Don Sweeney went into free agency last summer with a clear idea of what he wanted around first-year head coach Marco Sturm: players who could make the Bruins harder to play against, especially in the bottom six.
Mikey Eyssimont fit that mission on paper. Boston signed the forward to a two-year, $2.9 million contract with an AAV of $1.45 million, bringing in a player Bruins fans already knew from his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning. But the first season in Boston didn’t unfold exactly the way the Bruins hoped, and it leaves Eyssimont in an uncertain spot heading into the summer.
Eyssimont spent most of his regular season in a bottom-six role, usually on Sturm’s fourth line. He brought some of the edge Boston wanted, but he also missed time, appearing in just 56 games.
Even so, the offense was there in a way it hadn’t been for him before. He finished with eight goals and 18 points, both part of what was his second-best NHL season, and he posted a minus-3 rating while averaging 10:55 per game.
The numbers still don’t make him a lock to stick around. Eyssimont’s best NHL season came in 2023-24 with Tampa Bay, when he scored 11 goals and added 14 assists while logging nearly 12 minutes a night for Jon Cooper. In Boston, he produced solid counting stats, but he remains a trade candidate this summer if Sweeney decides to move on from some players, something the Bruins general manager is expected to do.
His role shrank even further in the playoffs. After missing plenty of regular-season games, Eyssimont barely saw the ice in Boston’s first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres. He played in two of the six games and averaged 11:59.
That limited postseason usage only adds to the sense that the fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings could be on the move before training camp opens in September, with Boston looking to clear a roster spot.
In Other News...
Bruins Suddenly Have A Big Decision To Make On Nikita Zadorov
Nikita Zadorovs second season in Boston gave the Bruins plenty to think about as they head into another crucial offseason. After arriving as a free-agent signing, the big defenseman settled in as a steady part of the blue line, playing 81 games and taking a noticeable step forward offensively while still bringing the size and edge Boston values on the back end.
The question now is whether that progress makes him even more important to keep, or more attractive as a trade chip if the Bruins decide to reshape the roster. Zadorov remained a key defensive piece in the 2026 postseason, and with Elias Lindholm still searching for consistency after his own rocky run in Boston, the Bruins have more than one expensive bet to sort through before the lineup gets set for next season. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Free Agency Push Could Hinge On One Risky Scoring Winger
Anthony Mantha remains one of the more intriguing names still sitting in free agency, and the Bruins are among the teams keeping an eye on him. The 31-year-old winger is coming off the best season of his NHL career, one that put him back on the radar as a legitimate scoring option and made him a possible fit for clubs looking to add offense without making a long-term commitment.
Bostons interest, like the interest from Montreal and Philadelphia, appears tied to the kind of short-term gamble that can help a roster without clogging future flexibility. The Bruins have a little over $5 million in cap space to work with, which keeps the door open, but the real question is whether the market and Manthas expectations can line up enough for a deal to happen. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Have Already Put More Of Their Future On The Line
The Bruins have already pushed a meaningful chunk of their future into the present, and the 2027 draft board is where that gamble shows up most clearly. Boston has moved out two first-round picks, a second-rounder and a third-rounder for that draft, leaving the club with just one selection in the first three rounds and a much thinner path to restocking the pipeline than it is used to.
What makes that especially notable is how little margin is left if the season veers off course. The Bruins are down to two fourth-round picks, have no fifth-rounder, and are hanging onto only their own sixth- and seventh-round selections, which means general manager Don Sweeney may eventually have to decide whether to keep pressing forward or try to recoup some draft capital before the bill comes due. [Read more 🡒]