Should the Bruins Re-sign Their Internal Free Agents? – The Hockey Writers – Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins have had one of the busiest offseasons in the NHL. The team traded star goalie Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, signed forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman to lucrative deals, let multiple free agents sign elsewhere and has yet to extend Jeremy Swayman. While the majority of the Bruins’ remaining salary appears to be earmarked for a potential Swayman deal, that doesn’t mean the team is necessarily done exploring options to improve their depth. General manager Don Sweeney could come back and test out mutual interest with a few former Bruins still available on the open market.

The Bruins’ 2024-25 lineup is still up in the air, and it’s nearly impossible to know how things will play out ahead of training camp and the preseason. Several players are poised to compete for bigger roles with the team, including Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov, who should be given every opportunity to earn a top-six role with the team out of camp. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see other Bruins players compete for bigger roles on the team, which is why the Bruins have been comfortable letting the likes of Jake DeBrusk, Matt Grzelcyk, Danton Heinen, Derek Forbort and Pat Maroon sign elsewhere this offseason.

Related: Bruins’ Trent Frederic ready for breakthrough in 2024-25 season

As it stands, the Bruins appear to have an abundance of NHL-level talent available to contribute in a bottom-six role for the team. That said, one interesting player still looking for a new home this offseason is James van Riemsdyk.

James van Riemsdyk is still looking for a contract

It’s fair to say that many Bruins fans dreamed of van Riemsdyk playing for the Bruins in his prime. With a skill set that was tailor-made for the Bruins, he just felt like the perfect addition to play alongside David Krejci for years to come. When he finally signed with the team last season, it was after Krejci had retired from the NHL and his prime in the league was long gone.

While the 35-year-old clearly isn’t the same player he used to be, and looks noticeably slower than he did in his prime, it’s still surprising that no team has taken a fly off of van Riemsdyk, considering he scored 11 goals and 38 points in 71 games with the Bruins last season. Van Riemsdyk is versatile and still a strong power-play option, so he’ll be a solid addition to whichever team he signs this offseason. Given the familiarity between the two sides, it wouldn’t be all that shocking to see the Bruins and van Riemsdyk reconsider a one-year flyer for the 2024-25 season.

At the same time, the Bruins already have a lot of options on their roster that could make signing a 35-year-old van Riemsdyk unnecessary. While van Riemsdyk still has something to offer, the Bruins may opt to run with a younger lineup to set themselves up for more long-term growth. This is especially true if the team already has Justin Brazeau in the lineup. With players like Trent Frederic, Matt Poitras, Morgan Geekie, John Beecher, Max Jones, Mark Kastelic, Riley Tufte, Brazeau and others already in the conversation for a bottom-six role, signing van Riemsdyk might not be a bad decision, but it also might not be the right decision for the Bruins at this point.

Exploring additional depth is also an option for the Bruins in terms of their defensive unit.

Kevin Shattenkirk remains a free agent

Another player who has been linked to the Bruins for years was Kevin Shattenkirk. The Boston University alum once seemed like the perfect option to bring to the Bruins; a right-shooting defenseman who knows the zone. Like Riemsdyk, Shattenkirk’s signing came well past his best season and proved to be a steal for the team.

While Shattenkirk had a better season in Boston than the previous season in Anaheim, it was clear that by the end of the season he was being viewed as a defenseman who could play in the rotation.

With the Bruins likely to have Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, Brandon Carlo, Andrew Peeke, Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon as a very solid seven-defenseman rotation next season, the team has shown a tendency to carry extra defensemen due to potential injuries. Being thin on defense outside of their starters has hurt the Bruins in the past, and it’s something they’ve seemed to want to avoid in recent seasons.

At a minimum contract, Shattenkirk would provide the Bruins with some security as their eighth defenseman. If he doesn’t find another home with a more certain path to regular minutes, this might be the best scenario for both parties. Shattenkirk, like van Riemsdyk, still has some left in the tank. Signing a familiar face on a deal that wouldn’t meaningfully impact their remaining cap space might not be the worst decision in the world.

At the same time, the Bruins have enough players on their roster and are looking to make the transition from the AHL, so signing an experienced player to a contract at this point could be considered redundant. As mentioned, the lineup is completely up in the air, aside from a few obvious names at the top, making for an exciting preseason for the Bruins.