July 1 is a significant day for any team in the NHL. It can be the day that they change their franchise with a big signing, or the day they see a player walk out the door and find a new home on the market. For the Stanley Cup champs, it might not mean anything. 

Reagrding the Peter Chiarelli-led Bruins, work done in the early going of free agency has been good work, and work from which they certainly benefited when they raised the Stanley Cup last month. 

It was three years ago to the day that the Bruins inked Michael Ryder to a three-year-contract worth $12 million. While some questioned it right off the bat and got back to second-guessing when he followed a 27-goal Boston debut with 18 goals in each of the next two seasons, he was a key player for the Bruins in their Cup run. At the end of the day, the goal is to win the Stanley Cup, and his 17 postseason points helped him get there. Of course, he was far from biggest free agent addition in recent years. 

If you can remember even further back, it was July 1 of 2006 when the B’s made their statement that they were going to turn their luck around. Coming off a 29-win season that cost then-GM Mike O’Connell his job, the B’s inked Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard to big-money contracts for five and four years, respectively. Chara has since captained the team to a Stanley Cup championship while also picking up a Norris Trophy along the way. Savard, like Chara, was re-upped before his first deal with the team could expire, but due to concussion woes has a far less optimistic future than the 6-foot-9 blueliner. At any rate, July 1, 2006 was a mammoth day for the B’s, and given that it brought Chara to Boston, it would be hard to argue that it wasn’t the most significant acquisition to the B’s finally bringing the Cup back to Boston. 

Fast-forward to now, and the idea of the Bruins opening the checkbook is something fans should borderline be rooting against. The big names aren’t out there (newsflash: Tomas Kaberle is among the best on the market), and the B’s have to save their money for David Krejci, Tuukka Rask and Tyler Seguin paydays in the future. 

“I look at my board and I see the number of players and the quality of players,” Chiarelli said Thursday. “And the numbers may be the same, [but] the quality is … there’s just not the high end players. Then of course you’ve got the floor of the cap and teams have to spend, so you’re going to get contracts I think that, maybe that, they’re generally higher in the unrestricted market, but I even think they’ll be that added premium because teams have to spend. … That’s why I’m a little cautious going into this market. There’s not the supply that there normally is, and I think the demand is greater because of the cap floor and teams have to spend.”

Translation: these guys are going to get paid, and in some cases, it might be hard to justify why. The B’s realistically have three spots to fill (assuming Marc Savard does not return; two if he does). They need two wingers, one of which could be filled by re-signing Ryder, an unrestricted free agent, and a defenseman (same thing for Tomas Kaberle). Chiarelli has told both players to see what they can find on the open market, and that if they come back, they come back. The B’s weren’t going to take extreme measures to make sure they didn’t hit the open market, though one would have to think both would be welcomed back at the right price. 

For Kaberle, it’s an interesting case. He was as soft as soft could be at points in the playoffs, but once the Stanley Cup finals began, so too did a new day for the B’s biggest trade acquisition. If his performance when it mattered most could cancel out his first four months in a Bruins uniform, maybe the 33-year-old will get a decent deal from somebody. You’ve also got to consider supply and demand, plus the fact that Christian Ehroff, a fine but not outstanding blueliner in his late 20’s, just inked a 10-year, $40 million deal with the Sabres. Teams are going to overpay for guys if they want them enough, and Kaberle, Columbus’ (kind of) James Wisniewski and Phoenix’ Ed Jovanowski are the top blueliners available. If Kaberle gets anything north of $3 million a year, it will be too much.

The Bruins clearly have a line as well, as they would have signed him by now otherwise. The rest of the market will likely dictate whether a return to Boston is in the cards. If not, the B’s will have given up a first-round pick, a conditional second-rounder, and a top-6 forward prospect (Joe Colborne) for just a few months of service. Oh, and the Stanley Cup. 

Then there’s Ryder. Another guy who would make sense if he took a pay cut, Ryder actually might once again be able to cash in on the open market. While an annual $4 million cap hit would be insane for a player who is two years removed from his last 20-goal season, he made his push for the big bucks when everyone was watching: the postseason. 

Maybe he doesn’t get the offer he seeks. If he can return with a cap hit somewhere in the $2 million range (he'll almost certainly be offered more), it would be worth it for the B’s. He turns into a different player in the postseason, plus he would provide half the answer of who to play with Tyler Seguin. Ryder was a huge help to Seguin as a rookie, and the on-ice chemistry between the two might be something the B’s should be in no hurry to break up.

If neither player has found a new destination as free agency progresses, maybe the B’s will retain the players. If not, they have options. Jordan Caron figures to get a full-season shot with the team next season after getting a 23-game sample last year. Steven Kampfer is also ready to at least play a role as a third-pairing defenseman.

So, while teams race to frantically bid for the services of the likes of Brad Richards and anyone else who might strike their fancy for a high price, the B’s will likely take it easy. July 1 has meant a ton to this squad, but it probably won’t this time.