The Boston Bruins are heading into the 2023-24 season with very little cap space, and this remains the case even after parting ways with several players, both through trade and free agency. One reason behind this is that some of their players are simply making more than their probable market value. As a result, let’s discuss three of the Bruins’ worst contracts heading into the 2023-24 campaign.
Jakub Zboril
Jakub Zboril’s contract is not necessarily a bad one, but one could argue that his $1,137,500 cap hit is a bit expensive for his role with the club. The 2015 first-round pick was an extra defenseman for the Bruins this past season, and that is expected to carry over to the 2023-24 campaign. When utilized by the Bruins in 2022-23, he did not make much of an impact, either, posting just one goal, four points, and a minus-1 rating in 22 games played.
Zboril has been a serviceable seventh defenseman to have around, but the truth is that the Bruins have cheaper options for the role who could make the same if not a bigger impact. A few examples include Ian Mitchell, Alec Regula, Parker Wotherspoon, and most notably top prospect Mason Lohrei.
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With the Bruins having very limited cap space, Zboril’s contract is not ideal to have around. As a result of this and the Bruins’ increased defensive depth, it could open the door to him not making the roster out of training camp.
Charlie Coyle
Charlie Coyle‘s contract is among the Bruins’ worst contracts for the 2023-24 season. A $5.25 million cap hit until the end of the 2025-26 season is quite hefty for a third-line center. It is also nearly impossible for the Bruins to move, as the 31-year-old has a full no-movement clause (NMC) and an eight-team no-trade list. With the Bruins looking for a legitimate top-six center to replace Bergeron, having a bloated contract like Coyle’s is not ideal.
Yet, here’s the bright side – Coyle has arguably been one of the top third-line centers in the NHL over the last two seasons. He chips in offensively, plays a steady defensive game, and is a key penalty killer. This past season was particularly impressive for the Massachusetts native, as he posted 16 goals, 45 points, and a plus-29 rating in 82 games played. These are strong numbers from a 3C, so it has made his high cap hit easier to digest than in previous years.
Coyle has a chance to make his contract look better if he shows the Bruins that he can be an effective top-six center. When looking at the way the Bruins’ roster is currently structured, he is expected to be either the team’s first-line center or second-line center. At the end of the day, Coyle is a player who the Bruins are very fortunate to have, but his expensive cap hit is hard to ignore.
Derek Forbort
Derek Forbort has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, and it is primarily because of his contract. Spending $3 million on a bottom-pairing defenseman is quite expensive, so, understandably, Forbort has come up as a cap dump candidate. The Bruins also have other left-shot defensemen in their system like Lohrei who could be cheaper options for the bottom pairing.
Even though Forbort makes more than many bottom-pairing defensemen, he has still been a key part of Boston’s blueline. This past season was particularly impressive for the Minnesota native, as he posted five goals (career high), 12 points, 106 hits, and a plus-12 rating. He also was one of the Bruins’ most important penalty killers. Thus, he has been effective for the Bruins, but his contract is not ideal to have when noting that the club has very little cap space and bigger needs elsewhere.
While these may be the Bruins’ worst contracts right now, I wouldn’t necessarily call any of them horrible deals. Zboril’s cap hit isn’t outrageous, while Coyle and Forbort still make a positive impact even if they are making more than they should. It will be interesting to see how this trio performs during the 2023-24 season.
