The Boston Bruins will have $20+ million to spend this offseason. The Hockey News is evaluating potential targets leading up to July 1.
With NHL Free Agency opening on July 1, the Boston Bruins will have decisions to make on both their expiring contracts as well as players leaving other teams that they could make a run for on the open market.
Earlier this month, we ranked the top 10 most important Boston Bruins free agents, consisting of the players with expiring contracts and their relative value to the team.
This time, we’ll be covering 10 free agents from other teams that could be attractive to Boston. These are not ranked in any particular order, but it will ultimately focus on the Bruins’ biggest needs: a top-six forward (or two) and a left-shot defenseman. Backup goalie was also a potential need, but after the Bruins traded Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators on Monday, Joonas Korpisalo -- one of the returning pieces -- is poised to compete with Brandon Bussi for the job.
There will be a new name covered every day leading up to the start of free agency.
Previously, we looked at Elias Lindholm, Brenden Dillon, Tyler Bertuzzi and Tyler Toffoli, but today we look at a player whose season just ended on Monday:
Vladimir Tarasenko, Forward
Age: 32
2023-24 team(s): Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers
2023-24 stats: 76 GP, 23G-32A-55P
Previous Contract AAV: $5 million
Expected New AAV (per AFPAnalytics): $4.17 million
After winning his second Stanley Cup on Monday, now seems like the perfect time to evaluate Tarasenko as a potential free agent option for the Bruins.
The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 in Game 7 after letting a 3-0 series lead slip to a winner-take-all Game 7. It was the first Stanley Cup Final to reach seven games since 2019, when Boston fell to the St. Louis Blues. A key member of that Blues team? Tarasenko.
The Russian winger is not quite the player he once was from a production standpoint. A consistent 65-75 point player earlier in his career, Tarasenko has scored 55 and 50 points in each of the past two seasons, respectively. He’s played on four teams in that span, getting traded midseason both times.
While his contract status factors into that – he was a pending free agent both times – it also shows that contending teams value what he brings to the table. He hasn’t scored more than 30 goals in a season since 2021-22, but he still can be a top-six level producer.
His potential cost is another factor worth looking into for Boston. Coming off a one-year, $5 million contract, whichever team signs him this offseason could do so for two or three years at around $4 million per year or less. AFPAnalytics projects his next AAV around there, so if the Bruins could get him at that price it would make filling other holes on the roster even easier.
For now, Tarasenko will be celebrating with the Panthers, but among the handful of wingers expected to hit the open market this summer, Tarasenko would bring a pedigree of individual and team playoff success that Boston loves to get its hands on.
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