The Boston Bruins did a ton of spending on July 1 in an attempt to improve their roster. They signed players like Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly, Jordan Harris, Michael Eyssimont, and Matej Blumel. They also acquired Viktor Arvidsson from the Edmonton Oilers in what was a cap dump move for the Pacific Division club.
Overall, general manager Don Sweeney has added to the Bruins' depth, which is not a bad thing. However, it is also apparent that the team still has two major roster needs that they must address if they hope to become a playoff team again: a top-six winger and a legitimate top-four right-shot defenseman.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, this year's free agency class did not offer them a ton of options to work with for either need.
When it came to forwards, Brock Boeser was one unrestricted free agent (UFA) the Bruins were connected to, but he elected to re-sign with the Vancouver Canucks. Nikolaj Ehlers is still on the market, but the Bruins have roughly over $2 million of cap space left, so that has no chance of happening unless they move out a good amount of salary before he picks his next destination.
Top right-shot defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Dante Fabbro ended up re-signing with their current teams and did not hit the market. After that, other options like Cody Ceci and Nick Perbix were available, but they signed elsewhere and would not have been significant upgrades for the Bruins' second pairing, anyway. They did re-sign Henri Jokiharju, which is good, but he is probably best-suited to be in a bottom-pairing role.
While the Bruins were unable to address these needs through free agency, there is still time for them to try to before the 2025-26 season begins. It seems possible that the Bruins will be active on the trade market, as they have a surplus of bottom-six forwards after their July 1 shopping spree.
The Bruins acquiring both a top-six winger and top-four, right-shot defenseman before the start of the season may be a stretch, but even addressing one need would be a notable step in the right direction. It will be interesting to see if Sweeney has any tricks up his sleeves, as this roster just doesn't look good enough yet on paper.
NHL News: Bruins Lose Defenseman To Red Wings
The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins">Boston Bruins</a> have had several departures from their roster this off-season, and defenseman Ian Mitchell is another one.
Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images