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5 priorities for the Bruins this offseason
The Bruins have the cap space on hand to bolster their forward corps this offseason.
Don Sweeney and the Bruins made the most of a cap-crunched roster in 2023-24 — with a season tabbed as a bridge year ending with 109 points and a second-round bout against the Panthers.
Now the real work begins for the Bruins, who have a prime opportunity to add to a solid foundation and an emerging pipeline of young talent thanks to an abundance of cap space this summer.
Here are five priorities for Sweeney and his staff in what is shaping up to be a busy summer.
1. Trade Linus Ullmark
In a perfect scenario, the Bruins would move forward with the stability of having two No. 1 goalies on their roster in Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark.
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But with Swayman due a hefty pay raise this summer, the Bruins can’t move ahead with $12-14 million tied up at the goaltender position — not when one of their two top assets is stapled to the bench, night in and night out.
With Swayman ascending as Boston’s go-to option between the pipes during this latest playoff push, the writing is on the wall that Ullmark’s tenure in Boston is coming to a close. The 30-year-old veteran and reigning Vezina Trophy winner has been a consummate pro and valuable resource for Swayman during their tenure together.
But a trade this offseason should benefit all parties this summer — with Ullmark guaranteed heavy reps for one of the many contenders in need of goalie help, and Boston freeing up even more cap space while carving out a featured role for Swayman.
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Ullmark, who reportedly nixed a deal out west ahead of the trade deadline in March, will hold a 15-team no-trade list this offseason. Boston will need to find the right fit for Ullmark given those trade protections — with the return of any draft capital or even a forward with team control serving as the cherry on top of any potential deal.
2. Find a top-six center
Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha deserve plenty of credit for stepping up following the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci last summer. Both put together career years while shouldering the burden of being Boston’s 1-2 punch down the middle in 2023-24.
But this latest playoff run showcased that the Bruins are still in desperate need of a proven pivot somewhere in their top-six grouping.
The Bruins need another scoring threat to bolster a Bruins offense that averaged just 2.17 goals per game against the Panthers.
But another top-six center would also create a positive domino effect across the rest of the depth chart — pushing a player like Zacha to the wing or even bumping Coyle down to the third line next to Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie.
Pending UFA Elias Lindholm stands as an obvious candidate for the Bruins in free agency, with the 30-year-old center’s defensive game (second in 2021-22 Selke Trophy voting) and faceoff talents (56.4% this season) welcomed on a team like Boston.
He may not be the 40-goal talent he was in 2021-22 with Calgary, but Lindholm should be a 60-point regular with a team like Boston, especially if he’s feeding pucks to a player like David Pastrnak.
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If Lindholm isn’t a fit, the Bruins could also see if veteran Steven Stamkos is really willing to leave Tampa Bay in free agency, with the 34-year-old captain still a potent point producer — and a power-play ace. Him signing a short-term deal with another contender sure feels like the same script as the Stars inking Joe Pavelski back in July 2019. No regrets there from Dallas.
Sweeney could also get creative via trades this offseason in order to add a top-six talent. If the Carolina Hurricanes are looking to overhaul their goalie rotation, could they opt to deal the signing rights of 25-year-old center Martin Necas to Boston for a player like Ullmark?
Boston could monitor what the Kings do with disgruntled center Pierre-Luc Dubois, especially if Los Angeles is willing to buy out his contract or eat some of the cash on his current eight-year, $68 million contract.
But given Dubois’ history of underperformance and sour attitude across several teams, there’s a whole lot of risk in bringing in the talented power forward, even at a reduced rate.
3. Re-sign Jeremy Swayman and Jake DeBrusk
After moving Ullmark, crafting a long-term deal for Swayman stands as the other no-brainer for Sweeney and his staff this summer.
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The Bruins’ 2023-24 season carried into mid-May due in large part to Swayman’s breakthrough performance this postseason. He started 12 of Boston’s 13 playoff games, sporting a .933 save percentage — tops among all playoff goalies with at least four starts.
After repeatedly expressing his distaste for the Bruins taking him to arbitration last summer, the Bruins need to lock up the 25-year-old goalie to a long-term deal this offseason and keep their franchise fixture in place for the foreseeable future.
Beyond Swayman’s next contract, the Bruins currently have nine players on their roster set to hit unrestricted free agency. Several key pieces like Matt Grzlecyk, Derek Forbort, and James van Riemsdyk are likely not returning.
But Jake DeBrusk should stick around in Boston, so long as the money is right on a long-term deal.
The 27-year-old wing is a divisive figure in Boston due to his up-and-down scoring production. But DeBrusk boasts a high floor thanks to his development into a steady, two-way player capable of contributing on the power play and PK.
He was the Bruins’ most impactful forward during the postseason with a team-high 11 points in 13 games, while his speed is something that the Bruins should be looking to further add to their forward corps, not subtract.
Even if he’s not the 30-goal ace many predicted he’d develop into, DeBrusk is worth a pay bump of $5-5.5 million per year on a new deal given his speed, nose for the net, defensive contributions, and knack for elevating his game in the playoffs.
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But if he commands more than that on the open market? That’s when things become dicey.
4. Bolster scoring depth
While the Bruins will hold nearly $26 million in cap space if they move Ullmark’s contract (per CapFriendly), it remains to be seen just how much will be left if Boston re-signs Swayman and DeBrusk — as well as add a top-six center like Lindholm or Necas.
But if there is still some cap flexibility remaining, the Bruins should peruse the free-agent market for more scoring punch up front.
“You can’t win every game 2-1,” Jim Montgomery declared after Boston’s Game 6 loss to Florida.
Boston’s “quality over quantity” approach on offense led to Boston holding a 60-41 edge in high-danger scoring chances generated against the Panthers during 5-on-5 play. But that emphasis on Grade-A looks doesn’t lead to strong results if your roster is lacking in terms of finishing ability.
The Bruins likely won’t be in the running for top targets on the wing like Sam Reinhart and Jake Guentzel.
But the Bruins will keep tabs on the market for other top-six options like Tyler Bertuzzi, Jonathan Marchessault, and Tyler Toffoli. Bottom-six players with scoring touch like the fleet-footed Anthony Duclair and shot-heavy Daniel Sprong could also be value adds for Boston once the team’s cap space dries up.
5. Add some heft on the blue line
Much like additional scoring punch on the wing, the Bruins may not have enough cap space to really address the vacancy found on the left side of the team’s D corps. A third pairing of Parker Wotherspoon and Andrew Peeke does hold some intrigue, although Wotherspoon may be better suited as a seventh D with Boston.
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With Hampus Lindholm and Mason Lohrei likely locked in as the team’s top left-shot D, Boston could use a big-bodied bruiser on that third pairing next to Peeke.
The Bruins likely won’t have the spending power left to try and sign the 6-foot-6 Nikita Zadorov. But a 33-year-old Brendan Dillon (6-foot-4, 225-pound) could be a perfect fit — and a far more dependable option than other heftier blueliners on the market like Joel Edmundson.
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