After a disappointing 2024-25 season that saw them finished tied for last place in the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Boston Bruins and general manager Don Sweeney are facing a huge off-season. After missing the playoffs and trading away some big names at the trade deadline, it was certainly a shock to the system for not only the players in the locker room, but also the fanbase.
Earlier this week, the Bruins got the seventh pick in the NHL Draft Lottery for next month's draft, before facing another big free agency window on July 1. In between, there could be some trades and who knows what else. There is no doubt that the front office is planning a retool rather than a rebuild this summer with some under-the-radar moves. Here a three critical ones for this off-season.
Extend Morgan Geekie
I know, this is a no-brainer. Not many people, if any, saw Morgan Geekie have a career-year with 32 goals, one year after scoring a previous career-high of 17 in his first season in Boston. His contract that he signed two summer's ago carried an AAV of $2 million this past season, which was a bargain deal for the Black and Gold.
Following the trade deadline over the last couple weeks of the season, Geekie, Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak formed the Bruins best and most productive line for interim coach Joe Sacco. Geekie has made it known that he wants to remain in Boston and Sweeney said at his end of the year media availability that Geekie will be back with Boston. Now they just need to get a deal done.
Trade Joonas Korpisalo
This might be an unpopular decision, but there is more of a reason to trade goalie Joonas Korpisalo than there is not to. Acquired as part of last June's trade that sent Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, Korpisalo was brought in to back up Jeremy Swayman this season and not that the bar was high, but he was better this season than in 2023-24 in Ottawa.
In April, Korpisalo had a comment after a loss to the Buffalo Sabres that opened some eyebrows, and then after the season ended, he doubled down on his comment and threw the coaching staff and organization under the bus about his playing time. Then his agent reportedly told the front office, play him more next season or trade him.
I'm not sure how much playing time Korpisalo was expecting this season, but rest assured, he's going to play as much as Ullmark did with Swayman. Not when you're dishing out an AAV of $8.25 million a year. Trading Korpisalo and signing Michael DiPietro or Brandon Bussi to a cheaper contract to free up a little more cap space is the move for Sweeney to make.
Acquire a top center or wing
This one is another no-brainer for Sweeney to add for next season and beyond. If you had to lean in one direction as to which one is needed more, you would lean toward a top-six center, as Elias Lindholm is not that guy for an 82-game slate. There is also the need for a goal-scoring wing like they lost last summer in free agency when Jake DeBrusk went to the Vancouver Canucks.
There are two ways that Sweeney can address either need, but rest assured, he needs at least one, if not both of these slots, filled this off-season. There is no doubt that another top-six wing is needed, as we saw this year, Pastrnak and Geekie can only carry the team so much, and can the Bruins count on another 30-goal-plus season from Geekie? Unlikely.
There is no doubt that there is work that needs to be done this off-season and if the retool is going to a quick one, then some right decisions have to be made.