NHL Rumors: Bruins GM Don Sweeney looking to 'shake' up roster amid Boston’s slow start

Modified Nov 18, 2024 20:36 GMT

Things haven't worked out according to plan for the Boston Bruins, who have battled inconsistency and poor performances in the early goings of the 2024-25 campaign.

According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney could be on the verge of making a move to inject some life into the roster.

“They’ve definitely been out there trying to see if there’s something they can do to shake them up,” Friedman said on the "Saturday Headlines" segment on Hockey Night in Canada. “There’s definitely a lot of intensity in Boston.”

Multiple players on the Bruins roster are underperforming, most notably goaltender Jeremy Swayman. He signed an eight-year, $66 million extension last month but has gone 5-6 with a goals-against average north of 3.00 and a .888 save percentage.

Meanwhile, sniper David Pastrnak leads the team with eight goals scored in 19 games, a pace of 35 goals over a full 82-game season. Scoring 35 goals would usually be considered a strong output for most players, but it would be short of Pastrnak's standards, especially after he tallied 61 and 47 goals in the last two respective seasons.

Captain Brad Marchand, who is in the final year of his contract, has scored only five goals in 19 games, while newcomer Elias Lindholm is off to a slow start with just two goals in 19 games.

The Bruins have a precarious salary cap position

Any potential move made by Don Sweeney would take careful calculation given the precarious position of Boston's salary cap situation. As of now, the team has less than $1 million of space to work with.

Multiple players on the Bruins roster are playing on expiring contracts in addition to Marchand. Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie's contracts expire this summer. Meanwhile, veteran Charlie Coyle (who is also underperforming with just three goals) has one more year left on his current deal after this season ends.

It wasn't long ago that the Bruins re-wrote the NHL record book for victories in the regular season. They won an impressive 65 games in the 2022-23 season and were considered the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

However, they were stunned in the opening round by the eventual Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers, ending the distinguished careers of longtime Bruins forwards Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

It remains to be seen what moves the Bruins could make to supplement or shake up their current lineup. The NHL trade deadline for this season falls on Mar. 7.