The job of an NHL team’s general manager (GM) is never easy, but some seasons are easier than others. What salary cap restraints are there? Do you have to give up key assets at the trade deadline? Do you have a star player to re-sign with little cap room to do so? Are you going to lose a franchise great to retirement? Do you have a lengthy list of long-term injuries, but no prospects ready to fill their spots? Is your best prospect playing his way into an unaffordable payday?
The Boston Bruins are usually in one, two, or more of those pickles each and every season. The 2023-24 season feels a bit different: there’s simply less stress. I’m personally not sweating this trade deadline or the offseason, and it’s the first time I’ve been able to say that in a long time – if ever.
Bruins’ Upcoming Free Agents: DeBrusk, Grzelcyk & More
If Bruins GM Don Sweeney and president Cam Neely decided to go on an eight-month vacation and make absolutely zero roster moves or transactions during that time, where would the Bruins be on July 1?
Let’s start with the notable unrestricted free agents (UFAs): The Bruins would lose Jake DeBrusk, James van Riemsdyk, Danton Heinen, Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort and Kevin Shattenkirk. Those players represent roughly $13.7 million in cap space this season (we’re rounding up a tad on Grzelcyk’s $3,687,500 cap hit because that is an ugly number).
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DeBrusk and Grzelcyk are the ones you’d least like to lose to free agency, given their value on the trade market. It’s nothing out of this world, but the B’s could net a decent return for them. But, if you do lose them to free agency, is it going to lead to some sort of hostile takeover by Boston fans? Will cars be tipped over in the streets of Boston (sorry, Vancouver)?
Most Bruins fans out there seem underwhelmed by both players’ performances so far this season, even though DeBrusk has finally shown signs of life in the past month and Grzelcyk’s injury struggles are worth noting. Plus, when you know Boston is going to have to give something up to beef up the lineup ahead of the playoffs, DeBrusk and Grzelcyk are the prime candidates, especially in a package: decent return, not a magnificent loss.
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I would love to have JVR and Heinen back, though the former has certainly played his way out of a $1 million cap hit and the latter will definitely make more than $775,000 next season. If you lose them to free agency, though, it isn’t a huge loss with both being free-agency pickups in the first place.
This writer could go without Shattenkirk, and he’s probably pretty low on the totem pole for most fans to re-sign this summer. Then there’s Forbort. At his current $3 million cap hit? Goodbye. A cap hit worthy of a seventh defenseman? Maybe, but I’m still not sold. Either way, stay away from a long-term extension because that would be nearing John Moore status (no, Drew, don’t go on a 600-word rant on the John Moore signing).
To me, DeBrusk and Grzelcyk are the most likely UFAs to return to Boston next season – if they survive the trade deadline, that is, because I believe they’re the two most likely starting players to be traded as March 8 approaches. The glaring downside to losing all of these players is that three are defensemen in your starting lineup (debatable, I know, as the blue line has been a revolving door as of late). That leads me to believe at least one of Grzelcyk, Forbort or Shattenkirk will be back. Meanwhile, production from the forwards on the list would be missed but also (not easy, but) not difficult to replace.
Bruins Must Re-Sign Jeremy Swayman
The Bruins have to re-sign Jeremy Swayman this summer. I truly think he is the future standalone starter of this team. Reigning Vezina-winner Linus Ullmark’s $5 million cap hit expires after the 2024-25 season, and next season will be the prime time to trade him.
If it’s one of the two, Swayman is the one I’d go with, and I think most fans are inclined to agree. With both netminders playing pretty much equally – both in starts and quality of play – age is the biggest factor, for me: Swayman is 25 years old while Ullmark is 30.
The beautiful part of it all is that the Bruins aren’t in a big pinch to re-sign Swayman. If you are to double his current roughly $3.5 million cap hit to $7 million, ditching one of DeBrusk, Grzelcyk or (almost, with a $3 million cap hit) Forbort frees up that space. You could also re-sign all three of those players to similar contracts and part ways with JVR, Shattenkirk and Heinen and get yourself most of the way there. Making matters easier is that Swayman is a restricted free agent (RFA) once again this summer.
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I’ll add that I’m not sure if $7 million is the right number – if it’s a long-term deal, as I expect it to be, then that sounds alright, at least to me – especially if you’re banking on the cap rising. I’ll save that debate for a different time.
It’s also important to note Boston’s other RFAs this summer: Oskar Steen, Jesper Boqvist, Parker Wotherspoon, Curtis Hall, Marc McLaughlin, Michael Callahan, Ian Mitchell, Alex Regula, Reilley Walsh, as well as netminders Brandon Bussi, Michael DiPietro and Kyle Kyser. I feel most of those players you could re-sign at the same or similar cap hit that they have now – you may have to pay one of the goalies a bit extra if the plan is to make one your backup if Ullmark is moved.
Bruins’ Past Offseason Stressors
So, what makes this season a bit easier from a roster and salary cap perspective? Let me take you down memory lane. We don’t have to go too far.
Let’s look at this past summer: The Bruins had to deal with the potential, and eventual, retirement of Patrice Bergeron – plus the official retirement of David Krejci. Then, there was the loss of key trade deadline additions like Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway and Tyler Bertuzzi to free agency – most fans wanted to keep at least one around. Swayman’s arbitration process was painful for the fans waiting for the result, not to mention the player and members of management who had to go through it. For much of last season, it also felt like fans were on the edge of their seats waiting to sign David Pastrnak to an extension.
Going back a few years, formidable Bruins lost to free agency and trade, mostly due to cap constraints, include Torey Krug, Johnny Boychuk, Andrew Ference and Dougie Hamilton. Remember when the focus was making sure there was enough cap space to re-sign stars like Brad Marchand or Charlie McAvoy? How about DeBrusk requesting a trade, then rescinding it, and the uncertainty that all brought with it?
Then there are the concerns that the Bruins overpaid to keep players around: Some were worried about Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo playing up to their cap hits and lengthy contracts, but it’s been pretty smooth sailing so far. Who out there was worried about the B’s signing Hampus Lindholm to a $6.5 million cap hit for eight years, right after trading for him? There were also the players Boston notoriously did indeed overpay, like Moore, David Backes and Matt Beleskey, to name a few.
I know, I know. Those probably aren’t all of the examples, and the stress level of each scenario varied per fan. The bottom line is that it is often stressful to be a Bruins fan, and from a roster and salary cap standpoint, it isn’t this season – in fact, I’d argue it’s a great platform to build off of.
