End Of The Run: What’s Next?

Your Boston Bruins were shown the playoff door for the second year in a row by the Florida Panthers, (albeit in the second round this time, so I guess that’s improvement?). The Panthers were too much for your hometown heroes, as the B’s were dominated in all phases of the game and the Cats were just too deep and too talented for the Bruins.

But I will say this: no matter how you slice it, or how loud your Facebook posts are, this team overachieved. After winning the President’s Trophy last year, (and doing it in historic fashion as the Bruins set a new NHL record for points in a season); this campaign was meant to be a “bridge year” as the team was supposed to struggle to even make the playoffs (I pegged them as a wild card so what do I know?). This was the year that they would start the transition into a younger, greener squad. Right?

The B’s had to bid goodbye to friends old and new from the 2022-2023 squad: Tyler Bertuzzi, Garnet Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov were all only here for a short time, but their impact was felt. Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, Mike Reilly, Tomas Nosek, Connor Clifton and Chris Wagner were all here longer and were all missed in different ways. And then there were the big ones: David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron, the longest tenured players in Black and Gold and your top 2 centers, sailed off into their respective sunsets. The team was in cap hell (when you see what TBL and VGK do every year, you really can see how the B’s have mismanaged their cap) per usual and the thought this year was that the B’s would be a team that would compete, but one that didn’t have the horses for the long run.

GM Don Sweeney did what he could in bringing over James van Riemsdyk, Kevin Shattenkirk, Patrick Brown, Morgan Geekie, Patrick Maroon, Jesper Boqvist, Andrew Peeke, Milan Lucic, Parker Wotherspoon and Danton Heinen. Sweeney signed that entire list to just over $12M this year combined: Tell me again how he’s a shitty GM? This wasn’t the Black Aces Squad either: Geekie, JVR and Heinen played top 6 minutes throughout this season while Maroon anchored the 4th line once the playoffs started. Peeke and Wotherspoon logged significant minutes and even supplanted Derek Forbort and Matt Grzelcyk in the lineup.

There was also an influx of youth in some key roles. Justin Brazeau finally got his shot and played well with the opportunity he was given. Jakub Lauko is a puck hound and probably the best follow on social media on the team. Johnny Beecher is playing like a seasoned pro and against TOR he was the only Bruin center who could win a face-off. Mason Lohrei is going to end up being the best defenseman in the organization – yeah I said it. This kid is mercury on skates with a bottle rocket up his ass and a nose for the net.

The goaltending was the best tandem in the league – don’t let your NYR friends have any air on this one, Statistically and by the eyeball test: Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark were the best duo in the NHL from opening night until this past weekend. Swayman carried the Bruins to game 6 of the FLA series and the fans serenading him with the “SWAYMAN” chants after the handshake line are the real ones, not the donkeys that were throwing trash on the ice after the final horn.

So where does that leave the Black and Gold for next season? Over the next few days we’ll hear the injuries that players were dealing with and playing through. I’m sure nothing as cottage cheese soft as Auston Matthews being “really, really sick” – and yes that’s an actual quote from the Leafs (I guess that 2nd really is akin to Bergeron playing with a punctured lung?) I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak were both playing through injuries as they looked off in the FLA series. By now we all know about Brad Marchand and the sucker punch that the NHL couldn’t/wouldn’t/didn’t see in Game 4. But where does the team go from here?

Who’s gone, who’s back and what rumors should we believe? Ok, I’ll give it a shot.

Disclaimer: This is about 70% my opinion with about 30% things I’ve heard, so bear that in mind.

UFA’s: Jake DeBrusk, Heinen, Maroon, JVR, Grzelcyk, Shattenkirk, Lucic and Forbort
RFA’s: Boqvist, Swayman, and Brandon Bussi

DeBrusk, Maroon, JVR, Grz, and Shattenkirk are gone. I don’t see any of the vets coming back for another $1M/season, but Maroon would be interesting. As much as it’s still weird to root for The Big Rig, he’s spoken glowingly of his short time here and his teammates. I think the rest are gone unless DeBrusk takes a very, very discounted deal to stay. Also, unless Forbort is good with being health-bombed for 20+ games this season and at a discounted rate, I don’t see him coming back. I don’t think you’ll ever see Lucic play in the NHL again, but if he does there’s no way it’s here in the Hub of Hockey.

That leaves us with Heinen, who I think has earned a raise and another 1 or 2 year contract. Heinen plays mistake free hockey and can plug in anywhere up and down the lineup. A true pro’s pro and beloved by everyone in the organization.

As for the RFA’s, no one in the NHL really swoops in and signs anyone to an offer sheet anymore. The last offer sheet drama was with Jesperi Kotkaniemi in 2021 when MTL did not match CAR’s offer and it cost the ‘Canes a 1st and 3rd pick the following season. Prior to that the last offer sheet that was not matched was Dustin Penner in 2007. The Bruins are dumb in the way that every fan thinks their team management/ownership is dumb, but they’re not stupid. Getting Jeremy Swayman signed long term was the #1 priority before the playoffs and he just upped his price with his performance in the post-season this year. Boqvist is a good piece that I would think fits into the B’s plans as does Bussi, so I’d reckon they’re all signed without too much fuss.

So that leaves some holes to fill for Sweeney and his minions in the suit and tie brigade. A true #1 center and a scoring winger should be (and most assuredly will be) his top targets. The Bruins will head into the off-season with a little over $22M in cap space, and another $5M to add to that if they can move Ullmark. So let’s look at a few moves that have been rumored.

Leon Draisaitl has supposedly made some noise about wanting to be a top line center in Boston but the source on that one is George Laraque so take it with a grain of salt. Clearly the Oil needs a true stud goaltender and Ullmark fits that bill. Could the Bruins and Oilers make something happen? It’s possible, but Draisaitl has a no trade and a no movement clause (as does Ullmark) so we’ll have to hope that Big George is onto something with his reporting.

VAN Elias Lindholm is UFA once the Canucks season is done. Will the Bruins make the big splash? Is Lindholm is a true #1 pivot? Maybe. He was in CGY, but he’s not in VAN. He’s also coming off a 6 year deal at $4.85M per year so he’s going to want a big ticket. I’d say this is more likely than Draisaitl if I had to pick, but the B’s aren’t going to be the only team after Lindholm.

WPG Sean Monahan is also UFA and can play either wing or center. Is he better than Zacha and Coyle? Probably not, but could be an interesting player with his flexibility to play all over the lineup. NJD has also been rumored to have interest in Ullmark, but not sure what they’d be able to package to make it worthwhile for the Bruins? The Devils handed out NMC’s like the Bruins did, so I don’t think they could make it work. If the B’s do deal with the Devils, hope they put Curtis Lazar in the package as I love the way that guy plays and his whole vibe.

So now begins the long wait until July 1st. The Bruins should be all in and very active during Free Agent Frenzy. Hopefully this year the Bruins will be the ones making the big signings and not the ones chasing them (looking at you Hanafin). In the meantime, the PWHL Boston team just won their first game vs. Minnesota in the finals. The teams will be playing a best of 5 series for the chance to be the first to hoist The Walter Cup. These are very evenly matched teams with a bit of nasty going on already midway through the first game of the series.

We’re always here to offer our “expertise” on all things hockey with our weekly podcasts, but I want to offer this warning to you all: My co-host is a New York Rangers fan and his obnoxiousness has ramped up a solid 25% every time the Rags advance. You can find us on all of your audio platforms and we’re also available on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.