The NHL offseason keeps grinding along, and the Bruins are still waiting to make their next real move. Around the league, though, the market is changing in a way that has direct implications for Boston: young players are getting long-term money, and the latest example only adds more pressure on Don Sweeney.
On Thursday, the Penguins signed Ville Koivunen to an 8x$4M deal. Koivunen is 23 and has only 47 games on his resume, which is exactly why the contract matters beyond Pittsburgh. The Bruins have two forwards who are eligible for extensions, and Sweeney has just over a month if he wants to get an eight-year deal done.
Boston did have one other note on Friday. The Providence Bruins signed forward Cross Hanas to a one-year AHL contract. The Highland Village, TX native is coming off a 38-point season with the Texas Stars, finishing with 15 goals and 23 assists in 38 points.
There was also a small milestone for a familiar Bruins voice. Two years ago, NESN hired Judd Sirott as the play-by-play commentator for the Boston Bruins.
Elsewhere in the hockey world, the Kings wasted no time making a franchise statement. Anze Kopitar’s No. 11 will be raised to the rafters at Crypto.com Arena on February 24, 2027, and Los Angeles will also unveil a bronze statue for its former captain.
Pittsburgh’s Koivunen deal is drawing plenty of scrutiny because the player still hasn’t locked down a full-time NHL role. Last season, he posted nine points, with two goals and seven assists, in 39 games. Dan Kingerski has more on Koivunen, including comments from him and his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach.
The Quinn Hughes situation is still unresolved, and Elliotte Friedman isn’t moving off his 3x$18M prediction for the extension. He did set a personal deadline for when he’ll start to worry, and he suggested the delay isn’t being driven by the market shift itself. James Nichols has more on the Wild defenseman, and NHL Media shared Friedman’s comments on the situation.
In Florida, the Panthers are welcoming back some old faces for another run in South Florida. Jacob Markstrom, Radko Gudas, and Alexander Petrovic are all returning, with the goal of proving Thomas Wolfe wrong: “You can’t go home again.”
Detroit’s top prospect discussion has also picked up. Axel Sandin-Pellikka is DHN’s No.
2 Red Wings prospect, and Kevin Allen points out that the right-shot defenseman already has 68 games under his belt. When Sandin-Pellikka was drafted, TSN’s Craig Button compared him to a young Sergei Zubov, and Allen says that comparison is still on the table in his deep dive on the Swedish defenseman.
Sportsnet also took a look at the shifting contract landscape and highlighted deals that could become “absolute bargains.”
And one more former Bruin made a personal announcement of his own: Taylor Hall said he got to spend his day with the Stanley Cup, and after 15 years, he finally has his boater’s license.
Bruins offseason schedule: Friday, September 11: Rookie Camp opens - Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA
Sun, Sept 13-Mon, Sept 14: Prospects Showcase - LECOM Harborcenter, Buffalo, NY Wednesday, September 16: Training Camp opens - Warrior Ice Arena, Brighton, MA
Sunday, September 20: First preseason game - TD Garden, Boston, MA Tuesday, September 29: Home opener - TD Garden, Boston, MA
In Other News...
Bruins Face Growing Pressure On Pavel Zacha And Two Young Forwards
With several Bruins entering the final year of their contracts, the front office is starting to sort out which pieces it wants to keep in place and for how long. General manager Don Sweeney is weighing extension talks for center Pavel Zacha along with younger forwards Marat Khusnutdinov and Fraser Minten, a group that sits at an interesting crossroads for Boston because each player could shape the clubs middle-six depth in different ways.
The timing adds another layer of urgency, even beyond the usual business of roster planning. A recent extension elsewhere around the league has only reinforced how quickly young players can become more expensive to lock up, and Boston is expected to make its decisions before the next round of labor changes arrives. For the Bruins, the question is not just who stays, but how soon they need to act before the market and the rules shift under them. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Could Be Pulled Into A Costly Devils Reunion Push
The Devils have spent the offseason reshaping their roster under new general manager Sunny Mehta, and one of the more intriguing ideas floating around New Jersey is a reunion with Pavel Zacha. For Bruins fans, it is the kind of rumor that lands with a little extra weight because Zachas path has already included a stop in New Jersey, and his value to Boston has only grown as he moves through the final year of his contract.
Boston has no reason to rush into anything, especially with the season still ahead and the club still weighing what comes next for a player who fits in well here. But whenever a team starts lining up possible trade pieces for a familiar forward, the conversation gets uncomfortable fast, and this one could turn costly if the Devils decide to press their case. [Read more 🡒]