Boston Bruins' free agents: who they should prioritize keeping, who they can let walk

Boston Bruins' free agents: who they should prioritize keeping, who they should can afford to let walk

Now that the Bruins' season is over, it's time to examine the free agent market from the inside out. Here's who they should prioritize keeping around for another season, and who they can afford to let walk.

Florida Panthers v Boston Bruins - Game Four / Rich Gagnon/GettyImages

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Well, it's over. Sure, the season didn't end how any one of us could have envisioned it, but the 2023-24 Boston Bruins season is now over after falling to the Florida Panthers 4-2 in the series, and 2-1 in Game 6.

The Bruins now have a dilemma. With around $20.9 million in cap space to use in the off-season according to CapFriendly, and they have to figure out how to allocate it the best. Their free agents include goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Brandon Bussi, forwards Jesper Boqvist, Pat Maroon, Jake DeBrusk, Milan Lucic, James van Riemsdyk, and Danton Heinen, and defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk, Derek Forbort, and Matt Grzelcyk.

Bussi, Swayman, and Boqvist are all restricted free agents, but the rest are unrestricted. Here are who Boston should make a priority of signing, and who they can afford to let walk in free agency.