Lucic's three-year extension may mean the end for another in Boston

Boston Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli announced today that the club has signed forward Milan Lucic to a three-year contract extension through the 2012-13 NHL season

According to multiple reports, the deal was worth $12.25 million over three years. Lucic will earn $4 million in each of the next two years and $4.25 million in 2012-13.

Lucic would have been a restricted free agent at the end of this season.

Now, your initial reaction when reading this is, yes, Lucic in black and gold for the next four years. Yes! Lucic cleaning clocks in the Northeast division until 2013.

However, this signing, as good as it feels may mean the end of an era in the hub.

The player who may be priced out of bean town next season is the Bruins perennial leading point scorer, Marc Savard. Savard, a UFA at season's end is likely looking at a $6 million+ annual cap hit.

Boston is tight to the cap, which is no surprise. The lack of cap space was the main reason the Bruins were not able to offer an acceptable bid for RFA, Phil Kessel.

With Lucic getting a bump from $618,333 to $4 million, and with other key free agents like Blake Wheeler and Tuukka Rask looming look for Savard to be heading off of Causeway and over the border.

The rumors have already been surfaced, but now with the smoke, there appears to be a fire; perhaps a big one. Savard and Kessel together again in 2010-2011?

Of course, the Bruins could dish a big salary out of Boston to maintain Savard. The one salary they could dish, to save the current Bruin pivot may be another fan favorite in Tim Thomas.

Thomas will make $5 million against the cap next season, but could be expendable with a promotion of a young star in the making in Rask. Rask, however will most likely be looking for a deal of at least $3 million.

The headache that awaits Peter Chiarelli this off-season is going to be a big one. That is undoubtedly why Chiarelli is looking to lock up some of his bigger name free agents now, rather than June.

Could players like Mark Stuart and Blake Wheeler be next on Chiarelli's laundry list of free agents to be? Here's a case of Advil Peter, you'll need it.