The Boston Bruins have had one of the busiest offseasons in the NHL. The team traded star goaltender Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, signed forward Elias Lindholm and defender Nikita Zadorov to lucrative deals, let multiple free agents sign elsewhere and have yet to re-sign Jeremy Swayman to an extension. While the majority of the Bruins’ remaining salary appears to be earmarked for any potential Swayman deal, that doesn’t mean the team is necessarily done exploring options to improve their depth. General manager Don Sweeney may circle back and test mutual interest with a few former Bruins still available on the open market.
The Bruins lineup for the 2024-25 season is up in the air and it’s nearly impossible to know how things will shake out before training camp and the preseason. Several players are primed to compete for bigger roles with the team, including Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov who should get every opportunity to earn a top-six role with the team out of camp. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see other players on the Bruins compete for an increased role on the team. This is why the Bruins were comfortable letting players like Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk, Danton Heinen, Derek Forbort, and Pat Maroon sign elsewhere this offseason.
As it stands, the Bruins seem to have a plethora of NHL-level talent available to contribute in a bottom-six role for the team. With that said, an interesting player still looking for a new home this offseason is James van Riemsdyk.
James van Riemsdyk Still Looking for a Contract
It’s fair to say that many Bruins fans had dreams of van Riemsdyk playing for the Bruins during his peak years. With a skill-set tailor-made for the Bruins, he just felt like the perfect addition to play alongside David Krejci for years. When he did eventually sign with the team last offseason, it was after Krejci had retired from the NHL and was well past his best years in the league.
Though the 35-year-old clearly isn’t the same player he once was, looking noticeably slower than he did during his prime, it’s still surprising that no team has taken a flyer on van Riemsdyk given he scored 11 goals and 38 points in 71 games with the Bruins last season. Capable of playing up and down the lineup and still a strong power play option, van Riemsdyk will be a good complementary piece to whatever team he signs with this offseason. Given the familiarity between both parties, it wouldn’t be that shocking to see the Bruins and van Riemsdyk revisiting another one-year flyer contract for the 2024-25 season.
At the same time, the Bruins do have many options already on their roster who could make the signing of a 35-year-old van Riemsdyk a redundant one. Though van Riemsdyk still has something to give, the Bruins may opt to run with a younger lineup to set themselves up for more long-term growth. This is especially true when the team already has Justin Brazeau in the lineup. With players like Trent Frederic, Matt Poitras, Morgan Geekie, John Beecher, Max Jones, Mark Kastelic, Riley Tufte, Brazeau and others already in the conversation for bottom-six roles, signing van Riemsdyk may not be a bad decision, but it also may not be the right one for the Bruins right now.
Exploring additional depth is also an option for the Bruins in terms of their defensive unit.
Kevin Shattenkirk Remains a Free Agent
Another player linked to the Bruins for years was Kevin Shattenkirk. The Boston University alumnus was seemingly once the perfect option to bring to the Bruins; a right-shot defender who could produce offense with familiarity to the area. Also like van Riemsdyk, the signing of Shattenkirk came well past his prime seasons and proved to be a bargain for the team.
Though Shattenkirk had a better season in Boston than he did in Anaheim the season prior, it was clear that he was viewed as a rotational defender by the end of the season.
With the Bruins likely to have Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Brandon Carlo, Andrew Peeke, Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon as a very solid seven-defender rotation next season, the team has shown a proclivity to carry extra defenders due to potential injuries. Being thin on defense beyond their starters has come back to bite the Bruins in the past and they’ve seemed keen to avoid that over the past few seasons.
On a minimum contract, Shattenkirk could provide some insurance for the Bruins as their eighth defender. If he fails to find another home with a more sure-fire path to regular minutes, this may be the best-case scenario for both parties. Shattenkirk, like van Riemsdyk, still has something left in the tank. Securing a familiar face on a deal that wouldn’t affect their remaining cap space in a meaningful way may not be the worst decision in the world.
At the same time, though, the Bruins do have enough bodies on their roster and looking to make the jump from the AHL that signing any veteran player to a contract at this point could be viewed as gratuitous. As mentioned, the lineup is entirely up in the air beyond some obvious names at the top, ensuring that the preseason will be an exciting time for the Bruins.
