It was another offseason of change for the Boston Bruins, as it always is. Gone are some players who were a key part of the organization over the six-plus years, while GM Don Sweeney filled a pair of his team needs in free agency with center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
There is still one major unfinished business that Sweeney needs to tend to and that is finalizing a contract with goalie Jeremy Swayman after trading Linus Ullmark last month to the Ottawa Senators. When some players come in, that means some have to go out the door whether it’s through a trade or free agency.
With the comings and goings likely complete and it’s been three weeks since free agency began, it’s time to look at three former Bruins players we’re glad are gone and two we wish never left the Black and Gold.
Bruins fans should be glad Derek Forbort is gone
If there is one thing that Derek Forbort will be remembered for during his time with the Bruins, it was the way he killed penalties with Brandon Carlo and his willingness to block shots whether it was at even strength or on the penalty kill. His most productive season in Boston was in 2021-22 when he blocked 100 shots, dished out 133 hits, and averaged over 18 minutes a night in 76 games.
The last two seasons, however, were frustrating for the 6-foot-4, 208-pound left-shot blueliner as he battled injuries, which limited him to just 35 games in 2023-24. He underwent surgery in March and worked his way back into the lineup slowly in the postseason, but he just wasn’t the same player. He left in free agency for the Vancouver Canucks and that’s Ok with the way Mason Lohrei quickly progressed into a top-six defenseman for the future.
Bruins fans should be glad Matt Grzelcyk is gone
The second left-shot defenseman to leave in free agency this summer was Matt Grzelcyk, who has only played for the Bruins after they drafted him and he had a successful college career down the road from the TD Garden at Boston University.
The Massachusetts native has been one of the Black and Gold’s better puck-moving defensemen, but a combination of injuries and falling out of Jim Montgomery’s playoff lineup the last two spring’s, the writing was on the wall that Grzelcyk’s time in Boston was up.
This past season saw him play in 63 regular season games, but for the second consecutive postseason, he was a healthy scratch for most of the Bruins’ 13 games. The 5-foot-10, 176-pound Grzelcyk spent all eight of his seasons wearing the Spoked-B and played in 445 games with 25 goals and 110 assists.
He had a tremendous 2022-23 season in Boston’s record-setting campaign when he had four goals and 22 assists with a crazy plus/minus of plus-46. Like Forbort, the emergence of Lohrei played a role in Sweeney moving on from him, as well as the signing of Zadorov. He signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins early in free agency.
Bruins fans should be glad Jesper Boqvist is gone
Last summer, Sweeney did not have a lot of cap space available and he handed out a number of low-cost, high-reward contracts once free agency began. Having had some success with some players who struggled to find their game with the New Jersey Devils, Sweeney signed speedy forward Jesper Boqvist to a one-year contract with an AAV of $775,000.
Boqvist began the season with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in one game in Boston in October and December. In January, he was recalled and ended up playing in 45 games over the second half of the season with six goals and 14 points, including a game-winning goal on April 6 against the Florida Panthers when he used his speed to break away from the defense and net the winner.
For as good as the 25-year-old from Sweden was in the bottom six, he was blocking some of the Bruins’ younger players, including John Beecher, arguably Boston’s best face-off man. Boqvist gave Montgomery flexibility by being able to play both on the wing and at the center, but with Matthew Poitras expected to return from a season-ending injury in February for this season and the addition of Max Jones made it a no-brainer to let Boqvist leave and he signed with the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.
Bruins fans should wish Jake DeBrusk never left
I know, I know, Sweeney didn’t have the money to fill all the needs he had, sign Swayman and bring back Jake DeBrusk, but this feels like it’s going to be a loss in the lineup that Montgomery is going to find very difficult to replace. Maybe not right away, but as the season goes along, just how are the Bruins going to replace his production?
Right now, it appears that Sweeney, Montgomery, and the Bruins are going to fill DeBrusk’s roster spot with a prospect, possibly Fabian Lysell or Georgii Merkulov. If and when Swayman is officially signed, there will be very little, if any, cap room left to fill the spot from outside the organization, even with a cheap veteran.
When DeBrusk was playing his best, he was a difference-maker on many nights, but there were times when he would go unnoticed. He can be a consistent 30 or 40-goal scorer and he might find that groove with the Canucks.
Bruins fans should wish Danton Heinen never left
Before the season last September, Sweeney signed Danton Heinen to a PTO. Poitras began the season on the roster and Heinen stuck around through the October and waited patiently for his time to get into the lineup. Despite Poitras playing well and sticking around, Heinen did find his way into the lineup and what an addition he was.
I’m not sure many people saw 17 goals and 19 assists coming in 74 games from Heinen with a plus-16. He did all that while averaging under 15 minutes a night. He filled a vital role for Montgomery throughout the lineup became a key penalty killer and even scored a shorthanded goal. There were reports in June that Sweeney and Heinen’s camp were looking to work out an extension to avoid free agency, but they couldn’t agree on numbers and he was the third former Bruin to join Vancouver.
There were some other players that the Bruins lost in free agency, but DeBrusk and Heinen could end up being the Bruins’ loss and Vancouver’s gain. Just how much they are missed will depend on whether or not Lysell, Merkulov, or whoever else fills DeBrusk’s spot fares, as well as how do the bottom-six additions fit in place of Heinen.
