Which type of player will the Bruins target this offseason?
"You’ll stick out like a sore thumb if you don’t mesh in here, and that’s just how it is."
Don Sweeney and the Bruins have the means to significantly retool their roster this summer.
Thanks to a bump in the NHL’s cap ceiling and several expiring contracts on Boston’s depth chart, the Bruins are set to enter the offseason with nearly $21 million in cap space.
If they find a way to deal Linus Ullmark, that spending power could bump up to nearly $26 million.
Even after settling in-house business like carving out a hefty new contract for Jeremy Swayman and potentially retaining Jake DeBrusk, the Bruins will have enough left in their bank to add at least one impact forward — if not more assets.
But which type of player are the Bruins prioritizing this offseason?
After scoring two goals or fewer in five of their six games against the Panthers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s evident that the Bruins will be in the market for more scoring punch.
“The margins are small. They just are, I mean, the final three games of the series were 3-2, 2-1, 2-1,” Bruins GM Don Sweeney said Wednesday of offense drying up during the postseason. “At the end of the day, the other team’s having difficulty to score, and as teams move through the playoffs, things tighten up.
“You have to find a way — we didn’t get inside quite enough in rebound situations that we might have been able to take advantage of. So there are some things that we need to address, and I need to address from a standpoint of free agency and/or internal growth. … We have to complement — I have to be able to find some players that can come in and provide secondary scoring for us at key times.”
The writing is on the wall that Boston will look to upgrade its pipeline of centers.
Even though the trio of Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, and Morgan Geekie all exceeded expectations in elevated roles during regular-season action — another top-six center would both add another proven scoring option and create a positive domino effect on Boston’s depth chart.
Even though the Bruins could definitely use another top-six weapon — especially down the middle — Coyle stressed that the Bruins also don’t want to sacrifice their defensive structure in order to cash in on a few more chances.
“We pride ourselves on being two-way players. That’s what I try to strive to be. That’s what we’ve had here with [Patrice] Bergeron and [David] Krejci. Those guys — that’s what you want. Someone who’s played both ends of the ice and produces and meshes as well,” Coyle said on Boston’s break-up day, per MassLive’s Lauren Campbell. “And is a good team guy. You can always add in that department. If that’s the plan then we’ll welcome a guy like that with open arms. … You want guys to come here who are gonna help, be good team guys and fit in.
“But usually when you come in here, it doesn’t matter who you are, you’re going to fit in because you just get ingrained in the culture and how it is here. There’s no other way. You’ll stick out like a sore thumb if you don’t mesh in here, and that’s just how it is.”
Well, those comments might rule out a habitually disgruntled pivot like Pierre-Luc Dubois, who could be dangled on the market this summer after a lackluster debut in Los Angeles.
But if the Bruins are looking for a two-way centerman, they can’t go wrong with the top pivot on the open market in Elias Lindholm. Lindholm, who was linked to the Bruins by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman last week, finished second in Selke Trophy voting in 2021-22 and won 56.4% of his faceoffs this season between Calgary and Vancouver.
Even though Lindholm’s production dipped this year (44 points in 75 games), he has surpassed 50 points four times in his career — with a full season stapled next to a player like David Pastrnak standing as an easy avenue for a bounce-back season.
Players with 200-foot profiles like Lindholm will be in high demand this summer, but Cam Neely also stressed that the Bruins need to add another element to their forward corps over the offseason.
“Obviously, this game is fast and we’re not as fast as we’d like to be,” Neely acknowledged last week. “Some of that had to do with last offseason and what we were really kind of hamstrung and trying to accomplish. Our pro scouting staff did a really good job last offseason and built a team that competed the way they did.
“But there’s areas where we still need to improve, and we’re going to address that this offseason for sure. But yeah, maybe a little faster and we’d like to see a little bit more 50/50 puck battle wins. That’s an area where you have to want the puck more than the other team.”
If the Bruins are looking for speed, there are several intriguing options available in free agency. However, the most obvious fleet-footed target for the Bruins is DeBrusk, whose ability to win puck battles and operate in Grade-A ice was put on display during his strong postseason against Toronto and Florida.
Ideally, the Bruins find a way to retain DeBrusk and add another speedy forward to the mix, rather than let DeBrusk walk and try to account for his absence on top of their other pressing needs.
If the Bruins are trying to take out two birds with one stone, a center with a high motor like Chandler Stephenson could be an appealing option — while speedy winger Anthony Duclair could be an affordable target if the Bruins are trying to add a 30-goal scorer into the mix.
On the trade market, the Bruins should keep close tabs on what the Carolina Hurricanes decide to do with pending restricted free agent Martin Necas.
The 25-year-old forward could be on the move to a team willing to hand him a long-term extension, with his age, high-end skill, and skating ability making him a very intriguing option for a Bruins team in need of another impact forward in their top-six grouping.
A two-way centerman and another speedy forward sit atop Boston’s offseason wishlist. And with their spending power, the Bruins have the means to bring both assets into the fold over the next few months.
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