By: Ryan Bosworth | Follow me on Twitter/X @RyanJBosworth
The Boston Bruins were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, falling in six games to the Buffalo Sabres. Now that some of the sting has worn off, it’s time to take a look at what the summer could, and will, hold for Boston.
There are four major areas of focus for teams every offseason: contracts, cap space, draft picks, and areas of need, and those are what the focus areas for this article will be. Taking a look at players on expiring deals, how much cap space the Bruins will have, the draft picks in the upcoming entry draft, and their most prominent areas of need — which were on full display against Buffalo, so that one won’t be hard to conclude.
Contracts
Let’s first take a look at players that are on expiring deals, both restricted and unrestricted. Boston has three expiring contracts in Boston, and 16 expiring contracts in Providence. In Boston, two of those expiring deals are unrestricted free agents — Andrew Peeke and Viktor Arvidsson — and one is a restricted free agent — Jordan Harris.
Providence has a bit of a different scope of expiring deals, as a lot of players will be coming off their entry-level deals in 2026-27. Among those players are Matt Poitras, Fabian Lysell, Riley Duran, Alexis Gendron, Max Wanner, Luke Cavallin, and Simon Zajicek.
The other expiring deals are Matej Blumel, John Farinacci, Patrick Brown, Georgii Merkulov, Riley Tufte, Narvin Mutter, Viktor Soderstrom, and Michael Callahan. The only players under contract for next season, right now, are Dans Locmelis, Frederic Brunet, Loke Johansson, Michael DiPietro, and Max Lundgren.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has commented on both Arvidsson and Peeke, stating that, “I’ll get to work on what their positions are now that the season has ended, and we’ll explore whether we can bring either or both back.” As for the Bruins’ non-rostered expiring contracts, it’s not unusual and resigning a majority of those players will be quick work for the Bruins’ general manager.
Cap Space
Not too long ago, it was announced that the NHL’s salary cap would be rising from ~$95 million to ~$104 million, meaning the Bruins will have about $15.42 million in cap space this summer. However, the free agency class leaves much to be desired, and the Bruins will likely be utilizing their cap space to acquire players via trade.
Last week, the Bruins announced that forward Lukas Reichel signed a one-year contract extension carrying an average annual value of $950,000. A quick, easy resigning for organizational depth, and one that we’ll likely see become a trend considering how many non-roster contracts are expiring. With $15.42 million in cap space still available, and with both Don Sweeney and Cam Neely addressing it in their end-of-season press conference.
Neely didn’t put it lightly, stating, “We need more talent, we need more speed. That’s something that we have to try to acquire in one way, shape or form. But you look at the elite teams in the league, we’re not there. And like I said two years ago, when you strip it down like we did, you’re not going to be there in one season, so it’s going to take some time. But what we accomplished this year, give the guys credit, but like I said early on, it’s building blocks. So we’ve still got work to do to improve this club still.”
Draft Picks
Looking ahead to the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the Bruins have a total of seven selections, with their first-round pick coming in at 23rd overall. The rest of their picks come at 56th, 88th, 111th, 120th, 123rd, and 216th. The 111th pick comes from Detroit via Anaheim, and the 123rd pick originally belonged to Tampa Bay. All information regarding draft picks came from Dominic Tiano.
Areas of Need
Now, the most important part of the Bruins’ offseason is addressing their areas of need, and there are a couple areas of dire need for this roster. Two lacking areas were made abundantly clear in the Bruins’ first-round matchup with Buffalo, and that’s speed and skill.
Last offseason, the Bruins’ goal was to be a tough-out, and they largely accomplished that goal. They found success in making it hard for other teams to play against them, and their style of play led them to a 100-point season and a postseason appearance. As Neely put it, it can’t be a one-year turnaround after they essentially tore everything down at the 2025 trade deadline. It’s going to take time, but it’s also going to take effort.
The free agency class this summer is arguably the weakest it’s been in years. No real “big fish” for the Bruins to go out and try to sign, so their best bet? Package picks and players and make a hockey trade. Get creative, find the right trade scenario, and go out and get a player with speed and skill that’ll help your roster.
The Bruins can’t afford another season of 2025-26. While it was a big step forward from 2024-25, it’s not a winning formula, as was evident against Buffalo. This roster needs a lot of help, and if they don’t get it, Boston will be a middle-of-the-pack team until they’re able to acquire that help.
Must get rid of Korpisalo, if only to allow DiPietro to show of his trade.
The Bruins have too often « lost » goalkeepers that became stars : Dryden, Parent, etc.. and now, Bussi ? Let’s not take a chance with DiPietro !