First off, there is no plausible return for Big Z that would be commensurate with his importance to the franchise, on and off the ice. You would have to find a real sucker to take on his almost $7 million cap hit for the next three years. He’s going to be 38 in March, has tons of mileage on his legs, and, if you look closely, there’s a piano slowly developing on his back.

There may be some takers out there for 28-year-old forward Loui Ericsson ($4.5 million hit next year, then UFA) and 32-year-old defenseman Dennis Seidenberg ($4 million hit for next three years, then UFA). That would alleviate some of the salary-cap crunch for general manager Peter Chiarelli going into next season, but what are you getting in return — draft picks and middling prospects? Ericsson hasn’t been very good and Seidenberg struggles to stay on the ice — but dumping them still makes the Bruins significantly worse this season.

And if the Bruins bail on this season, there goes another prime year of the core of the team: all-world center Patrice Bergeron and goalie Tuukka Rask.

-Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post where you can read more on the Bruins and other hockey topics...