There are 25 regular season games in a tumultuous Boston Bruins season where the team has a slim chance to make the postseason. With seven games remaining until the trade deadline, decisions have to be made regarding players without a contract next season. Throughout the organization, the Bruins have eight unrestricted free agents. Here is a look at all eight and a prediction on where they might play during the 2025-26 season:
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Forwards
Brad Marchand, Trent Frederic, Patrick Brown, Vinni Lettieri, Justin Brazeau, Cole Koepke, Riley Tufte
Marchand is a wildcard as we approach the trade deadline. The 15-year veteran is a captain and will go down as an all-time great Boston Bruin. It was a foregone conclusion that the 5-foot-9 sparkplug forward would finish his career as a Bruin, but recent rumors persist about the possibility of Marchand moving on to a playoff contender as he reached unrestricted free agency. Marchand has been linked to such teams as Colorado, Minnesota, and Dallas. The left winger could play with friend and Nova Scotia native Nathan MacKinnon with the Avalanche or help replace the void created by the absence of injured Wild star Kirill Kaprizov. As the season moves on and the Bruins become less likely to make the playoffs, look for serious Marchand talks to intensify and the feisty forward to move to another city.
Frederic has been a topic of discussion for many weeks after it was reported that extension talks have been non-existent. The pugilistic forward has been connected to his hometown, St. Louis Blues, and could sign there in the offseason. Frederic is the most likely to be moved at the deadline after struggling to just eight goals and seven assists this season.
Brown has been a solid center for the Providence Bruins and has filled in admirably for the Boston Bruins at various times. Brown is 32 years old and has ten goals and 18 assists as captain in Providence. Brown could be brought back next season as a veteran center who can help the younger guys along in the AHL again.
Lettieri, like Brown, is becoming a career AHL player who produces at a high level in the minors. Lettieri performed admirably in his recent eight-game recall with two goals. The 30-year-old will probably test the market and search for a new home for the 2025-26 season.
Brazeau is becoming an intriguing player whose value is debated quite frequently. The 6-foot-5 forward has great size, good hands, and is willing to get to the net. His skating is always holding him back, and the Bruins need more team speed. It is unclear what type of assets Brazeau would get in return on the trade market, but the Bruins should explore. Brazeau has ten goals this season but has cooled off lately. It is unlikely that the Bruins will re-sign the power forward.
Koepke started the season white-hot by scoring goals and showing off his excellent speed on the wing. Since then, Koepke has tailed off, and the likelihood of Boston extending him this offseason is waning. The Bruins need to revamp the lineup, and Mark Kastelic is already re-signed for three years. Bringing Koepke back will just result in running it back with the same lineup, which Boston should avoid.
Tufte has not worked out after signing as a free agent in the offseason. The 26-year-old has 11 goals and 14 assists in Providence and could be brought back to play on the AHL team again. However, one would think that Tufte will test the market first.
Defensemen
Wotherspoon has been a good, low-cost defenseman for Boston. As a seventh defenseman, the 27-year-old has one goal and one assist in 30 NHL games and is a minus-5 this season. The 2015 fourth-round draft pick is making just $800,000 on his current contract and could be brought back on another one-year deal.
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