HUGE SETBACK: Here are the 5 Bruins players who have announced their leave.
As the 2023-24 NHL playoffs are set to begin, consider that these five Bruins players might be playing their final postseason in Boston.
The Boston Bruins are back in the NHL playoffs after an impressive 2023-24 regular season performance. Despite losing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement last offseason, the Bruins have remained one of the league’s best teams as they have now recorded their sixth 100-point performance in the last seven seasons.
But regardless of how much success the Bruins see in the coming weeks, not everyone is guaranteed to return next season. We’ll be in the NHL offseason in no time, meaning trades and free agency will likely shake up Boston’s roster as we know.
With that in mind, here are five Bruins who are likely experiencing their final playoff run in Boston.
1. LW/RW Jake DeBrusk
When it comes to potential offseason departures for the Bruins, Jake DeBrusk is likely at the top of that list.
DeBrusk is slated to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this offseason. Although there’s always a chance that the Bruins could re-sign the veteran forward, I wouldn’t hold my breath. After all, it doesn’t seem like Boston is too keen on holding on to him considering that management was allegedly shopping him around ahead of this year’s trade deadline.
Given that his name has been involved in trade rumors for the last few years, I won’t be surprised if DeBrusk tests his worth this summer. Players dream of becoming UFAs and it’d be silly for him not to weigh his options considering how teams consistently overpay for free agents every offseason.
Besides, the Bruins may also want to move on from DeBrusk due to his having a down year. After averaging 0.4 goals and 0.8 points per game in 2022-23, the former Swift Current Bronco is down to 0.2 and 0.5, respectively, this season. If Boston thinks that trend will continue, it’s best to walk away now rather than lock itself into a long-term deal.
DeBrusk has provided Bruins fans with some fun memories, but all good things come to an end — potentially as early as this summer.
2. LW/RW James Van Riemsdyk
Expectations weren’t high when the Bruins inked James Van Riemsdyk to a one-year, $1 million contract last offseason. It was seen as a low-risk, high-reward decision at the time. If Van Riemsdyk could return to his 20-goal form, great. If not, it isn’t like the Bruins broke the bank to add him.
At first, it looked like Van Riemsdyk was a major steal. The former 2007 second-overall pick didn’t have any issues adjusting to his new team, racking up 11 goals and 37 points through his first 51 games, putting him on pace for about 18 and 59, respectively, in an 82-game season.
Unfortunately, Van Riemsdyk wasn’t able to maintain that pace and has since looked invisible on most nights. As of April 16, the veteran winger only has one assist in his last 19 outings and hasn’t even scored a goal since the middle of February. Even though he’s playing on a cheap contract, you never want to see a player disappear for that long of a stretch.
Unless JVR truly steps up on the Bruins’ postseason run, I won’t be surprised if they let him hit the open market this offseason.
3. LW/RW Pat Maroon
The Bruins attempted to bolster their bottom-six forward depth at the trade deadline by acquiring Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild. Maroon is the type of playoff performer that Boston needed, having won three Stanley Cups while registering 51 points across 150 postseason games.
Bruins fans haven’t seen much of Maroon, though, due to his having undergone back surgery earlier this year. He finally made his Boston debut on April 13 but hasn’t done much outside of throwing around a dozen hits. It’s a small sample size, but his 37.3 Corsi % since joining the Bruins implies that the opposition has controlled the puck for over half the time he’s been on the ice.
Maroon is another player I don’t think will return next season unless he truly steps up in the playoffs. His play has been down across the board even before being traded and chances are he won’t make any drastic improvements given that he’s turning 36 this month.
Speaking of his age, Maroon is at the stage of his career where players consider retirement. If the Bruins wind up winning the Stanley Cup, he’d become the 120th player in league history to win it four times and that might be good enough to convince him to retire while being on top.
Regardless of how the postseason goes, I don’t expect to see that much more of Maroon.
4. D Derek Forbort
Another pending UFA, Derek Forbot’s time in Boston might be ending sooner rather than later.
It’s no secret that Forbort has been one of the team’s more frustrating players this season. His on-ice play has left much to be desired as his poor decision-making resulted in the Bruins allowing more goals than they should have. His minus-five on-ice goal differential is also tied for second-worst among Boston defensemen.
That’s without mentioning how the team’s on-ice expected goals percentage jumps up by 13.5% when he’s off the ice, per Money Puck.
Additionally, Forbort has also been somewhat of a distraction off the ice. It was only at the end of February when Forbort was a healthy scratch against the Seattle Kraken due to his missing a team meeting. That type of behavior should be seen as unacceptable in the eyes of his teammates, coaches, and fans.
The good news is that the Bruins can clean their hands of Forbort when he becomes a UFA this summer. Between his on-ice play and off-ice behavior, I just don’t see management wanting to bring him back for another year. There are plenty of solid defensemen hitting the open market this offseason, offering Boston several upgrade options if it’s looking for someone more reliable.
With Forbort having been on the long-term injured reserve since the beginning of March, there’s a good chance that we’ve already seen the last of him in a Bruins jersey.
5. G Linus Ullmark
It’s hard to imagine a Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender being traded, but that’s a real possibility when it comes to the Bruins and Linus Ullmark this offseason.
Ullmark found his name tied to trade rumors during the 2023-24 regular season due to Jeremy Swayman emerging as the Bruins’ franchise netminder. NHL insider Eliotte Friedman reported in March that Ullmark “was expecting that he would be traded” ahead of the deadline but likely used his no-trade clause to remain in Boston.
But even though the deadline came and went, it doesn’t mean that the Bruins won’t try to move the 30-year-old again. Swayman is set to become a restricted free agent and will likely command a major raise, meaning that Boston will likely shop Ullmark around to avoid paying two starting goaltending contracts.
Furthermore, Ullmark will be a UFA at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, so it’s smarter for the Bruins to try to move him for something rather than lose him for nothing next summer. Even though he’ll have a 16-team no-trade clause, Ullmark could be more accepting of an offseason deal if it’s clear that he’s no longer wanted in Boston.
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