The Boston Bruins’ 2023-24 season ended this past weekend after a Game 6 loss to the Florida Panthers. While disappointing, the second round exit may not have come as a surprise to many of their fans. For most of the season, the Bruins simply did not look like a team capable of winning a Stanley Cup. That said, the Boston faithful should be hopeful that their team will be better next season than they were this season. Here are a few reasons why.
Cap Space
The Bruins were in a financial jam this season. They were stuck paying out bonuses to top six centers David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron from 2022-23, leading to an overage of $4.5 million, essentially decreasing their effective salary cap by that amount. As a result, they ended up only having enough space for depth pieces, signing Parker Wotherspoon, Kevin Shattenkirk, James van Riemsdyk, and Morgan Geekie, and bringing in Danton Heinen on a professional tryout (PTO). All of these players cost the team $2 million or less. They find themselves in a much better position in the 2024 offseason.
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The Bruins are set to enter the offseason with $22.5 million in cap space, and that number could go up if they were to choose to trade Linus Ullmark and his $5 million salary. Of the players who started Game 6 against the Panthers, Jake DeBrusk, bottom-six forwards Heinen and van Riemsdyk, and star netminder Jeremy Swayman are the only players set to become free agents (with Swayman being a restricted free agent). Re-signing Swayman will be the Bruins’ top priority this offseason and should receive somewhere in the ballpark of $7 million annually. That will leave the Bruins with plenty left over to target multiple players who will bolster their forward group and help them improve offensively.
Bruins’ Exciting Depth Play
The Bruins had several bottom-six forwards emerge as unexpected contributors in 2023-24, none more surprising than Justin Brazeau. The 26-year-old rookie was called up in the second half of the campaign from Providence, and he made an immediate impact playing in Boston. In his 19 games, the late bloomer scored five goals, setting a 22-goal pace over the course of an 82-game season. After a shoulder injury sidelined him ahead of the playoffs, he returned and made an impact there as well, scoring a beautiful goal in the team’s first game of the second round.
Bruins fans should be excited that they are getting Brazeau for another season at the league minimum. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound forward should provide them with a physical presence and a surprising scoring touch that will lift their bottom six next season. He is not the only depth player fans should be excited about. Jesper Boqvist and rookie Johnny Beecher both showed flashes of positive play toward the end of the season, with Beecher opening the scoring for the Bruins in their first round matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs. At 216 pounds, he is another physical presence in the bottom six. He made strides over the course of his first year in the NHL and will look to make more of an impact in the lineup entering his sophomore season.
Bruins’ Bright Future
While the 2023-24 season came to an end earlier than the Bruins probably hoped, there is reason to be excited about what the future holds in Boston. Fans should follow the team’s activity in free agency closely, as they have money to spend and will likely look to bring back Swayman and bolster their offensive lineup. On top of that, they have several bottom-six forwards who showed promise this past season and will look to continue their upward trajectory in 2024-25.
