The NHL’s 2024 Free Agency is set to begin on July 1 and after having the bare minimum of cap space last summer, the Boston Bruins are looking at a little over $21 million of space. The first priority is, of course, signing goaltender Jeremy Swayman to a long-term deal, but after that, general manager Don Sweeney can go out and make a splash in the free agency market.
Related: Revisiting the Bruins’ 2023 Draft Class After 1 Year
Last season, Sweeney still managed to find guys in free agency who made impacts on the ice. Morgan Geekie and James van Riemsdyk, especially both had good seasons on cheap contracts and filled in needs the team had on offense during the season. It will be interesting to see if Geekie, in particular, can match his career highs from last season in the second year of his contract in 2024-25.
While the team has money, they should still exercise caution and not spend for the sake of spending. They realistically need two pieces: a top-end center and a defenseman to boost their depth at the position. Today’s focus is on what defensemen they should ideally be targeting and considering if the price is right.
Current State of the Bruins’ Defense
Defense was a very up-and-down area for the Bruins throughout the 2023-24 season and the playoffs. Despite that, the team does have a decent top-four between Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo, Hampus Lindholm, and Mason Lohrei, who really proved himself in the playoffs and should be looking at a more permanent spot in Boston next season as well as an expanded role.
Still, these guys were not without their struggles last season. I would argue that Carlo was the most impressive and consistent defenseman for the Bruins in 2023-24. Lindholm had his struggles in the regular season and McAvoy did not have a great postseason. While these four are still the best defensemen on the Bruins, they need another guy who can give them more depth on the blue line, especially when their top defensemen are struggling.
The depth of the Bruins’ defense has been a question mark for a few seasons now. There have been flashes of excellence from guys like Matt Grzelcyk, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Derek Forbort, but there is a high chance all three will be leaving in free agency this summer. Parker Wotherspoon has been great as a rotational, depth guy and should see more NHL time in 2024-25, but isn’t enough to solve the team’s issues on defense.
All of this to say, the Bruins could really use a pretty decent addition to the blue line. They don’t need the top guy on the market, but they need someone who could easily slot into the third or fourth spot on the depth chart, someone who could help generate offense or be more of a stay-at-home guy to free up McAvoy, Lohrei, and Lindholm to push for more offense.
Dylan DeMelo
Dylan DeMelo has been a solid presence on the Winnipeg Jets’ blue line since arriving there via trade from the Ottawa Senators in 2019-20. The 31-year-old, right-shot defenseman doesn’t get much attention, but has been vital on the top pairing with Josh Morrissey. His 31 points last season would have put him second overall in points for Bruins’ defensemen, trailing only McAvoy.
He’s coming off of a deal that had an average annual value of $3 million and will certainly be looking for more than that this summer. The Bruins could afford him depending on how much of a pay bump he wants and he could pair quite well with McAvoy or Lohrei. He’s also a great penalty killer, making him another addition to a strong part of Boston’s game.
Brett Pesce
Brett Pesce is a bit more of a reach for the Bruins as he’ll most likely be looking for a contract that will pay upwards of $6 million annually, which might put him out of their price range after bringing in a new center and re-signing Swayman. The 29-year-old is one of the more underrated defensemen in the NHL and has been a solid presence on the Carolina Hurricanes’ blue line since coming into the league in 2015.
He is a right-shot, shutdown defenseman who could certainly help with the Bruins’ issues in playing better defensively and being more responsible in their own zone. Over 55% of his starts come in the defensive zone and he is a career plus-92.
The question becomes how much would the Bruins be willing to pay for him when he and Carlo play similar roles. They had similar points last season (Carlo had 14 in 76 and Pesce had 13 in 70) and are mainly known for being stay-at-home defensemen. As one of the bigger names hitting the market, he’s still someone worth checking on, but could be too much money.
Brady Skjei
Another member of the Hurricanes’ blue line could potentially hit the free agency market on July 1. Brady Skjei is coming off a career-high 46 points in 79 games, only one point behind McAvoy’s team-leading 47 points in 74 games. He would bring a lot of offensive upside to the Bruins’ blue line while also being defensively responsible.
He probably has less of a probability of hitting the free agency market than DeMelo and Pesce, as both he and the Hurricanes seem interested in an extension. There is also some reason to be concerned with him wanting too much term or too high of an average annual value on his next contract. The Bruins already have several guys signed to long-term deals (David Pastrnak, Lindholm, and McAvoy) and should only be considering a long-term deal for Swayman.
It will all come down to what the market actually is for defensemen this summer. Bringing Skjei in on a four-year deal could be a decent upgrade for the Bruins’ blue line, but isn’t worth locking him into a deal that could look bad several years down the line.
Honorable Mentions
John Klingberg is coming off of a season-ending hip injury for the Toronto Maple Leafs, making him a bit of an unknown this offseason. He’s struggled since leaving the Dallas Stars after the 2021-22 season when he had 47 points in 74 games. He wouldn’t necessarily be a good addition to solve any defensive zone issues, but could bring some more offense to the blue line. The question of course is how healthy he is. If the price is right, a one-year deal may not be a bad option.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson is someone the Bruins got quite familiar with during the playoffs. He is coming off his best season offensively since 2018-19 with 32 points in 80 games for the Florida Panthers. This comes after being bought out by the Vancouver Canucks. He’s someone the team has been interested in before and may be a cheaper option to bring in on a short-term deal, but a lot could come down to how he performs in the final games of the Stanley Cup Final.
Sean Walker was a name floated around at the trade deadline as a potential target for the Bruins, but nothing came out of that and he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. He’s a right-shot defenseman, something the Bruins always seem to be in need of behind McAvoy and Carlo. He has some solid offensive upside with 29 points in 2023-24. Again for him, it may come down to price and term. Yes, Boston has plenty of cap space, but they have to be smart about how and who they are spending it on, lest they want to end up in another tricky spot with the cap in the next season or two.
Bruins Need to Be Wise
The Bruins have money to spend and make an upgrade at defense this offseason, but they still need to be careful. The first priorities are obviously Swayman and a center. The last thing they want to do is give out another six-plus year contract and then have to find a way to shed it in a few seasons.
Related: Bruins Must Spend Cap Space Wisely
Last season, they made some smart deals in free agency that had big impacts on the 2023-24 season. This summer, they can spend more and get a bigger name, but they still should be wary, especially when it comes to long-term deals as the ones signed in free agency have a much higher probability of not turning out favorable.
With July 1 less than a month away, it won’t be long until the Bruins’ plans come to fruition. It will certainly be an interesting next few weeks. Stay tuned to The Hockey Writers for all your free agency information.
