By: Seth Corwin

At the beginning of the 2021 NHL season, many question marks surrounded the Boston Bruins blue line and whether it would be strong enough for another Stanley Cup run. Ultimately, the Bruins backend became plagued with injuries and broke down against a tough Islanders team, losing in 6 games in the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now, with the retirement of Kevan Miller and the departure of Jeremy Lauzon to the newly formed Seattle Kraken via the expansion draft, the Bruins yet again face questions regarding their defensemen and more specifically the gap at left defenseman on their second D-pairing. On Wednesday, July 28th, the Bruins will have an opportunity to fill that gap on defense when NHL Free Agency begins. With $20 million in cap space still available for the Bruins after the Taylor Hall deal and General Manager Don Sweeney looking for an all situations D-man, here are five notable left-handed defensemen the Bruins should target in free agency to fill that gap on the back-end.

Ryan Suter

With the retirement of Kevan Miller, the Bruins backend needs some grit and Ryan Suter can bring that style of play to Boston. The veteran blue-liner had his contract bought out by the Minnesota Wild earlier this off-season and is now available on the free agency market.

At 36 years old, Suter would not be a long term solution for the Bruins, but he could still be valuable for another two to three years. Last season he played in 56 games for the Wild logging 3 goals and 16 assists and finished with a +/- of +9. He also logged 22:11 in average ice time per game, opening up options for the Bruins to move Grzelcyk to the second pairing with Carlo and Suter to the top D pairing with McAvoy. Additionally, since the 2013 season, Suter has missed very few games, something Boston would benefit greatly from given the backend’s proneness to injury the last few years.

Given his versatility, experience, and lack of injuries, Suter is good option for Boston to toughen up their blue line and fill their defensive gap on the left side.

Keith Yandle

*Image: Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images*

The Milton, MA native recently had his contract bought out by the Florida Panthers this off-season and will hit the free agency market on July 28th. Yandle, being from the Boston area, has had rumors surrounding his desire to play in Boston for years and it could be more likely than ever that those rumors are true this off-season.

Last season with Florida, Yandle logged 3 goals and 24 assists with a +/- of -8 in 56 games played. He also logged an average of 17:15 in ice time this past season. At 34 years old, the veteran D-man is not what he was in his prime, but he never misses a game; something that Boston desperately needs from their defensemen. Yandle currently has an ironman streak of 915 consecutive NHL games played.

The biggest question with Yandle is whether he can still handle playing on the second D pairing. Many players however have seen their careers revitalized upon a change of scenery and perhaps a return to familiar scenery could be just what Yandle needs.

Ryan Murray

*Image: Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media*

If the Bruins are looking for a younger and potentially longer term option than Yandle or Suter, then Ryan Murray could be a fit for Sweeney and the Bruins. Murray is described by New Jersey Devils General Manager, Tom Fitzgerald, as a “smart, two-way defenseman", when he acquired the blue liner from the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Last season with the Devils, Murray had 0 goals and 14 assists with a +/- of +3 in 48 games played, while averaging 18:36 in ice time. Murray is only 27 years old and has managed to stay healthy, only missing 8 games last season in a fast paced season with little rest time.

With 8 years in the league, Murray has experience and has proved himself as a safe option on a second D pairing in the NHL. Given his versatility, experience, age, and lack of injuries, Murray could be an appealing option for Sweeney who is looking for an all-around defenseman.

Alex Goligoski

*Image: Christian Petersen/Getty Images*

Goligoski is a solid option for the Bruins if they are looking for someone older like Suter or Yandle, but without any of the potential risks of taking a guy in the later stages of their career. At 35 years old, Goligoski certainly is not young, but is still a durable and viable option as a 2nd pair D-man in the NHL.

With the Coyotes last season, Goligoski played in all 56 games and recorded 3 goals and 19 assists with a +/- of +2. The veteran D-man shows no signs of wear or slowing down, logging 23 minutes a night in average ice time and having missed few games over the last few seasons with Arizona.

Someone like Goligoski is a safe option for Boston, who needs a reliable, durable, and tough left shot defenseman on their backend. Additionally, the Bruins could probably get him on a one to three year deal for little money, leaving cap space to sign other notable free agents such as a goaltender to share time with Bruins young netminder, Jeremy Swayman, or to bring back Bruins veteran winger, David Krejci.

Mike Reilly

With the injuries on the Bruins backend last season, the club got to see what blue liner Mike Reilly could do after acquiring him from the Senators at the trade deadline. However, Reilly may not be in Sweeney’s long term plans as he is more of a puck moving defenseman, something the Bruins already have two of on the left side in Grzelcyk and Zboril.

Upon coming to Boston, Reilly recorded 0 goals and 8 assists in 15 games with a +/- of +7. He also averaged 21:04 in ice time with Bruins. At only 28 years old, Reilly is young and still has a lot of miles on him and has not missed many games from injuries. Since coming into the league a few years ago, he has seemed to only continue to improve his game as well.

While all of these are positives, on a Bruins blue line that already has puck movers, Reilly may not be the best option for Boston. However, Sweeney would know what he’s getting in Reilly should the team decide to bring him back and given his constant improvement while being in the league, who is to say that Reilly does not improve his defensive abilities this off-season.

The Bruins backend lacked durability and toughness last season, which played a large contributing factor to their 2nd round exit to the Islanders. The Bruins core is only getting older and their up and coming stars will soon want large contracts. These facts combined with the issue of a flat cap for the next three years, highlight that Boston’s championship window is closing. The Bruins need for an all-around left handed defenseman that has grit and durability is high if this Bruins team wants to achieve what they believe they are capable of; another Stanley Cup.

All stats were found on capfriendly.com and foxsports.com.

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