Breaking Down Trade and Free Agency Rumors Surrounding Boston Bruins

With NHL free agency in full swing, clubs are doing everything they can to sign the right players to improve their chances to win the Stanley Cup.

In addition to competing with other teams to sign a desired player, the Bruins have to deal with the salary cap, contract demands and trying to tweak an already good roster.

Boston made a few small moves over the weekend, and hope to lock down two franchise players this week.

There isn't a lot of buzz around the organization, but here's a look at what the Bruins have done recently, as well as what they might do in the coming days.

Extensions for Patrice Bergeron and Tuukka Rask Are Close

Signing alternate captain Patrice Bergeron and franchise goaltender Tuukka Rask is vital to the long-term success of the Bruins, and it appears that may come in the next couple days.

Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com reports that deals for the two stars are close to completion. He writes that the deal for Bergeron is for eight years and will be close to $50 million. Bergeron spoke to McDonald about the possibility of spending his entire career in one place:

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"It would mean a lot," Bergeron said. "That's the goal. Since the beginning, it's been a team that's believed in me when I was 18 and coming up. Now, like I've said before, it's my home and I feel like it is. I love the city. I love the people and definitely love the organization. It would mean a lot to me and hopefully we can work something out."

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McDonald also reports that Rask is seeking a seven or eight-year deal close to $60 million. After his performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, this deal is a no-brainer. Rask is only 26 years old and is entering the prime of his career.

Solid goaltending is something every team needs to compete in the playoffs, and the Bruins show no signs of falling off the top of the Eastern Conference. Locking up Rask will ensure stability for years to come.

Bruins Sign Chad Johnson

In addition to losing Andrew Ference to the Oilers and Nathan Horton to the Blue Jackets, the B's lost their backup goalie, Anton Khudobin.

Zach Cox of NESN reported that Khudobin signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Cox also writes that the Bruins will "most likely" turn over their backup duties to Providence Bruins goalie Niklas Svedberg.

From Cox:

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With Khudobin gone, the Bruins will likely turn backup duties over to Providence Bruins goalie Niklas Svedberg, who was named the AHL’s most outstanding goaltender this season. Svedberg compiled a 37-8-2 record in his first season with the P-Bruins, ranking among the top five in the league in goals against average (2.17) and save percentage (.925).

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However, over the weekend, the B's signed former Phoenix Coyotes backup Chad Johnson (no, not that Chad Johnson) to a one-year deal.

ESPNBoston.com's Joe McDonald reports the deal is for $600,000.

It will be interesting to see who gets the number two role behind Rask. Johnson only started four games last season, but was 2-0-2 in those contests with a 1.22 goals against average and one shutout.

Could Jaromir Jagr Return?

After the Stanley Cup Final, it was assumed that the Bruins would move on from the 41-year-old Czech. The Bruins thought they could resign Nathan Horton, and Tyler Seguin was still in the lineup.

But things have changed.

So with those two guys gone, could the B's actually bring Jagr back?

From Ty Anderson of hockeybuzz.com:

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“You know actually we have thought of circling back. We told him we were moving on so he may have moved on also. It’s something that we may revisit,” B’s general manager Peter Chiarelli said during his annual pre-free agency meeting with the media. “He’s on a list of a bunch of guys. I’d like to go into this -- when I talk about reconstructing the right side, maybe we can get some youth in there too in addition to an older guy. When I say older it’s relatively speaking. It’s just older than a youthful player. It could be old now. 28 is the old 32. It’s all relative.”

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Even though Seguin is gone, Loui Eriksson is now in the lineup, hindering the chances that Jagr resigns. And because Chiarelli talked about bringing Jagr back more than a week ago, he could have soured on the idea, especially after the team signed Jarome Iginla.

But Jagr's agent told the Associated Press that there are three teams who are interested in the NHL's active scoring leader. Could Boston still be one of them?

B's Sign Carter Camper from AHL Affiliate

After dumping Seguin, Boston is in need of a center. Rather than trading for one, it appears they may be promoting from within the organization.

The Bruins announced on Monday that they signed center Carter Camper to a one-year, two-way contract. It's worth $550,000 at the NHL level and $75,000 at the AHL level, according to the team's statement.

Camper played four years at Miami (OH), scoring 69 goals in 156 career games for the Redhawks. Last year with the Providence Bruins (AHL), he tallied 47 points in 57 regular season games and added 13 points in 12 playoff games.

He appeared in three games for the Bruins during the 2011-12 season before being sent back down to the minors.