It's no secret that Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney is facing a huge offseason. You could say it's the biggest one of his tenure as GM of the Black and Gold. He has a lot of cap space available to spend and he said at his end-of-the-year press conference last month that he's going to be aggressive on free agency begins.
Not only does Sweeney have decisions on pending free agents from other teams, but from his team as well with nine pending unrestricted free agents. Some decisions are not going to be easy, including Jake DeBrusk, who has been a big part of the Bruins forwarding grouping the last couple of seasons. Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort on defense are not expected back, but one player who had a very surprising 2023-24 season is reportedly going to begin contract discussions for the 2024-25 season.
Bruins reportedly will speak with Danton Heinen and his camp about a contract for next season
When the Bruins brought back Danton Heinen on a PTO before training camp, little did they know that he would end up signing a one-year contract and performing the way he did. Not only 5-on-5, but he was a key penalty killer for second-year head coach Jim Montgomery. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported on Tuesday that the Bruins will reach out to Heinen's camp about contract negotiations this week.
The #NHLBruins are expected to speak with Danton Heinen's camp this week and start discussions on a potential new contract. Heinen is 1 of Boston's 9 pending UFAs.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) June 4, 2024
In the overall big picture for the Bruins, this would be a solid re-signing to add depth to the roster. He finished with 17 goals and 19 assists in 74 regular season games and had just one assist in eight postseason games as he dealt with an injury. Re-signing him will cost Sweeney and Boston a lot of money and he could be a bottom-six forward who could supply some offense and be a key penalty-killer.
Bringing back Heinen on a deal for at least the 2024-25 season is a no-brainer for Sweeney and the Bruins.