The dog days of summer have arrived.

The Boston Bruins began the offseason with a flurry of moves, but since, like the rest of the NHL, have fallen dormant in the last few weeks.

While training camp doesn’t start until the middle of September, this is as opportune as any time to assess the state of the Bruins roster ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Key Arrivals:

The Bruins were one of the most active teams on the open market this offseason, as general manager Don Sweeney spent a franchise-record $92 million in free agency. Much of that total was given to center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov, two players that Sweeney said the Bruins prioritized from the very beginning.

Lindholm, 29, has totaled 557 points in 818 career games. But despite coming off a down year last season in 2023-24, during which he was limited to 44 points in 75 games while splitting time between the Calgary Flames in Vancouver Canucks, the Bruins still inked Lindholm to a seven-year, $54.25 million deal on July 1–the largest free agent contract in franchise history.

Still, Lindholm’s profile as a crafty two-way center made him a top target for the Bruins, who’ve needed help down the middle of the ice ever since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired ahead of last season.

Like Lindholm, Zadorov instantly fills a need for the Bruins. The six-foot-six, 240-pound defenseman only adds to an already massive Boston blue line and will bring an element of physicality reminiscent of Zdeno Chara (just make sure not to call Zadorov ‘Big Z’). The 29-year-old has a contract to match his stature, as he’ll earn $30 million over the next six seasons.

The Bruins also made a host of depth signings in free agency to fill out the rest of their roster. After failing to reach their potential as former first-round draft picks elsewhere, forwards Max Jones and Riley Tufte are looking to reset their careers in Boston.

Mark Kastelic will also be in the mix for a role in the bottom six, as he joins the Bruins via a trade that sent Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators. Joonas Korpisalo was also a part of that return package from Ottawa and will be a high-priced backup in goal for the Bruins, making $4 million annually across the next four years.

Key Departures:

As previously mentioned, the Bruins opted to trade Ullmark to Ottawa in a move that effectively broke up what has been the strongest goalie tandem in the league over the last couple of seasons.

Trading Ullmark, who is entering his walk year this season, may have been a smart move for the Bruins financially, but much of that benefit was mitigated by taking on Korpisalo’s contract.

Ullmark’s departure is certainly the most significant, but it is far from the only one after the Bruins let nine former players go in free agency.

Jake DeBrusk’s rocky time in Boston is over after nine seasons. He signed a seven-year deal that will pay him $38.5 million playing for the Vancouver Canucks where he will be joined by other former Bruins, Danton Heinen and Derek Forbort.

Elsewhere, Matt Grzelcyk is heading to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Pat Maroon is joining the Chicago Blackhawks. Both James van Riemsdyk and Kevin Shattenkirk remain unsigned.

Salary Cap:

According to Puckpedia.com, the Bruins have a projected $8.64 million in remaining cap space following all their moves.

In theory, it’s an ample amount and leaves their books in healthy shape. However, much of that money is being saved for what should be one high-priced contract.

Team Needs:

The one glaring need the Bruins have left is reaching a contract extension with restricted free-agent goalie Jeremy Swayman.

Following Ullmark’s departure, Swayman will now get the majority of starts in net for the first time in his career. The Bruins have maintained that agreeing to a contract with the 25-year-old netminder is a priority, but negotiations have now been stuck at a stalemate for a number of weeks without any indication of movement in either direction for some time after both sides opted to bypass salary arbitration.

An agreement is still expected to be reached before the start of the regular season. However, if for some reason one doesn’t materialize, Swayman has until Dec. 1 to accept the qualifying offer the Bruins placed on him at the beginning of the summer or else he is ineligible to play this season.

Aside from Swayman, the one addition the Bruins could use is a goal scorer after emphasizing defense this summer. But with Swayman still unsigned, finding one is an issue they’re leaving to address later on.

Projected Depth Chart:

Without that aforementioned goal scorer, the Bruins’ forward corps is one currently lacking depth.

Of course, David Pastrnak will provide plenty of offense as one of the league’s marquee snipers and should only benefit from skating alongside Lindholm.

But outside of him and veteran captain Brad Marchand, there aren’t many other reliable options as many young up-and-coming forwards, such as Matthew Poitras and Fabian Lysell, will be asked to carry a heavier load this season.

Unlike up front, the back end is an area of strength for the Bruins.

The arrival of Zadorov only adds to the massive size the Bruins already possess on defense. His presence should alleviate some of the pressure on Charlie McAvoy during each shift and will allow young Mason Lohrei to develop in a role a less critical role.

But as has been the case in Boston for the last number of years, the Bruins will only go as far as their goaltending takes them.

Swayman more than showed he has the ability to be a full-time starter, but actually playing in upwards of 50 games in a season is something he’s yet to do in his career.