Loui Eriksson is about to welcome his fourth child — a boy after three girls — and that’s a lot of family to pack up and move, but it looks like the Bruins right wing will be changing addresses this summer.
“It’s a big decision where I’m going to end up,’’ said Eriksson on Monday as the players packed up their disappointment at TD Garden during breakup day. “We’ll see what’s going to happen this summer. I’ve had three great years here and we’ll see what’s going to happen here in the summer. That’s all I can say.’’
An unrestricted free agent come July 1, Eriksson is going to be one of the more appealing forwards among free agents and is likely to have his pick of teams. Eriksson had 30 goals and 33 assists in 82 games this season, and at 30, he’s in the prime of his career. He was the only Bruin to play every game this season.
When talks get serious, he’ll be looking for a big payday and a Cup contender. He currently has a cap hit of $4.25 million.
“I’ve never been in this situation before,’’ he said. “It’s a little bit different for the whole family. Hopefully we can find a place to play on a good team and we’ll see if it’s going to be here. That’s something me and my family have to sit down and talk about. It’s definitely important to be on a good team and feel good about yourself, and especially I have a big family now that I have to think about. We have to sit down . . . think about where we want to be and see what teams are out there and if Boston wants to keep me.’’
Eriksson was disappointed to miss a playoff run, and he wants to make sure he doesn’t miss again.
“All I can do this summer is try to work hard,’’ Eriksson said. “I want to go and make a run to win the whole playoffs and everything, so I’m going to really work hard this summer and stay in shape and even get better.’’
Eriksson’s name was generously thrown around at the trade deadline as the Bruins knew they would have a difficult time matching the salary he could command on the open market. They didn’t get any trade offers they liked enough to sacrifice his offense as the team made its playoff push.
That didn’t work out so well, and if Eriksson leaves, the Bruins won’t get anything in return.
Boston could still try to re-sign him, but Eriksson didn’t sound as if he envisioned another season in black and gold.
“You never know,’’ Eriksson said. “I like to play here and it’s a great team to play for, it’s a great city to live. We’ll see what’s going to happen.’’
Eriksson came to the Bruins in July 2013 in the trade that sent Tyler Seguin to Dallas. He knows what it’s like to change teams. His adjustment to Boston was complicated when he suffered two concussions, hampering his performance even after he was cleared to return.
“I think I was playing better and better as it went on.’’ he said. “I think this year I’ve been feeling like myself and I’ve been playing good. I feel good about where I am in my game. All I can do now is work hard this summer and even get better.
“I’ve been in this league for a long time and I think everyone knows how I play the game. I’ve got a lot of good experience. Like I said, we’ll see what’s going to happen this summer and where I’m going to end up being.’’
