Boston Bruins 2024-25 Roster and Salary Cap Discussion

[CheerstoBeers]

He’s not worthy of centering a guy like Pasta because he’s ideally a winger. I am not going to blame him for not producing like a bonafide 1C when everybody in the world knows he’s not that

As a Bruin he has 11 points in 18 playoff games. Thats about what his usual ppg pace is (50 points) idk what to tell you

50 points centering a 100+ point winger. 11 points but zero goals which are important this time of year. I'm not blaming Zacha, too much is being asked of him but he needs to be back on third line duty next year and we need a real Bergeron replacement and a guy who can statistically keep up with Pasta. A third line winger and a guy signed on a PTO isn't exactly ideal for our top line

 

[BruinDust]

Reinhart is a much better player than E.Lindholm, who most are saying we should sign. Given the choice, I take Reinhart over Lindholm every time.

You are also looking at probably a 3-4 million difference in their AAVs. Maybe more. Reinhart had more goals this year than Lindholm had points. He almost had as many goals (57) as Lindholm had points the year prior (64).

You might be looking at 10-11 million per to pry Reinhart out of South Florida and it's no-state tax situation.

 

[RiverbottomChuck]

They need to make a push for one of the 2-5 picks and snag Cayden Lindstrom, he’s going to be a monster.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

honestly I think a lot of the Zacha hate is just nonsense yapping, he’s got 3 points in 4 games and is a +2 this series where the goal diff for the team is -6. People are acting like he’s their worst player. Silliness.

Really only happens to European players, Tuukka being the biggest and best example where they get crap but the facts/stats just don’t match the crappers feelings

Are you ok with keeping Zacha and losing DeBrusk? Going to be unlikely they can retain both and upgrade at C.

 

[dugg133]

Are you ok with keeping Zacha and losing DeBrusk? Going to be unlikely they can retain both and upgrade at C.

no it's not, they have so much cap space to work with this summer and most of the roster is already filled out. Like if they sign Debrusk at around 6mil and Sway at around 7mil, and then trade Ullmark to the highest bidder, they'll have this as their roster:

Zacha-xxxx-pasta
marchand-coyle-debrusk
Frederic-Poitras-Geekie
Lauko-Beecher-Brazeau

Lindholm-McAvoy
Lohrei-Carlo
Wotherspoon-Peeke

Sway/Bussi

with a little over 10mil remaining in cap space.

 

[CDJ]

50 points centering a 100+ point winger. 11 points but zero goals which are important this time of year. I'm not blaming Zacha, too much is being asked of him but he needs to be back on third line duty next year and we need a real Bergeron replacement and a guy who can statistically keep up with Pasta. A third line winger and a guy signed on a PTO isn't exactly ideal for our top line

He’s also not a 3rd liner, he has 57 and 59 points the last 2 years. He’s a 2nd line winger, that’s where his ideal slot is imo. A complimentary scorer. The problem is he’s being leaned on as a primary scorer

Idrc if somebody has no goals if they’re still producing points which he is doing. He’s contributing to goals being scored either way. I think he’s been strong defensively for the most part- probably why he’s a + player in this series

 

[Fenian24]

Frank Seravalli's projected UFA contract amounts. I disagree with quite a few but wanted to put it here as some sort of reference for what player may be expecting to get paid. I think he is low pretty much across the board. The Bruins should have 22M in cap space before dealing Ullmark and signing Swayman. I am basing this on a 88m cap. Ullmark dealt for picks and Swayman at 8m the Bruins should have 19m to sign players. I bolded names I think would fit with that money available.
Not listed is Brandon Duhaime who I would also sign. Underlined players would be secondary choices

Rank	Player	Pos	Age	Team	Cap Hit	GP	G	PTS	AFP Proj*
1	Sam Reinhart	RW	29	FLA	$6.5M	82	57	94	8 x $10.2M
2	Jake Guentzel	LW	30	CAR	$6M	67	30	77	6 x $8M
3	Steven Stamkos	LW/C	34	TBL	$8.5M	79	40	81	3 x $6.3M
4	Patrick Kane	RW	36	DET	$2.75M	50	20	47	2 x $5.5M
5	Joe Pavelski	RW	40	DAL	$5.5M	82	27	67	1 x $4M
6	Brady Skjei	LD	30	CAR	$5.25M	80	13	47	6 x $7.4M
7	Jonathan Marchessault	RW	34	VGK	$5M	82	42	69	3 x $6.25M
8	Elias Lindholm	C/RW	30	VAN	$4.85M	75	15	44	7 x $8M
9	Brandon Montour	RD	30	FLA	$3.5M	66	8	33	7 x $8.7M
10	Matt Duchene	C/RW	33	DAL	$3M	80	25	65	3 x $6.5M
11	Matt Roy	RD	29	LAK	$3.15M	81	5	25	4 x $5.5M
12	Brett Pesce	RD	30	CAR	$4.03M	70	3	13	6 x $6.7M
13	Teuvo Teravainen	LW	30	CAR	$5.4M	76	25	53	5 x $6.3M
14	Tyler Bertuzzi	LW	29	TOR	$5.5M	80	21	43	5 x $6M
15	Nikita Zadorov	LD	29	VAN	$3.75M	75	6	20	4 x $5M
16	Chandler Stevenson	C	30	VGK	$2.75M	75	16	51	5 x $5.7M
17	Tyler Toffoli	RW	32	WPG	$4.25M	79	33	55	5 x $6.5M
18	Jonathan Drouin	LW	29	COL	$825K	79	19	56	4 X $4.5M
19	Max Domi	RW	29	TOR	$3M	80	9	47	3 x $4.2M
20	Sean Walker	RD	30	COL	$2.65M	81	10	29	4 x $4.8M
21	Oliver Ekman-Larsson	LD	33	FLA	$2.25M	80	9	32	3 x $3.7M
22	Dakota Joshua	LW	28	VAN	$825K	63	18	32	3 x $3M
23	Vladimir Tarasenko	RW	33	FLA	$5M	76	23	55	3 x $5.6M
24	Jalen Chatfield	RD	28	CAR	$763K	72	8	22	3 x $2.7M
25	Jake DeBrusk	LW	28	BOS	$4M	80	19	40	5 x $6M
26	Alexandre Carrier	RD	30	NSH	$2.5M	73	4	20	3 x $2.7M
27	Shayne Gostisbehere	LD	31	DET	$4.13M	81	10	56	3 x $4.4M
28	Sean Monahan	C	30	WPG	$2M	83	26	59	3 x $2.9M
29	Anthony Duclair	LW	29	TBL	$3M	73	24	42	3 x $3.25M
30	Yakov Trenin	LW/C	28	COL	$1.7M	76	12	17	3 x $3.3M
31	Alex Nedeljkovic	G	29	PIT	$1.5M	38	2.96	0.902	2 x $2M
32	David Perron	RW	36	DET	$4.75M	76	17	47	2 x 2.8M
33	Viktor Arvidsson	RW	31	LAK	$4.25M	18	6	15	n/a
34	Brenden Dillon	LD	34	WPG	$3.9M	77	8	20	2 x $3.9M
35	Ian Cole	LD	35	VAN	$3M	78	2	11	2 x $3M
36	Tyler Myers	RD	34	VAN	$6M	77	5	29	2 x 2.7M
37	Jason Zucker	LW	32	NSH	$5.3M	69	14	32	3 x $5.4M
38	Matt Dumba	RD	30	TBL	$3.9M	76	4	12	3 x $3.7M
39	Alex Wennberg	C	30	NYR	$4.5M	79	10	30	4 x $4.2M
40	Dylan DeMelo	RD	31	WPG	$3M	82	3	31	4 x $5M
41	Matt Grzelcyk	LD	31	BOS	$3.7M	63	2	11	3 x $4M
42	Chris Tanev	RD	35	DAL	$4.5M	75	2	19	3 x $4.7M
43	Erik Gustafsson	LD	32	NYR	$825K	76	6	31	3 x $5M
44	Daniel Sprong	RW	27	DET	$2M	76	18	43	3 x $3.8M
45	Kaapo Kahkonen	G	28	NJD	$2.75M	37	3.64	0.898	2 x $3M
46	Teddy Blueger	C	30	VAN	$1.9M	68	6	28	2 x $2.6M
47	Jordan Martinook	LW	32	CAR	$1.8M	82	14	32	2 x $2.8M
48	Ilya Samsonov	G	27	TOR	$3.55M	40	3.13	0.89	2 x $3.25M
49	T.J. Brodie	LD	34	TOR	$5M	78	1	26	3 x $4.8M
50	Vincent Desharnais	RD	28	EDM	$763K	78	1	11	2 x $1.4M

 

[TD Charlie]

More than ready to move on from the 1A/1B goalie tandem.

I’ve said it multiple times before but too many fans love the goalie hug it seems.

You pick a goalie and run with him in the playoffs. You can’t tie up significant cap in a guy to ride a bench in a winner take all best of 7.

Series comes down to game 7 and you have 6-7 million tied up in a guy opening the bench door all night while the other team has an impact player out there skating a regular shift.

It just doesn’t make sense. No doubt this rotation helps pick up pts in the regular season, but we are seemingly trying to reinvent the wheel to make it work in the playoffs

I like having both, but Swayman has earned the job at this point. It’s his net. Pay him and move on

 

[JoeIsAStud]

Zacha can bring back a 2nd rd pick. Why do you want a certain PO no shiw?

I am not trading good NHL players for drat picks. I think Zacha is miscast as a #1 Center, and might consider dealing him in the right deal, but not for someone who if things go very well is a rookie depth player on the 2028/29 Bruins roster.

If I move Zacha it is part of the package to go out and bring in a better forward or a top pairing D.

I don't get the obsession with people who want draft picks who might help in 3-5 years so desperately

 

[gerrycheeversmask]

I like having both, but Swayman has earned the job at this point. It’s his net. Pay him and move on

The Florida Panthers currently have 15.6 million dollars tied up in goaltending, and their roster looks a hell of a lot better than the Bruins.

 

[TD Charlie]

The Florida Panthers currently have 15.6 million dollars tied up in goaltending, and their roster looks a hell of a lot better than the Bruins.

I’m jealous.

 

[BruinDust]

Frank Seravalli's projected UFA contract amounts. I disagree with quite a few but wanted to put it here as some sort of reference for what player may be expecting to get paid. I think he is low pretty much across the board.

His projection on Dakota Joshua is comically bad and far too low. I also think he's pretty low on Guentzel conversely too high on Lindholm. Guentzel is the far superior player and really underrated. Meanwhile, who in their right mind gives a 40-50 pt. center on a downward trajectory 7 years at 8 million per.

 

[gerrycheeversmask]

His projection on Dakota Joshua is comically bad and far too low. I also think he's pretty low on Guentzel conversely too high on Lindholm. Guentzel is the far superior player and really underrated. Meanwhile, who in their right mind gives a 40-50 pt. center on a downward trajectory 7 years at 8 million per.

And seriously, who's the sucker that's going to sign Drouin to a 4 x 4.5 contract???

 

[bbfan419]

You are also looking at probably a 3-4 million difference in their AAVs. Maybe more. Reinhart had more goals this year than Lindholm had points. He almost had as many goals (57) as Lindholm had points the year prior (64).

You might be looking at 10-11 million per to pry Reinhart out of South Florida and it's no-state tax situation.

Yes that is true, guess it depends on what kind of trades they make as well.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

no it's not, they have so much cap space to work with this summer and most of the roster is already filled out. Like if they sign Debrusk at around 6mil and Sway at around 7mil, and then trade Ullmark to the highest bidder, they'll have this as their roster:

Zacha-xxxx-pasta
marchand-coyle-debrusk
Frederic-Poitras-Geekie
Lauko-Beecher-Brazeau

Lindholm-McAvoy
Lohrei-Carlo
Wotherspoon-Peeke

Sway/Bussi

with a little over 10mil remaining in cap space.

U need a 23 man roster so you are down to likely $6m dollars. So no you aren't getting a true #1C.

 

[Fenian24]

His projection on Dakota Joshua is comically bad and far too low. I also think he's pretty low on Guentzel conversely too high on Lindholm. Guentzel is the far superior player and really underrated. Meanwhile, who in their right mind gives a 40-50 pt. center on a downward trajectory 7 years at 8 million per.

There is worse, look at Grizz's projection

 

[dangermike]

Zacha 78GP, 21G, 38A, 59P, +12
DeBrusk 80GP, 19G, 21A, 40P, +4

One of those dudes is stapled to pasta

 

[TD Charlie]

Sign a few assholes. That’s it

 

[JoeIsAStud]

There is worse, look at Grizz's projection

Hahaha,

Honestly FA is the silly season. Gm's do incredibly stupid things, in particular when plan A fails.

Way too many fans will blame the GM if they don't spend at least 90% of available money in an offseason, even if what they bring in is absolute crap.

 

[BruinDust]

There is worse, look at Grizz's projection

Thanks I needed a good laugh today. That's awful.

The Sean Monahan at 2.9 is also terrible. A team just traded a 1st round pick to rent him he's might get double Seravelli's projection.

Another standout is TJ Brodie at 4.8 million and Jason Zucker at 5.4 both at 3 years each. I can see Brodie not even getting a contract offer next year. Maybe a PTO.

Meanwhile, Zucker was a pure cap dump at the deadline and it's only because there was a team out there with a fair bit of cap space that they found a taker.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

Thanks I needed a good laugh today. That's awful.

The Sean Monahan at 2.9 is also terrible. A team just traded a 1st round pick to rent him he's might get double Seravelli's projection.

Another standout is TJ Brodie at 4.8 million and Jason Zucker at 5.4 both at 3 years each. I can see Brodie not even getting a contract offer next year. Maybe a PTO.

Meanwhile, Zucker was a pure cap dump at the deadline and it's only because there was a team out there with a fair bit of cap space that they found a taker.

Can't take it seriously.

 

[JoeIsAStud]

Thanks I needed a good laugh today. That's awful.

The Sean Monahan at 2.9 is also terrible. A team just traded a 1st round pick to rent him he's might get double Seravelli's projection.

Another standout is TJ Brodie at 4.8 million and Jason Zucker at 5.4 both at 3 years each. I can see Brodie not even getting a contract offer next year. Maybe a PTO.

Meanwhile, Zucker was a pure cap dump at the deadline and it's only because there was a team out there with a fair bit of cap space that they found a taker.

Boy, I wouldn't want to be the team that risks 5.8 million on Monahan. He had a real nice season, but if you are investing big money and years in him, there is huge blow up in your face potential there

 

[BruinDust]

Boy, I wouldn't want to be the team that risks 5.8 million on Monahan. He had a real nice season, but if you are investing big money and years in him, there is huge blow up in your face potential there

Term is the issue with Monahan. Any GM has to worry about his health long-term. If he can match his production from this year the AAV at 5-6 is fair.

 

[JoeIsAStud]

Term is the issue with Monahan. Any GM has to worry about his health long-term. If he can match his production from this year the AAV at 5-6 is fair.

Agree, for example on 1 year at 5-6 million, it is a reasonable risk. But he will likely be looking for that 5+ year type deal, as he will only be 30 next year. This is his best chance at one last big bag.

And someone will likely give it to him, because the silly season is when GM's panic

 

[BruinDust]

Agree, for example on 1 year at 5-6 million, it is a reasonable risk. But he will likely be looking for that 5+ year type deal, as he will only be 30 next year. This is his best chance at one last big bag.

And someone will likely give it to him, because the silly season is when GM's panic

Most likely he will look for a home-run. And he will likely find it. 4-5 year contract. I'd be OK 1-2 (not saying for the Bruins just in general).

It's like Elias Lindholm. A 4-5 year deal. I don't love it but I can live with it. Honestly if his agent called and drew a hard line in the sand at 7 years, I'd probably hang up the phone on him.