If there was one thing that was taken away from the end-of-season media availability from Boston Bruins management last Wednesday morning, it’s that they expect the Black and Gold to be back in the postseason. That is what CEO Charlie Jacobs, general manager Don Sweeney, and team president Cam Neely expect.
That ends any speculation of a rebuild as they will look to retool on the fly this off-season, either through trades or free agency. Heck, they could do it both ways, as it seems like just about anything and everything is on the table in building a roster for the 2025-26 season.
It certainly feels like there are going to be some tough decisions facing the front office this off-season in terms of roster decisions to naming the next head coach. There are going to be players affected by the retool and here are three who could be without a role next season.
Jakub Lauko
During his first tenure with the Bruins, Jakub Lauko was a fan favorite. When he was reacquired from the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline as part of the Justin Brazeau deal, Boston fans were happy. He brought the same energy and hard-nosed play he did before.
However, there is no spot guaranteed for him next season. We have heard it over and over that the Bruins want to inject some younger players into the lineup, and they may be more ready to do it now than they have in the past. Fraser Minten, acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline, and Fabian Lysell showed down the stretch that they are ready for a bottom-six role in the NHL, with Lysell hoping to make a jump to the middle-six. A new-look bottom-six is almost a guarantee, and Lauko could find himself as the odd man out.
Parker Wotherspoon
The Bruins are expecting Hampus Lindholm to make a recovery in time for September and after him on the left-side is Nikita Zadorov and Mason Lohrei. That leaves Parker Wotherspoon as the odd-man out and after he struggled this season and a bigger and expanded role with all the injuries the core suffered on the backend.
Wotherspoon is not a long-term answer for the Bruins, and this would be the time to move on from him. It would not be surprising to see Sweeney look through the free agent market or a trade to address help on defense, a unit that needs to play much better next season if the retool is going to be quick.
John Beecher
This one is up in the air and could go either way, but John Beecher is at a position at center where that are a lot of questions about what the middle looks like when training camp opens in September. Elias Lindholm, Pavel Zacha, and Casey Mittlestadt figure to be three centers, but who would be fourth?
Is Matthew Poitras going to take on the role of a center next season, as he is having a good run with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL)? There is always the possibility that Sweeney addresses a center need through a trade or free agency. Beecher has been good at the face-off dot and killing penalties for the Black and Gold, but with a quick retool in the works, it remains to be seen where Beecher fits in.