Going into the 2026-27 season, the Boston Bruins have their share of contracts that make sense and a few that don’t. But the best deals on the books stand out for how much value they’re giving general manager Don Sweeney.
David Pastrnak is the headliner. When he signed his current contract a couple of seasons ago, there were plenty of people who wondered whether it would hold up over time.
Now, with some of the numbers being thrown around this offseason and AAVs climbing past $18 million for some players, Pastrnak’s eight-year, $90 million deal looks like a strong one for the Black and Gold. He’s earning $11.25 million per season, and he remains an elite scorer and impact player.
He’s been almost automatic for 40 goals a year, even though he finished with 29 last season. That said, he also piled up 71 assists, showing how much more he’s become than just a finisher.
The playmaking has only made the contract look better.
Pavel Zacha belongs in the same conversation, and maybe even higher than some would have expected a few years ago. Sweeney’s July 2022 trade with the New Jersey Devils, sending Erik Haula the other way, has worked out well for Boston.
Zacha is in the final year of his four-year, $19 million deal, which carries a $4.75 million AAV, and the production has made that salary look like a bargain. He’s coming off a career year in 2025-26 with 30 goals and 65 points while centering the second line with Casey Mittlestadt and Viktor Arvidsson.
There are questions about where things go from here, but if he’s still in Boston to start the season, he’d likely move into the No. 1 center spot. Having a No. 1 center at under $5 million is hard to beat.
Jeremy Swayman rounds out the list, and his deal is looking better by the day compared with what other top goalies are making. His AAV is $8.25 million, which sits below five other goalies in the league.
Of those five, only Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning made the postseason last spring. Swayman’s path hasn’t been smooth - his training camp holdout in 2024 was a costly misstep, and Sweeney’s hard line didn’t help the situation - but the contract itself has become a major win for Boston.
Swayman was a Vezina Trophy finalist this past season and was a big reason the Bruins got back to the playoffs after finishing tied with the Philadelphia Flyers in the basement of the Eastern Conference the year before. Compared with the rest of the goalie market, this one is a bargain.
In Other News...
David Pastrnak Is Chasing A Bruins Milestone That Could Reshape His Legacy
David Pastrnak has spent years doing what Boston has come to expect from him, piling up points with the kind of consistency that keeps him in the conversation every season. He is now 67 points away from reaching 1,000 career points with the Bruins, a benchmark that would not only underscore how long he has anchored the offense but also push him deeper into the franchise record books.
The larger question is how far he can keep climbing from there. Pastrnak has had only one season below 67 points, with the COVID-affected year standing as the exception, and his place on both the Bruins all-time scoring list and the NHLs all-time points list will depend on how long he keeps producing at this level and how his chemistry with linemates develops. For a player already viewed as one of the defining scorers of his era in Boston, the next stretch could shape the final shape of his legacy. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Put Three Young Players Under Real Pressure This Season
Mason Lohrei, Matthew Poitras and Lukas Reichel are all heading into a season that could say a lot about where they fit in Bostons plans. Each arrived with real upside, and each has already had to answer questions about consistency, roles and whether the promise is going to translate into something more permanent at the NHL level. For the Bruins, it is the kind of developmental crossroads that can shape not just a lineup, but a stretch of the franchises future.
The pressure is different for each of them, but the theme is the same: improvement is no longer optional. Boston needs these younger players to show they can handle bigger responsibilities and make their case over the course of the season, because the next step is not just about flashes anymore. It is about proving they belong, and for a team trying to balance present expectations with long-term stability, that makes this a particularly important year to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Face A Tough Casey Mittelstadt Decision Before His Next Deal
Casey Mittelstadt is heading into the final year of his deal with the Bruins, and that puts Boston in a familiar spot: deciding whether to pay now for a player it still needs to define. Mittelstadt has shown enough to keep the conversation alive, but there is also enough uncertainty around his role and recent production to make any extension feel like a bigger call than the calendar suggests.
The question for Boston is less about whether Mittelstadt can help and more about how the team wants to value him if next season becomes the proving ground. If his play pushes him forward, the Bruins could talk themselves into keeping him around longer. If not, he may end up as one of the more useful trade chips on the roster, which makes the months ahead especially important for both sides. [Read more 🡒]