Bruins Reset: Projecting Lines, Pairings After Free Agency Splash

NHL free agency is just a day old, and the Bruins might already have completed all of their offseason heavy lifting.

General manager Don Sweeney utilized newfound salary cap space Monday, doling out nearly $100 million in contracts. The bulk of that financial might went to a pair of players: center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov.

Of course, in a salary cap league with players coming in, players are going out. The Bruins said goodbye to a handful of stalwarts, most notably Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort.

Bruins coach Jim Montgomery will get some deserved time off after development camp wraps up this week, but as he starts looking ahead to the 2024-25 season, he and the hockey operations staff have some lineup decisions to make.

Here’s our best guess at how things could shake out, assuming full health and potential.

FORWARDS
Pavel Zacha — Elias Lindholm — David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand — Charlie Coyle — Fabian Lysell
Trent Frederic — Matthew Poitras — Morgan Geekie
Jon Beecher — Mark Kastelic — Justin Brazeau

Lindholm is being paid like a top-line center, and he’ll likely assume the role from Day 1 in Boston where he’s been tied to the organization for quite some time. He plays a responsible two-way game, and his production could bounce back to 2022 levels (42 goals) on a line with Zacha and Pastrnak. It could also do wonders for a player like Zacha, especially in the playoffs, moving him to wing and taking some pressure off while still knowing he can play down the middle if needed.

Sweeney tipped his hand on a couple of other roster things Monday. Right now, there’s a pretty obvious hole on the right side of the forward group. The Bruins are happy about their forward depth and versatility, but signing Zadorov took them out of the running for a top-six winger who can put the puck in the net. Sweeney also mentioned Lysell by name, admitting there’s a “gap where we want to see somebody take advantage.” The 21-year-old was the only player he said by name regarding that vacancy. The 2021 first-round pick has exactly zero games of NHL experience, but 29-58-87 totals in 110 AHL games over the last two seasons might be enough to get him a look to open the season.

Sweeney also talked about getting Kastelic in the Linus Ullmark trade, citing “fourth-line versatility.” Faceoffs were an issue for the Bruins, especially in the playoffs, but Montgomery should feel good about sending a fourth line with Kastelic and Beecher over the boards to win a defensive-zone draw; Kastelic has won 56.3% of his faceoffs in his career.

DEFENSEMEN
Nikita Zadorov — Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm — Brandon Carlo
Mason Lohrei — Andrew Peeke

If everything goes right, this unit is the strength of the Bruins’ team. McAvoy has been a top-10 vote-getter for the Norris Trophy three times in his career. Hampus Lindholm finished fourth in voting two seasons ago, leading the NHL in plus-minus. That is their ceiling. Carlo can give you 20 hard minutes per night, while Lohrei showed flashes of potential that could make him Boston’s top two-way D-man in short order. Zadorov brings a needed element of nasty to the mix. That could be even more vital in the playoffs. He’s no goon, either, and could be a great complement to the group over the course of his hefty contract.

Sweeney didn’t offer much in terms of the defensive plan, but he did briefly note that Zadorov could skate with McAvoy. Spitting those two up might give the Bruins the most depth throughout an 82-game schedule, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Montgomery tab the duo as his No. 1 pairing when the spring rolls around.

GOALIES
Jeremy Swayman
Joonas Korpisalo

There was a natural inclination to wonder whether Korpisalo was long for Boston after the Bruins landed him in the Ullmark trade. Given how Sweeney and the B’s were able to navigate the free agency waters with Korpisalo’s cap hit on the books, it appears for now the backup job is his to lose. The big question remains when Swayman’s long-term contract will come to fruition. Sweeney insisted a deal that satisfies all is still the “priority” with his No. 1 goaltender and doesn’t seem too infatuated with any sort of timeline for a new agreement.