By: Ryan Jainchill | Follow me on Twitter / X @Jainchill_Ryan
When the 2024-25 Stanley Cup Finals winner hoists the oldest trophy in sports, the Boston Bruins and the 31 other franchises will consider which players with expiring contracts on their active rosters should be re-signed. While handing out extensions before the annual trade deadline is rare, it’s undoubtedly an option some general managers across the NHL will take.
If Don Sweeney and the Bruins front office want to get ahead of the curve, they could start talking about extensions with those players as soon as possible. Here are five players who could be in line for a contract extension during the duration of the 2024-25 Bruins season:
Brad Marchand
The Bruins’ captain is entering the final season of an eight-year, 49-million-dollar deal inked in 2017. Last season, Marchand recorded 29 goals and 38 assists for 67 points, playing in all 82 games for the first time since 2013-14.
This season, in which he sits at 929 career points, the 36-year-old will recover from three surgeries. Marchand said he played through a torn tendon in his elbow all of last season, which required an operation, as well as surgeries on his groin and abdomen.
Marchand’s role on this team is unmatched. Even if you subtract the captaincy aspect, his veteran leadership, playoff experience, and importance to the city of Boston and the franchise are crucial for this group.
It’s tough to envision Marchand donning any other logo than the Spoked-B, especially with the recent trend of players spending their whole careers with the franchise (i.e., Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, and Tuukka Rask). With the captain being 36, a five-year contract is likely not in the cards, but a short-term deal that raises his average annual value (AAV) seems like the route that Sweeney could go. But again, Marchand ending his career in any other sweater would be a weird sight for Bruins fans and the league itself, and if he intends to stay in Boston, a deal being reached during the season would be welcomed.
Trent Frederic
Frederic’s two-year deal worth just over four and a half million dollars is up at season end, and his performance over the last two seasons has certainly earned consideration for a long-term contract. The 26-year-old set a career-high in points last season with 40, playing in the team’s middle-six.
The 29th overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft has brought an element of physicality and scoring that harkens back to many Bruins of old. With the team having a lot of high-end talent over the last few seasons, Frederic’s play has gone under the radar for many. But what he brings to this group in terms of toughness and versatility are necessities for any franchise.
Boston can explore financial flexibility by offering Frederic a five- to six-year contract with a lower AAV. This would secure a beloved player long-term and strengthen the team’s forward core. While a long-term deal comes with the added risk of physical traits deteriorating faster with age, the idea of Frederic being locked into this core is undoubtedly welcomed. Reaching an agreement during the season would also allow the Bruins to worry about one less free agent on their roster.
Morgan Geekie
When the Bruins were in a cap predicament in the summer of 2023, they took a chance on players they felt could produce at a level that would help the team at such a low AAV. None of that group of players Sweeney took a chance on proved him more right than Geekie’s addition.
Geekie’s ability to play in any situation allowed him to mesh with the team. He notched 39 points in 76 games, a career-high for the 26-year-old. Geekie also tallied four goals in the postseason, tying him with David Pastrnak for second on the team.
The Manitoba native’s contract expires at year-end, but the Bruins will maintain his rights due to his restricted free agent (RFA) status. This allows the team to get creative with how they could work out of a deal, especially if they feel that Geekie would be in line for more money on the open market. If he can build off the season he had last year, he should certainly be in line for an extension, possibly one completed before the deadline.
Johnny Beecher
In his first season as a Bruin, Beecher solidified himself as a solid bottom-six option. The former Michigan Wolverine scored 10 points in 52 games but showed on the defensive side, finishing second on the team in faceoff percentage at 54.6%. Beecher’s faceoff ability, speed, and scoring touch were a great fit into the Bruins’ bottom six, specifically on the fourth line and while shorthanded.
Beecher, the most recent Bruins’ first-round selection to make his NHL debut, is in line for a contract extension, with his entry-level contract (ELC) expiring at year’s end. Like Geekie, the team retains his rights after the season, so it’s tough to imagine they would not tender his rights and offer him a qualifying offer at the minimum.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Beecher extended during the season, especially to a multi-year deal with an AAV below two. However, with his RFA status, Sweeney might not feel pressured to get it done as soon as possible, as shown by the recent contract saga of Jeremy Swayman.
Mason Lohrei
Lohrei, who signed his two-year ELC on May 10, 2023, is due for an extension after the upcoming season. In his rookie campaign, the former Ohio State Buckeye notched four goals and nine assists in 41 games, averaging 16:57 of ice time per game. In the postseason, Lohrei flourished, tallying four points in 11 games, including a short-side snipe on Sergei Bobrovsky in the Bruins’ Game One defeat of the Florida Panthers.
The 23-year-old’s ability to adjust to the NHL level was evident all season. Whether using his long reach to thwart offensive pressure or his speed and skating ability to rush the puck into the offensive zone, Lohrei’s comfort at this level keeps growing, as did the confidence Coach Jim Montgomery installed in him.
In year two of his NHL career, the Bruins are looking for Lohrei to keep building off his strong rookie campaign, and if progression is shown, he could be in line for an in-season contract extension. With Boston having five defenders locked up after this season, Lohrei might end up being that last piece to lock up the core. While I doubt Sweeney shells out a lot of money to their budding defenseman, a multi-year low AAV deal could give the team the financial flexibility they need.
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