One dream, one realistic, and one bargain player the Bruins must target in NHL free agency
There are plenty of directions the Boston Bruins can go in NHL free agency, and the following trio of players would make sensational targets in July.
Dream deals, logical deals, and bargain deals are integral parts of any free agency period, and it’s no different for the Boston Bruins. While there are quite a few routes the Bruins can go, including trying to find a way to sneak Chandler Stephenson onto the roster, he’s just one of a few sensational fits out there.
For this article, we’re not just talking about good fits but those who we can insert in one of three labels. There is the dream free agent, who would more than help this Bruins team even if they came at a higher price.
We also have the realistic free agent, who factors in as a good consolation prize, but at a lower cost than the dream free agent. Finally, we got the bargain free agent, who would provide excellent depth and at a low price - think low-risk, high-reward.
Dream Free Agent: Anthony Mantha, F/Vegas Golden Knights
While you may not consider Anthony Mantha as a “dream free agent,” just think about how much more effective the Bruins scoring would be if they signed him and he built off of his scoring success from this past season. It won’t be easy for the Vegas Golden Knights to find a place for him, considering their overall lack of salary cap space. But knowing how general manager Kelly McCrimmon finds ways to keep people around, seeing Mantha potentially return to Vegas also wouldn’t be so surprising.
But if he tests the market, he shouldn’t come at such a steep price that he would be out of Boston’s reach, even if the Bruins re-sign Jake DeBrusk and when they extend Jeremy Swayman. Mantha’s 23 goals this past season all but imply the Bruins would get another 20-plus goal scorer should he come to Boston. And he’s also someone who would factor in as an ideal depth forward, as was the case in Vegas.
Mantha’s time in Washington jumps out more than anything else, as he was one of the best scorers on the team amidst a rough situation. The Capitals were a poor group offensively before they moved him to Vegas, yet Mantha was one of the few constantly helping to keep the puck in the offensive zone - 50.8 Corsi For at even strength vs. a 44.5 offensive zone starting percentage.
For a team like the Bruins, this wouldn’t be as big of a deal, but it’s also hard to deny that Mantha would further augment their play in the offensive zone.
Reasonable Free Agent: Viktor Arvidsson, F/Los Angeles Kings
The one downside with Viktor Arvidsson is that he’s coming off of an injury-riddled season, so, therefore, he’s not for everyone. But the Bruins are an elite team, so someone like Arvidsson would make a great supplement, even if he saw limited ice time, as was the case last season.
He’s not someone worth taking over Anthony Mantha, but if Mantha were to sign elsewhere or return to the Vegas Golden Knights, Arvidsson would be a solid consolation. The last time he was healthy for an entire season came in 2022-23, and Arvidsson enjoyed a spectacular year for the Los Angeles Kings, scoring 26 goals and snagging another 33 assists, which was good for 59 points.
He made a living on the top-six, and he was also good at helping the Kings create more chances at even strength with the puck, as his 52.6 Corsi For percentage tells us, despite starting just 48.0 percent of all draws in the offensive zone.
We don’t know if Arvidsson would have repeated that success this past season, but he had six goals and 15 points in 18 games with 59 shots on goals, so he was once again more than effective with the puck. Arvidsson also had 10 points in his previous 11 playoff games, and he had 13 takeaways in those contests.
Like quite a few players, Arvidsson knows how to up his game when the stakes are at their highest, and that trait is something the Bruins can use even more.
Bargain Free Agent: Laurent Brossoit, G/Winnipeg Jets
This one is based on what the Bruins decide to do with Linus Ullmark, so it would only be an idea in the event of a trade. While I also like Anthony Stolarz or even Ilya Samsonov here, Laurent Brossoit would be an ideal bargain free agent should Don Sweeney believe Jeremy Swayman is ready to start roughly two-thirds of the Bruins games in 2024-25.
This past season saw Swayman snag career-highs in starts and appearances, which sat at 44. If that were again the case this upcoming season and Linus Ullmark was traded, Brossoit wouldn’t be a great choice. Instead, someone like Samsonov would make far more sense.
But if the Bruins can see Swyaman making 50-plus starts, now we can start talking more about the possibility of bringing in someone like Brossoit. No, he hasn’t seen between 30 and 32 appearances in any season of his career. But let’s also remember that defensively, Boston isn’t too far behind Brossoit’s team in 2023-24, the Winnipeg Jets, creating an ideal landscape for the career backup.
Brossoit’s best outings came over the past two seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets, so if he gave a team with similar strengths a year or two as the No. 2 goaltender, we should see similar results.
We’re all keeping a close eye on what the Bruins will decide to do with Ullmark, and Brossoit is just one of a few options to fill the gap if Ullmark goes. But if Boston moved Ullmark, believed Swayman could be ‘the guy’ moving forward, and didn’t feel the need to invest a lot of cap space into a true No. 2 goaltender, Brossoit would be a perfect fit.
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