If there is one thing that most Boston Bruins fans will agree on, it's been an underwhelming offseason in what is supposed to be a retool. Currently constructed, it's hard to envision the Black and Gold bouncing back and finding a way into the postseason next spring.
The biggest offseason splash to date has been acquiring forward Viktor Arvdisson from the Edmonton Oilers right before free agency opened on July 1. Then, when free agency opened, there were some splashes made, but there were some winners and losers from the offseason so far, and let's dive into each.
Boston Bruins winner and losers from 2025 offseason so far
Winner: Tanner Jeannot
This one is a winner for Tanner Jeannot, but we'll see if this ends up being a good or bad contract as we get deeper into it. General manager Don Sweeney signed Jeannot to a five-year deal with an AAV of $3.4 million. That seems like a lot of beans for a bottom-six forward.
Jeannot will bring toughness to the lineup and a thumper they have been missing, which will make them tough to play against. Most of the additions made by Boston this offseason have been making the bottom-six deeper and tougher to play against. With the cap going up, this may not be a bad contract, but right now, he's a clear winner for the deal alone.
Loser: Don Sweeney
See above. The first questionable move was bringing in Jeannot on the contract he did, but maybe the biggest whiff to date has been addressing the issue the Bruins have down the middle with their centers. They are still missing that bona fide No. 1 pivot.
There is still time to address it through a trade before the season begins, but that seems like it'll take a player or two off the current roster (Pavel Zacha?) to get done, along with a prospect and maybe some draft capital. I mean, Sweeney did tell us that moving draft capital is a possibility to make a move to make his team better now. They don't seem much better right now than they were when a dismal 2024-25 season ended. The only thing that has gone right this summer has been James Hagens falling to them at No. 7 in the Entry Draft.
Winner: Jeremy Swayman
After signing an eight-year, $66 million contract right before last season began with an AAV of $8.25 million, goalie Jeremy Swayman had a season he would like to forget. He went 22-29-7 with a 3.11 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage, all of which were career lows. He played a career-high 58 games, 14 more than in any other year.
There have been trade rumors surrounding him, and the Bruins are not trading him right now. Instead of stewing over the summer, he went over and led Team USA to the IIHF World Championship Gold Medal. He made 25 saves in the Gold Medal Game in a 1-0 overtime win over Switzerland. He played very well in the tournament, became the top guy between the pipes, and it gives him, along with Bruins fans, a lot more confidence going into the upcoming season than the memories of a frustrating regular season in the NHL.
Loser: Bruins prospects
Most of Sweeney's free agent additions have addressed the bottom-six, giving it a makeover. Unfortunately for the Bruins' forward prospects hoping to crack the lineup in training camp, that road just got tougher.
Some of their top prospect forwards, Fraser Minten, Fabian Lysell, and Matthew Poitras, are going to find it difficult to make the opening night roster. Last season, Lysell and Minten, who were part of the package that came over from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline for Brandon Carlo, finished the season, but it will be very difficult to have both on the ice in the lineup in early October. This could end up being an offseason where the road to the NHL continues to get tougher for the Bruins' prospects.
Winner: Elias Lindholm
Like Swayman, Bruins forward Elias Lindholm took advantage of the early offseason after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs by traveling to his home country of Sweden to play in the IIHF World Championship, and he had a feel-good tournament after a rough first season in Boston.
Lindholm played in all 82 games for the Black and Gold last season with 17 goals and 30 assists. He was injured in training camp, and that injury hampered him throughout the season, which you have to think affected his play. He even called himself out early in the season. In the IIFH World Championship, he played in 10 games with eight goals and six assists, looking like the player the Bruins hoped they were getting. Like Swayman, playing in the IIHF World Championship was a major confidence booster ahead of an important 2025-26 NHL season.