from Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald,

Sweeney very well could trade an important player — Loui Eriksson or Milan Lucic, perhaps — to free up cap space.

However, arguably his biggest issue is finding a way to get restricted free agent-to-be Dougie Hamilton under contract. Sweeney spoke with Hamilton’s agent J.P. Barry on Wednesday night and, though the lines of communication are open, it doesn’t sound like a deal is imminent.

While Sweeney would not discuss the content of the meeting, it’s believed some discussion centered around the length of the deal, which would greatly affect the value of the contract. A shorter bridge deal would be cheaper but could cost the Bruins in the long run when Hamilton, who projects to be a consistent point producer, gains arbitration rights.

A shorter deal would buy the cash-strapped Bruins time to move money after some prospects hopefully develop. Perhaps they would feel more comfortable in trading goalie Tuukka Rask in two years time, if Malcolm Subban or Zane McIntyre develops into a No. 1.

A long-term deal could be between $6 and $7 million, pretty steep for a very good offensive-minded defenseman but not quite the complete package yet.

Asked if a long-term or short-term deal was preferable, Sweeney said, “There are two sides to make a good deal. We presented opportunities on both ends of it. We’ll find the right deal.”

Asked if a deal would get done before July 1, and before offer sheets could start coming Hamilton’s way, Sweeney said, “In a perfect world it would be, yeah, but it takes two sides to make a deal and we’re going to continue to explore that and communicate in order to find the right deal.”

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