from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

- The Bruins’ exclusive window to negotiate with Dougie Hamilton will remain open for a little more than three weeks. On July 1, Hamilton will become a restricted free agent, eligible to sign an offer sheet with any team.

That is why nobody expects the defenseman to re-sign with the Bruins before then.

Hamilton is in a position of strength. Everybody, from Hamilton to his bosses to the rest of the league, understands how good he already is and how much room remains below his ceiling. Hamilton will be the team’s No. 1 defenseman when Zdeno Chara says goodbye. Hamilton projects to be Boston’s version of Victor Hedman: a big, powerful, and mobile three-zone defenseman.

Those types of players always earn their cash.

Hedman is earning $4 million annually. Hamilton’s other comparables (all figures courtesy of www.war-on-ice.com) include Justin Faulk ($4,833,333), T.J. Brodie ($4.65 million), John Klingberg ($4.25 million), and Jonas Brodin ($4,166,667)....

- Bruins defenseman Matt Bartkowski will have options in free agency because of his skating and strength. A likely landing spot is Vancouver. GM Jim Benning and vice president of player personnel John Weisbrod have liked Bartkowski’s game. In turn, Kevin Bieksa and Dan Hamhuis, who will be unrestricted in July 2016, would draw interest on the trade market.

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