Members of the Boston Bruins met with the media Sunday as the players cleaned out their lockers, reflected on the season, and looked ahead to next year. The theme, as is the case with most post-playoff talk, was the injuries sustained in a long, grueling season. There were quite a few Bruins who battled through ailments to advance to the second round.
Defenseman Hampus Lindholm sustained a knee injury in February but was relatively healthy in the playoffs. Lindholm would like to see the defensemen become more active offensively next season.
Derek Forbort is an unrestricted free agent and played just three postseason games for Boston. The 32-year-old defenseman had surgeries on both groins and a torn thumb ligament as he played just 35 regular season games with four assists.
Matt Grzelcyk is another defenseman who is free to sign anywhere this offseason. The Charlestown, Massachusetts native battled a torn oblique for most of the season and also suited up for just three playoff games. The 5a-foot-9 defenseman stated that the team has not discussed a possible contract with him.
Pat Maroon was added at the trade deadline to provide leadership and an enforcer role for the club. Maroon played in all 13 postseason games with two assists and averaged 9:35 of ice time. The 36-year-old winger expressed his desire to return to Boston next season and wants to mentor the young players. The big forward is an unrestricted free agent and wants to prove he can add more to the team after recovering from back surgery before the postseason.
Forward Danton Heinen suffered an undisclosed injury during the playoffs and is also an unrestricted free agent. The 28-year-old played 74 games with 36 points and played some minutes on the top line in the playoffs, but managed just one assist.
Winger Jake DeBrusk is another unrestrained free agent who said that he thought a contract extension “would already be done” with Boston. Currently, there are no talks between DeBrusk and the team. The Edmonton native wants to return to Boston, and his main focus is “to win a Stanley Cup”.
David Pastrnak battled a groin injury throughout the season but said it was not a factor in the playoffs. Pastrnak said that players would love to play for an organization like the Boston Bruins and will join the Czech national team in the World Championships.
And then there are the goaltenders. Jeremy Swayman wants you to sign long-term and is confident a deal will get done. The restricted free agent took over the starting spot in the postseason and shined with a 2.15 goals against average and .933 save percentage in 12 games.
Linus Ullmark has been the subject of trade rumors again and still has a 15-team no-trade list. The teams are on the list for particular reasons that Ullmark does not want to disclose. The odds are likely that Ullmark will be traded this offseason. When asked about it, Ullmark said, “I have one more year left.”
The Bruins management will speak to the media in the coming days, and the status of Head Coach Jim Montgomery will be addressed. The Bruins have upwards of $21 million in salary cap space available to them. That should be enough to sign Swayman, potentially DeBrusk, and get another impact player.
