5 Boston Bruins that won't be back next season
With Boston's season now over, who could have donned a Bruins uniform for the last time?
After a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in the worst way in game six of the second round at home, the Bruins season came to an end earlier than they would've liked, given that they had knocked out the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round again and had their hopes set for a Stanley Cup in their centennial season.
With "breakup day" at the end of the season now done for the Bruins, all the attention of the players, coaches, and front office can be shifted to the offseason, where the Bruins have a lot to figure out as to how they can make their roster better in 2024-2025 to better position themselves for a run at the cup.
The Bruins have a plethora of free agents this summer, with three players holding RFA status and eight more being unrestricted free agents, giving them the freedom to sign with any team at any time. There are five Bruins in particular that likely have played their last game wearing the Spoked B.
5 Bruins players who won't return to the team next season
Who could these five players be? Let's jump right in.
Jake DeBrusk
Something that had always seemed like a possibility given what he's done as a player is now looking more and more like a reality. It does not seem likely that Jake DeBrusk will return to the Bruins.
Taking a bit of a step back from his 27-goal, 23-assist, and 50-point season in 2022-2023, DeBrusk had 19 goals and 21 assists for 40 points in 80 games this season. He's always been a streaky player and while the team has hoped for more consistency from DeBrusk, it just hasn't come.
With DeBrusk now set to hit free agency on July 1 and no contract agreed to yet, it seems increasingly likely he'll get paid by a different team and he'll take his talents there. On breakup day, Don Sweeney didn't exactly sound positive when asked if DeBrusk would be back.
When you have the front office not confident about bringing a player back, that player frustrated that he doesn't have an extension yet, and that player is streaky when the Bruins need more consistent scoring, you have the ingredients of a player who won't be back in Boston.
While DeBrusk had a great showing in the playoffs for the Bruins, picking up 11 points in 13 games, it gets more likely by the day that he'll be going elsewhere come early July.
James van Riemsdyk
When the Bruins signed James van Riemsdyk last summer to a one year, $1 million contract, it screamed one year veteran placeholder for a team entering a bridge year. With van Riemsdyk likely nearing the end of his career, it was a move that made sense for the Bruins.
Now that the year is over, it still feels like the one year placeholder signing. He did have a solid year with the Bruins, scoring 11 goals and adding 27 assists for 38 points, matching his 2021-2022 total in 71 games this year for the Bruins.
He performed as advertised, a guy who creates offense around the net and is useful on the power play for that exact reason, tipping home shots from the point and hovering around the net to cash in on rebound chances. He also played all over the lineup, playing on different lines almost all year.
By the end of the regular season, it was clear that van Riemsdyk had fallen down the depth chart a bit, and he started the playoffs as a healthy scratch. When he drew in for game three against Toronto, he didn't leave the lineup as he recorded a goal and four assists in 11 playoff games.
However, van Riemsdyk's skillset is now redundant on the Bruins. The 26 year old Justin Brazeau is a younger option who offers the same things van Riemsdyk does. He also is not a particularly fast skater, and with the front office saying the team needs to get faster, I wouldn't expect van Riemsdyk to return for another year.
Linus Ullmark
Linus Ullmark will not be back with the Bruins next season. There, I said it. One half of the best goaltending tandem in the NHL, a Vezina Trophy winner in his time with the Bruins and winning the Jennings Trophy alongside Jeremy Swayman in 2022-2023 will not be back next season.
Normally, that would be a foolish decision. With the Bruins' almost embarrassment of riches between the pipes in the NHL and in the AHL, it's a move that is an easier pill to swallow for Don Sweeney and company by trading Ullmark as 2024-2025 will be the last year of his current contract.
Sweeney did say in an ideal world Ullmark remains, but with Swayman deserving a lot of money with his next contract due this offseason, it's not feasible to carry two goalies that combine to make something around $11 or $12 million, assuming Swayman gets $6 or $7 million annually in his next contract.
This is by no means a performance issue by Ullmark. He's earned every bit of the $5 million he makes annually. However, with Swayman becoming the clear cut number one this postseason and both Brandon Bussi and Michael DiPietro deserving of chances in the NHL thanks to fantastic seasons in Providence, Ullmark is expendable.
It is very likely that Ullmark's no trade clause comes into play, as he has a 15 team no trade list in 2024-2025. It seems like a given he'll exercise his clause to quash a trade to a team on his list, but if the Bruins can find a deal they like with a team not on the list, Ullmark wouldn't have a choice in the matter.
Yes, Ullmark has a year left on his deal and some no trade protection. But the Bruins could be motivated to trade him if the Swayman contract becomes steep and they need the cap flexibility to add more weapons to the offense. If the Bruins keep Ullmark and become a better scoring team, great! But with the rise of Swayman and the team needing to improve offensively, Ullmark is no longer a necessity on this team.
Matt Grzelcyk
This season was a struggle for Matt Grzelcyk, not exactly what you want to happen in a contract year. In his seventh full season in the NHL, Grzelcyk posted career worsts across the board on offense, scoring just two goals and adding nine assists for only 11 points in 63 games.
It became tougher for Grzelcyk to get a lot of minutes with the breakout of Parker Wotherspoon on the left side and Mason Lohrei making big strides in his rookie season, but Grzelcyk did himself no favors with his poor performances in the playing time he did get.
When the playoffs started, Grzelcyk was almost completely muscled out of the lineup, appearing in three games and going without a point. Lohrei's impressive play and the return of Derek Forbort from injury made it easier for the Bruins to go away from Grzelcyk come playoff time.
With a top three of Hampus Lindholm, Lohrei, and Wotherspoon on the left side in Boston, Grzelcyk's tenure could very well be nearing an end. If the Bruins can get him on a short-term team friendly deal, he can continue to be a useful asset. However, they shouldn't go out of the way to sign him. As such, he's likely played his last game in Boston.
Derek Forbort
One of the most heavily criticized free agent signings by the Bruins in recent years, Forbort is set to hit the open market again with his three year, $3 million contract expiring. Forbort's situation is not a whole lot different from Grzelcyk's, but there is a key difference.
That key difference is health. Forbort underwent multiple surgeries during the season to address multiple injuries, only playing in 35 regular season games as a result. He didn't score and had just four assists in those games, and only appeared in three playoff games due to his performance and recovery from injury.
Forbort's biggest skill is his talents on the penalty kill. He's pretty good at that. There was nothing else he proved to be above average at, leading to him being a questionable lineup choice at best for most of his three years in Boston.
The biggest indicator that Forbort was on his way out came at the trade deadline, when the Bruins traded for Andrew Peeke. Signed for two more years, Peeke is more physical than Forbort and offers a similar skillset, though he is more well rounded. He's also a touch cheaper, making $2.75 million as opposed to Forbort's $3 million. He doesn't have any trade protection either, whereas Forbort did.
Forbort's time in Boston is all but over, with injuries and poor performance limiting the veteran significantly this year. There is simply no use for having Forbort on the team anymore. Unless the deal is super team friendly for one year, Forbort has probably played his last game in Boston.
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