(Photo Credit: (Mark J. Terrill/AP Photo)

By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter/X @TCalauttis

The Boston Bruins are in need of more high-end talent, and management knows it. President Cam Neely said as much at the team’s annual end-of-season press conference, highlighting the organization’s need for ‘more talent’ and ‘more speed’ to bring the Black and Gold to the next level.

How they go about acquiring said talent is the question they’ll have to answer this offseason. With the free agent market seemingly drying up by the day, the Bruins can’t simply ‘buy’ their way to a more talented roster. They’re going to have to get creative in order to make that happen.

The most obvious way for the B’s to bring in more skill is to obtain it via trade. They have five first-round picks over the next three years, several rostered players on manageable contracts coming off solid seasons, and even a couple of prospects that could have some value on the open market.

Although trades may be the cleanest way to acquire more talent, another route management could take is to pursue the restricted free agent (RFA) market. With a competitive trade market and barren unrestricted free agent pool, going after RFAs via offer sheets may be the most effective way to add young, controllable, and high-upside talent without draining any of the team’s major trade assets.

Offer sheets involve NHL teams offering contracts to RFAs, then allowing the team holding the player’s rights to match that offer with a seven-day deadline. If the team holding the rights declines to match the offer, they receive draft-pick compensation based on the contract’s price tag.

The NHL’s official 2026 offer sheet compensation rubric has yet to be released, but the numbers from last season are a pretty good indicator of just how much draft capital teams will need to surrender in order to bring in RFAs. With that in mind, let’s take a look at five skaters the Boston Bruins could target this offseason:

Mavrik Bourque

Age: 24

Position: C/RW

Previous Contract: One-year, $950,000

20256-26 Stats: 20-21-41 in 82 games

The Dallas Stars are facing quite a conundrum this offseason. Star winger Jason Robertson is up for a new contract, and reports are that he could be looking for upwards of $12-13 million per season. According to Puckpedia, Dallas has only $11 million in cap space and only 10 forwards currently under contract. If they want to retain Robertson, they may have to trim down their roster to make it happen.

Enter Mavrik Bourque, Dallas’ 2020 first-round pick. The speedy forward was a major contributor for the Stars this season, posting 20-21-41 in 82 games while skating in the team’s top six. Bourque is exactly the type of forward that should be looking to acquire; he’s young, controllable, and though he already has top-six upside, could potentially develop into even more.

One of the most exciting things about the Quebec native is his ability to produce at five-on-five. 19 of his 20 goals and 16 of his 21 assists came at even strength, which means he does the bulk of his damage away from the man advantage. Bourque is quick, shifty, and fits the profile of what Neely discussed at his press conference. Given Dallas’ cap crunch, this is one player management should definitely look into.

Pavel Dorofyev

Age: 24

Position: LW

Previous Contract: Two-year, $3,670,000

20256-26 Stats: 37-27-64 in 82 games

One of the only teams in a worse cap situation than the Stars is the Vegas Golden Knights. According to Puckpedia, they have under $5 million in cap space for next season and only have nine forwards and five defensemen currently under contract. That makes them arguably the most vulnerable team to an offer sheet.

Over the past two seasons, Pavel Dorofyev has been one of the league’s most prolific goal scorers. He posted 35 goals in 82 games last season and followed it up with an even more impressive 37 goals this year. On top of that, the Russian forward has been a dynamo in the playoffs, leading the field in scoring with nine goals across 12 games.

Dorofyev is the kind of forward the Bruins have seemingly been chasing since they shipped Taylor Hall out of town. He’s a natural-born goal-scorer who can put in the net anytime he’s on the ice, whether that be five-on-five (17 goals) or the power play (20 goals). He has an excellent shot, handles the puck well, and lights up the scoresheet whenever he has the chance.

Given that the Knights are in such cap jail, it’s difficult to imagine that they don’t have some type of plan in place to attempt to retain Dorofyev. That being said, scorers like him don’t become available too often, so when they can be had, there’s no excuse not to pounce.

Zach Benson

Age: 21

Position: C/LW

Previous Contract: Three-year, $2,850,000

20256-26 Stats: 13-30-43 in 65 games

After this year’s first-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres, Bruins fans should be more than well acquainted with Zach Benson. The squirrely winger was a menace during the course of the six games, posting 2-1-3 and getting under the skin of seemingly every Bruin, including Jeremy Swayman.

Benson was Buffalo’s 1st round pick (13th overall) in 2023 and has steadily grown into a consistent middle-six contributor over the first three years of his career. He topped 10 goals and 25 points in both of his first two seasons, but really seemed to come into his own this year when he registered 13-30-40 and an impressive plus-27 across 65 games.

Benson would be an excellent addition for the Bruins because he fulfills two of their needs. He has the upside and skill to develop into a top-six contributor, and he’s shown this postseason that when the lights are the brightest and the game becomes more difficult, he can survive and thrive (4-3-7 in 11 games).

The Sabres have just under $13 million in cap space and have a massive decision to make on winger Alex Tuch. In addition, they also have to find a way to fit first-line winger Peyton Krebs under the cap. It’s tough to imagine Benson is the one who slips through the cracks, but if he does, the Bruins should be all over him.

Mackie Samoskevich

Age: 23

Position: C/RW

Previous Contract: One-year, $775,000

20256-26 Stats: 12-20-32 in 77 games

After all the pain and suffering the Florida Panthers have caused the Boston Bruins over the last several years, it’d be nice to poach one of their young, budding skaters out from under them. Samoskevich was Florida’s first-round pick in the 2021 draft, and despite being on a crowded roster full of high-quality players, has found a way to develop into a middle-six contributor.

Samoskevich posted 15-16-31 across 72 games during his first season with the Panthers. Despite this, the Panthers opted to scratch him for the playoffs, and he spent most of his time in the press box as the team worked their way to a second consecutive Stanley Cup.

The Connecticut native came back this season and put together an equally impressive campaign, amassing 12-20-32 in 77 games while primarily skating on a line with AJ Greer and Evan Rodrigues. The fact that he was almost able to match his production from the prior season, given Florida’s injury issues, speaks to just how promising an offensive talent he is.

The Panthers have a little over $15 million in cap space, but do not have a single goalie on their roster. Given the premium paid for quality goaltenders in this day and age, it’s not ridiculous to assume Florida will have to devote a significant portion of their cap to that position. If that’s the case, Samoskevich may become available, and he might be a gamble worth taking.

Brandt Clarke

Age: 23

Position: RD

Previous Contract: Three-year, $2,590,000

20256-26 Stats: 8-32-40 in 82 games

Clarke is probably the biggest ‘pipe dream’ on this list, given his importance to the LA Kings and their cap situation. They’re projected to have over $18 million in cap space this offseason and already have 11 forwards and five defensemen under contract. That should be enough to get Clarke in, but this is where Boston’s management could throw a real wrench into things.

Other than first-line center, it’s clear that the Bruins desperately need a top-four right-shot defenseman, and who better than a 23-year-old former top-ten pick that’s posted 33 and 40 points in each of his first two seasons. Clarke is a two-way defenseman who can generate shots and chances in the offensive zone while suppressing chances and jump-starting breakouts in his own end. He’d be a perfect complement to Hampus Lindholm and even take some of the heavy lifting off Charlie McAvoy’s plate.

The problem here is what it would take to acquire him. If the Bruins were to really hold LA’s feet to the fire and force them to make a tough decision on his contract, they’d probably need to offer him a deal that pays him somewhere between $9-10 million per season. If that’s the case, you’re talking about sending the Kings multiple first-rounders, a second, and a third for one player, according to the 2025 compensation rubric.

That’s a hefty price to pay for one player, but given Boston’s plethora of picks and Clarke’s upside, it could be worth the swing to acquire a potential franchise defenseman. Either way, with Anze Kopitar retiring and LA seemingly on the way down, it’s a situation the Bruins need to monitor.

Honorable Mentions: