Boston Bruins Free Agency: Who Stays, Who Goes, Who Is Trade Bait?

The Boston Bruins ruffled their roster to a minimal extent over their Stanley Cup championship offseason, importing two additives from other organizations while losing one player to trade, one to free agency and one to retirement.

With so many returnees now helping to jockey Boston in a footrace for first place in the Eastern Conference with Philadelphia, it is rather illogical to envision much more overhaul next summer. As it happens, each of the top-six forwards, four defensive regulars and the starting goaltender all have a contract that is good through at least the end of next season.

Still, with 10 other players prone to entering free agency next July, at least one or two members of the Bruins’ established NHL roster are bound to be wearing a different crest by the next season opener. And there is no cause to rule out the possibility of one of the team’s less impactful constituents being traded before this February’s deadline.

Of those who have seen action in Boston this season, either as a nightly regular or an emergency call-up from Providence, here is a prognostication as to each Bruin's 2012 free-agent status in alphabetical order.

Matt Bartkowski: Restricted

If he is back for a third season in 2012-13, Bartkowski will likely be confined to yet another year spent predominantly in Providence. There is an outside shot he could find his way into a permanent NHL role as Boston’s seventh blue-liner, but that would likely require a Brad Marchand-like upset at training camp.

Staying in the minors for the better part of 2012-13 might not be so bad for Bartkowski or the Bruins. Depending on where his development is by then, he could be a bona fide go-to guy when call-ups are warranted.

On the other hand, there is still time for Colby Cohen, David Warsofsky, Kevan Miller or even Andrew Bodnarchuk to prove themselves worthier.

In that event, there is a slight chance Bartkowski could be deemed expendable at next summer’s free-agency release period.

Johnny Boychuk: Unrestricted

Boychuk is one of only two established Boston defensemen not locked in for the long run, the other being Joe Corvo. Depending on where prized 2011 draftee Dougie Hamilton is in his development and what general manager Peter Chiarelli wants to do with current spare Steven Kampfer, he could be the odd man out if Boston’s blue-line brigade gets too crowded.

Boychuk’s physicality is certainly superior to Corvo’s, but the Bruins would still have Zdeno Chara, Adam McQuaid and Dennis Seidenberg to dish out barrels of that. In addition, his offensive aptitude is confined mostly to a slap shot that won’t likely find the interior of an opposing net more than seven or eight times in a season.

Ultimately, Boychuk’s long-term status in Boston depends on three factors. Those are the development of Hamilton, the Corvo debate and whether Chiarelli might find an enticing trade that would involve exporting Boychuk or a suitable replacement if he hits free agency.

Gregory Campbell: Unrestricted

Campbell, along with both of his most common fourth-line wingers, Daniel Paille and Shawn Thornton, is set to become an unrestricted free agent when his current contract expires this summer.

As an archetypal, role-playing, fourth-line center, he is worth retaining unless the Bruins can ensure the import of a comparable player. No sense in messing with this or any part of a winning ecosystem.

Joe Corvo: Unrestricted

Corvo lends a solid veteran presence to the Bruins defense on par with 34-year-old Chara as well as Andrew Ference and Seidenberg.

That said, this means Boston has a little seasoning to spare on the back line. And with all three of his fellow tricenarians constituting more of a core group and bearing a longer-term contract, Corvo may be deemed more expendable.

In addition, for what it’s worth, casting Corvo away as opposed to Boychuk would mean relieving up to $375,000 of additional cap space. But it would also mean giving up a proven point-based playmaker who already has 13 assists in 32 appearances with the Bruins.

Granted, the up-and-coming Hamilton is shaping up to be a prolific point-based puck-slinger with a 12 goals and 45 points to lead the entire Ontario League. If he continues to impress, Chiarelli and head coach Claude Julien just might have no qualms integrating him next season, which would make Corvo easier to usher out.

But that’s hardly a lock and Corvo still has enough ahead of him to stick around long-term. Even if Hamilton does find his way to The Show next autumn, Corvo’s odds of remaining a Bruin look a little better than Boychuk’s.

Zach Hamill: Restricted

In terms of the Bruins trusting him to come up from the minors and fill in reliably whenever needed, this is a better-late-than-never kind of year for Hamill. But for his own sake and long-term future with the organization that drafted him in the first round in 2007, this is simply three years overdue.

While Hamill has had one false start after another in Providence, the team he was supposedly going to help revive went forward and went to the summit without him. All the while, other recent draftees and prospects such as David Krejci, Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin have surged ahead of him.

With so much gridlock all over the offensive portion of Boston’s depth chart, not even Hamill’s flexibility between center and the wings can realistically salvage his future in the organization.

Look for him to hit the market next July, assuming he is not traded sometime sooner to help bring the Bruins an insurance player for the stretch drive.

Chris Kelly: Unrestricted

The late-blooming 31-year-old Kelly’s first full season with the Bruins all but promises to be an easy breakout campaign. Working with fellow February 2011 import Rich Peverley, he could double his previous career high of 30 goals and break the 40-point plateau for the first time in his career.

There is too much promise in this nominal third-liner for Chiarelli to neglect replenishing his contract. And with Peverley locked in until 2014-15, the most sensible scenario may be elevating Kelly’s status to the same extent.

Daniel Paille: Unrestricted

Paille has tinkered on the 20-goal borderline in the past and is still relatively young for an NHL winger. With that in mind, combined with the fact that his relatively modest contract expires after this season, he could make for realistic trade bait before the regular season is over.

At the same time, Chiarelli may prefer to avoid fixing what is not broken, which it certainly is not this season.

The only risk there, though, would be potentially missing out on compensation for Paille, who currently costs $1.075 million, at the next free-agency period.

Benoit Pouliot: Restricted

After a slow start that had him sprinkling two goals over his first 16 appearances as a Bruin, Pouliot has since logged a 4-2-6 line in his last 11 outings. Four of his six total goals are game-winners, placing him third in the league in that category.

But if all goes according to plan with Jordan Caron, who is under contract through the summer of 2013, Pouliot will likely have little more than a Dunkin latte in Boston.

As it is with Hamill, a one-year extension is hardly out of the question, but anything more than that is unlikely.

Pouliot’s situation is also comparable to Hamill’s in that he has the potential to play a bigger role and consume bigger minutes, but is bound to find congestion with the Bruins at this time. The fourth overall pick in the 2005 NHL draft still has time to make up for a wretched start to his career and he may want to look elsewhere to improve his odds of cracking a top-six position.

Come next summer, especially depending on the Bruins’ faith in Caron and/or Hamill, he could be given the freedom to land his blades on a smaller pond next summer.

Tuukka Rask: Restricted

Unless they could recompense his departure by somehow acquiring a backup whose skill, seasoning and compete level are not too far off the mark, the Bruins had best keep the younger half of their Jennings-caliber tandem.

Enough said.

Shawn Thornton: Unrestricted

At the time of his acquisition, Thornton was the epitome of Chiarelli’s push to make the Bruins “tougher to play against.” In the four-plus years since then, not only has the team elevated its posture from playoff no-shows to playoff championship contenders, but Thornton has openly rooted his heart into Boston soil.

For those reasons, it is difficult to envision Chiarelli not working to renew Thornton’s contract after this season.

The only thing less conceivable is Thornton not pushing to keep his place of employment at TD Garden.