There was some roster turnover for the Boston Bruins this offseason. The roster on Opening Night against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 11 at the TD Garden is going to look a lot different than the one that skated off the ice on April 30 following the first-round Stanley Cup Playoff elimination at the hands of the Florida Panthers.
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General manager (GM) Don Sweeney signed a lot of what could be considered depth pieces on short deals. They also have some depth pieces that could be brought up from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) or just keep some depth pieces in the lineup from last season. Regardless of how second-year coach Jim Montgomery goes with his roster, here are three players to keep an eye on in the bottom six in 2023-24.
Patrick Brown
Out of all of the free agents that Sweeney signed over the summer, only Patrick Brown and Morgan Geekie were the only two who given two-year deals. That more than likely was out of design as the Black and Gold are on pace to have a lot of money coming off the books at the end of this upcoming season to spend in free agency in 2024.
To say that Brown has been a journeyman during his time in the NHL is an understatement. Since he made his debut in 2014-15, the former Boston College center for former coach Jerry York has played for four different teams and just 138 games. Last season for the Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators in 61 combined games, he had four goals and eight assists. Despite that, Sweeney signed him to a two-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $800,000 and he will serve a role on the Bruins’ grinding fourth line. What type of season does he have, time will tell, but the 6-foot-1, 210-pound right shot is a low-risk, high-reward move.
Milan Lucic
One of Sweeney’s first moves as GM in Boston was trading Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings in June of 2015 right before the NHL Entry Draft as part of a package that included the 13th overall pick in that draft. Sweeney used that pick t select defenseman Jakub Zboril and eight years after the trade, Sweeney brought back a big Bruins fan-favorite on a one-year deal.
It was surprising to see Lucic return, but for one season, he brings to the lineup what they were missing last season. A physical presence that sticks up for his teammates. He’s not the point producer he was in his first stint in Boston and had just seven goals and 12 assists last season with the Calgary Flames. At 35 years old, this is likely his last season in the NHL and whatever the Bruins can get from him this season will be an added bonus. He will get to the front of the net whenever he can and cause havoc. Each one of his shifts this season will be worth keeping an eye on.
Jesper Boqvist
Can the Bruins find lightning in a bottle for a second straight season with a former New Jersey Devils forward? Last season Sweeney acquired Pavel Zacha in a trade for Erik Haula and the sixth overall pick in the 2015 Entry Draft had career highs in goals, assists, and points. Can Boston find close to the same with Jesper Boqvist?
The last two seasons have been similar seasons for Boqvist with the Devils. In 2021-22, he had 10 goals and 13 assists, then last season, he had 10 goals and 11 assists. New Jersey let him leave in free agency and the Bruins signed him to a one-year contract with an AAV of $775,000. He can play both at center and on the wing, but with the potential lineup options, but being just 36.2% at the faceoff dot, it’s unlikely he’ll see too much time there. Like Zacha, there is more potential that Boqvist has than he has shown so far in four seasons with the Devils and if he finds a home in the bottom-six for Montgomery, he is someone to keep an eye on.
If the Bruins are going to have success in 2023-24, they are going to need some production from their bottom-six and they have brought in some players that are capable of providing that. There are many players worth keeping an eye on this season.