As with every NHL offseason, change happens. Some tough decisions have to be made by front office personnel, and some other decisions are easy ones. When it comes to the Boston Bruins and general manager Don Sweeney, there are never easy decisions. That was the case again this offseason.
There was some roster turnover, both through trades and free agency. Sweeney acquired JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth in a trade, while he re-signed defenseman Connor Clifton a couple of years after he left the organization, while also acquiring Will Borgen from the New York Rangers on defense.
Some players left in free agency. With that said, let's rank the top 3 losses for the Black and Gold so far this offseason.
3. Andrew Peeke, D
Ok, so it wasn't surprising that defenseman Andrew Peeke left in free agency, signing with the Utah Mammoth. The writing was on the wall that his time with the Black and Gold was coming to an end, and some thought that it was going to happen at the trade deadline in March. He remained to finish out the season.
Sweeney was hinting that a reunion was possible for Peeke with the Bruins, but he hit the open market and signed with the Mammoth. He signed for one year and $1 million, which proves that letting him walk was the right move by Sweeney. Imagine if Sweeney signed him for anything more than that? Anyway, given that Peeke is on this list, it'll tell you how weak of a class this is in terms of turnover.
2. Fabian Lysell, F
Sweeney traded prospect Fabian Lysell to the Colorado Avalanche on June 27, ending a frustrating era with the Bruins. There could be blame to go around for a lot of people as to why Lysell never got a shot in Boston. Some will point to the front office; some will point to the lack of development in the American Hockey League (AHL) or Lysell himself.
Whatever it was, it was a failed tenure for both Lysell and the Bruins. It will be a very bad look for Sweeney and the Bruins if he goes to Colorado and turns into a full-time player on a stacked Western Conference powerhouse. If that happens, some questions in Boston will have to be asked.
1. Viktor Arvidsson, F
It's hard to believe that the Bruins didn't make more of an effort to try and retain Arvidsson, who signed with the Detroit Red Wings in free agency. Sure, acquiring Peterka might have created a roster situation that would have been tough, but Arvidsson only getting $1 million more than he made this past season is certainly eye-opening.
There have to be more moves coming, as you don't let a valuable piece of your second line just walk after the season he had with Casey Mittlestadt and Pavel Zacha. Peterka is likely going to end up on the first line, which leaves Morgan Geekie on the second line to replace Arvidsson? If Boston struggles to score next season and Arvidsson goes off in Detroit, this decision will be looked back on.
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