5 Boston Bruins On Trade Block Due To Cap Crunch

The Boston Bruins are facing a serious cap space crunch this summer. Partially due to a $4.5M overage penalty due to bonuses coming to Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, the B's have precious little room to round out their roster after the 20 players who are signed to a cap commitment total of $75M. 

Trades are inevitable in order to free up some space. 

With that in mind, we have a look at five Bruins who are on the 'trade bubble' this offseason; players who the team could very well be ready to deal. We begin between the pipes:

Jeremy Swayman

As a restricted free agent, the 'backup' netminder has fared exceptionally well in his three seasons in Boston, and he's now in line to earn about $4M annually on a new contract, per Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic. Can the Bruins realistically afford it? Or maybe the better question is: Can they realistically afford not to sign him? Which takes us to:

Linus Ullmark

As the team's No. 1 netminder, and Vezina Trophy favorite this year, Ullmark will be entering his age-30 season next fall. He was clearly not at the top of his game during the B's disastrous first-round playoff flameout. He'll be earning $5M in the third season of his 4-year contract in 2023-24. 

Does Boston capitalize on having a slightly-cheaper, but much younger (24-year-old) alternate in Swayman, and trade Ullmark at the height of his value?

Jake DeBrusk

Would the Bruins consider trading a key piece of their offense like DeBrusk? He is entering his walk year at $4M, and, as Shinzawa notes, whether he'd be worthy of a long-term investment after the season "is difficult to say." He would certainly bring back some nice value on the trade market.

Matt Grzelcyk

A very strong defensive D-man (2nd in the NHL in plus-minus rating this season at +46), he, too, would garner plenty of interest from other teams. His size (or lack of it), however, doesn't work well in the playoffs, and he was a healthy scratch for a number of postseason games because of it. And getting it done in the second season is what it's all about in Boston. His name will continue to be heard in plenty of trade rumors.

Taylor Hall

At $6M AAV, and going into his age-32 season next year, his value just doesn't match his contract, especially considering the Bruins' cap crunch condition. His partial no-trade clause could be an issue, however. 

Watch for a very busy offseason in Boston. 

Photo: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports