As most hockey fans know, the Boston Bruins celebrate their Centennial Season in 2023-24 and have several special events planned to honor 100 years of hockey. After compiling the greatest statistical year in NHL history, the roster underwent some turnover in the summer after a first-round playoff loss, highlighted by franchise legend Patrice Bergeron retiring after 19 years.
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Although former Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award winner Don Sweeney often faces harsh criticism for his job, the Bruins have been legitimate Stanley Cup contenders throughout his tenure, even losing in the 2019 Final. After going all-in at last year’s trade deadline, acquiring a handful of impact players like Dmitry Orlov, Todd Bertuzzi, and Garnet Hathaway, Boston didn’t make it past the Florida Panthers in the opening round, leading to some wholesome changes in the dressing room.
Surprisingly, despite all the skaters Sweeney signed in free agency this past summer, the Bruins are a team with its core built through the draft, representing the largest portion of the roster. Additionally, only four players in the lineup came to town through a trade, with three serving key roles every night. So, as we begin the celebrations to honor those who have worn the Spoked B, here’s a refresher on how the 2023-24 Bruins roster came together.
NHL Entry Draft – 11 Players (50%)
Unsurprisingly, Boston’s longest-tenured player and team captain, Brad Marchand, is one of two skaters still with the club from the 2011 Stanley Cup championship team. As a third-round pick (71st overall) in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, he’s also the only drafted player from the first decade of this century still skating with the organization. Considering he’s got two seasons left on his current deal, there’s a chance he continues to climb several scoring lists in Bruins’ history, where he already ranks amongst the top ten players.
Interestingly, Matt Grzelcyk is beginning his eighth year with the team, initially getting drafted by Boston in the third round (85th overall) in the 2012 Entry Draft, with former 60-goal scorer David Pastrnak joining the organization as the 25th overall pick from the 2014 Entry Draft. After those significant selections, the Bruins were busy at the 2015 Entry Draft, grabbing Jake DeBrusk (14th overall) and Brandon Carlo (37th overall).
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Moreover, two first-round picks from the 2016 Entry Draft remain with the club, Charlie McAvoy (14th overall) and Trent Frederic (29th overall), with Jeremy Swayman serving as the only drafted goalie on the current roster, getting selected in the fourth round (111th overall) of the 2017 Entry Draft. Additionally, recent prospects who are looking to make an impact this season include Jakub Lauko (2018/77th overall), John Beecher (2019/30th overall), and Matthew Poitras (2022/54th overall).
Free Agency – Seven Players (31.8%)
Statistically, there are currently seven free-agent signings on the roster, with five coming to Boston in July 2023 and two remaining from July 2021. Although Tuukka Rask became one of the best statistical netminders in Bruins’ history, he was set for surgery in the spring of 2021, which led to Sweeney bringing in an unproven Linus Ullmark on July 28, 2021, to partner with Swayman. Moreover, the team also signed defenseman Derek Forbert on the same day, shoring up any holes on the back end.
Unsurprisingly, any skaters who joined the Bruins as free agents in 2022 are no longer with the team, which meant there were plenty of openings for Sweeney to fill. On the first day of free agency, July 1, 2023, he brought back fan favorite Milan Lucic for a second tour while signing other veteran NHLers at bargain contracts, including Morgan Geekie, James van Riemsdyk, Patrick Brown, and Kevin Shattenkirk.
Trades – Four Players (18.1%)
Interestingly, there are only four traded players in the current Bruins lineup, with the longest-tenured player in this group being Charlie Coyle, who came to Boston from the Minnesota Wild in a January 2019 exchange for a fifth-round draft pick, and Ryan Donato. As one of the top centers in the lineup, Coyle has proven that the Bruins won that trade, much like the transaction with the Anaheim Ducks in March 2022, when they acquired Hampus Lindholm for three draft picks, John Moore and Urho Vaakanainen.
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During the 2022 offseason, Sweeney orchestrated a one-for-one deal with the New Jersey Devils for Pavel Zacha, swapping out Erik Haula. Then, this past summer, he acquired Ian Mitchell as part of the package for Nick Foligno and Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Further Perspective
Currently, the Bruins have 22 players on payroll accounting for a budget of $82,978,334, leaving them just $521,666 under the salary cap. Furthermore, they will pay their drafted players $47.02 million (56.6% of the cap), which is a significant increase over the traded players, who will make $17.25 million (20.7%), with free agents earning $13.85 million (16.6%).
As expected, Pastrnak is the team’s highest-paid player, taking home a salary of $11.25 million, a figure he’ll make for the next eight seasons since he owns the Bruins’ longest contract agreement. Meanwhile, Mitchell is on the books with the cheapest salary, earning just $775,000 this year. Moreover, there will be plenty of discussions this year about the future of several players in the current lineup, including DeBrusk, Lucic, van Riemsdyk, Grzelcyk, Forbort, and Shattenkirk, who will be unrestricted free agents in 2024. However, two restricted free agents will be looking for new deals, including Mitchell and Swayman, with the latter looking to cash in on his most recent successes. Ultimately, the 2023-24 campaign may be the final time we see this particular group of players together.