Should The Bruins Re-Sign Their Infield Free Agents? – Hockey Writers – Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins have had one of the busiest seasons in the NHL. The team traded star goaltender Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, signed forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov to lucrative deals, allowed several free agents to sign elsewhere and still have to re-sign Jeremy Swayman to an extension. While most of the Bruins’ remaining salary cap appears to be reserved for any Swayman contract, that doesn’t mean the team is done exploring options to improve its depth. General manager Don Sweeney may go back and test interest with a few former Bruins still available on the open market.

The Bruins roster for the 2024-25 season is up in the air and it’s almost impossible to know how things will go before training camp and the preseason. Several players are expected to compete for bigger roles with the team, including Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov who should get every opportunity to earn a top six role with the team out of camp. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see other players on the Bruins competing for an increased role on the team. That’s why the Bruins were free to let players like Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk, Danton Heinen, Derek Forbort, and Pat Maroon sign elsewhere this offseason.

Related: Bruins’ Trent Frederic Ready for 2024-25 Breakout Season

As it stands, the Bruins appear to have plenty of NHL-level talent available to fill the bottom-six role on the team. Having said that, an interesting player still looking for a new home this off-season is James van Riemsdyk.

James van Riemsdyk Still Looking for a Contract

It’s fair to say that many Bruins fans had dreams of van Riemsdyk playing for the Bruins during his senior years. With the skill set for the Bruins, he just felt like a great addition to play alongside David Krejci for years. When he finally signed with the team last season, it was after Krejci had retired from the NHL and was past his prime in the league.

Although it is clear that the 35-year-old is not the player he used to be, looking much slower than before when he was playing well, it is surprising that no team has beaten van Riemsdyk as he scored 11 goals and 38 points. 71 games with the Bruins last season. Capable of playing up and down the lineup and still able to play aggressively, van Riemsdyk will be a great addition to any team he signs for this offseason. Given the familiarity of the two sides, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Bruins and van Riemsdyk negotiate another one-year deal through the 2024-25 season.

Meanwhile, the Bruins have plenty of options on their roster that could make the signing of the 35-year-old van Riemsdyk obsolete. While van Riemsdyk has something to offer, the Bruins may choose to run with the young to prepare for long-term growth. This is especially true when the team already has Justin Brazeau on the roster. With players like Trent Frederic, Matt Poitras, Morgan Geekie, John Beecher, Max Jones, Mark Kastelic, Riley Tufte, Brazeau and others already in the conversation for roles below, signing van Riemsdyk might not be a bad decision, but again. may not be the right fit for the Bruins right now.

Exploring more depth is also an option for the Bruins in terms of their defensive unit.

Kevin Shattenkirk Remains a Free Agent

Another player who has been linked to the Bruins for years is Kevin Shattenkirk. The alumnus of Boston University seemed like the perfect way to bring to the Bruins; a right-footed full-back who can create an offense by adapting to the position. And like van Riemsdyk, Shattenkirk’s signing went well past his prime and proved to be a boon to the team.

Although Shattenkirk had a better season in Boston than he did last season in Anaheim, it was clear that he was viewed as a rotation quarterback at the end of the season.

With the Bruins likely to have Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Brandon Carlo, Andrew Peeke, Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon as a seven-man rotation next season, the team has shown a tendency to carry more defenders due to greater strength. injury. Being thin on defense over starters has come back to bite the Bruins in the past and they’ve seemed determined to avoid that over the past few seasons.

With a limited contract, Shattenkirk could provide some insurance for the Bruins as their eighth defenseman. If he fails to find another home with a sure fire path to regular minutes, this would be the best situation for both sides. Shattenkirk, like van Riemsdyk, still has something left in the tank. Getting a familiar face in a deal that won’t affect their remaining property in a meaningful way might not be the worst decision in the world.

At the same time, however, the Bruins have enough bodies on their roster and are looking to make the jump from the AHL that signing any veteran players to a contract at this point could be considered a no-brainer. As mentioned, the schedule is up in the air in addition to some obvious names at the top, which ensures that the preseason will be an exciting time for the Bruins.