Best Bruins team in two decades?
Aug 25, 2005 16:58:16 GMT -5
Post by Forum Ghost on Aug 25, 2005 16:58:16 GMT -5
Well atleast that's what Jeremy Jacobs thinks....
JACOBS: BEST BRUINS TEAM IN TWO DECADES
Boston owner Jeremy Jacobs believes Bruins fans will see one of the best teams to take to the ice in almost 20 years when NHL play resumes this fall. However, Jacobs admits that even with a salary cap in place, free agent salaries have been higher than he anticipated.
After re-signing Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov to new deals and adding unrestricted free agents Glen Murray, Alexei Zhamnov, Brian Leetch and Shawn McEachern, the Bruins find themselves with very little wiggle room under the $39-million cap.
The salaries of Thornton, Murray and Leetch alone add up to more than $14-million - more than one-third of the team's payroll.
"If I overspent now, shame on us," Jacobs tells the Boston Globe. "We'll have to do better next year."
Jacobs justified the spending, saying it was in line with a promise he made to Bruins fans about putting a competitive team on the ice this season.
"We're near the top, and that is a position we find ourselves in because of the market," Jacobs tells the Globe. "Depending on how this goes on, we may not be nearly as flexible as we'd hoped to be after this year.
"We may have committed a lot more this year than we should have. A lot of other teams laid back and didn't do anything. You can't do that in Boston. You can't do that in Philadelphia. (The fans) expect a lot from us."
Jacobs says the Bruins were also in the thick of the Peter Forsberg chase before losing out to Philadelphia.
"I wish we had played a better role in the (Peter) Forsberg situation, but he chose not to come here," Jacobs said. "I think we wound up with probably a more dependable center (in Alexei Zhamnov)."
Bruins GM Mike O'Connell says due to unexpected spike in some of the salaries, the team may not be able to sign restricted free agents Andrew Raycroft, Nick Boynton and Hal Gill to multi-year deals.
"Raycroft and Boynton are two players we like very much," O'Connell said. "This year may not be their turn. Maybe next year is when we lock them in long term. It's the new system and we're all going to have to get used to it."
The team could also be in a position of losing Samsonov to free agency next summer. Since he accepted a one year, $2.774-million qualifying offer, both sides must wait until January 1 before negotiating a long-term deal. If the two sides can't come to terms, Samsonov will be free to test the market next June.
JACOBS: BEST BRUINS TEAM IN TWO DECADES
Boston owner Jeremy Jacobs believes Bruins fans will see one of the best teams to take to the ice in almost 20 years when NHL play resumes this fall. However, Jacobs admits that even with a salary cap in place, free agent salaries have been higher than he anticipated.
After re-signing Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov to new deals and adding unrestricted free agents Glen Murray, Alexei Zhamnov, Brian Leetch and Shawn McEachern, the Bruins find themselves with very little wiggle room under the $39-million cap.
The salaries of Thornton, Murray and Leetch alone add up to more than $14-million - more than one-third of the team's payroll.
"If I overspent now, shame on us," Jacobs tells the Boston Globe. "We'll have to do better next year."
Jacobs justified the spending, saying it was in line with a promise he made to Bruins fans about putting a competitive team on the ice this season.
"We're near the top, and that is a position we find ourselves in because of the market," Jacobs tells the Globe. "Depending on how this goes on, we may not be nearly as flexible as we'd hoped to be after this year.
"We may have committed a lot more this year than we should have. A lot of other teams laid back and didn't do anything. You can't do that in Boston. You can't do that in Philadelphia. (The fans) expect a lot from us."
Jacobs says the Bruins were also in the thick of the Peter Forsberg chase before losing out to Philadelphia.
"I wish we had played a better role in the (Peter) Forsberg situation, but he chose not to come here," Jacobs said. "I think we wound up with probably a more dependable center (in Alexei Zhamnov)."
Bruins GM Mike O'Connell says due to unexpected spike in some of the salaries, the team may not be able to sign restricted free agents Andrew Raycroft, Nick Boynton and Hal Gill to multi-year deals.
"Raycroft and Boynton are two players we like very much," O'Connell said. "This year may not be their turn. Maybe next year is when we lock them in long term. It's the new system and we're all going to have to get used to it."
The team could also be in a position of losing Samsonov to free agency next summer. Since he accepted a one year, $2.774-million qualifying offer, both sides must wait until January 1 before negotiating a long-term deal. If the two sides can't come to terms, Samsonov will be free to test the market next June.
