Heading into this year’s off-season, the Bruins had three restricted free agents within the organization that they needed to address. Luckily for the Bruins, these three players all reside in Providence, with two of them receiving call-ups last year. The Bruins are in a tricky cap situation as they entered the off-season with limited space, and it was just reported Patrice Bergeron signed a contract to return, and David Krejci is close to signing as well.
The three players are defenseman Jack Ahcan, and forwards Jack Studnicka and Matt Filipe.
As per Ty Anderson, general manager Don Sweeney has tendered qualifying offers to all three.
Studnicka
The Bruins are hoping Jack Studnicka can finally take the next step this season, as they have been waiting for the center to carve out a role at the NHL level. He has dealt with inconsistent playing time under former head coach Bruce Cassidy, and many hope now that Jim Montgomery is in charge, Studnicka will get a chance to put his skills on display. Studnicka is versatile as he can play both center and wing if needed. The Bruins hope he can become a future middle-six center that they can rely upon for the future.
Ahcan
Jack Ahcan will play an important role to start the season as the Bruins open the season with three injured starting defensemen. Charlie McAvoy, Mike Reilly, and Matt Grzelcyk will all be sidelined for some time as they underwent off-season surgery. Ahcan showed glimpses last season, and the Bruins hope he can be a solid depth piece moving forward. Establishing young talent will help the Bruins in the future as they carry low cap hits, allowing general manager Don Sweeney to bring in outside talent to fill in holes around the roster.
Filipe
The 24-year-old Filipe played 59 games last season for the Providence Bruins and scored seven goals and ten assists for 17 points. The 6’3″ 196-pound Newton, MA native will look to take the next step as he continues to work on his skillset, trying to separate himself from other prospects. Don’t expect to see Filipe make his NHL debut this year, as there is a list of players ahead of him that would get the call first. Players such as Marc McLaughlin and Oskar Steen are next up on the list as the Bruins will look to utilize them when needed.
