no bonus cushion carry over.

That's an extra $10 million not $10 million to sign both. I foresee no cap issue whatsoever in extending both. They aren't getting $10 million raises

 

[PlayMakers]

His next contract should be his 2.5-3 million bridge contract. I think 5 million will be too high.

He's not an RFA like other players who took bridge deals. The whole league could bid on him. if Clarkson can get $5m under a lower cap why wouldn't a 28 year old, 6'3 center who puts up top6 numbers with 3rd line ice time?