The Boston Bruins have spent the first weeks of the offseason reshaping their roster and working to fix their salary cap situation. One of the issues that still remained for the team was working out a new contract for restricted free agent Jimmy Hayes after he was acquired in a trade with the Florida Panthers last week.
On Monday afternoon, the Bruins managed to secure Hayes to a three-year deal that will pay him $2.3 million per season and keep him in Boston through the end of the 2017-18 season.
The Bruins also agreed to a one-year extension with restricted free agent Brett Connolly that will pay him $1.025 million for the upcoming season. Connolly was acquired at the trade deadline this past year but played in only five games due to an injury he suffered just after the trade.
In exchange for Hayes, the Bruins sent forward Reilly Smith and the remaining years of Marc Savard's contract to the Panthers. From a salary cap perspective it's a major win for the Bruins, not only because the trade helped them shed the $4 million cap hit that Savard still carried with him, but also because Hayes' new deal is actually cheaper than the contract ($3.4 million per year) Smith signed this past season with the Bruins. Hayes' new deal saves the Bruins a little more than $1.1 million against the cap and should allow them to get similar production out of that roster spot.
In 73 games with the Panthers Hayes scored 19 goals to go with 16 assists this past season. Smith scored 13 goals and recorded 27 assists in 81 games for the Bruins.
The Bruins are now $6.5 million under the league's $71.4 million salary cap for the upcoming season with 18 players under contract, via General Fanager.
