The reigning Eastern Conference champs could have a decidedly different look up front next season.
Shortly after news broke that Boston was shopping Tyler Seguin, reports surfaced that UFA forward Nathan Horton informed the Bruins he wouldn’t be re-signing.Spoke w/Nathan Horton’s agent, Paul Krepelka: he informed Bruins he’s moving on & wants “a new beginning” at another NHL spot #BruinsTalk
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) June 29, 2013
Krepelka said there was never any offers exchanged between Bruins and Horton’s camp. He simply wanted to move on in free agency #BruinsTalk
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) June 29, 2013
That no offers were exchanged gives a good idea of how far apart the two sides were.
Yesterday, reports surfaced that Horton was looking for a long-term deal that would pay $6 million annually; the Bruins, meanwhile, are trying to get their financials in order to afford Tuukka Rask’s new deal (which could cost as much as $7 million per) and prepare for Patrice Bergeron’s contract extension, rumored to be an eight-year deal with a cap hit around $6.5 million.
To that end, the B’s are exploring the option of trading Seguin, who has his six-year, $34.5 million deal ($5.75 million annually) kick in next season.