Boston Bruins Are Not Qualifying Two Wingers

The Boston Bruins are not sending qualifying offers to wingers Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase. Coincidentally, they both came over from the Anaheim Ducks the same season, but through two separate trades. Now, these two are set to become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday.

It is a little strange that the Bruins are not bringing Ritchie back. He is a power forward and the Bruins have been criticized for being pushed around far too easily as of late. He also is coming off of the best season of his career. In 56 games, the 25-year-old winger had a career-high 15 goals and 26 total points. He also became a successful part of their powerplay because of his strong net-front presence.

The Bruins letting Kase become an unrestricted free agent was predictable, though. Over the last two seasons with the Bruins, the 25-year-old was limited to just nine games because of constant injuries. In those games, he only recorded one assist. The Bruins also gave up a first-round pick and Axel Andersson to acquire him in the 2019-20 season. Although the Ducks also took on David Backes' big contract, the price they paid was clearly too much.

Perhaps the Bruins have something up their sleeves come free agency time. We will have to keep an eye on them moving forward.