Welcome to The Hockey Writers’ 2023 Free-Agent Targets series for the Boston Bruins. During it, we will be looking at a handful of free agents from each NHL team who the Bruins should consider pursuing this summer.
Related: Bruins: 3 Teams Who Could Sign-And-Trade for Dmitry Orlov
In this latest edition of the series, the Calgary Flames will be the team of focus. The Flames do not have too many big-name free agents, but there are a few who could still be decent depth additions for the Bruins. Let’s dive into it now.
Michael Stone
One area that general manager (GM) Don Sweeney should be looking to improve this offseason is the right side of their defensive group. Their depth on the right side was noticeably sparse this season, and it has the potential to become even weaker if Connor Clifton leaves during free agency. Although the Flames do not offer a full-time replacement for Clifton’s bottom pairing spot, they do have a decent potential seventh defenseman option – Michael Stone.
Stone has worked well as an extra defenseman for the Flames over the last handful of seasons, so he certainly could take over that role for Boston if signed. This past season was a particularly solid one for the 33-year-old, as he had six goals, 11 points, and 54 hits in 48 games. Although these are not dominant statistics, they do show that he can make an impact when called upon.
When noting that Stone is a depth defenseman, the Bruins would be able to sign him to a league-minimum deal with ease. Overall, it would not hurt to have another experienced right-shot defenseman on the club, so this is something Sweeney should consider.
Trevor Lewis
The Bruins have several questions heading into the offseason, and one of the most notable is their fourth line. Nick Foligno, Tomas Nosek, and Garnet Hathaway are all pending UFAs, and there is no guarantee that they will be back given Boston’s limited cap space. As a result, the Bruins should be in the market for at least one bottom-six forward this summer, and one specific target who stands out from the Flames is Trevor Lewis.
Lewis is far from a star, but he would provide the Bruins with another experienced fourth-line caliber forward. The 36-year-old is coming off of a decent season with Calgary, posting nine goals, 20 points, and 158 hits in 82 games played. Overall, he provides a little bit of offensive production to go along with notable physicality, so he is a player worth taking a look at. This is especially so when noting that he also can kill penalties if needed.
Similar to Stone, Lewis is a player who can likely be had at a league-minimum cap hit. This is something that should grab the attention of the Bruins given their cap trouble, so perhaps Lewis could be a Bruin in 2023-24.
Milan Lucic
You knew he was going to be discussed. Yes, the Bruins have the opportunity to bring back former fan favorite Milan Lucic this offseason. It could be an avenue Sweeney considers this offseason with Foligno’s potential departure. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman also reported that he heard a rumor that the Bruins considered bringing back Lucic at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline. Therefore, one has to wonder if we could see “Looch” back in Beantown for one final year.
I mean, if the Bruins were rumored to be interested in acquiring Lucic and his expensive cap hit this year, it seems likely that they would consider signing him to a league-minimum deal. Although his days as a dominant top-six power forward are long gone, he would be a serviceable option for fourth-line minutes at this juncture of his career. Most notably, he would give the Bruins far more toughness, which is something most fans believe Boston needs more of.
In 77 games this season with the Flames, Lucic had seven goals, 19 points, 168 hits, and 43 penalty minutes. Again, his offensive production has tailed off, but his gritty style of play still remains.
Overall, the Bruins have some decent depth options from the Flames worth targeting this summer. Out of this trio, Lucic would of course be the most notable given the fanbase’s love for him, but adding Stone or Lewis could also be beneficial. Alas, time will tell if any of these end up in Boston from here.
