The Bruins are trimming their camp roster, but the picture still isn’t fully set with opening night approaching fast.
On Saturday, Boston moved closer to Tuesday’s roster deadline by placing forwards Lukas Reichel and Alex Steeves on waivers for assignment to Providence, while defenseman Ty Gallagher will report to Providence. More cuts are still coming, and Sunday figures to sharpen the view even more.
Steeves had carved out some value for himself after joining the Bruins as a free agent from the Toronto organization before last season. He earned an early call-up and produced 9-7-16 in 43 games, enough for management to reward him with a two-year extension carrying an AAV of $1.625 million, most of which can be buried in the AHL. But he never found much traction in this camp, especially with Mikey Eyssimont performing better.
Reichel’s situation followed a similar path. Boston picked him up from last March for a sixth-round pick and then gave him a one-year extension worth $950,00. The hope was that the German speedster would bring something to the forecheck, but he never really stood out in camp.
Their exits also clear room for rookie James Hagens, who lit up the Prospects Showcase in Buffalo and has looked good in the preseason. That’s part of why the roster math is tightening the way it is.
There’s still work to do, though. Players who need waivers have to be on the wire by 2 p.m. on Sunday if Boston wants to keep them off the opening-night roster, and the Bruins still have nine NHL defensemen in camp.
At least one of them has to go, and Henri Jokiharju is one name to watch since he still has two more years left at $3 million. Matt Poitras is also still on the roster, though he needs waivers and is currently hurt.
Dans Locmelis remains in camp as well; he’s waiver exempt, has had a strong showing, and the Bruins clearly like the centerman, but it’s hard to see him staying if he isn’t going to play regularly.
Poitras is one of the more interesting decisions in front of the Bruins. Maybe the expectations got a little ahead of reality when he made the roster as a 19-year-old, and maybe he won’t end up as a top-six center.
Still, he looks like an NHL player, and if Boston thinks there’s any chance another team would claim him, it probably shouldn’t expose him to waivers. The issue is fit.
Elias Lindholm, Pavel Zacha, Fraser Minten and Sean Kuraly appear to be the top four centers, which leaves little obvious room. He’s not likely to bump the top three, though there’s at least an argument for giving him some time in Kuraly’s spot.
Poitras actually looked pretty solid between Mark Kastelic and Tanner Jeannot when he was up briefly last season, and that’s a detail worth remembering. He still has to get better at avoiding big hits after a shoulder injury ended his rookie season, and he’s day-to-day with a lower body injury now.
If he isn’t ready, Eyssimont has earned the 13th forward spot.
The defense also remains a bit of a puzzle. Boston didn’t allow an even-strength goal in its overtime loss to the Capitals, but that didn’t mean the group was clean in its own end.
Exiting the zone was an issue again, and not just for the defensemen. The Kid Line got trapped and couldn’t clear, which led to a Jonathan Aspirot penalty.
Connor Clifton took another penalty before the first period ended, and that sequence led to a goal. Then Hampus Lindholm was beaten on a rush late in regulation and had to take a penalty that set up the overtime winner.
The six defensemen Boston used in Washington are likely the same six to start the season while Charlie McAvoy serves his suspension, though there’s a case that Frederic Brunet had a stronger camp than Aspirot. McAvoy’s return should help, but the first stretch is still going to be a test.
After the opener against the Rangers, the Bruins go on the road for back-to-back games in Winnipeg and against a tough Minnesota team. McAvoy comes back in time for a West Coast trip that includes San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles and Dallas.
One of the most intriguing lines in camp has been the Kid Line of Hagens, Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov. That group should get a real look together, but there will be rough patches. The Bruins need to let them work through those moments and see where it goes.
There’s also the trade chatter that tends to follow every camp, and Kirill Marchenko is one of the names floating around. He’s been linked to the Bruins, who could use his blend of skill, size and ability to get to the net.
The cost, though, would be steep: Pavel Zacha, with extensions already in place for both players, plus Mason Lohrei, Matt Poitras and a high draft pick. If Minten or Hagens is part of the package, the answer would be no.
Zacha also has an eight-team no-trade list, and Columbus is not high on most players’ preferred destinations. Even if he’d go there, there’s no guarantee he’d sign an extension.
A Zacha re-signing would be welcome, even at $10 million a year, and if he’s blocking the younger centers, he could slide to wing without losing much of his impact. But if no deal gets done, he’ll have to be moved at some point.
And with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting that the salary cap is expected to rise from $104 million this season to $113.5 million next season and then to $127.5 million in 2028-29, it’s fair to ask a simple question: are there still people angry at Jeremy Swayman for standing his ground a couple of years ago?
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For the Bruins, the situation is straightforward on paper but potentially important in practice, because a player who goes unclaimed does not simply disappear from the conversation. If Reichel clears, he can be assigned to Bostons AHL affiliate, leaving the Bruins to decide how they want to handle a forward who is now waiting on the rest of the league to make the first move. [Read more 🡒]