The Boston Bruins have entered a rather frustrating phase: They are without a doubt one of the most talented teams in the NHL, and many hockey fans should agree that the Bruins are the best team in the league right now that hasn’t made an ultra-deep playoff run over the past two seasons.
This was a Presidents’ Trophy-winning team in 2022-23, and it was a given that they at least would have found themselves battling it out with the Carolina Hurricanes for the right to play for the Stanley Cup. Except they didn’t even get past the first round, and fans would need to wait another season before the Bruins, with what was a lesser talented lineup on paper, try again.
This time, they managed to sneak into the Second Round of the NHL Playoffs, only to be denied the right to compete for the Cup once again - and by the same team. It’s understandable just how much torture this would be to the steadfast Bruins fanbase, and something needs to happen in the 2024 offseason to give the Bruins the best chance possible to finally make that deep run.
Weakening division rivals in NHL free agency would work in the Boston Bruins favor
The Atlantic Division has a strong contingent of unrestricted free agents raring to test the market come July, and the Bruins will have openings to grab at least one of them. But there are six, one from each of their Atlantic Division rivals minus the Montreal Canadiens, players they can get in NHL free agency to further enhance their lineup in 2024-25 while weakening one of their rivals.
Realistically, there isn’t room (or enough cap space) to snag all of the free agents listed in this article. There also aren’t any game-changers out there, as the Bruins already have plenty of them. Instead, we listed six solid players who could slide into a role and help Boston trek deeper into the NHL playoffs in 2025.