Make no qualms about it, the Boston Globe report that Bruins star center Marc Savard -- who is still suffering from post-concussion symptoms -- is likely out for the season and that his career is in serious jeopardy is sad and tragic news.

“Based on what I see, what I hear, what I read, and what I’m told, it’s very unlikely Marc will play again,” Chiarelli told the Globe. “Now, knowing the uncertainty of this injury, there’s always a chance [he could play]. But based on what I’m told, it’s very unlikely he’ll play. As an employer, I support him and hope he gets back to living a healthy life.”

But while seeing Savard's career cut short is heartbreaking and difficult to watch, there could be one major benefit for the Bruins: Given he doesn’t retire and comes to camp later this month, fails his physical and is placed on long-term injury reserve, Savard will still get the $4 million owed to him and that cap hit will then be freed up from the Bruins' total salary against the $64.3 million NHL salary cap. The Bruins already have $7.7 in cap space without Savard’s $4 million.

In a recent interview with ESPNBoston.com prior to the Savard news, Chiarelli discussed the Bruins' roster moves this past summer and noted that their cap-space situation precluded them from doing much in the free-agent market and via trade. The Bruins made just two notable roster moves in July, trading for defenseman Joe Corvo and signing unrestricted free agent Benoit Pouliot. Chiarelli noted that next summer the Bruins will have three restricted free agents and seven unrestricted.

“We weren’t in on that frenzy and that was by design,” Chiarelli pointed out. “We’ve got some young players we want to give a chance to. There’s always players available. There are teams that have surplus players and we feel our scouts are good so if we need something to fill a hole later on, we can do it. We have ample cap space to add on a significant player if need be. So we go in with some flexibility and we go in with some young guys that can prove themselves and maybe we have a tryout player or two that can earn a job.”

Was he ever tempted to use that cap space and delve into the scrap pile of unrestricted free agents after the initial frenzy or make more trades?

“No, no, not really,” Chiarelli answered. “When we got Pouliot and Corvo, we felt a chunk of the critical mass was complete. I didn’t feel the need for more. We’ve got guys that we have to extend by next summer. I’m looking at the board here, seven UFA’s and we’ve got some restricted guys. So I gotta leave some room for those guys and these guys won a Cup so I don’t want to mettle too much. This will be a year of expectations and flexibility. We’ll see how the year goes."

Chiarelli said he knew the likelihood of Savard returning this season was slim, and now with the money he saved and the Savard money possibly coming, the Stanley Cup champions can make some major moves if necessary -- such as the ones Chiarelli pulled off last season near the trade deadline, adding Tomas Kaberle, Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly. While Kaberle didn’t exactly live up to expectations and has since departed via free agency, Kelly and Peverley made huge contributions in the playoffs and became solid leaders in the dressing room.

Corvo and Pouliot are by no means major acquisitions but they can help if they play to their abilities and are low risk, with Corvo bringing a $2.2 million cap hit and Pouliot $1.1.

The Bruins will surely miss Savard’s offensive production, but as they showed the past two seasons, they are one of the deepest teams at center with David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, Gregory Campbell and Tyler Seguin, Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley all possible pivots. While Krejci is probably the closest to the precise vision and passing Savard possessed, those skills he brought won’t be replaced until the Bruins bring in a player of that caliber or better.

But their collective talents have already proven to be productive. And with so much cap space, Chiarelli can fill holes during the season if necessary, retain the free agents he chooses to next summer, and perhaps bring in a premiere free agent or trade for a top player next summer.