The NHL draft kicked off last night in Buffalo, and the trade market has been hot amongst all teams, the Bruins included. Unfortunately for Boston, 3 popular names are on the table as restricted free agents come July 1st. Which players should the Bruins be taking a closer look at keeping, and why? Let's take a closer look at the 3 players the Bruins must bring back this season.
Viktor Arvidsson
Left-winger Viktor Arvidsson netted 25 goals for the 2025-26 season, 6 of them being game-winning goals, along with 29 assists. However, Arvidsson is not a safe bet to hit the ice in Boston for this upcoming season quite yet. This plus minus Swede ended at a +20, having improved his skating speed and averaged a time on ice of over 14 minutes. With Viktor just wrapping up the most successful year of his professional NHL career, he can't be counted out just yet. He collected 54 points and ended up being 4th on the team in scoring. This is one step forward we shouldn't be moving forward without.
"I’d be happy to talk to (general manager Don Sweeney) about coming back. "Viktor Arvidsson tells to Mass Live
Andrew Peeke
Right-shot defenseman Andrew Peeke has been a Bruins staple for the past 2 years, and recently made headlines when General Manager Don Sweeney made a less than desirable quote about Peeke's future on home ice. Nonetheless, one has to consider what he has added to this team. During this time, Peeke's average time on ice has been increasing; he played in all 6 Stanley Cup playoff games this season and was the most-played defenseman. Standing at 6'2", Peeke is a formidable force against the opposition, as he was sent to the sin bin for 22 minutes during the season, and lead the team in blocked shots by blocking 135 of them. Ouch.
Jordan Harris
Bruins Nation hasn't had the pleasure of seeing the full capacity of what this restricted free agent can do quite yet. Having sat out for the majority of the 2025-26 season due to a right ankle fracture last October, he was placed on injured reserve for months. Harris hit the ice in January, garnering an assist to mark his return. Pre-injury, Harris was credited with 1 goal and an assist each, 3 blocked shots, 4 hits, and 9 shots on goal, all within the 5 games he was able to play.
Now fully rehabbed and recovered, Harris is looking to fill that void and would no doubt be an excellent addition to the lineup. Bruins management knows what he can do uninjured, and would be foolish to let another team claim him as their own.
With the B's adding ex-Mammoth Winger JJ Peterka to the line-up on the draft day trade with Utah, fans can't help but wonder if this will push out favored Arvidsson. Or, will Peterka be added alongside Harris, and the lines will need to be shuffled yet again?
More importantly, will the Bruins d-line need to be tweaked and add some bigger players to that line? The draft is just getting started, so more shake-ups are definitely guaranteed to come. Who will be on your final team for the next season? Stay tuned, Spoked-B Nation!
Add us as a preferred source on Google