Another NHL season is inching closer as we have entered the month of September. As is the case with every offseason, there was roster turnover for the Boston Bruins who could be looking at beginning training camp without top goaltender Jeremy Swayman who is still a free agent.
A deal will hopefully be struck between the two sides, whether it's a bridge deal or a long-term deal, and he'll be between the pipes on Opening Night. There were some key additions to the roster over the summer by GM Don Sweeney who added a top center in Elias Lindholm and a left-shot defenseman Nikita Zadorov. With a new season nearly upon us, here are five Bruins who have a lot to prove in 2024-25.
Elias Lindholm
Ok, so we'll start with the prize-free agent addition. He signed a seven-year deal that carries an AAV of $7.75 million, which is some serious dough for someone coming off a down season in 2023-24. He saw a drop in his goals to 15, assists to 29, and points to 44 combined between the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.
Sweeney and the Bruins are banking on him having a bounce-back season in terms of his production with the Black and Gold. Playing alongside David Pastrnak and likely Pavel Zacha could benefit him in doing that. A lot of eyes will be on Lindholm early in the season.
Joonas Korpisalo
Over two months since the trade of Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, there are still a lot of Bruins fans still scratching their heads at the return. Part of the deal was with a first-round draft pick this past June and center Mark Kastelic was struggling goalie Joonas Korpisalo. Struggling might be putting it mildly.
Last season for Ottawa, he posted a 21-26-4 record with a 3.27 GAA and a .890 SV%. I know, the Senators were not exactly a good team, however, one quick look at his contract makes the deal even more eye-opening. He still has four years remaining at $4 million and that's even after getting the Senators to retain $1 million. Boston better hope Bob Essensa can work his magic with him or this is a tough return to swallow.
Mason Lohrei
After going up and down between Boston and Providence last season, it's Mason Lohrei's time to be a full-time defenseman in the NHL. He had a good second half of the season with the Bruins and played well in the postseason to give himself a lot of confidence going into the season.
Now he'll get a chance behind Zadorov and Hampus Lindholm on the third pairing, which would be his ideal spot starting the season. Sweeney reinforced his commitment to the former Ohio State standout by letting Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort leave in free agency. A full season of Lohrei is should be something Bruins fans will love this season.
Matthew Poitras
Last season Matthew Poitras made the roster out of training camp and impressed so much in his first nine games that he stayed in the NHL rather than go back to juniors. The top center prospect in the organization found himself moving up and down the lineup for Jim Montgomery before his season was cut short following season-ending shoulder surgery in February.
This season his fully healthy and ready for Year 2 and should thrive as the No. 3 center behind Elias Lindholm and Charlie Coyle. A year older, a year bigger, and a year stronger should be enough for him to take the next step in his second professional season. It's just a matter of going out and proving it.
Fabian Lysell
I've said it before and will say it again, this feels like a make-or-break season for the Bruins' top prospect Fabian Lysell. There is an open roster spot with the departure of Jake DeBrusk to the Canucks and Sweeney not having enough cap space to fill it, leaving a big opening for the Black and Gold's first-round pick in the 2021 Entry Draft.
Over the weekend, the Bruins signed veteran forward Tyler Johnson to a PTO which will give Lysell more competition with Georgii Merkulov, but if there is a season where Boston needs Lysell to have a good training camp and preseason, it's this season. If not, his future could become a bigger question than it is now.
Overall, the Bruins are set up to be a contender again, as long as Swayman is signed to solidify the goaltending. If they are going to go on a run to get into the playoffs next spring, they'll need some of these players with something to prove to prove it.