Bruins have shown interest in veteran defenseman Karl Alzner?

The Boston Bruins haven't done much this offseason to address a number of needs after being eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Tampa Bay Lightning. They let Torey Krug walk in free agency, and Zdeno Chara very well could do the same as he's reportedly considering all of his options. 

If Chara decides to leave, the Bruins defense corps will have an average age of around 25 — that's pretty young. According to Boston Hockey Now's Joe Haggerty, the Bruins have reportedly shown interest in defenseman Karl Alzner as a "veteran insurance policy" if they decide to go young at the blue line next season. 

Alzner, who is 32-years-old, has played in just 13 NHL games over the last two seasons. That's not exactly ideal for a team that just lost one of their best defensemen in Krug. 

The former Montreal Canadien was bought out by the team this past season after not meeting the club's expectations. However, he could still have some juice left in the tank. In his nine seasons with the Washington Capitals from 2008-17, Alzner tallied 19 goals and 98 assists and a plus-61 rating. If he can return to that form, the B's could have found a diamond in the rough. 

If the Bruins do sign Alzner, it will give prospects Urho Vaakanainen and Jakub Zboril time to continue developing in the minor leagues before making the jump to NHL action. Given Alzner's last few seasons, he'd likely have to be signed to only a league-minimum deal of $700,000, which wouldn't restrict Boston's desires to re-sign Matt Grzelcyk and/or Jake DeBrusk.