When free agency began on July 1, Boston Bruins general manager (GM) Don Sweeney had a plan in place and executed it the way he thought was best for his team not only this season but also for the future. He did not commit long-term in any deals, with two years being the longest to Morgan Geekie and Patrick Brown. Sweeney’s hands were tied because of the lack of cap space he had and the large number of free agents that he was not able to retain.
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Instead of making any big splashes, Sweeney went the route to sign veterans to very team-friendly deals in an effort to put together a roster that will be competitive for the 2023-24 season, while trying to keep young building blocks Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak happy this upcoming season before they have a lot more money to use in free agency next summer. James van Riemsdyk, Milan Lucic, and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk were brought in on very good deals, but there were other options that were also available that would have been better additions than the Bruins made. Here are three players that Boston passed on in free agency that would have been interesting additions for one season.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
The Bruins have an abundance of left-shot defensemen on their roster currently and when it became clear that Connor Clifton was leaving in free agency, signing with the Buffalo Sabres, that there was going to be a need on the right side. Last season coach Jim Montgomery played games with some of his left shots sliding over to their off-side and for the most part, it ended up being successful. Two weeks before free agency began, the Vancouver Canucks bought out defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larrson making him a free agent.
Ekman-Larsson is someone the Bruins have been linked to at past trade deadlines when he was with the Arizona Coyotes, but Sweeney was not able to put together a deal that would make them bite. Now as a free agent, Boston had a chance to get him on a cheap one-year deal, but he ultimately signed with the Florida Panthers for one year and $2.25 million to join the defending Eastern Conference champions.
Ekman-Larsson’s numbers in Vancouver were a bit misleading because of the season that the Canucks went through, however, a 31-year-old mobile blueliner on a prove-it deal would have been a great move by Sweeney. Moving Derek Forbort or Matt Grzelcyk in a trade would be the perfect opportunity to slide Ekman-Larsson into the lineup, or getting him or another left shot to slide to the right side. This feels like it was the perfect time to strike on Ekman-Larsson and it feels like a miss by Sweeney.
Blake Wheeler
Like Ekamn-Larsson, the Winnipeg Jets made the decision to part ways with franchise stalwart Blake Wheeler by placing him on waivers the day before free agency began with the purpose to buy out his contract. They did and he was an unrestricted free agent when the window opened on July 1. It didn’t take long for him to get scooped up when he agreed to a one-year, $800,000 contract with the New York Rangers.
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This is the same average annual value (AAV) that Brown got, except Brown was given a two-year deal. Signing Wheeler to the same deal he got with the Rangers and passing on Brown would have given the Bruins a middle-six scorer, something the Black and Gold need on the third line. Getting to play with either Geekie or Charlie Coyle, depending on Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s decisions on returning for this season or retiring, is something that could have driven him to have a good season to benefit both the Bruins and himself on a new deal he would be reaching for in 2024.
The former Bruin left Winnipeg as the franchise leader in games played (897), assists (550), and points (812) while placing third in goals (262). He clearly still has some production in him and that will come to light with New York. Like Ekman-Larsson, this certainly feels like another missed opportunity by Sweeney.
Filip Zadina
After it became clear that the Detroit Red Wings were acquiring Alex Debrincat from the Ottawa Senators, it was clear they were moving on from young forward Filip Zadina. They agreed to terminate his contract and he became a free agent Sweeney had an opportunity to make a move on a young player with a ton of talent, but he has yet to put it all together in the NHL.
Zadina ended up agreeing to a one-year, $1.1 million contract to join the San Jose Sharks. It is a good one-year prove-it deal for him to get a bigger contract next summer. Boston had success in 2022-23 after acquiring Pavel Zacha from the New Jersey Devils and he thrived in his first season with the Black and Gold after struggling to find his consistent game. He joined a line with Pastrnak and his numbers took off and set career highs in goals (21), assists (36), and points (57), which also got a long-term contract extension with the Bruins.
Zadina is a similar type of player as Zacha and the Bruins bringing him on feels like a move that could have worked out well for both sides. Finding a spot in the bottom six, most likely on the third line, on a team that is filled with veterans is a move that could have been a win-win for both sides. Wednesday, the Bruins agreed to a one-year contract with Jesper Boqvist for $775,000, money that could have been used to sign Zadina who has more of an upside.
The Bruins’ 2023 offseason plan has become clear, sign veterans to low-risk, high-reward contracts for the upcoming season with an eye to being competitive and a “bridge season” until more cap space becomes available next summer. These three players feel like a miss by Sweeney in an attempt to bring in some players to put together a roster to compete for a playoff spot.
