The Boston Bruins entered the 2024 NHL free agency period with a splash, signing both Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov to significant deals, as well as Max Jones to a two-year deal. Other depth signings are expected, such as the signing of Riley Tufte. At the same time, the team also lost some key forward contributors from its 2023-24 squad, including Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen, both signing with the Vancouver Canucks early in free agency. With the offseason shaping up as it has early, the Bruins’ biggest need remains an extension for Jeremy Swayman, which will ultimately consume the majority of their remaining salary cap space for this season. This means the Bruins will need to find value in the remaining pool of players while also considering internal promotions to fill a prime open position in the top six. This could open the door for Fabian Lysell or Georgi Merkulov.
Assuming Lindholm immediately slots into the team’s No. 1 center spot, and it would be surprising if he didn’t, this would allow the Bruins to move Pavel Zacha to the wing, with Charlie Coyle maintaining his spot at center on the second line. The team’s forward group could look something like this, not accounting for other moves:
Pavel Zacha – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand – Charlie Coyle – ?
Trent Frederic – Matt Poitras – Morgan Geekie
Justin Brazeau – John Beecher – Max Jones
The third line features three players all capable of playing center, so their positioning doesn’t necessarily matter for the purpose of this exercise. What this means for the Bruins, is any budget free-agent signing the team makes could compete for an important role on the team. It’s also possible that the Bruins try and slot any of the third-line trio into the top six. Another option on the table, however, is the possibility of Lysell or Merkulov competing for that spot.
For some time, discussions have focused on the Bruins needing to add another scoring winger to their team. This need was only amplified by the departure of DeBrusk. What this doesn’t take into account, however, is that the Bruins strengthened their center position by adding Lindholm, assuming he rounds back into form, and Zacha moving to the wing helps mitigate the loss of DeBrusk. Shoring up the center position over the wing position was always going to be the priority; it also gives the Bruins options as Lysell and Merkulov both offer upside as top-six contributors.
Lysell and Merkulov Offer High Potential on the Wing
Lysell, a 21-year-old first-round pick from 2021, scored 15 goals and 50 points in 56 games in the AHL last season. Throughout the 2023-24 season, there were multiple call-ups from the Providence Bruins, none of which saw Lysell get a chance to play in his first NHL game. While he has shown tremendous skill, the team has opted to take things slowly with Lysell, who has already improved drastically in the AHL. With this top-six opening, however, the Bruins could finally give him a chance to play with the NHL club and carve out a role with the team.
Merkulov, on the other hand, did get a few games of NHL action last season, going scoreless in four contests. The 23-year-old scored 30 goals and 65 points in 67 games with Providence and has a legitimate scoring touch that could be vital for the Bruins. It’s worth noting, however, that Merkulov is a left-shot player while Lysell is a right-shot player. At the same time, the Bruins didn’t seem to have any issue running DeBrusk on the right side despite being a left-shot player, so this may not be a big factor in a training camp competition.
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Rolling the dice and trusting that Lindholm, Zadorov and some expected depth signings improve the roster while also keeping room for Lysell and Merkulov to compete out of training camp isn’t the worst-case scenario for the Bruins. If anything, it may have turned out to be a pretty good compromise for a team that desperately needed center help and defensive depth and had to make a big commitment to get it. Still, there will be obvious concern from fans if the Bruins bank on two rookies to fill such big minutes despite not having any tangible NHL experience to their names.
As mentioned, the Bruins could also shift players up the lineup if needed, with Geekie, Poitras and Frederic all capable of playing in the top six in an expanded role. If this is the case, Merkulov or Lysell could potentially line up on the team’s third line if they look NHL-ready, but not ready for such premium minutes, or Brazeau could slide up the lineup if neither Lysell nor Merkulov earn a roster spot out of camp.
It’s important to remember that the opening night roster on all 32 NHL teams will always look different than the roster that the team ends up with by the end of the season and into the playoffs. The Bruins need to keep some salary cap flexibility heading into the 2024-25 season. With limited assets to work with in terms of draft capital, the Bruins also need their current investments to start paying dividends. This is an opportunity for the team to do so, while also having room to potentially make an in-season trade to shore up the wing position if all else fails. Adding a scoring winger would also be an easier need to address than trying to find a top-six center come the Trade Deadline.
With limited cap space after the team’s two big splashes and a likely large pay raise for Swayman, the Bruins’ options for directly replacing DeBrusk in free agency weren’t going to be plentiful anyway. Still, it’s too early to determine if this is the final product that the Bruins will run with. Free agency has only just begun, and the Bruins could have more moves in store.