Why the Boston Bruins Will Regret Not Making a Splash in Free Agency

The Boston Bruins have been one of the quietest Stanley Cup contenders during the offseason, and they will regret not making a splash in free agency.

General manager Peter Chiarelli will have to rely on some of the younger players in the organization, such as Dougie Hamilton, Jordan Caron and Jared Knight, who will compete not only for spots on the roster, but they could play important roles on the team.

The Bruins are the closest team to the salary cap right now, with just $277,857 in cap space, according to Capgeek. In Chiarelli's defense, the cap situation has made adding players of any significance much harder.

The current status of the free-agent market could force Chiarelli to add pieces at the trade deadline for more depth. This is not the ideal situation since asking prices at the trade deadline for just average players are incredibly high.

The Bruins will go into next season as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, but one or two injuries could ruin their chances of making another championship run.

Defensively, the team is fine, especially if Hamilton makes the roster. Adam McQuaid's return from injury will also help the blue line quite a bit.

If Tyler Seguin continues to develop into an elite offensive player and Hamilton adds scoring to the blue line, the power play, and the offense as a whole could certainly take great strides next season

The future is now in Boston, and fans must trust that Chiarelli, one of the NHL's top general managers, will make the necessary moves to get the the Bruins back on top.