B’s could use a pick-me-up
Players the B’s could be interested in
• Daniel Alfredsson ($4.875 million cap hit) — Grit and goaltending can take a team a long way, and they have for the Senators thus far. But Thursday’s injury to early Vezina Trophy favorite Craig Anderson, on top of injuries to Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza, could be what finally makes this team fade. The Ottawa Sun last week floated the idea of Alfredsson’s availability and the 40-year-old getting one last shot at a Cup. With old friends Chiarelli, Zdeno Chara and Chris Kelly, Boston would be a perfect fit. The downside for the B’s is that they’d be enriching a divisional opponent that should be highly competitive again next season.
• Michael Ryder ($3.5 million) — Well, we know this could work, since he won the Cup in Boston while playing with Kelly and Rich Peverley. Ryder has his valleys over the course of an 82-game schedule, but he has usually produced in the playoffs. For his faults, Ryder is the type of shooter who can let everyone in the building know he’s going high glove side and still score.
• Jarome Iginla ($7 million) — The Flames captain was called out by former teammate Rhett Warrener on the radio last week and he responded with two assists and a fight in his next game. That suggests his subpar year might have more to do with motivation than his advancing age (35). Still, the fact Iginla had just one goal this season heading into Friday should be concerning for any team thinking of giving up a big package for this rental. Iginla also has a no-movement clause.
• Valtteri FilpPULa ($3 million) — This seems like a longshot because: a) the Red Wings always make the playoffs; and b) they always take care of their own. But as of Friday, the 28-year-old unrestricted free agent-to-be was still unsigned, and the Wings didn’t look like a playoff lock when they were blowing a two-goal lead to the Blue Jackets on Thursday. If things continue to go south, why not move him to a team like the Bruins — whose future cap restrictions would most likely keep them from making the investment needed in keeping Filppula long-term — and pick up some assets for their trouble? They could always try to re-sign him in the summer.
http://bostonherald.com/sports/bruins_nhl/nhl_coverage/2013/02/b_s_could_use_a_pick_me_up