St. Pierre
PROVIDENCE — A successful run to the Eastern Conference finals — which ended today with a 5-2 loss to Hershey in Game 5 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center — provided many of the Providence Bruins’ veteran players an opportunity to pad their resumés heading into this summer.
Center Martin St. Pierre, winger Jeremy Reich and defenseman Johnny Boychuk are headed for unrestricted free agency. And winger Peter Schaefer, he of the $2.2 million cap hit, could be a candidate for a buyout.
St. Pierre, who enjoyed a 14-game stint with Boston this season, didn’t quite produce at his usual pace with 66 points this season after 88 and 99 the previous two campaigns. He said he still felt like he improved his game. And heading into unrestricted free agency for the first time, he’s looking at a lower salary cap and some injuries to Boston forwards (Phil Kessel and David Krejci won’t be available until November the earliest) as his opportunity to take a lower-tiered salary and make the big club in the fall. Of course, he could do the same elsewhere.
Boychuk led all AHL defensemen in every offensive category and won the Eddie Shore Award as the league’s top blueliner. He skated in just one game for Boston, but added physicality and better positional play to his already solid offensive game. With Shane Hnidy and Steve Montador both also headed the UFA route, there might be an opening for a fifth, sixth or seventh defenseman in Boston.
“Of course (I want to stay). We have a good group of guys here and in Boston,” he said. “Hopefully I do. That’s the way it should be. I’d love to stay here, I like the organization a lot. We’ll see what the future has I guess.”
Reich made his mark in Boston with 58 games during the 2007-08 season, but he was beat out for a job there this season. In 76 games for Providence, he posted 21-13-34 totals — his most points since the 2003-04 season. He’s hopeful that he “impressed some teams” — Boston or any of the other 29 NHL teams.
As for Schaefer, he pretty much showed his disgust with being relegated to the minors after 556 career NHL games when he was the only Providence player to leave the ice before the team gave the crowd a stick salute after their loss today. He then blew off an interview request without even lifting his eyes from the ground, as he made his way through the dressing room faster in bare feet than he navigates the ice on skates.
Depending on what the Bruins want to do, they could buy him out for one third his salary over twice the duration (one year left) or they could just banish him to the minors or loan him to Europe to keep all his salary from affecting the cap.
a good example of why its more about ego, pride, and winning than money for many of these guys… or it has something to do with the lack of a contract he will be able to get after next year after a terrible year in the minors, and a probable year in the minors next year too, unless the b’s stupidly buy him out.
He’s making over 2 million to play in the minors, he should be smiling from ear to ear.
Chiarelli should just say no to buyouts, save the cap money. If you can’t trade Schaeffer, eat the salary for 2 years at the AHL or European level. If Jacobs is concerned about his wallet, putting a better team on the ice will help that more than buying out and paying someone for not playing at all. At least in the AHL he can mentor young guys or just help them develop, or still be a tradeable asset. With the economy in the crapper and the cap lowering, a buy out, even if its just $700,000 is too expensive. That’s money that could be spent on a depth defenseman, or can be used towards signing kessel and krejci. If he is going to act like a jerk because he does not fit onto the NHL team and has not proven his worth, even at the AHL level, why reward him with an opportunity to start new somewhere else? Providence should have been that opportuniy for him. The big club called up at least 2-3 forwards throughout the season, schaeffer could have been one, but didn’t earn it presumably because of this attitude.