Bruins Looking to Add Speed and Skill This Summer

Don Sweeney directly referenced the March 29 game in Columbus, where the Bruins went down 3-0 and rallied for a third-period comeback and shootout win. He pointed to two guys as an example.

Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic set the tone for the comeback with two fights in eight seconds.

Being a “tough out” and “hard to play against” got the Bruins to the first round, but going up against a team with more skill and speed ended their season after a six-game series.

“Obviously, yeah, we got bounced in the first round. So yeah, we need more talent, we need more speed. That’s something that we have to try to acquire in one way, shape, or form,” Cam Neely said.

“But [if] you look at the elite teams in the league, we’re not there.”

When Neely said the Bruins lacked a first-line center, he was speaking about the development of Fraser Minten and James Hagens, both of whom are candidates to be first-line centers in their NHL careers. Minten, at 21, played in all 82 games of the Bruins’ season and was named the NESN Seventh Player Award winner on April 14. Hagens, 19, played in the last two regular-season games and the first three postseason games.

David Pastrnak’s postgame comments about being 30 and only having “one sniff at the Cup” created buzz. Don Sweeney applauded him but realized that those before him were in the same spot.

“I applaud David in the sense of asking for immediate help,” Sweeney said. “I’d say, 10 years ago, when he was working his way into our lineup, maybe the Bergeron, Chara said, ‘How good is this young man?’ We might say the same thing about Fraser Minten and [Marat Khusnutdinov] and James Hagens, so [it’s] going to require some patience.”

Pastrnak makes $11.25 million per year, the most on the Bruins’ roster.

Elias Lindholm is the second-highest-paid forward on the team, making $7.75 million per year.

On July 1, 2024, the Boston Bruins committed $54.25 million to Elias Lindholm for seven years of service. A no-movement clause is attached to the contract until 2028-29, then he has a modified no-trade clause until the contract expires in 2031.

This year, he primarily played with Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie on the Bruins’ first line. He averaged 18:42 of ice time, the second-most for a Bruin forward.

Though Neely said the Bruins do not have a ‘1C,’ the Bruins are certainly paying and playing someone like they do.

Lindholm plays hefty minutes for the Bruins as a two-way center and is involved on both sides of special teams, but his offensive ceiling has not been the one expected out of a first-line center.

It does not help that he has a recurring back issue.

The Bruins laid out their priorities on May 6. Whether or not they can fulfill them will be determined in late June and early July.

The Bruins are projected to have $16,439,167 of cap space for next season, per PuckPedia.

Fortunately for the Bruins’ front office, they have another future first-round pick to work with if they choose to explore trade partners.

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