Bruins Offseason reset will be enormous if only a few players are under contract

Don SWEENEY has carried out the simplest part of the reconstruction, although Boston Bruins general manager may not agree if you call trade with 2,549 games with black and white experience “Easy”.

The difficult part of replacing Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau and Max Jones, while he repairs everything else in 2024-25.

Consider those of the 20 squad positions occupied on match days and only 11 projects that are populated by players who are currently under contract in 2025-26.

The difficulty of removing these vacancies ranges from uncomplicated to almost impossible.

For this exercise we start with the simple things:

Lauko, Beecher and Khusnutdinov re -sign

Five players who should be on the list of the squad on July 1st next year: Morgany Geekie, Mason Lohrei, Jakub Lauko, Johnny Beecher and Marat Khusnutdinov.

The expansion of 22-year-old Khusnutdinov should be the most fundamental transaction from this cohort. The former striker of Minnesota Wild comes from his entry -level contract and has no arbitration. As a rule, a player in his profile (five goals and four templates in 87 career games) receives a two -year bridge contract with a modest bump from his entry closure.

The 24 -year -old Beecher also comes out of entry. The first 2019 played in the fourth line of Center and Link Wing. He has an average of 1:32 ice age in the penalty murder, the third most common among team storms. But Beecher has not scored a goal since January 18. The fourth line seems to be his ceiling. Like Khusnutdinov, a two -year extension with short money for Beecher is likely.

The 25-year-old Lauko leaves a two-year second contract of $ 1.575 million. He has three goals and five templates between the Bruins and Wild this season. While Lauko has arbitration, his production would not necessarily help him in a hearing. He looks at money in the fourth row at short notice.

If Beecher and Lauko sign again, you could skate with Mark Kastelic in the fourth line.

What is Lohrei worth?

Lohrei leads team defender with 33 points. The 24-year-old could be the long-term point man of the Bruins on the No. 1 Power Play unit. He is creative and fearless on the offensive.

Lohrei has to do work defensively. According to the Natural Stat Trick, he was on the ice for 68 five-against-five bids, the seventh among NHL defenders.

This makes the project from Lohrei a tricky exercise.

Lohrei will have arbitration. His points will serve him well. But for a young person like Lohri, it is not easy to take part in a hearing and open his employers to his employers.

If the bruins are confident that Lohrei will improve his defense, you might be interested in a long -term agreement. Otherwise there could be Lohri for a larger payment day for his third contract if, for example, pages give a two -year extension for a larger payday. The bruins went with a successive one -year deal with Torey Krug, an offensive defender like Lohri, after the end of his ELC.

Large increase in geekie

Geekie has 29 goals in a career. The 26-year-old chose the right time to open his offense. The cap increases. He will have arbitration.

Part of Geekie’s production is percentooed in his career as a 20.7 percent shootout. He will probably fall back. But Geekie has confidence in driving with David Pastrnak and being a backup shooter in the No. 1 line.

The negotiations could be lengthy in view of the degree of the incoming payment day of geekie. Based on the market, the right shot striker could double its current AAV dollar AAV dollar.

No help from Providence comes

Fabian Lysell and Fraser Minten are currently in the university. It is unknown whether they think they are 2025-26.

Lysell is goalless in eight games. He has NHL wheels and a good shot. But the 22-year-old is still learning reliably for the walls and on the defensive. At that time, his defects outweigh his skills.

The 20 -year -old Minten is more of a professional game from the puck. His next step is to put his good defense habits into a dispute. Minten will be a professional in 2025-26 in the second year. More time in the AHL will not hurt.

As for the current Ahlers, Georgii Merkulov and Matt Poitras would be in line next. However, the 24 -year -old Merkulov has no goals and support in 10 NHL appearances. It is possible that the AHL production of the left striker does not lead to the NHL.

The 21-year-old Poitras had a goal this year and 10 templates in 33 NHL games. In retrospect, he was rushed this year and in 2023-24. The organization must be 100 percent certain Poitras that are ready for the NHL before addressing it. This is not guaranteed at this point.

What is on the trade and the free agency?

If the bruins reject their restricted free agents and leave their prospects in providence, this gives them four slots to fill. Three are significant: second line wing for Casey Mittelstadt and a right -wing partner for Hampus Lindholm on couple No. 2.

In view of the weakness of their future, it is unlikely that the Bruins turn one of the picks that they have acquired before the deadline for today’s reinforcement. The 2025 second rounds that Frederic and Coyle contributed to bringing themselves to Nhlers in several seasons. The team’s amateur scouting needs every selection to replenish the potential pool.

As a result, the free agency remains as a route to fill out the squad. It wasn’t going well last summer when the Bruins invested in Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. As desperate as it will be for NHL, it is not worth bringing big dollars together with players who no longer have their expected threshold values.

The Wild Card: offer leaves?

The Bruins all have their 2026 picks, apart from the fifth round that they sent to the Colorado Avalanche in Coyle transaction. You project to have space. While they are unable to exchange the picks, it could be worth removing a certain RFA from a team with a cap.

For example, Igor Shesterkin will earn 11.5 million US dollars from the New York Rangers every year. Would the GM Chris Drury be enough to achieve an offer sheet for Will Cuylle?

(Topto by Morgan Geekie, David Pastrnak and Mason Lohrei: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)