Loui Eriksson – After coming over from Dallas in the Tyler Seguin trade, Eriksson really hasn't found his stride in Boston like he had in Dallas. Loui is signed for one more year at a cap hit of $4.25M, and after battling concussion issues last year has seemed to find his way a bit more this year. Eriksson may not be the 70+ point player he once was in Dallas, but he can still be one of the more effective two-way players in the league and quite possibly a change of scenery may be exactly what he needs.

Who should be the Bruins priority to re-sign at the end of this year?

Dougie Hamilton, Torey Krug, Reilly Smith and Carl Soderberg should all be priorities for Chiarelli in the off-season. Both Krug and Smith gave Boston a break by signing below market value contracts for one year at the end of last year. I don't see that happening again this summer.  All of these guys other than Soderberg are still restricted free agents and under control of the Bruins for a while yet, but that doesn't mean they won't be looking for a hefty pay raise.  Soderberg has played well enough to earn a big raise, but he's still just a third line center for the Bruins. They really can't afford to pay him top-six money and I am sure there will be a few teams out there who won't be afraid to. I guess it will really come down to how bad he wants to stay in Boston, or is he looking for the big pay day. He is proving that he could easily become a top-six guy in the right situation. He's an important piece to the Bruins and they won't want to lose him. This could be one of the more interesting situations in Boston in the off-season to watch. Hamilton will also command a big pay day, coming off his ELC. He has shown he is ready for the big role and the Bruins are close to giving it to him. 

The other guys…

The Bruins have the following guys still to be signed at the end of the season. Gregory Campbell, Dan Paille, Adam McQuaid and Matt Bartowski are all UFA's at the end of this year.  Backup goalie, Niklas Svedberg is a RFA at the end of this year as well. McQuaid should be re-signed as he offers quality depth at a reasonable price. Campbell and Paille are decent fourth line guys who can give solid minutes. I don't know if teams will be screaming for their services so I can see them both coming back to Boston at a cheap price tag. If either of them walk away, it won't be the end of the world as the Bruins have a few guys in Providence that have already shown they can step in that role with confidence. I'll get to them in a little bit. Svedberg, if the price is right, would be brought back. Svedberg has played very well for the Bruins this year and one has to wonder if he's content on making backup money, and being a backup goalie.  Chiarelli doesn't need to reach too far when it comes to re-signing Svedberg. If there's one thing we have seen the past couple off-seasons, there are plenty of goalies out there who are looking for work. He won't have to spend too much on a backup, which could mean the end of Svedberg in Boston.

Who is in the system and ready to step up? 

The Bruins do have lots of good young players who have already shown, in limited quantities, that they are ready to step in and fill roles for the big club. Forwards like Seth Griffith, Ryan Spooner, Alexander Khokhlachev, and Matt Lindblad have all seen time this year in Boston.  Lindblad, who was an undrafted FA signing out of Dartmouth College, can fill in on the fourth line nicely. He needs a new contract as well, but he should be an easy one to sign on an inexpensive two-way deal. The others are all high end, scoring forwards who have yet to stick with the big club but are well on their way. The problem has been finding a spot for them in a scoring situation to fit their skillset.

Jeremy Smith, a former second round pick of the Nashville Predators, is putting up solid numbers in Providence this year and is a possible backup next season should the Bruins lose Svedberg. Malcom Subban still has work to do before you will see him in Boston. A couple more seasons in Providence will do him wonders. He's simply not ready yet.

As far as defence goes, guys like David Warsofsky, Zach Trotman and Joe Morrow have all had a cup with the Bruins and have all shown they can step in now and contribute once spots start to open up.

The Bruins are going to be an interesting team to watch as the trade deadline gets closer. They want to make moves to improve their roster but are dancing a fine line with the salary cap. Who stays and who goes? That will be the big question. Chiarelli will have his hands close to the phone and no doubt, listen to all options. 

Thanks again for reading. Feel free to follow me on twitter @chrispudsey and feel free to leave a comment.