The Bruins have already seen enough roster churn this offseason to reshape parts of the lineup, and not every departure has carried the same weight. Don Sweeney has made additions - trading for JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth, bringing back Connor Clifton after a couple of years away, and landing Will Borgen from the New York Rangers - but a few exits stand out more than the rest.
The biggest loss so far is Viktor Arvidsson. Boston did not appear to push hard enough to keep him after he signed with the Detroit Red Wings in free agency.
Peterka’s arrival may have complicated the picture, but Arvidsson leaving for only $1 million more than he made this past season is a tough detail to ignore. He was a valuable part of the second line alongside Casey Mittlestadt and Pavel Zacha, and if Boston has trouble scoring next season while Arvidsson produces in Detroit, this move will draw plenty of second-guessing.
With Peterka likely ticketed for the first line, Morgan Geekie could be the one asked to step into Arvidsson’s old spot on the second line.
The other departure that could end up haunting Boston is Fabian Lysell, who was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on June 27. His time with the Bruins never really got off the ground, and there’s enough blame to spread around for why it didn’t work.
The front office, development in the American Hockey League, and Lysell himself all factor into the story. Still, it was a failed run for both sides, and if he becomes a regular in Colorado on a strong Western Conference team, that will be a bad look for the Bruins.
Andrew Peeke rounds out the list, though his exit was the least surprising of the three. The defenseman signed with the Utah Mammoth in free agency after a season that already felt like it was headed toward an ending, with some expecting him to be moved at the trade deadline in March.
Sweeney had even suggested a reunion could happen, but Peeke hit the market and took a one-year deal worth $1 million. That contract says plenty about the decision to let him go, and it also shows how thin the Bruins’ list of offseason losses really is.
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Poitras does not have arbitration rights, which leaves him in a precarious spot as the calendar moves toward the Dec. 1 signing deadline. If the Bruins cannot find a contract that fits, the conversation may shift from when he will rejoin the team to whether Boston uses him as part of a trade to address another need, a familiar kind of crossroads for a club that has not always handed prospects an easy runway. [Read more 🡒]