NHL free agency begins in eight days, and there are still some decisions that Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has to make. There is a clear need to upgrade the roster for the 2026-27 season, with a center and right-shot defenseman needed.
There are questions as to what is going to happen with the Bruins' goaltending after Jeremy Swayman. Does Sweeney look to move Joonas Korpisalo two years after acquiring him from the Ottawa Senators as part of the Linus Ullmark trade? There are questions surrounding the future of draft pick Philip Svedeback. On Tuesday, the Bruins added depth between the pipes in the organization.
Bruins re-sign goalie Simon Zajicek to one-year contract
Things could begin to move this week with the NHL Entry Draft beginning on Friday night. There have already been some big trades that occurred, and there are likely more on the way that include draft picks. As far as the Bruins go, a deal for Korpisalo could be on the table, but the return might be nothing more than a late-round pick.
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However, Sweeney has slowly begun to re-sign players, and on Tuesday, he brought back Simon Zajicek on a one-year, two-way contract with an AAV of $850,000. The 24-year-old played in 21 games for the Providence Bruins this past season in the American Hockey League (AHL), mainly playing behind Michael DiPietro. Zajicek went 14-6-1 with a 2.44 goals-against average (GAA) with a .915 save percentage (SV%).
Zajicek was signed a year ago in free agency and is coming back for depth. He could be the guy in Providence next season if Sweeney decides to move Korpisalo. Could this move be a move to make a bigger move by having DiPietro be Swayman's backup if Korpisalo is actually moved?
Maybe Sweeney doesn't move Korpisalo, but re-signing Zajicek is certainly going to raise some eyebrows. Boston has already brought back forward Lukas Reichel last month, but there are still free agent questions surrounding Andrew Peeke and Viktor Arvidsson. This week is going to be busy.
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