The NHL’s busiest offseason has been experienced by the Boston Bruins. The organization signed forward Elias Lindholm and defender Nikita Zadorov to hefty contracts, moved standout goaltender Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, allowed several free agents to sign elsewhere, and hasn’t yet re-signed Jeremy Swayman to an extension. Even while it seems like the bulk of the Bruins’ remaining salary is allocated for any prospective Swayman deal, the team is also looking into other ways to bolster their depth. With a few former Bruins still up for grabs, general manager Don Sweeney might make a comeback to gauge interest.
Before training camp and the preseason, it is almost hard to predict the composition of the Bruins starting lineup for the 2024–25 campaign. Several players, such as Georgii Merkulov and Fabian Lysell, are ready to compete for larger roles with the squad. They should seize every chance to secure a spot in the club’s starting lineup once camp is over. It wouldn’t be shocking to see other Bruins players fight for a bigger position on the squad. For this reason, the Bruins felt at ease allowing players to sign elsewhere this offseason, including Danton Heinen, Derek Forbort, Pat Maroon, and Jake DeBrusk.
As things stand, the Bruins appear to have a wealth of NHL talent at their disposal who may fill a bottom-six role for the team. Having said that, James van Riemsdyk is an intriguing athlete who is currently searching for a new place to call home this winter.
James van Riemsdyk Is Still Seeking a Job
It’s safe to assume that a lot of Bruins supporters imagined van Riemsdyk to be a member of the team during his prime. His skill set was ideal for the Bruins, and he seemed like the ideal player to play with David Krejci for many years. Even though Krejci had retired from the NHL and was long past his prime, he had yet to join with the team during the previous offseason.
It’s remarkable that no team has taken a chance on van Riemsdyk despite the fact that the 35-year-old is obviously not the same player he once was and appears much slower than he did in his peak. Last season, van Riemsdyk scored 11 goals and 38 points in 71 games with the Bruins. Van Riemsdyk will be an excellent complimentary addition to whatever club he signs with this offseason because he can play anywhere in the lineup and is still a potent power play option. It wouldn’t be all that shocking to see the Bruins and van Riemsdyk reexamining a one-year flyer contract for the 2024–25 campaign, given their familiarity with one another.
However, the Bruins already have a wealth of choices, which might make adding a 35-year-old van Riemsdyk unnecessary. The Bruins may decide to go with a younger lineup in order to position themselves for better long-term success, even though van Riemsdyk still has much to offer. This is particularly true when Justin Brazeau is already playing for the team. The Bruins may not be better off signing van Riemsdyk now, but it may also not be the appropriate move given the players who are currently in the running for bottom-six roles, including Trent Frederic, Matt Poitras, Morgan Geekie, John Beecher, Max Jones, Mark Kastelic, Riley Tufte, Brazeau, and others.
In terms of their defensive unit, the Bruins can also consider going deeper.
Kevin Shattenkirk Is Still Available for Hire
Kevin Shattenkirk was another player who was linked to the Bruins for a long time. The former student at Boston University seemed to be the ideal choice to join the Bruins; he was a right-shot defender with offensive ability and local knowledge. Similar to van Riemsdyk, Shattenkirk was signed much past his prime seasons and ended up being a great value for the franchise.
By the end of the season, it was evident that Shattenkirk was only considered a rotational defender, even though he had a stronger season in Boston than he had the year before in Anaheim.
Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Brandon Carlo, Andrew Peeke, Mason Lohrei, and Parker Wotherspoon should make up a very strong seven-defender rotation for the Bruins next season. However, the team has a history of carrying additional defenders in case of injuries. The Bruins have been known to be cautious when it comes to defense after their starting lineup, and in recent years, they have shown a strong desire to stay away from that.
Shattenkirk, the Bruins’ eighth defenseman, may offer some insurance on a minimal deal. For all parties, this might be the best-case scenario if he is unable to locate a new residence with a more reliable route to regular minutes. Similar to van Riemsdyk, Shattenkirk still has some left in him. Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to lock up a well-known player on a deal that wouldn’t significantly impact their remaining salary space.
However, the Bruins do have enough players on their roster and are trying to move up from the AHL, so it might be considered unnecessary to sign any veteran player to a deal at this time. As previously said, aside from a few clear choices at the top, the starting lineup is completely unpredictable, thus the Bruins should expect an interesting preseason.
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