With the Boston Bruins tight to the salary cap, and the 2012 NHL free agency underway, there’s been much talk about some of the Bruins recent signings and if they have hurt the hockey team heading into free agency — as the Black and Gold continue to keep much of the 2011 Stanley Cup winning squad intact.

Some people have praised Bruins management for the moves they have made, and others have voiced concern over some of the numbers dished out to guys like Chris Kelly, Shawn Thornton, Rich Peverley and others.

To help ease both sides of this argument Bruins Daily went and did some research. Below you will find player comparisons for other players around the National Hockey League in regards to some of the annual cap hits per season the Bruins have dished out to their players.

Because it’s hard to base the market on goalies and defensemen for this research I kept it to just the recent forward signings.

Below you will find the Bruins player, their cap hit, stats over the past three seasons, and three other NHL players who come in with the same exact cap hit, or a cap hit that is either $200,000 less, or $200,000 more then said Bruins player. Enjoy!

Chris Kelly Boston Bruins: Signed a 4-year deal in 2012 for a $3,000,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 82GP 20G 19A 39Pts

2010-11 season: 82GP 14G 14A 28Pts

2009-10 season: 81GP 15G 17A 32Pts

Michael Grabner New York Islanders: Signed a 5-year deal in 2011 for a $3,000,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 78GP 20G 12A 32Pts

2010-11 season: 76GP 34G 18A 52Pts

2009-10 season: 20GP 5G 6A 11Pts

Radim Vrbata Phoenix Coyotes: Signed a 3-year deal in 2011 for a $3,000,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 77GP 35G 27A 62Pts

2010-11 season: 79GP 19G 29A 48Pts

2009-10 season: 82GP 24G 19A 43Pts

Devin Setoguchi Minnesota Wild: Signed a 3-year deal in 2011 for a $3,000,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 69GP 19G 17A 36Pts

2010-11 season: 72GP 22G 19A 41Pts

2009-10 season: 70GP 20G 16A 36Pts

Rich Peverley Boston Bruins: Signed a 3-year deal in 2012 for a $3,250,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 57GP 11G 31A 42Pts

2010-11 season: 82GP 18G 23A 44Pts

2009-10 season: 82GP 22G 33A 55Pts

Dustin Penner L.A. Kings: Signed a 1-year deal in 2012 for a $3,250,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 65GP 7G 10A 17Pts

2010-11 season: 81GP 23G 22A 45Pts

2009-10 season: 82GP 32G 31A 63Pts

Matt Moulson New York Islanders: Signed a 3-year deal in 2011 for a $3,133,333 cap hit

2011-12 season: 82GP 36G 33A 69Pts

2010-11 season: 82GP 31G 22A 53Pts

2009-10 season: 82GP 30G 18A 48Pts

Clarke MacArthur Toronto Maple Leafs: Signed a 2-year deal in 2011 for a $3,250,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 73GP 20G 23A 43Pts

2010-11 season: 82GP 21G 41A 62Pts

2009-10 season: 81GP 16G 19A 35Pts

Gregory Campbell Boston Bruins: Signed a 3-year deal in 2012 for a $1,600,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 78GP 8G 8A 16Pts

2010-11 season: 80GP 13G 16A 29Pts

2009-10 season: 60GP 2G 15A 17Pts

Wayne Simmonds Philadelphia Flyers: Signed a 2-year deal in 2011 for a $1,750,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 82GP 28G 21A 49Pts

2010-11 season: 80GP 14G 16A 30Pts

2009-10 season: 78GP 16G 24A 40Pts

Pascal Dupuis Pittsburgh Penguins: Signed a 2-year deal in 2011 for a $1,500,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 82GP 25G 34A 59Pts

2010-11 season: 81GP 17G 20A 37Pts

2009-10 season: 81GP 18G 20A 38Pts

Maxime Talbot Philadelphia Flyers: Signed a 5-year deal in 2011 for a $1,750,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 81GP 19G 15A 34Pts

2010-11 season: 82GP 8G 13A 21Pts

2009-10 season: 45GP 2G 7A 9Pts

Shawn Thornton Boston Bruins: Signed a 3-year deal in 2012 for a $1,100,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 81GP 5G 8A 13Pts

2010-11 season: 79GP 10G 10A 20Pts

2009-10 season: 74GP 1G 9A 10Pts

Josh Bailey New York Islanders: Signed a 2-year deal in 2011 for a $1,050,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 80GP 13G 19A 32Pts

2010-11 season: 70GP 11G 17A 28Pts

2009-10 season: 73GP 16G 19A 35Pts

Bobby Butler Ottawa Senators: Signed a 2-year deal in 2011 for a $1,050,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 56GP 6G 10A 16Pts

2010-11 season: 36GP 10G 11A 21Pts

2009-10 season: 2GP 0G 0A 0Pts

Brad Richardson L.A. Kings: Signed a 2-year deal in 2011 for a $1,175,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 59GP 5G 3A 8Pts

2010-11 season: 68GP 7G 12A 19Pts

2009-10 season: 81GP 11G 16A 27Pts

Daniel Pallie Boston Bruins: Signed a 3-year deal in 2012 for a $1,300,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 69GP 9G 6A 15Pts

2010-11 season: 43GP 6G 7A 13Pts

2009-10 season: 74GP 10G 9A 9Pts

Cal Clutterbuck Minnesota Wild: Signed a 3-year deal in 2010 for a $1,400,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 74GP 15G 12A 27Pts

2010-11 season: 76GP 19G 15A 34Pts

2009-10 season: 74GP 13G 8A 21Pts

Vladimir Sobotka St. Louis Blues: Signed a 3-year deal in 2011 for a $1,300,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 73GP 5G 15A 20Pts

2010-11 season: 65GP 7G 2A 29Pts

2009-10 season: 61GP 4G 6A 10Pts

Jannik Hansen Vancouver Canucks: Signed a 3-year deal in 2011 for a $1,350,000 cap hit

2011-12 season: 82GP 16G 23A 39Pts

2010-11 season: 82GP 9G 20A 29Pts

2009-10 season: 47GP 9G 6A 15Pts