Jacobs finds few holes in Bruins

PLYMOUTH -- As befitting a businessman of his stature, Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs came prepared for the team's charity golf tournament at Pinehills Golf Club yesterday.

Wearing a Pebble Beach golf shirt, Jacobs addressed how the NHL rule changes might change a club's defensive philosophy. He described his initial regret at losing out on Peter Forsberg to Philadelphia, but countered that Alexei Zhamnov could become a better signing because of his durability. He zinged the older Bruins alumni, saying he'd never seen so many knee replacements in one gathering. The the only question he didn't have an answer for was whether the Bruins were close to re-signing Andrew Raycroft, steering inquisitors to general manager Mike O'Connell.

''Ask him. That's a tough question. I want to know, too," Jacobs said.

Jacobs, the second highest-ranking visitor to yesterday's tournament (the Stanley Cup was in attendance, in the custody of former Bruin Milt Schmidt), touched on a variety of subjects regarding his team and the league, branding the current roster the best he's seen in 15 years. With that proclamation, Jacobs said that the team O'Connell has built must perform at a level reflected by its current standing near the $39 million salary cap.

''If I overspent now, shame on us," Jacobs said. ''We'll have to do better next year."

Jacobs confirmed that salaries in the free agency period have been higher than he, O'Connell, and president Harry Sinden predicted. Despite the unexpected spike in salaries, Jacobs said the Bruins, to fulfill the promise made to their fans, had to pursue high-production players, including unrestricted free agents Glen Murray and Brian Leetch, and restricted free agent Joe Thornton, the franchise's centerpiece. This season, the three players ($14.81 million combined) will account for more than one-third of the payroll.

This emphasis on the 2005-06 roster may come at a price, said Jacobs. Because the team, after factoring in deals for Raycroft, Nick Boynton, and Hal Gill, is near the $39 million mark, it may not be able to make a midseason acquisition.

Also, if league revenue does not increase and the cap remains the same or decreases, the Bruins may not be able to sign significant unrestricted free agents next year, including Sergei Samsonov, who accepted his one-year, $2.774 million qualifying offer. If the team does not renegotiate his contract after Jan. 1, 2006, the winger is free to test the market.

''We may well be negatively impacted," Jacobs said. ''We're near the top, and that is a position we find ourselves in because of the market. Depending on how this goes on, we may not be nearly as flexible as we'd hoped to be after this year. We may have committed a lot more this year than we should have. A lot of other teams laid back and didn't do anything. You can't do that in Boston. You can't do that in Philadelphia. They expect a lot from us."

Yesterday, O'Connell said the cap situation will most likely prevent the Bruins from signing the three restricted free agents (Raycroft, Boynton, and Gill) to multiyear deals. O'Connell said he spoke to Anton Thun, Boynton's agent, Tuesday, and to Jordan Neumann, Raycroft's agent, several days ago. O'Connell said he had not talked to Mark Witkin, Gill's agent, for a while.

If Gill signs a one-year contract, the defenseman would become an unrestricted free agent next summer. After this season, Raycroft and Boynton will be eligible for arbitration.

''Raycroft and Boynton are two players we like very much," O'Connell said. ''This year may not be their turn. Maybe next year is when we lock them in long term. It's the new system and we're all going to have to get used to it. It's like Samsonov. We signed Joe this year, and maybe we can do Samsonov [long-term] next year."

Jacobs hailed the new national television deal with OLN, which the league announced last week after ESPN declined to match the network's $65 million offer.

''OLN will do something for us that we haven't had done," Jacobs said. ''They're going to invest in the game. They're going to spend time and energy. From my standpoint, I could see a lack of energy and enthusiasm with ESPN when they signed other deals. We were not an anchor. They started moving toward basketball and baseball and we were sort of a tag along. Now we're the primary focus."

O'Connell said the Atlanta Thrashers contacted him regarding Dany Heatley, the 24-year-old winger who on Tuesday was traded to Ottawa for Marian Hossa and Greg de Vries.

''He's a very skilled player, and we would have had to give a very highly skilled player back," O'Connell said. ''We really like the guys we have."