As the calendar turns to August, we are entering the real quiet season in the NHL. The craziness of free agency that began on July 1 has slowed way down, and now it's about enjoying some time off before training camps open in September, with the season starting in October.
Free agency was not as big as it could have been with some of the big names signing with their current teams before free agency even began at noon on July 1. There are still a slew of players who have yet to find a home for the 2025-26 season, and two former Boston Bruins players were named some of the best players and unrestricted free agents left on the board, according to Matt Larkin of The Daily Faceoff.
Matt Grzelcyk
After the Bruins let Matt Grzelcyk walk in free agency last summer, the Boston native signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and he played well for a team that missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs again. He played in all 82 games for the Pens with a goal and 39 assists, which was a career high.
Injuries played a role in his time in Boston, but it was a good sign for the former Boston University defenseman. It is a little surprising to see him still available on the open market, but a team in need of a puck-moving defenseman who is a left-shot is certainly someone who will find a home before training camp starts. The Daily Faceoff lists him as the second-best remaining free agent, with a projected AAV of $3.8 million over three years. It would be surprising if he got that, but anything is possible.
Craig Smith
This is a little less surprising, having former Bruins wing Craig Smith still unsigned, but after inking a one-year, $1 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, he was traded at the trade deadline to the Detroit Red Wings with goalie Petr Mrazek for Joe Veleno. He struggled with the Wings, recording two assists in 19 games.
Smith signed with the Bruins in the 2020-21 offseason and was productive with 29 goals and 39 assists in his first two seasons, but he tailed off in the 2022-23 season and was traded to the Washington Capitals at the 2023 deadline, in which the Black and Gold acquired defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway.
Selected in the fourth round of the 2009 Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators, Smith is a player who a team will likely take a chance on with a Professional Tryout (PTO) in training camp. The 35-year-old is projected for a deal worth $968,000, which you would think a team would give him a shot at that number.