We are less than a month away from NHL free agency, and some key decisions are going to be made throughout the NHL. One of those teams facing a lot of questions with their free agents is the Boston Bruins, as general manager Don Sweeney tries to retool his team on the fly after a disappointing 2024-25 season.
Sweeney has some decisions on both unrestricted free agents (UFA) and restricted free agents (RFA) that are going to be key. There will be a lot of eyes on some of these decisions across the NHL, with the league having an interest in some of the potential free agents to be. Who is staying and who is going? That’s been discussed before, but here is an overall look at the Black and Gold’s key free agents this summer.
Unrestricted free agents
Cole Koepke
Signed as a bottom-six forward, Cole Koepke served that role, and after beginning the season providing the Bruins with one of their top lines, the fourth line, things slowly came back to earth for the group. This should be an easy decision.
Parker Wortherspoon
This should be another easy decision for the front office with a defenseman, Parker Wortherspoon, who filled the role as a seventh defenseman. He was forced into more action than Boston would have liked, but there are better options for the seventh defenseman next season.
Henri Jokiharju
This is the first interesting decision: do the Bruins bring back Henri Jokiharju, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Buffalo Sabres, or let him walk? He did play well down the stretch with Nikita Zadorov, who played his best stretch of hockey in his first year in Boston.
Tyler Pitlick
This is another easy decision for the Bruins as Pitlick is nothing more than an AHL forward and not an answer in Boston. Unless another NHL team has interest, he’ll be back in the AHL somewhere.
Riley Tufte
A first-round pick, 25th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2016 Entry Draft, Riley Tufte played in just six games for the Bruins. He didn’t register a point, and after one year, he’ll likely be on the move again for another team unless something strange happens and he’s re-signed by Boston.
Vinni Lettieri
In 26 games this season, Vinni Lettieri had three goals and five points. He has good speed and is a pain to play against, but with a lot of restricted free agents in the same boat as him, someone is going to find themselves on the outside looking in, and Lettieri might be one of them.
Restricted free agents
Morgan Geekie
This is priority No. 1 for Sweeney this offseason: getting Morgan Geekie signed, whether it’s long-term or short-term. There is no reason why a deal can’t get done with going to arbitration, but in this day and age, anything is possible. Again, this should get done easily without any hiccups.
Jakub Lauko
Re-acquired from the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline for Justin Brazeau and other players, Lauko is a Bruins fan's favorite with the way he plays. He’s a pain to play against and can even sprinkle in some production. It’ll be interesting to see where this goes.
Marat Khusnutdinov
Another player acquired in the Brazeau deal, Marat Khusnutdinov, impressed in his short sample size following the trade. He has very good speed with a knack for producing some key points. This could go either way, but there is a path for him to return next season.
John Beecher
Aside from Geekie, John Beecher is the next biggest name in terms of whether the Bruins re-sign him or let him walk. This is a tough decision as he brings a lot of intangibles to the table, but he has never found his footing strong enough. A fast skater and good penalty killer, does the front office envision him as part of the future in Boston?
Mason Lohrei
Like Geekie, this is a no-brainer to get done. A future staple on the defense for years to come, Mason Lohrei is a young player who can skate well, sees the ice well, and is not afraid to get into the rush and cause problems for other teams. He filled in very well as the defensemen on the top power play unit late in the season. His numbers can improve and will, but 2024-25 was the perfect growing pains season for the former Ohio State blueliner.
Oliver Wahlstrom
This was a disaster from the beginning when the Bruins claimed him off waivers from the New York Islanders in December. He struggled and never found his game in Boston, although he played better in the AHL with the Providence Bruins. This is an easy decision.
John Farinacci
A young center who spent the season with Providence, John Farinacci, made his NHL debut this season and scored for the Bruins. Talk about making an impression. He should be brought back as a young center for the AHL.
Georgii Merkulov
Since being signed out of Ohio State, Georgii Merkulov has been producing in the AHL, but has struggled in the NHL with consistency. Boston should probably keep him for depth, but this could go either way.
Trevor Kuntar
Another young forward, Trevor Kuntar, is not someone the Bruins should give up on yet, and be brought back to play with Providence. There is some talent there that to not give up on him just yet.