The ultimate 2024 offseason checklist for the Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins will head into the 2024 offseason with one goal in mind: Find a way to beat the Florida Panthers in the NHL Playoffs.
The Boston Bruins are still one of the Eastern Conference’s premier teams and that shouldn’t change in 2024-25. But they need to find a way to break through for a deep playoff run, and while they have the talent capable of that now, it’s time to all but guarantee a trip to the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals.
So general manager Don Sweeney needs to put together a small but detailed and ultimate checklist of how the 2024-25 incarnation of the Bruins will be the best version of the team to date - even better than the 2022-23 group that broke records in the regular season.
What should his checklist look like? I went ahead and jotted down what I would do this offseason to further enhance the Bruins chances of making it back to the Conference Finals for the first time since 2019, which was also the year they last went to the Stanley Cup Final in a losing effort to the St. Louis Blues.
Boston Bruins must make at least three big moves this offseason
Don Sweeney saw quite a bit of roster turnover last summer, and he proved that such turnover wouldn’t hurt the Bruins if this past season is an indicator. Expect something similar to happen this offseason, but there is one player he must absolutely re-sign to a contract extension.
I also listed one major trade he must make, and such a move could bring either future assets into the mix - to either be utilized or traded away at a later date. Or, the particular trade I mentioned could, and perhaps preferably, bring in more talent to help the team immediately.
Finally, Sweeney should have enough in cap space to make a splash in free agency, even if it means signing just one quality, game-changing player. But before we talk about them, let’s first discuss this mystery player he must re-sign.
Re-sign Jake DeBrusk to an extension
If there is one player the Bruins should make it a priority to re-sign, it’s Jake DeBrusk, who is coming off of another bridge deal and should be in line for an even larger contract after a pair of solid seasons.
He’s not a dynamic points producer, but DeBrusk nonetheless has been an incredible chess piece on the top and middle-six, with a hard-hitting approach and play that has him on the ice for more goals than expected at even strength, while he’s on the ice for fewer-than-expected in the same situation.
And you can even say it was a “down year” for DeBrusk or at least by his standards, as his points total, Corsi For percentage and on-ice shooting percentage at even strength all took a hit. Yet he’s a trusted player on special teams, and DeBrusk is also someone who gets hot when a sense of urgency is at its highest.
His most dynamic play came during the postseason when he led the team with 11 points and five goals in 13 games. You can argue that he was Boston’s most physical forward during that stretch, averaging over four hits per contest, and he was getting in front of at least one shot on goal per game.
If DeBrusk brings play that resembles what he did in the playoffs, then we shouldn’t have seen the best of him in a Bruins uniform just yet, even if there are no guarantees he returns. This is a player the Bruins can’t allow to walk because if someone in the Eastern Conference signs him, specifically in the Atlantic Division, he will have no problem reminding them of what kind of dynamic player he is.
Trade Linus Ullmark in a blockbuster deal
There are many netminders whose names are all over the rumor mill, and Linus Ullmark’s is near the top of the list. It’s not every year that a goaltender who won the Vezina Trophy so recently could be available to move elsewhere for the upcoming season, so expect someone, likely a goaltender-needy team ready to break through to the playoffs, to offer some generous compensation, even if Don Sweeney may not be sold on the idea of trading Ullmark.
Even a division rival like the Detroit Red Wings should be on the table for this one - especially since they have quite a few prospects and draft picks to give in exchange. Such a situation would help get rid of Ullmark’s contract while further enhancing the Bruins future assets, potentially creating an opportunity for the franchise to “restructure” when needed instead of rebuilding.
Or, if the Bruins wanted to roll with an established talent for Ullmark, they can, something I hinted at in the intro. It would also make sense because they ultimately need to put themselves in the best position possible to break past the Eastern Conference’s best teams like the Panthers, whom I’ve mentioned a few times already, but definitely the New York Rangers as well.
Trading Ullmark and bringing in a quality backup could be the key to helping the team add some of the final pieces to solidify what is already one of the NHL’s most complete teams. But they also need to do one more thing to finish what should be a dynamic offseason in New England.
Make a splash in free agency
The Bruins currently rank 10th in cap space per Spotrac, meaning they’re in a position to make a splash in free agency and sign what could be the missing piece for the team to finally earn a trip back to the Stanley Cup Final. And, as mentioned, it’s time to field a group that can finally beat the Florida Panthers, and a big-name free agent is the quickest way to help fuel the cause.
With Jeremy Swayman as one of the league’s top goaltenders and what should still be a solid defensive rotation, Boston shouldn’t need to worry much about the back end, but they can afford to enhance their forward group. The Bruins were 12th last season in goals scored, and they can easily break into the top 10, if not the top five if they play everything correctly in free agency.
Names like Sam Reinhart, Jake Guentzel, and Elias Lindholm would be ideal. But if Don Sweeney didn’t want to fork out potentially eight-figures per season, which would be the case regarding the former two, he would still have several solid options this summer.
Big names like Vladimir Tarasenko, Tyler Toffoli, and Viktor Arvidsson can still play, as can Adam Henrique, Teuvo Teravainen, and Anthony Mantha. All of these names would enhance the Bruins scoring units, and they will only increase faith from the fans that, finally, the Bruins will have a complete team capable of beating everyone in the Eastern Conference.
Well, they’ve done that already, but they just need to get past those Panthers to at least break into the Conference Finals.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)