Wednesday afternoon, the Boston Bruins spoke for one last time for the 2023-24 season after they were eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Florida Panthers last Friday night in Game 6 at the TD Garden. Charlie Jacobs, Don Sweeney, Can Neely, and Jim Montgomery met with the media as they embark on an offseason of change for the Black and Gold.
There was a lot to digest from the press conference and here are three of the biggest takeaways looking back and ahead for the Boston Bruins.
Don Sweeney appears to try and keep goaltending tandem
Aside from Jake DeBrusk's future in Boston, the next biggest storyline will occur over the next six weeks leading into the NHL Draft and free agency in regards to their goaltending. Jeremy Swayman is due for a new contract and a huge bump in pay, while Linus Ullmark's future remains cloudy with one year remaining on his contract with an AAV of $5 million.
Sweeney could trade him and free up some money to sign Swayman, but it didn't seem like he as going to be in a rush to move the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner.
Asked Sweeney about Linus Ullmark. He wants to keep the tandem together. He expects phone to ring on Ullmark though. Talked about Ullmark maybe changing his mind.
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) May 22, 2024
It's hard to imagine that Sweeney and the Bruins feel comfortable locking up about $12 million in goaltending where they will end up splitting the time again. Sweeney says that he expects the phone to ring and get some offers, but in this writer's opinion, you move him, sign Swayman, and either bring Brandon Bussi or a veteran on a cheap deal as his backup.
There is a chance Pat Maroon returns
At the trade deadline, Sweeney acquired Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild, despite him not being available right away coming off of back surgery. Once he got into the lineup at the end of the regular season and playoffs, he was the physical presence they missed last season in the playoffs at the bottom of the lineup.
Sweeney mentions that “health” will be the primary focus when it comes to Pat Maroon’s future with the Bruins.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) May 22, 2024
Sunday, Maroon expressed his desire to return to the Bruins for 2024-25 and it sounds like Sweeney is interested in exploring bringing back the Stanley Cup champion, but he said that health would play a factor in the decision. This for me, is a no-brainer if the Bruins like the health reports and it wouldn't be surprising to see him come back on a league-minimum deal to make it happen.
Sweeney appears to have had tough free agent discussions
Sweeney and Neely likely sat down with some of the pending free agents after the Game 6 loss to the Panthers and had some tough discussions about the direction that the team is planning on going this offseason.
Sweeney said that the Bruins have “indicated” to a few pending free agents about the direction the team is going.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) May 22, 2024
If I'm guessing, Sweeney "indicated'' to James van Riemsdyk, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jake DeBrusk, and Danton Heinen the direction the team is going. If there is one name in the group with the best chance to come back, it's Heinen.
Expect Sweeney to be aggressive this offseason and the Black and Gold to have a different-looking roster next September when training camp begins. It's going to be a fascinating offseason in Boston.