After the Boston Bruins 2022-23 historic season came to an abrupt end in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Florida Panthers, it was clear that this was going to be a big off-season for general manager (GM) Don Sweeney. With a large amount of restricted free agents (RFAs) and unrestricted free agents (UFAs), part of Sweeney’s work was to figure out who was staying and who was going.
Two and a half weeks into the new calendar and the 2023-24 NHL season, things have certainly changed for the Bruins looking ahead to the upcoming season, but the work for Sweeney is far from done.
Sweeney’s Start to the Offseason
At his end-of-the-season media availability, Sweeney hinted at changes and it didn’t him long to begin those changes right before free agency. His first move was to send Taylor Hall and his $6 million average annual salary (AAV) for two more seasons along with the UFA rights of Nick Foligno to the Chicago Blackhawks for defensemen Alec Regula and Ian Mitchell. Once free agency began on July 1, the additions and subtractions began to happen quickly.
Related: Bruins’ Youth Movement for 2023-24 in Trouble After Free Agency
In free agency, Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Bertuzzi, Garnet Hathaway, and Connor Clifton left to join other teams, while the Bruins brought in six players to low-risk, high-reward contracts. Forwards James van Riemsdyk, Patrick Brown, Milan Lucic, Morgan Geekie, and Jesper Boqvist were brought in, while Kevin Shattenkirk was added on defense. With very little cap room to operate, Sweeney’s offseason plan is coming into place, handing out short contracts with an eye toward the 2024 offseason with a lot more cap space likely to be available.
Sweeney’s Remaining Offseason Work to Do
Free agency has cooled down as the NHL offseason heads into some serious downtime from mid-July through August. Sweeney, however, still has some work to do from his office at Warrior Ice Arena. His first business is settling contacts with his top two RFAs, Jeremy Swayman, and Trent Frederic. Along with Mitchell, both players have an arbitration hearing scheduled later this month and in the first week in August, but if Sweeney’s history tells us anything, contracts should get settled before the hearings. Mitchell’s contract was agreed upon with a one-year deal on July 10 for $775,000 with an opportunity coming in training camp to make the roster at the beginning of the season.
Last season Sweeney settled with newly-acquired Pavel Zacha to a one-year deal before his hearing and he will have to do it again. It would benefit the Bruins if Swayman would take a one-year deal with the opportunity to cash in next summer, while Frederic is looking more at a one or two-year deal with an AAV of around $1.5-2 million. There are still weeks until their hearings, so Boston’s GM has time to get a deal done.
After those contracts are settled, Sweeney’s next bit of business will be waiting for the decisions of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci on whether or not one of both of them will be retiring or returning. If they return, deals similar to last season will be the route they have to go. If they don’t come back, then what does Sweeney do for a too-six center? Trade for one or enter the season with Zach and Charlie Coyle as their top two centers? Those decisions should come within the next month, like they did last summer when those decisions were made in early August.
The final bit of business that Sweeney is facing is what does he do with his log jam of defensemen. Currently, they have eight under contract for six spots, with prospect Mason Lohrei entering camp and making the case to jump to the NHL. Hampus Lindholm, Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, Brandon Carlo, Shattenkirk, and Charlie McAvoy are projected to be their top-six, with Jakub Zboril and Mitchell going Lohrei as players that will make the case in camp. If the Bruins do decide to move a blueliner or two, who does he trade?
Grzelcyk’s name has come up in rumors, while Forbort is someone who could also become available. Both players are entering the final year of their contracts and carry AAVs of $3.687.5 million and $3 million respectively. Trading one of those players clears more cap space that the Bruins might need to fill a hole or two on the roster before Opening Night. It’s not out of the question that another trade is made, but it may take until Swayman and Frederic’s contracts are settled before one is made.
Sweeney Still Has Work to Do
There is still plenty of work ahead of Sweeney in putting the final touches on the 2023-24 roster. It’s not going to be easy with limited cap space, but a trade or two can help create more cap space. There have been some difficult offseasons that Boston’s GM has had during his first eight seasons in charge and this one will rank up there when all is said and done. There is still plenty of work to do before training camp.
