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New York Times
19-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bruins 2025-26 roster tiers: Who stays and who goes this offseason?
The Boston Bruins initiated turnover before the trade deadline by sending out Justin Brazeau, Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, Max Jones and Brad Marchand. That process will continue in the months to come. It's possible that before the 2025 NHL Draft, general manager Don Sweeney will package some of his future capital for NHL help. On July 1, he will sign unrestricted free agents while letting others walk. The GM will use the rest of the offseason — he hopes it will not bleed into training camp like with Jeremy Swayman last year — to lock in his restricted free agents. Advertisement So who stays and who goes? Following is a projection of all the players who appeared in 10 or more games for the Bruins in 2024-25: He was the NHL's breakout player of the season, per Nikita Zadorov, going from a healthy scratch to a 33-goal scorer. He has arbitration rights but does not prefer to exercise them. Negotiations could get tricky if arbitration is not used. He could triple his expiring $2 million average annual value based on the rising cap. Entering the second season of his seven-year, $54.25 million contract, the only way he could be moved is if the Bruins retain part of his salary. Lindholm started 2024-25 in the hole when he hurt his back on Day 1 of training camp, which kept him off the ice and out of the weight room. He found some much-needed chemistry with Geekie and David Pastrnak at the end of the regular season. He doesn't necessarily have to be a first-line play-driver. Lindholm had some good luck within his bad luck, as he put it, when he had a clean break in his patella, which allowed him to push his return to play. It was within that accelerated comeback that he went too hard and had to shut things down for good. He plans to start skating in mid-May. The loss of the No. 2 defenseman was too much for the defense to overcome. He can be a three-zone presence when healthy. The team's No. 1 defenseman experienced a frightening staph infection during the 4 Nations Face-Off that led to hospitalization and surgery on his right shoulder. He might have been able to play in Round 1 had the Bruins qualified. Doctors have told him he will have no long-term effects from the injury, and he's motivated to return better than ever. He was the league's best player down the stretch, in McAvoy's opinion, continuing to grow as a shooting and passing dangerman and helping Geekie hit his career high in goals. He also took over leadership duties after Marchand was moved and did so with all-around approval from teammates and coaches. It's unclear whether he wants the captaincy. Advertisement The fourth-highest-paid active goalie has faith he can be one of the league's top netminders again. He acknowledged not playing his best, although he did not answer whether missing training camp because of contract negotiations held him back. The team's most disappointing player has nowhere to go but up. The smashmouth fourth-liner missed the final 12 games because of post-concussion syndrome. His symptoms included headaches and balance issues. He had suffered previous concussions but none with this severity. He took comfort in a conversation with ex-Bruin Patrice Bergeron, whose severe concussion threatened his career. He's not concerned about long-term effects and will begin the first season of a three-year, $4.71 million deal in 2025-26. The primary target in the Brazeau trade with the Minnesota Wild, Khusnutdinov is a fast and shifty wing who isn't afraid of high-traffic ice. The 22-year-old will reach RFA status but should not command a significant raise off his entry-level contract. The backup goalie had a better save percentage (.893) than Swayman (.892. As such, he was not satisfied with his playing time (27 appearances). He will be in line for more action if Swayman can't get back to his level. The puck-pushing defenseman had no trouble creating offense (33 points), but defense was another story. He could be a partner for McAvoy but will need sheltering if his defending doesn't improve. He will reach RFA status, and a bridge contract is the most likely outcome considering his cloudy defensive outlook. The 2020 first-rounder was promoted with only 11 AHL goals. He scored his first NHL goal in his 11th appearance. There's no questioning his skill and speed with the puck, but there are uncertainties with wall play, strength on the puck, defensive coverage and offensive decision-making. He should have every chance to make the club full-time in camp. Advertisement The No. 8 pick from 2017 was underwhelming after arriving from the Colorado Avalanche. He's a highly skilled playmaker who is good at holding pucks and allowing teammates to get open, but is too light on the puck for a 438-game NHL veteran. Mittelstadt has the skill of a top-two center, but shortcomings in other parts of his game are holding him back. He is what he is: a third-pair defensive defenseman who can pick his spots up the ice. The team is not served well if he moves into a top-four position. The franchise erred by rushing the 2022 second-rounder before he was ready, which was not his fault. His confidence took a hit when he couldn't make plays and put himself at risk of injury. He would have been a first-year pro had the Bruins kept him in junior in 2023-24. He's a point-per-game AHL player but is no lock to make the varsity in 2025-26. The veteran center/left wing finished the regular season as one of only three active players who dressed for Game 7 against the Florida Panthers last year (Pastrnak and Swayman were the others). He was slowed by a knee injury this season. He would have value on the trade market but is more important to the Bruins as a multi-position returnee. He settled in as a defensive defender after a turbulent start. Ideally, he's a third-pairing defenseman and penalty killer. He's not afraid to speak his mind and finished the regular season with an NHL-high 145 penalty minutes. The 2019 first-rounder scored just three goals and was scratched for the final two games. He's one of the team's fastest straight-line skaters but has struggled to apply his speed toward offensive chances. He will reach RFA status and may not be qualified if the Bruins are dissatisfied with his development. He does not appear to have a ceiling beyond the fourth line The plucky left wing was delighted to return to his draft team. He will play for Czechia at the World Championships for the first time. He will reach RFA status and may not be qualified if the Bruins believe they can find a cheaper and younger fourth-liner with more offensive potential. Advertisement The right-shot depth defenseman will reach RFA status. He appears to be more of an AHLer than an NHLer. The waiver pickup scored just once in 16 games. He has an above-average NHL shot but did not do enough to use it. He will reach RFA status and may not be qualified if the Bruins don't consider him NHL-worthy. The high-motor fourth-liner and Providence captain is highly regarded by teammates and coaches. He will reach UFA status. The defensive defenseman fulfilled a dream by playing for his hometown team. The Franklin native projects to be a third-pair defender. He will reach Group 6 UFA status. The former Buffalo Sabres defenseman held his own on the No. 1 pair next to Zadorov following his arrival. He was earning $3.1 million annually, an expensive price. He will reach UFA status. A meat-and-potatoes wing who started the year well on the fourth line, Koepke could get a raise elsewhere because of his speed and willingness to go to the net. He will reach UFA status. The energetic right wing played with pace and skill. He's a prototypical high-character player who shuttles between the NHL and AHL without complaint. He will reach UFA status. A defensive defenseman with some puck-moving touch, he can be a depth defender on a good team. He will reach UFA status.
Boston Globe
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
In lost Bruins season, Morgan Geekie continues to build chemistry with David Pastrnak
Falconer acknowledged Wednesday, a day after One puck in particular stood out. Pastrnak's 100th point was an assist on Geekie's 30th goal. Pastrnak, the Bruins' de facto captain, awarded it to Geekie. Advertisement The pair have been on fire lately racking up points at an impressive clip, including last week's win over the Hurricanes in which they both collected 5. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Related : The chemistry between the wingers has been evident for a good stretch now. 'Dave's a great player. Obviously 100 points in this league is not something to shake your head at and to do it three times in a row speaks to the kind of player he is,' said Geekie, who may be the only guy in the locker room who refers to Pastrnak as Dave. 'But I mean from my point of view, I think yeah, we read off each other pretty well and just try to find spots to get open for him and I think that's a skill I've grown over these last couple months just trying to learn to play with him and where he likes to be, where I know he likes to put the puck. I think that's just a skill you've got to learn, and I've been fortunate enough to play with him for enough time now to kind of figure those things out and we'll keep growing together for sure.' Advertisement Will that growth continue into 2025-26? A two-year, $4 million pact that Geekie signed in the summer of 2023 is up at season's end . The 26-year-old will be a restricted free agent and is in line for a big raise. Related : Geekie, who also has set a career high with 23 assists to go with a high mark in goals, said he hasn't spent a ton of time thinking about what's next. He'll leave the negotiating to his agent. 'I know there was a lot of talk going into the deadline with what was going to happen with me and I'm just happy to stick around for another month and a half and if that's as long as I'm here, then that's how it's going to be,' he said. 'But I love it here, like I said before, and I'd love to stay as long as I can, but like I said, it's a long summer, it's a business at the end of the day and I thank the organization for all the opportunity and just I'd love to be a part of it moving forward, for sure.' Korpisalo up for honor Goalie Joonas Korpisalo is the Bruins' nominee for 2025 Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy, selected by the Boston Chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The award is given to 'the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.' Advertisement 'Pretty honored, A little surprised, but yeah, heard about it yesterday after a game and, yeah, it's pretty cool,' Korpisalo said following practice at Warrior Arena. Korpisalo went 21-26-4 with the Senators last season before being 'I had some good moments [and some] not so good moments,' Korpisalo said of his first season in Boston. 'As I said before, we go as a group, but it started pretty well. The last half it's been for all of us, pretty tough. But yeah, I've just been working on my game throughout the year. Doesn't matter what gets thrown at you.' Practice updates Pavel Zacha (maintenance) and Nikita Zadorov (family matter) were not at practice … Charlie McAvoy (shoulder) and Mark Kastelic (upper-body injury) were full participants but there is still no timetable for either to return to game action … Jim McBride can be reached at
Fox Sports
30-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Red Wings top Bruins 2-1 for 4th win in 15 games to preserve flickering playoff hopes
Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Lucas Raymond and Marco Kasper scored, Cam Talbot stopped 21 shots and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Saturday night. Detroit, clinging to flickering playoff hopes, won for just the fourth time in 15 games. The Red Wings are tied with the New York Islanders — one point behind Montreal, Columbus and the New York Rangers, who are tied for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. The rebuilding Bruins, who traded captain Brad Marchand at the trade deadline, have lost eight straight for the first time since dropping 10 games in a row in 2010. Morgan Geekie pulled Boston within a goal early in the second period on a power play and Jeremy Swayman finished with 20 saves. The Bruins pulled Swayman with 1:56 left to add an extra skater, but couldn't score again. Both teams had players drop gloves in two different fights in the opening 2:01 before either team had a shot on goal. Kasper scored on a wrist shot from the top of the left circle 5:37 into the game for the rookie's 15th goal. Raymond's 26th goal in the opening minute of the second period put Detroit ahead 2-0. Shortly thereafter, Geekie redirected a pass from the front of the net for his 27th goal. The Bruins are in danger of not making the playoffs for the first time since 2016, which was the last year Detroit was in the postseason. Takeaways Bruins: David Pastrank set up Geekie with a slick pass for his 51st assist and with 35 goals, he's among the NHL's top 10 in points. Red Wings: Picking a bad time to have its worst month of the season, Detroit went 4-10 in March. Key moment Talbot made a glove save with 9.3 seconds left, denying Casey Mittelstadt's shot to seal Detroit's victory. Key stat Kasper's 30 points trail the production of just three Austrian players during their rookie seasons in the NHL. Up next Bruins host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, and Red Wings play at St. Louis. ___ AP NHL:
CBS News
30-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Red Wings top Bruins 2-1 for 4th win in 15 games to preserve flickering playoff hopes
By LARRY LAGE AP Hockey Writer Lucas Raymond and Marco Kasper scored, Cam Talbot stopped 21 shots and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Saturday night. Detroit, clinging to flickering playoff hopes, won for just the fourth time in 15 games. The Red Wings are tied with the New York Islanders - one point behind Montreal, Columbus and the New York Rangers, who are tied for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. The rebuilding Bruins, who traded captain Brad Marchand at the trade deadline, have lost eight straight for the first time since dropping 10 games in a row in 2010. Morgan Geekie pulled Boston within a goal early in the second period on a power play and Jeremy Swayman finished with 20 saves. The Bruins pulled Swayman with 1:56 left to add an extra skater, but couldn't score again. Both teams had players drop gloves in two different fights in the opening 2:01 before either team had a shot on goal. Kasper scored on a wrist shot from the top of the left circle 5:37 into the game for the rookie's 15th goal. Raymond's 26th goal in the opening minute of the second period put Detroit ahead 2-0. Shortly thereafter, Geekie redirected a pass from the front of the net for his 27th goal. The Bruins are in danger of not making the playoffs for the first time since 2016, which was the last year Detroit was in the postseason. Bruins: David Pastrank set up Geekie with a slick pass for his 51st assist and with 35 goals, he's among the NHL's top 10 in points. Red Wings: Picking a bad time to have its worst month of the season, Detroit went 4-10 in March. Talbot made a glove save with 9.3 seconds left, denying Casey Mittelstadt's shot to seal Detroit's victory. Kasper's 30 points trail the production of just three Austrian players during their rookie seasons in the NHL. Bruins host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, and Red Wings play at St. Louis.
Boston Globe
30-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Bruins finish listless five-game trip with loss to Red Wings
The Bruins were outscored, 23-7, in the five games, all but certifying that they will miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Wings, who have been playoff DNQs the last eight seasons, were paced to the victory by goals from Marco Kasper and Lucas Raymond, which had them ahead, 2-0, by the 0:53 mark of the second period. Advertisement Morgan Geekie, connecting on a tip of a Dave Pastrnak shot, scored the lone goal for the Black and Gold. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Now with only eight games remaining in the regular season, the Bruins next will take on Washington Tuesday night at TD Garden, with Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin within range of tying or breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time NHL mark of 894 goals. Only 5:37 into the opening period, the Bruins found themselves on familiar ground: yet again chasing the game. Kasper walked in and popped the 1-0 lead by Jeremy Swayman after picking off Mason Lohrei's ill-advised pass attempt for Dave Pastrnak. The Austrian-born Kasper picked it off and cashed in for the unassisted strike. In their previous four games on the five-game road trip, the Bruins only once scored the game's opening goal (Elias Lindholm Sunday at Los Angeles), in part why they posted a mere 2:24 in lead time in those four losses. It was goal No. 15 this season for Kasper, 20, who was chosen eighth overall by the Wings in the 2022 draft. Lohrei, struggling mightily of late, fell to minus-34 for the season. He has skill, especially at the front end of the ice, but his defensive deficiencies have been exposed and exploited when asked to play higher in the blue liner order. Advertisement The two sides were 35 seconds from reaching the first intermission when Nikita Zadorov popped Jonatan Berggren with a late hit, leaving the Wings with new ice and 1:25 of power play time for the start of the second period. Only 55 seconds into the new session, Raymond rifled home the 2-0 lead, riveting his one-timer under the crossbar for his 26th goal of the season. An unwise hit by Zadrov set it up, and the Wings made the Bruins pay for it with the big blue liner watching from the penalty box. Only 1:19 later, at 2:12 of the second, the Bruins cut the deficit in half on a rare power-play goal of their own. David Pastrnak, who posted an ugly minus-5 in the recent 6-2 loss at Anaheim, fired a shot toward the net and Geekie's tricky tip eluded Cam Talbot. It was Geekie's 27th goal this season and his fourth on the trip. Geekie's strike turned out to be the final goal of the middle period. The Bruins were in arrears, 2-1, at the start of the third period. It was the fourth time on the trip that they trailed at the 40:00 mark. … Former Bruins captain Brad Marchand, dealt to Florida at the March 7 trade deadline, made a boffo debut with the Panthers Friday night, collecting the primary assist on Sam Bennett's 2-1 overtime winner against Utah. Career point No. 977 for the L'il Ball o'Hate … Another ex-Bruin, mild-mannered defenseman Brandon Carlo, now under Maple Leafs employment, on Saturday night engaged in only his second fight since December 2018. He took on Los Angeles's Jeff Malott who is five years into his pro career after graduating from Cornell in 2020. It was only Carlo's eighth fight in 628 regular-season games. Ex-Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy more than once said he wished Carlo could work some 'mean pills' into his diet … Fraser Minten, the promising 20-year-old center acquired from Toronto in the Carlo deal, has produced a line of 3-4–7 with AHL Providence … Former Blackhawks star Patrick Kane added an assist (his 33rd this season) on the Lucas Raymond goal that boosted the Winged Wheels to a 2-0 lead … Ever-willing Jakub Lauko walked into a buzz saw in the first period when he took on a much bigger Austin Watson in a center-ice bout. Watson, three inches taller and 45 pounds heavier, worked Lauko over like a lightweight punching bag. The only solace for the Bruins: Watson was tagged with an additional 1-minute misconduct, likely because of his overaggressive throwdown of Lauko as the beatdown ended. Ouch. Watson's career PIMs increased to 722 … Bruin blue liner Andrew Peeke engaged in only his third career fight — his first since Dec. 30, 2021 — trading punches with Alex DeBrincat only 1:06 into the first period. Peeke showed little interest in going, until DeBrincat, unprovoked, smacked him in the face. Advertisement Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at
