The Boston Bruins have had a lot of regular-season success over the past few years, but it hasn’t translated to a lengthy playoff run. They’ve managed to stay in contention despite a bevy of on-ice personnel losses and re-tooled this summer signing a couple of lucrative long-term contracts with top-tier free agents. With an aging core that knows how to win, Boston has elected to run it back once again over the next few seasons and should be formidable when the puck drops on the regular season this fall.
Draft
1-25: C Dean Letourneau, St. Andrews College (High-ON)
4-110: D Elliott Groenewold, Cedar Rapids (USHL)
5-154: C Jonathan Morello, St. Michaels (OJHL)
6-186: D Loke Johansson Sweden-JR (Aik Jr.)
The Bruins didn’t have much of an opportunity to re-stock the prospect cupboards at this year’s NHL entry draft, however, they did manage to snag a first-round pick in the Linus Ullmark trade which they promptly used to draft the towering Letourneau. The Ottawa Valley native played prep school hockey in Ontario this past season and led St. Andrew’s with 61 goals and 66 assists in 56 games. Scouts sometimes have difficulty assessing prep school hockey players relative to their peers, but given Letourneau’s size and length, it was hard for the Bruins to pass on a player who looks like a prototypical Boston player.
Boston selected the 18-year-old Groenewold in the fourth round of the draft after he appeared in 57 games for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL last season. The 200-pound, 6-foot-2 defenseman is committed to Quinnipiac University for next season and will look to continue developing his game as a defensive defenceman. Groenewold is a player that could give Boston a real defensive presence on their back end as he is effective at clearing the area around his crease and is known to win puck battles in the defensive zone.
A fifth-round pick. Morello was a point-a-game player in the Ontario Junior Hockey League (57 points in 50 games). However, his playoffs were a different story as he tallied 12 goals and nine assists in 11 games. Some scouts believe he could be just scratching the surface, while others wonder if there is an NHL role for him. Boston likely views Morello as a project, but given his solid skating and size, he was worth a roll of the dice in the fifth round.
Trade Acquisitions
F Mark Kastelic (Ottawa)
G Joonas Korpisalo (Ottawa)
C Vinni Lettieri (Minnesota)
Boston had to move on from Ullmark this summer but were likely hoping to avoid taking back a bad goalie contract which is exactly what they did. Boston acquired Korpisalo for Ullmark but did get him at a reduced rate for the next four seasons ($3MM AAV) which could be an okay contract if the 30-year-old can return to the form he showed during the 2022-23 season. Korpisalo has always been a talented netminder and a great athlete, however, he’s never been able to maintain consistency through a long stretch which is why he’s out of Ottawa one year into a five-year deal.
Boston also received Kastelic in the Ullmark trade. The 6’4” forward could be a solid fourth line contributor for Boston going forward but shouldn’t be someone they count on for offense. Kastelic has been effective in the faceoff circle during his short NHL career (56.3%) and has no issue finishing his checks. He’s also very sound defensively as he uses his frame and reach to disrupt the opponents’ offensive sequences. With all that being said, Kastelic has largely been a non-factor offensively throughout his NHL career and even last season he ranked 323rd among NHL forwards who played more than 200 mins at 5v5.
Lettieri struggled through injuries and inconsistency last season in Minnesota and could be a bounce-back candidate in Boston. He can skate and has a good set of hands, but his confidence appeared shattered with the Wild and he spent a good chunk of last year in the AHL. If Boston can insulate him, they might be able to get more of our him next year, however, they might also see an opportunity to have him start the season in Providence to try and get him on the right track.
UFA Signings
F Max Jones (two-year, $2MM)
F Cole Koepke (one-year, $775K)*
F Elias Lindholm (seven-year, $54.25MM)
D Jordan Oesterle (two-year, $1.55MM)*
D Billy Sweezey (two-year, $1.55MM)*
F Riley Tufte (one-year, $775K)*
F Jeffrey Viel (two year, $1.55MM)*
D Nikita Zadorov (six-year, $30MM)
* denotes a two-way contract
Boston’s two big moves in the free agent market were Lindholm and Zadorov, but they did also add some depth with the Jones signing. Boston recognized they had a hole down the middle which Lindholm should be able to fill going forward. Lindholm’s two-way play should give the Bruins a big boost and allow them to move Pavel Zacha back to the wing and provide better balance to their top 6. He should be able to find a way to make Boston’s forward group better both offensively and defensively and elevate his talented linemates in the process.
Zadorov has been around the NHL for a long time and struggled to find stability for most of it. However, once he found a consistent role he developed into a physical presence that could clear the crease and take care of business in the defensive zone. Where Zadorov runs into problems is when he overplays the puck, or when he gets lost in the defensive zone. Boston will likely have the 29-year-old paired with Charlie McAvoy, which means Zadorov will be able to defer most of the puck carrying to his partner, however, he will find himself in a lot of precarious positions defensively when McAvoy takes chances.
RFA Re-Signings
G Brandon Bussi (one-year, $775K)*
D Michael Callahan (one-year, $775K)*
C Marc McLaughlin (one-year, $775K)*
D Ian Mitchell ((one-year, $775K)*)*
D Alec Regula (one-year, $775K)*
* denotes a two-way contract
Boston’s biggest RFA signing has yet to happen but should occur in the not-too-distant future as Jeremy Swayman is clearly Boston’s goalie of the future. Most of Boston’s work in the RFA market was locking down depth pieces who may or may not factor in on the NHL roster this season.
Bussi figures to at least challenge for the Bruins back-up goaltender position which is unlikely to be handed to Korpisalo given his struggles last season. Bussi is a solid young netminder who might require more seasoning in the AHL but does forecast as an NHL backup. He has good size and is aggressive in the net, but he can be guilty of overcommitting to shooters and likely needs to figure out how to reign that in before he will find full-time NHL duties.
Mitchell remains an intriguing option for the Bruins on the back end. He is an excellent skater and gets around the ice quickly, he also controls the puck well and has a great pass. The downside for Mitchell is that he is undersized and does get beat in a lot of puck battles, he also loses battles in front of the net which can lead to some nightmares in the defensive zone.
Departures
F Joey Abate (unsigned UFA)
F Jesper Boqvist (Florida, one-year, $775K)
F Jake DeBrusk (Vancouver, seven-year, $38.5MM)
D Derek Forbort (Vancouver, one-year, $1.5MM)
D Matt Grzelcyk (Pittsburgh, one-year, $2.75MM)
F Danton Heinen (Vancouver, two-year, $4.5MM)
G Kyle Keyser (signed in KHL)
F Jakub Lauko (traded to Minnesota)
F Milan Lucic (unsigned UFA)
F Pat Maroon (Chicago, one-year, $1.3MM)
C Jayson Megna (signed in AHL Colorado)
D Dan Renouf (signed in AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Anthony Richard (Philadelphia, two-year, $1.55MM)*
D Kevin Shattenkirk (unsigned UFA)
C Oskar Steen (signed in Sweden)
G Linus Ullmark (traded to Ottawa)
F James van Riemsdyk (unsigned UFA)
D Reilly Walsh (Los Angeles, one-year, $775K)*
F Daniel Winnik (retired)
* denotes a two-way contract
Boston’s departures were largely depth players that had either signed short-term deals recently or that had been drafted or signed out of college and didn’t factor into the Bruins’ future. That being said the departures of DeBrusk and Ullmark are sure to be felt this season, particularly if Lindholm starts slow or Swayman struggles in the full-time starters role.
On the backend, Forbort and Grzelcyk both struggled last season and needed a blank slate in another uniform which should open the door for some new faces to take up roles on the blue line. Zadorov will fill Grzelcyk’s old role, and depending on the development of Mitchell, he could take up a spot on Boston’s defense as well. Boston’s defense core remains strong and given the poor play of both Forbort and Grzelcyk last season, their departures shouldn’t be much of a loss in Boston.
Where Boston could feel the pinch is the loss of some of their depth scoring, mainly, Heinen, DeBrusk and van Riemsdyk, who all contributed offensively last season and outperformed their cap hits. Heinen notched 17 goals and 19 assists last season in 74 games while playing for the league minimum of $775K, while JVR made $1MM for putting up 38 points in 71 games. DeBrusk played on a $4MM cap hit last year and had a disappointing regular season with just 19 goals and 21 assists in 80 games, however, he elevated his game in the playoffs, tallying 11 points in 13 games to lead the Bruins in postseason scoring. That kind of cheap depth scoring is hard to come by and it could come back to bite Boston this season if their top two lines go on any kind of a cold streak.
Salary Cap Outlook
The Bruins are entering August with just over $8.6MM in projected cap space which looks like a luxury at this late stage of the summer, however, Boston’s most pressing issue remains as they’ve yet to lock up starting goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Boston spent liberally this summer on the free agent market, but it shouldn’t prohibit them from retaining their core going forward. Boston has most of their key pieces locked up aside from Brad Marchand (and Swayman) who will be a UFA next summer. The Bruins likely looked at their aging roster and long-term contract structure and saw their position as an opportunity to load up without worrying too much about future cap issues.
Key Questions
Can Swayman Be A Full-Time Starter? Swayman has proven over the last few seasons that he is a very talented netminder. However, he has done so while being complimented by another goaltender who is among the best in the league at the position. Now with Ullmark in Ottawa, the net is Swayman’s, and it will be interesting to see if he can maintain his incredible numbers going forward now that he’s the bonafide number-one goalie. The 25-year-old played in a career-high 44 games last season for Boston and while his numbers did dip a little bit, he was still rock solid for the Bruins. With Ullmark gone, it is conceivable that the Anchorage, Alaska native will play somewhere in the neighbourhood of 50-60 games, and it will certainly test his endurance and durability.
Will The New Pieces Fit? Boston shelled out a lot of money for Lindholm and Zadorov and it’s no guarantee that they will fit, despite a large body of work in the NHL. Lindholm wasn’t a perfect fit in Vancouver and struggled at times after the trade from Calgary, and Zadorov has bounced around the NHL during his career before finding stability in Calgary. Both players are certainly upgrades for the Bruins, but they do come with some risk. Boston gambled that they are the right fit, and it will certainly make for a compelling storyline if either player has a slow start after signing lucrative free-agent deals.
Can Charlie Coyle Replicate Last Seasons Success? Coyle had a career-high 60 points last season, but he isn’t that far removed from a 16-point campaign with the Boston Bruins during the shortened 2020-21 season. Two years before that, Coyle had just two goals and four assists in 21 games during a shortened 2018-19 season. Coyle has had wild different seasons throughout his career but last year stepped up after the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci which allowed Boston to continue to be a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. While there is little reason to believe his play will fall off a cliff at 32 years old, there is reason to believe that he could take a step back from the best year of his professional career. As mentioned earlier, Coyle’s numbers have been wildly different from year to year and if he can’t get back to last year’s numbers it could be a very different outcome for him next season.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.