Where do the Boston Bruins go from here?

It was a dream regular season for the Boston Bruins in 2022-2023 in which they set new NHL records for most wins (65) and points (135) in a season. The Bruins scorched opposing teams throughout the NHL regular in which many believed that the Bruins would be favorites to win the Stanley Cup in June. From fans to Boston sports media, there was an unbelievable build up of excitement and anticipation for what many people believed was going to be a prolong Stanley Cup run.

Until it wasn't to be.

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The Boston Bruins season came to an abrupt end on April 30th, 2023 when they lost to the Florida Panthers 4-3 in overtime when Carter Verhaege scored the game & series winning goal 8:35 into OT. It was a stunning collapse that very few people saw coming especially after the Bruins led the series 3-1 after winning Game 4 in dominating fashion 6-2. A season that had so much promise, so much buildup, including an unfulfilled dreamed of hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2011. As we sit here in the midst of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals, there is a few burning thoughts that still remain more than a month since the Bruins season came to an abrupt end.

1. Has Patrice Bergeron & David Krejci played their final season with the Boston Bruins?

The Bruins face another offseason filled with a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the franchise and roster for next season. The biggest question of all: Will captain Patrice Bergeron & David Krecji return for his 20th and 17th NHL seasons respectively in 2023-2024? We know that he is the unquestioned heart and soul of the Boston Bruins. Bergeron has continued to produce and play at a high level during his age 37 season which he scored 27 goals and 31 assists for 58 points in 78 games. However, Bergeron will discuss with his family and decide on whether he will continue his sure-fire Hall of Fame career during the summer. 

David Krejci is another player whom there is curiousity whether he returns for another NHL season. He, as well as Bergeron, will take their time this summer to discuss with his family on what would be the decision for next season. Krejci however did sound as if he was close to having made a decision when he spoke to reporters on the final day of player availability to the media:

"Obviously this is not something that I just started thinking about [in] the last day," he said. "It's been on my mind a lot. So honestly, I kind of know, but I need to sleep on it, make sure this is the right decision.

Will Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci return to the Bruins, the only NHL team both players has ever known? Only time will tell.

2. What will the team look like in 2023-2024?

This question alone is a reason why there will be a great deal of intrigue surrounding this offseason for the Boston Bruins. When NHL free agency begins on July 1st, there will be 12 unrestricted free agents on the Boston Bruins most notably including Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitry Orlov, Nick Foligno, Garnet Hathaway, Tomas Nosek, among others. The Bruins are really up against the salary cap (which is slated to only increase by $1 million dollars according the NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman). Entering the offseason, the Bruins will only have $4.9 million dollars in cap space which means some very difficult financial decisions will have be made by Bruins GM Don Sweeney. There has been a strong belief that next season's team will look very different and a big reason is going to be due to the salary cap. Will the Bruins be able to sign Bertuzzi long term? Will they retain Foligno, Hathaway? All important questions to be answered this summer

3. Will the Bruins retain the goaltending duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman?

One of the major reasons why the Bruins had the historic regular season they had was because of the goaltending of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman on a nightly basis. Ullmark, who is a Vezina Trophy Finalist, led the NHL in wins (40), GAA (1.89), and save percentage (.938). Swayman finished fifth in the NHL in GAA (2.27) while winning 24 games backing up Ullmark with a .920 save percentage. Considering the Bruins salary cap situation, it is very important to potentially consider that Ullmark based on his salary & term remaining on his contract (2 years remaining at $5 million AAV per) that he could be potential used as a trade piece for the Bruins this summer. As mentioned previously, this is part of a summer that is going to be filled with some difficult decisions for the Bruins as they deal with the reality of their salary cap situation.

These are some questions that surrounds the Bruins in what will be an offseason of change and question marks surrounding the organization. We will have pull up a chair and watch the offseason movie unfold as the Bruins begin to pick up the pieces of a shattered Stanley Cup dream gone floating in the Boston Harbor.