Offseason Checklist: Boston Bruins
The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs plus those who have already been eliminated. Accordingly, it’s now time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at Boston.
Last summer, the Bruins doubled down on the idea of bringing in more grit in the hopes of reestablishing an identity. It worked out for them as they bounced back into a playoff spot while Jeremy Swayman returned to high-level form in goal. However, they were ousted in the opening round by Buffalo, showing that GM Don Sweeney still has some work to do with this group, including trying to knock some items off their checklist.
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There was a clear game plan for Boston this season. Try to wear the other team down with a heavy style of play and slow the pace down. From there, the grind-it-out approach coupled with strong goaltending would help lead them to victory. They put up 100 points during the regular season so it’s fair to say it worked.
That is, until the playoffs. The Sabres are more of the modern team, with lots of skill and lots of speed. Boston struggled with that in the opening round which was a big part of their exit. Sweeney even acknowledged in his end-of-season press conference that he understands that there’s a need to bring more speed into the organization.
That’s likely to come at the expense of some of the grit that has been amassed, particularly in the bottom six. While a full season of James Hagens will help and could give the top six a boost at some point, that’s not going to be enough to turn around their fortunes. With 14 forwards already under contract for next season (and possibly one more to come), if there is a move to be made to bring in more speed, someone’s going to have to be exiting as well. Meanwhile, replacing Henri Jokiharju with someone who brings more mobility to the table could be considered.
Knowing that the Bruins have a certain identity they want to keep, it wouldn’t be shocking if any moves to add more fleetness of foot were more of the incremental variety. But even that could be a bit of a difference-maker at some point next season.
Re-Sign Arvidsson
One of the moves that Boston made early in free agency was a trade, acquiring Viktor Arvidsson from Edmonton, taking full advantage of their need to open up salary. With the Oilers looking to make other moves, Sweeney had plenty of leverage, meaning they only wound up trading away a 2027 fifth-round pick to get him. Even if he didn’t rebound after a down year, it was a gamble worth taking.
But Arvidsson did rebound. In a big way, no less. A year after putting up his lowest point per game average since his rookie year nearly a decade earlier, Arvidsson bounced back with 25 goals and 29 assists in 69 games, tied for his best full-season point per game rate. He followed that up with a pair of goals in four postseason appearances. That has him poised to hit the open market slotting fifth among forwards in points.
While that’s partially an indictment about this year’s UFA class, it should also be noted that Arvidsson didn’t need big minutes to get there; he averaged under 15 minutes per game. If the metric flips to points per 60 minutes, he’s the leader in the field among forwards. Secondary scoring is crucial for any team to have and if you have a player who fits in the middle six and can still be a core contributor, that’s someone you want to keep in the mix.
AFP Analytics projects that Arvidsson’s market might not be too robust this summer, suggesting that a two-year deal just under $5MM per season could be the right fit. A lot will depend on how much stock teams put into his one year with Edmonton; was that the blip or do they think his 2025-26 performance was the outlier? Given the limited market, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 33-year-old beat that projection and pick up an extra year or two as well. With around $15MM in cap room per PuckPedia, that’s a price tag Boston can afford to keep him in the fold.
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This particular issue has been a problem for a while. To be fair, the same can be said for a lot of teams. The Bruins tried to solve it two summers ago when they signed Elias Lindholm to a seven-year deal worth $7.75MM per season but he hasn’t cracked the 50-point mark in three years. He can certainly be a contributor but he’s a long way removed now from being the higher-end two-way pivot they hoped they were getting.
Pavel Zacha had a career year this season which was a big boost to their attack. But he’s not a prototypical top center either and he often saw time on the second line. Fraser Minten had a very promising first full NHL campaign but he doesn’t profile as a top liner down the road. Between the three they have, the depth is decent (with Mark Kastelic and Sean Kuraly as more fourth-line types) and frankly, better than what quite a few teams have. But none of them are solving the top-line need.
Yes, Hagens is in the mix as well and he could very well be the long-term solution to anchor the top line. But while he showed some promise in his brief NHL action, between that and his time at the Worlds, he also showed that he’s not ready for that role yet and probably won’t be for a few years. They need someone to bridge that gap at a minimum.
The problem is that the UFA market doesn’t have anyone remotely close to cutting the bill. At this point, it looks like there could be an option or two in play (such as Detroit’s Dylan Larkin) but those players have no-trade clauses while the Bruins don’t boast particularly robust draft pick and prospect cupboards. That will make it much tougher to win the bidding war for any who might become available.
With that in mind, there’s a case to be made to try to swing big on a top-line winger if the center search doesn’t go well. There’s a decent enough floor down the middle that two impact wingers (David Pastrnak and someone else) with, say, Zacha, would make for a solid enough top line. Again, the UFA market doesn’t have much beyond Alex Tuch in terms of legitimate top-line talent and the trade front could be tricky. But if the Bruins want to find another level in a very tight Atlantic Division, this is a box that Sweeney needs to find a way to check off.
Defensive Tinkering
Jonathan Aspirot was one of the pleasant surprises for Boston this season. A career minor leaguer heading into the season, the decision to sign with the Bruins as a Group Six unrestricted free agent worked out perfectly. While he did technically start this season in the minors, he was brought up before the end of October and never looked back. Along the way, he earned a two-year, one-way contract extension for his efforts.
Perhaps even more surprisingly, he established himself as Charlie McAvoy’s primary partner on the back end at five-on-five. That’s a great outcome for him personally but ideally, an AHL defender isn’t the ideal long-term partner for your number one defender to play with. In a perfect world, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, or Nikita Zadorov would fill that role.
If they could add another impact left-shot defender to serve as McAvoy’s partner, their back end would get a big boost and allow them to further lean into their desired identity. That would push Aspirot further down the depth chart but he signed his extension so early that his cap hit is barely above the minimum salary. Even if he dropped all the way to being a reserve, they’d still be in good shape. Failing that, a different addition that could move players around and perhaps send Lindholm to the top pairing could also work.
The other area they will want to look at is on the right side. Jokiharju’s first full season with the Bruins was okay but he can certainly be upgraded on. Meanwhile, Andrew Peeke is set to hit the open market and needs to be re-signed or replaced. They also don’t have any in-house options in the minors that are ready to come up yet. It could just be a depth addition or two or they could swing at one of the more prominent unrestricted free agents (Darren Raddysh, John Carlson, Jacob Trouba, and Rasmus Andersson headline the group) but there will be at least some tinkering if not more that needs to be done on the right side.
Photo courtesy of Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images.
David Pastrnak Makes Second All-Star Team
There is one big surprise for the goaltenders. Vasilevskiy makes plenty of sense, given that he won the Vezina Trophy this season. However, Thompson finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting behind Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders and Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins.
Patrick Brown Signs With DEL’s Adler Mannheim
The Boston Bruins have lost some of their organizational forward depth. According to a team announcement, the DEL’s Adler Mannheim have signed Patrick Brown for the 2026-27 season.
In all fairness, at 34 years old, Brown’s professional career in North America was likely nearing its end, anyway. He was signed as a collegiate free agent by the Carolina Hurricanes ahead of the 2014-15 campaign, and has primarily been an AHL talent for the last 11 years.
Although the Bloomfield Hills, MI native didn’t challenge for any scoring awards throughout his time in the AHL, his North American career is defined by his leadership. Brown was named captain for the Boston College Eagles for the 2013-14 NCAA season, and wore the ‘C’ for three different AHL organizations, including the Providence Bruins, for the past two years.
Despite carving out a consistent role in the AHL, Brown didn’t go without his NHL opportunities, either. Highlighted by a two-year stint with the Philadelphia Flyers in which he played 87 games from 2021 to 2023, Brown played parts of nine seasons with the Hurricanes, Golden Knights, Flyers, Senators, and Bruins. Assuming his NHL career has finished, Brown ends with 10 goals and 26 points in 164 appearances.
Understandably, his performance in the AHL has been much better. Beginning with the Charlotte Checkers in 2014-15, Brown has registered 111 goals and 286 points in 572 career games. Additionally, he captained the Checkers to a Calder Cup championship in 2019.
Bruins Hire Matt McIlvane As Assistant Coach
- According to a team announcement, the Boston Bruins have hired Matt McIlvane as an assistant coach, replacing Jay Leach. McIlvane had been the head coach of the AHL’s San Diego Gulls for the past three years, guiding them to an 88-97-31 record, with a berth in the Calder Cup playoffs this season. Unfortunately, the postseason run was short-lived, as the Colorado Eagles quickly dispatched the Gulls in the First Round.
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Bruins Likely To Trade Andre Gasseau
- In an interview at the NHL Draft Combine, General Manager of the Boston Bruins, Don Sweeney, confirmed to Jim McBride of The Boston Globe that the team would likely trade forward Andre Gasseau this summer, or allow him to become an unrestricted free agent in August. Gasseau, 22, recently wrapped up his senior season with the NCAA’s Boston College Eagles, scoring six goals and 23 points in 23 games, but lost multiple games due to wrist surgery. The former seventh-round pick wants NHL ice time immediately, and the Bruins are unwilling to do that.
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Milan Lucic Announces Retirement
Former Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic announced his retirement from professional hockey today, per the NHL Players’ Association. The announcement officially concludes a professional career that includes 1,177 NHL games.
Lucic, 38, is a large power forward who is best known for his work as a member of the Boston Bruins, the team he played for from 2007 to 2015, with an additional four-game stint with the team coming in 2023.
A 2006 second-round pick out of the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, Lucic was a fast-developing prospect, going from 19 points in 62 games in his 2005-06 draft campaign to 30 goals and 68 points in 70 games during his first season as a drafted Bruins prospect.
A WHL champion with Vancouver, Lucic made a quick adjustment to the pro game in 2007-08. He made the Bruins’ NHL roster as a 19-year-old rookie, scoring eight goals and 19 points in 77 games, while also registering 179 hits and 89 penalty minutes.
His aggressive, physical style was already earning plaudits from around the league, as despite his relatively pedestrian rookie year production, he ended the campaign with two fifth-place votes for the Calder Trophy.
Lucic’s NHL breakout came during his sophomore campaign. He avoided the dreaded second-year slump that impacts many young forwards, instead boosting his production to 17 goals and 42 points in 72 games. He did so while playing an even more effective physical style, racking up 259 hits and 136 penalty minutes. Even from his first few seasons in the NHL, it would become abundantly clear that Lucic represented the exact kind of identity the Bruins have wanted out of their players – someone who pairs real offensive touch with relentless aggression and a mastery of the physical side of the game.
2008-09 would also be the year when Lucic showed just how valuable his style could be in the postseason. Although Lucic would be suspended for a game during the team’s first-round series sweep over their arch-rival Montreal Canadiens for a cross-check to the head of Maxim Lapierre, he would finish the playoffs with nine points in 10 games in a run that ended in game seven of the second round.
Although Lucic’s next season, 2009-10, was a bit of a struggle in the regular season (he battled multiple injuries) he remained a valuable playoff contributor, scoring nine points in 13 contests.
The following campaign, 2010-11, would prove to be arguably Lucic’s best in the NHL. He finished the regular season with 30 goals and 62 points in 79 games, showing just how consistently effective he could be when healthy. In the playoffs, he scored 12 points in 25 games as the Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in a dramatic seven-game series to win their first Stanley Cup since 1972.
By that point, Lucic had established himself as one of the game’s premier emerging power forward talents. That began a stretch where he would consistently score around a 50-60 point pace, a level of consistent production that would persist even beyond the conclusion of Lucic’s Bruins tenure. He also remained hugely valuable in the playoffs, including in 2012-13 when he scored 19 points in 22 games during the Bruins’ run to the Stanley Cup Final, where they would be eliminated in a dramatic game six at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks.
As he entered his late 20s, Lucic neared unrestricted free agency, and the Bruins traded him to the Los Angeles Kings. Lucic spent one year, his age-27 season, in Los Angeles, scoring 20 goals and 55 points. After his year in Los Angeles, Lucic became one of the league’s most in-demand free agents. In the end, the Edmonton Oilers, led by GM Peter Chiarelli, who had managed Boston to its Stanley Cup in 2011, won the bidding war for Lucic and secured his services on a seven-year, $6MM AAV contract.
At first, that deal looked like it might just work for the Oilers, who enjoyed a 23-goal, 50-point debut campaign from Lucic. Lucic registered 202 hits, and there was hope his power forward style, fearsome physicality, and veteran leadership would help in teenage phenom Connor McDavid‘s development into an NHL star. McDavid missed half of his rookie campaign with an injury, but broke out for 100 points during Lucic’s first season with the Oilers.
Unfortunately, while the Oilers enjoyed solid immediate returns on their investment in Lucic, the contract would quickly turn into one of the league’s foremost financial anchors. Lucic’s production declined to 34 points in 2017-18, and in 2018-19, it lowered to just 20 points. Lucic’s foot speed declined considerably, and his offensive value cratered along with it. At one point, Lucic failed to register a goal in over 40 games.
In the summer of 2019, the Oilers traded Lucic to the Calgary Flames in a deal that swapped underperforming big-ticket UFA wingers between arch rivals. The Oilers received James Neal, the Flames’ own $5.75MM AAV free agency investment, in exchange for Lucic and a conditional third-round pick.
While the fresh start did not result in Lucic rediscovering the offensive touch he had in past years in his career, he did find a way to hold onto a consistent lineup spot with the Flames, providing some value as a highly physical veteran fourth-liner, even if his contributions did not ultimately match his compensation.
Lucic played out his seven-year contract with the Flames, and when it expired in the summer of 2023, Lucic elected to sign a one-year, $1MM contract to return to the Bruins.
While there was definite excitement for the return of a fan favorite player, Lucic’s second stint in Boston ended after just four games played. Lucic missed most of the 2023-24 season after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. Lucic entered the program after he was arrested for an alleged domestic incident. Charges against Lucic were eventually dropped.
Lucic would exit the program after missing the rest of the 2023-45 season. He would go on to sign a PTO with the St. Louis Blues for 2025-26.
The PTO did not result in Lucic receiving any NHL time, though he did play in five games for their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Remarkably, those were the first AHL games of Lucic’s professional career. Lucic would eventually leave the AHL and signed overseas for the first time in his career, joining Scotland’s Fife Flyers of the EIHL, the top division of pro hockey in the United Kingdom. Lucic scored 12 points in 26 games for the Flyers.
Beyond his club career, Lucic did play some international hockey as well – in one tournament in his late thirties. Lucic was a veteran presence on team Canada at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships, serving as an alternate captain.
Lucic helped guide Canada through the team’s group stage games in Riga, Latvia, helping the team rebound after a shocking shootout loss to Norway. When the tournament shifted to knockout games in Tampere, Finland, the Canadians upset the hosts in the quarterfinals, survived a challenge from an upstart Latvia team in the semifinals, and handily defeated Germany in the finals to win a gold medal.
While that would be the only time Lucic represented Canada in his career, he made the most of it by winning what is the country’s most recent gold medal in senior-level men’s IIHF play.
Photos courtesy of Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Bruins Sign Navrin Mutter To One-Year Extension
The Boston Bruins announced that AHL forward Navrin Mutter has been signed to a one-year, two-way contract extension. Mutter was a pending UFA through Group VI status, so this contract keeps him from hitting the open market.
Boston did not disclose the full financial terms of the contract beyond that it will contain an NHL cap hit of $850K, the new league minimum for 2026-27. According to PuckPedia, the deal carries a $95K AHL salary. That represents a modest pay bump for Mutter, whose previous contract contained a $70K AHL salary. Mutter is repped by Andrew & Dave Maloney of Maloney & Thompson Sports Management.
Mutter, 25, was acquired by the Bruins in a trade on March 12. The Nashville Predators dealt Mutter to the Bruins in exchange for former University of Denver star Massimo Rizzo and low-scoring winger Dalton Bancroft. Mutter ended up playing in 16 total games for Providence, 12 in the regular season and then four in the playoffs. His production in that span of games was just one goal, no assists, but offense has never been his calling card.
A 6’3″, 213-pound undrafted winger, Mutter has been able to carve out a career in professional hockey as a result of his work ethic and relentless physicality. In a four-year OHL career, Mutter only produced 58 points in 217 games. Mutter has not produced much offense regardless of what level he’s played at, as he has 21 points in 161 career AHL games, and had 11 points in a 33-game stint in the ECHL during the 2023-24 campaign.
But, as mentioned, Mutter has been able to hold down a spot in two NHL organizations thanks to his work ethic, character, and physical play. Players who have a similar value proposition at the professional level often try to refine their defensive game in order to be able to contribute to a penalty kill, but thus far Mutter has not been able to do so. That is the case throughout his professional career, including when he was in the ECHL with the Atlanta Gladiators.
While Mutter is of course a long-shot to have an NHL career, from his perspective, that’s still what he’s working towards and pushing for. And with this new extension, the door on getting into NHL games is technically not closed to him. But for Mutter to have any real prospect of not only earning an NHL call-up, but holding down a role on an NHL roster, he’ll likely need to show a greater level of versatility and defensive ability than he has so far – and bring more than just competitiveness and physicality to the table if offense is out of the question.
Free Agent Focus: Boston Bruins
The NHL offseason is rapidly approaching, and for a team like the Boston Bruins—fresh off a competitive but ultimately disappointing exit in the 2026 playoffs, the summer months offer a pivotal transition point. With a solid core in place, the Bruins face the task of pivoting from a playoff participant to a Stanley Cup contender.
Key Restricted Free Agents
D Jordan Harris – As the lone RFA currently on the NHL roster, Harris is the primary focus for internal contract negotiations. At 25, he has already gained significant league-wide experience, having logged 172 appearances across Montreal, Columbus, and Boston. While his 2025-26 ice time was limited, his mobility and reliability make him a logical candidate for a “prove-it” bridge deal. Boston will look to lock him in at a manageable cap hit as they evaluate whether he represents a long-term fixture in their defensive corps or a piece that needs to be supplemented by external upgrades.
Other RFAs: G Luke Cavallin, F Riley Duran, F Alexis Gendron, F Fabian Lysell, F Matt Poitras, F Max Wanner, G Simon Zajicek.
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Viktor Arvidsson – Arvidsson provided a veteran presence for the Bruins this past season, offering a consistent scoring touch in the middle-six. However, at 33, he now hits the open market at a time when the Bruins are prioritizing younger, more sustainable depth. While he remains a proven commodity capable of contributing on the power play, his future in Boston likely hinges on whether the team can land a higher-impact offensive upgrade. If a match doesn’t materialize, he is a prime candidate for a contender looking for a reliable, experienced winger on a short-term contract.
D Andrew Peeke – Peeke’s value as a right-shot defensive specialist was on full display this season, particularly in his ability to eat minutes and lead the team in blocked shots. Despite his importance to the team’s defensive structure, industry buzz suggests that both parties may be heading toward a split. With Boston actively hunting for a more dynamic, puck-moving presence to bolster their blue line, Peeke appears likely to test the market, where his specialized skill set as a steady, reliable hand will undoubtedly attract attention from clubs seeking defensive stability.
Other UFAs: F Matej Blumel, F Patrick Brown, D Michael Callahan, F Riley Tufte, F John Farinacci, F Navrin Mutter, F Georgii Merkulov, D Victor Soderstrom.
Projected Cap Space
The Bruins enter the offseason with $15.42 million at their disposal. In a vacuum, this is a healthy figure, but it must be managed with surgical precision. With the team needing to bolster their scoring depth and potentially overhaul parts of the defensive rotation, Sweeney will likely have to balance the high costs of a thin UFA market against the potential of trade-market acquisitions. Whether they choose to hunt for marquee talent or invest in filling multiple depth roles, the Bruins’ ability to optimize this cap space will be the defining theme of their 2026 summer.
Bruins Will Not Retain Assistant Coach Jay Leach
- The Boston Bruins will not retain assistant coach Jay Leach for next season, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Leach, whose contract is set to expire this summer, has been an assistant behind the bench in Boston for the last two years. First-year head coach Marco Sturm inherited Leach from the staff of former bench boss Jim Montgomery. Per Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe, Leach “primarily worked with Boston’s defensemen” during his time with the team. Before he became an assistant in Boston, Leach spent three seasons with the Seattle Kraken on the staff of former head coach Dave Hakstol. Leach had some previous experience in the Bruins organization as well, serving as head coach of their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, for four seasons.
Victor Soderstrom Signs With EHC Biel-Bienne
May 21st: According to a team announcement, Soderstrom has officially signed a two-year deal with the NL’s EHC Biel-Bienne. It is expected that the deal will include an NHL opt-out clause. However, it is unlikely that Soderstrom will return to North America, as this marks the second time in three years that he has sought a different opportunity overseas.
April 18th: When the Bruins acquired and signed Victor Soderstrom, the defenseman was hoping that he would get that elusive extended NHL opportunity. However, that hasn’t been the case as he has once again spent most of the season in the minors. As a result, he’s eyeing a return overseas as Expressen’s Johan Svensson and Mattias Persson report that the blueliner is expected to sign with EHC Biel-Bienne in Switzerland for next season.
The 25-year-old was a first-round pick by Arizona back in 2019 but after seeing limited opportunities with the Coyotes, he opted to head overseas at the end of his entry-level contract, returning to SHL Brynas. Arizona retained his NHL rights and ultimately flipped them to Chicago at the 2025 trade deadline with Boston acquiring those rights three months later and signing him to a two-way deal.
But Soderstrom went through waivers unclaimed in training camp and outside an eight-game stint in Boston in December (where he had an assist and averaged 13:41 per game), he has played exclusively with AHL Providence. Soderstrom has done well in the minors, tallying nine goals and 21 assists in 57 games and should be set for a long playoff run with Providence guaranteed to finish the season with the AHL’s top record, earning them the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy.
Soderstrom is set to become a Group Six unrestricted free agent this summer and could have entertained offers to see if a better opportunity was out there. But with how this year has gone, he’d likely be viewed as a recallable depth player elsewhere as well so instead of repeating this season, it appears he’ll try his hand in the Swiss league next season.