With Bruins season over, what happens next with lottery, NHL Draft, free agents?

The first step was reversing course, after the disaster that was the 2024-25 season. The Bruins did that. They returned to respectability and the postseason.

But the final goal obviously isn’t being a wild card team that spent the end of the season hovering just above the playoff cutline.

After being eliminated by the Sabres in the first round of the playoffs on Friday night, the Bruins will head into the spring and summer looking to improve.

Here are some dates and storylines to monitor for the offseason:

Key dates

May 5 -NHL Draft Lottery

The NHL draft lottery is next week. The Bruins will learn whether they get the Maple Leafs’ first-round pick this year or not. Boston only receives the pick if it’s outside the top five.

Toronto had the fifth-worst record in the NHL. They would keep their pick if:

• They win one of the three lottery draws themselves
• Nobody below them wins one of the three lottery draws
• Washington is the only team below them to win one of the draws. The Capitals are currently 16 and a team can’t rise more than 10 spots.

Boston would get Toronto’s pick if the Leafs don’t win one of the three draws and one of the following teams do:

• Seattle