5 Boston Bruins who are as good as gone this summer
There is going to be change this off-season and these five Boston Bruins are as good as gone this summer.
Monday night, an epic Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers will take place in South Florida. Once in command of the series and one win away from lifting the Cup with a 3-0 series lead, Florida is now looking to avoid one of the biggest collapses in sports history with a second straight loss at home.
After tonight, all eyes around the NHL will switch to the off-season with the NHL Draft later this week in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday and then free agency begins on July 1. This is going to be a very important upcoming free agency for Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney who has a lot of cap space available, but also in terms of retaining any of his free agents while adding from the outside as well.
Boston has a handful of key free agents this summer, but not all can be retained. Here are five pending unrestricted free agents that are all but gone from the Black and Gold and will find a new home for the 2024-25 season.
Kevin Shattenkirk
Believe it or not, this was an under-the-radar signing last summer by Sweeney. Looking for short-term veterans on defense, Boston took a flyer on Kevin Shattenkirk, and the former Boston University blueliner signed for one year and $1.05 million, it was a bargain for what he brought to the team.
In 61 games, he had six goals and 18 assists and at times during the season, he filled in on the power play units with a pair of goals and nine assists, recording over half his points on the man-advantage. He logged just under 16 minutes a night in 61 regular season games, but in the bigger picture, the Bruins appear to be set with their returning defensive unit and there is no room for the former Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020.
Matt Grzelcyk
The Bruins have been the only NHL team that the Boston native has called home after his college career at Boston University, but after eight seasons in the organization, Matt Grzelcyk's time is up. The 5-foot-10 left-shot is undersized, battled through injuries the last couple of seasons, and fell out of Jim Montgomery's playoff rotation the last two seasons.
After a career year in 2022-23, Grzelcyk had 11 points in 63 regular season games this past season with a plus/minus of plus-13. He averaged 17:35 a night. He was one of the better puck-moving defensemen during his time wearing the Black and Gold, but the Bruins need to go in a different direction going forward with the emergence of youngster Mason Lohrei.
Derek Forbort
Over the last three seasons, nobody has sacrificed their body more than Derek Forbort. Talk about being a shot-blocking machine, the former Winnipeg Jets defenseman was a key penalty-killer along with Brandon Carlo, but his 2023-24 season was cut short to 35 games because of injuries.
In three seasons donning the Spoked-B, the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2010 Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings recorded 253 blocked shots and dished out 307 hits while averaging 17:55 a night. He was a Bruins' fan-favorite with his play in the defensive end blocking shots and taking the body, but like Grzelcyk, the emergence of Lohrei on the left side and Sweeney looking to add another left-shot defenseman in free agency or through a trade has Sweeney going in another direction for next season and beyond.
James van Riemsdyk
Like Shattenkirk, Sweeney signed veteran James van Riemsdyk on a one-year, $1 million contract and did Boston get a ton of value out of that or what? Seriously, he played a big role in the Bruins' early-season start and collected some key points on the power play with his net-front presence. The second overall pick in the 2007 Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers, not many people saw 11 goals and 27 assists in 71 games being put up by JVR with six man-advantage goals and helpers.
He became one of the more important forwards for Montgomery as the season went along, but he was a one-year filler for a team looking to add a goal-scoring wing and top center this summer. It wouldn't be surprising to see him land a similar contract with a Cup contender for the upcoming season.
Jake DeBrusk
I know that this seems obvious, but there are still six days before he can begin talks with other teams and Sweeney can get something done, but with each passing day, it seems more and more likely Jake DeBrusk's time in Boston is over. It's unfortunate as in the last couple of seasons, he has been a difference-maker and played some of his best hockey.
Would the Bruins have liked more out of him this season? Yes, of course, but he was one goal shy of a third straight 20-goal season and he eclipsed the 40-point plateau for the third consecutive season. He became a valuable piece in all situations this season and potted a pair of shorthanded goals along with 10 power-play points. The signs of his time in Boston have been clear since they were eliminated by the Panthers in the second round of the playoffs and it feels like that door is all but shut between the player and team.
There is still time before free agency officially opens in one week for a deal to get done with some of these players, but the only one who will likely have the tires kicked is DeBrusk and it seems unlikely at this point. Welcome to another off-season of change surrounding the Boston Bruins.
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