Bruins roster reset: Salary cap space, free agents entering offseason originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins’ 2024 Stanley Cup playoff campaign is over.
They were eliminated by the Florida Panthers in game 6 from them Eastern Conference Second Round Series Friday night at TD Garden.
Overall, it was a successful season for the Original Six franchise. After losing so many key players (like Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci) last summer, most pundits and fans expected the Bruins to be a wild-card team in 2023-24, but they actually were in the dispute for the Presidents’ Trophy until the final days of the regular season.
They also advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2021 after defeating rival Toronto Maple Leafs in a dramatic overtime of Game 7 in the first round.
The Bruins have a good foundation to work with heading into the summer, but there are a lot of weaknesses on the roster to address. One that immediately comes to mind is getting another striker in the top six, be it a natural goalscorer or a playmaking centre.
Here is some important information to keep in mind as we prepare for what should be a busy off-season for the Bruins.
Salary cap
The salary cap for the 2023-24 season was $83.5 million, but for the Bruins it was essentially $79 million because they had a $4.5 million surplus from Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s 2022-23 contracts. .
The salary cap is expected to increase from $4.2 million to $87.7 million for the 2024-25 campaign. Using that number, the Bruins should have $20.9 million in cap space this summer, by CapFriendly. This number could increase if the Bruins make a trade or two. For example, trading Linus Ullmark (and his $5 million cap hit) would free up some extra cap space.
The Bruins had almost no salary cap space last season and, as a result, were forced to shop in free agency. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney deserves credit for finding good value in these signings, particularly Kevin Shattenkirk, James van Riemsdyk and Morgan Geekie.
Sweeney will have a lot more flexibility to work with this summer, but as we’ll detail below, the Bruins also have some key players who could become free agents. Some of them won’t be cheap to re-sign.
2024 NHL Draft Picks (and Beyond)
The Bruins currently don’t have a pick until the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft. Unless the B’s return to Round 1, they won’t make a first-round pick for the fifth time in the last seven drafts.
They also don’t have a second or fourth round pick in 2025. The next year the B’s have all of their draft picks is 2026.
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If the Bruins want to be active on the trade market this summer, their first-round picks in 2025 and 2026 would be among their best assets.
Boston has some good young players at the NHL level, most notably center Matthew Poitras and defenseman Mason Lohrei, but the prospect pool is not filled with high-level talent. In truth, The latest Athletic prospect pool rankings as of January the Bruins ranked 30th out of 32 teams.
Trading first-round picks would be a risk for the Bruins given their lack of high-level prospects, but if Sweeney can find an impact player who will be with the team long-term, then parting ways with another first-rounder would not be so bad.
Free agents
Here is a list of notable Bruins players who could be unrestricted or restricted free agents in the offseason.
Unrestricted
DeBrusk is an interesting case. He has again been very inconsistent this season, but six mid-range forwards who can score 20+ goals (which DeBrusk has two in the last three years) are not cheap in free agency or on the trade market. If the Bruins let DeBrusk walk as a free agent, replacing him won’t be easy, and they already have few proven scorers. DeBrusk led the B’s in playoff scoring with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 13 games.
Danton Heinen was a very effective player for Boston on a cheap one-year deal. He scored 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) in 74 games and played multiple positions and on multiple lines. His versatility is valuable, so bringing him back would be a smart move.
Three veteran defensemen also have expiring contracts. Grzelcyk hasn’t been very productive in recent playoffs and hasn’t played in Boston’s last eight postseason games in 2024. Forbort has battled a lot of injuries over the last two years. Shattenkirk is 35 years old and has played in just six of the Bruins’ 13 playoff games. Will any of them sign again?
Restricted
Swayman is obviously the big one here. His stellar playoff run likely helps his positioning in negotiations. He exited the postseason as the league leader in save percentage (.933) and goals saved above expected (11.27). Swayman was the Bruins’ best and most valuable player in the playoffs and proved he could handle a heavy workload. The Bruins now need to make sure Swayman is the team’s No. 1 goaltender for a long time.
Bussi didn’t have as good a campaign in 2023-24 as he did in 2022-23, but he’s still an interesting prospect who could be the backup in Boston next season if the Bruins trade Ullmark over the summer.
