The Boston Bruins have one more move to make before they call officially call this offseason a success.
The Boston Bruins have made some big-time decisions this offseason. They started the summer off with a bang, trading star goaltender Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Joonas Korpisalo, Mark Kasteltic, and the 25th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft (Dean Letourneau). Then, they made two significant signings in free agency, bringing in Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov on long-term deals.
The Bruins also made some intelligent depth signings this summer, bringing in Max Jones, Riley Tufte, Cole Koepke, Jordan Oesterle, Billy Sweezey, and Jeffrey Viel. Of these, Jones and Tufte are the most intriguing, as they are two former first-round picks who could become solid additions to the Bruins’ bottom six.
Overall, while the Bruins had some notable departures in free agency, like Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Pat Maroon, Matt Grzelcyk, James van Riemsdyk, and Kevin Shattenkirk, they have had a solid offseason. Yet, they are one move away from making it great.
Star goaltender Jeremy Swayman remains a restricted free agent, and getting his deal finally done will be the Bruins’ most significant move of the summer. The Original Six club confirmed they view him as their long-term goalie of the future after trading Ullmark, and signing the Alaska native to a long-term deal would be the best decision for Boston because of it.
The Bruins currently have over $8.6 million of projected cap space, so a Swayman signing is inevitable. Once they get this contract done, it will significantly improve the Bruins’ grade for the summer.
It will be very interesting to see what Swayman’s final deal will look like, but there is no question that he will be getting a significant raise from his previous $3.475 million cap hit.
