Bruins to pluck top RFA from cap-strapped rival with offer sheet!
Big summer ahead in Boston if management makes the right move. Is this it? Full details below:
With the terrible 2024-25 season the Boston Bruins have had, everyone expects significant changes that will be made in the organization during the summer. Insider Fluto Shinzawa of the Athletic took a closer look at what could be done in Boston and what might be the best approach for general manager Don Sweewey or new management if the GM’s head were to roll this offseason as one of the upcoming changes.
While Shinzawa does not see the Bruins including their draft picks in any trade proposals because of their shallow prospect pool, he wonders if the team could pull out a wild card and target a restricted free agent on the market to send him an offer sheet.
Shinzawa even suggests the Bruins should go after rival New York Rangers RFA Will Cuylle.
“ They project to have cap space. So while they’re not in a position to trade picks, it could be worth it to pluck a specific RFA away from a cap-strapped team.
“Next year, for example, Igor Shesterkin will begin earning $11.5 million annually from the New York Rangers. Would that leave GM Chris Drury with enough to match an offer sheet for Will Cuylle?”
The Bruins could also go the unrestricted free agent route, but we all remember how it went (horribly) wrong this past summer with Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov…
Boston has a projected cap space of $26.2 million with 14 active roster players under contract.
Considering what kind of money is available to them, the Bruins should have enough to sign a notable player or two in the unrestricted free-agent market.
But if the plan is to target an RFA with the offer-sheet route, they will have to lose draft picks as compensation. We better keep an eye on what’s happening in Boston this summer.
