We have hit NHL free agency frenzy for the 2025 offseason. So far, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has made some minor signings with his own restricted free agents (RFAs), with the biggest signing being forward Morgan Geekie. Expect Sweeney to be active when the clock strikes noon on Tuesday and the frenzy begins.
Sweeney will unlikely be able to address all the needs that his team has in free agency, and he'll likely have to make a trade or two to help retool his roster. Some players could target, and some players on his roster that he could look to move, but there is one former Bruins player on a team that needs to shed salary, where a reunion would be a disaster and unnecessary.
One trade that would cause Bruins fans to call for change in the front office
On Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights traded Nicolas Hague to the Nashville Predators for former Boston defenseman Jermey Lauzon and forward Colton Sessions. They also made what many consider a blockbuster when they acquired Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Nicolas Roy. Before the trade, Marner agreed to a new contract with a $12 million AAV over eight years.
That trade is going to put Vegas in a very tight cap crunch, which means they will need to shed salary in some trades. They have some players who could be had in deals, and some players might be of interest to the Black and Gold, mainly forwards. However, in order to get a deal done, the Golden Knights may be looking to move someone like Lauzon, and if Sweeney were to acquire him, similar to Joonas Korpisalo last season in the Linus Ullmark deal, then fans would be calling for change.
There are cheaper options for what Lauzon brings, but more importantly, where would he fit in the lineup and take who out exactly? Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, and Mason Lohrei are your left-shot defensemen. There's no need to take Lauzon in any deal, as suggested by Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe.
Look, anything is possible with Sweeney as GM, but some trades don't make sense, and that would be one. As far as needs on defense, the Bruins need on the right side anyway, but that wouldn't stop Sweeney from making an out-of-the-box deal, would it?