JUST IN: Bruins Won’t to retain pending UFA defensemen
The Boston Bruins were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the second round by the Florida Panthers in six games, a result that was not entirely unexpected. Similar to the previous season, the Bruins relied heavily on their goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark, who were among the top ten in the league for goals saved above expected.
However, their offense struggled in the postseason, with only captain Brad Marchand and winger David Pastrnak contributing significantly. The team managed to score just seven goals in Games 2 through 6 against the Panthers, marking their fifth consecutive playoff appearance without securing multiple series victories.
General manager Don Sweeney is expected to make changes to the roster in an effort to extend the Bruins’ playoff window. He is likely to let go of three pending unrestricted free agent defensemen: Derek Forbort, Matt Grzelcyk, and Kevin Shattenkirk. All three players are nearing the end of their high-value contracts, but none of them saw significant action during the playoffs.
The Bruins’ willingness to part ways with their defensemen suggests that Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon are poised to become everyday players in the 2024-25 season. Lohrei, a 23-year-old defenseman, is expected to take on top-four duties and potentially replace Grzelcyk’s role alongside Charlie McAvoy. He had an impressive rookie season, notching 13 points in 41 games with a -2 rating and holding his own in playoff action.
Wotherspoon, who joined the team as AHL depth last summer, played a larger role than anticipated during the regular season. The 26-year-old had strong possession metrics and added eight assists in 41 contests, proving his ability to handle everyday bottom-pairing usage.
The Bruins have approximately $20.9M in cap space this offseason to re-sign pending unrestricted free agents Swayman and Jesper Boqvist, as well as fill out three to four forward positions and secure a cheap seventh defenseman. Trading Ullmark for a cheaper complement to Swayman could potentially allow the Bruins to make a bigger splash on the UFA forward market.
