Salary Cap Deep Dive: Boston Bruins

Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2025-26 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We’re currently covering the Atlantic Division, first up are the Bruins.

Boston Bruins

Current Cap Hit: $93,323,333 (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Fraser Minten (two years, $816.7K)

Minten was brought in last season at the trade deadline as part of the return for Brandon Carlo.  While his ceiling might not be overly high, he’s viewed as a potential third-line middleman and those players can carry some value.  If he can establish himself as a full-timer over the next two seasons, a bridge deal should surpass the $2MM mark while a longer-term pact – if warranted – could run closer to the $5MM territory.  Given that it’s risky to sign lower-scoring players to long-term deals, a bridge deal feels like the most probable outcome at this time.

Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level

F Viktor Arvidsson ($4MM, UFA)
F John Beecher ($900K, RFA)
D Jordan Harris ($825K, RFA)
D Andrew Peeke ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Jeffrey Viel ($775K, UFA)

Arvidsson was Boston’s biggest splash of the summer in terms of trying to add some extra scoring help to their roster, acquiring him from Edmonton in what amounted to a cap dump from the Oilers.  Despite that, he’s only a couple of years removed from a 59-point campaign but he has managed just 42 points in 85 games since then.  That’s still respectable production but he’ll need to bounce back a bit if he wants to get a raise next summer.  Otherwise, another short-term contract in this price range should be doable.

Beecher was a regular last season but didn’t produce much, notching just 11 points in 78 games while mostly playing on the fourth line.  That led to this deal, one that came in just above his qualifying offer.  Assuming his role is similar this season, arbitration rights should push him a little past his qualifying offer but it’s likely to be just over the $1MM mark.  Viel has seen very limited NHL action in recent seasons and is likely to remain at or near the minimum moving forward.

Peeke had a decent first full season with the Bruins.  While he wasn’t a full-time top-four player as he was at times in Columbus a few years back, he did spend a bit of time there while stabilizing the third pairing at others.  Right-shot blueliners are hard to come by so even if he stays at this level moving forward, another multi-year deal and an increase into the $3.5MM territory is attainable.  Harris took a cheap contract after being non-tendered by Columbus in June and appears to be their seventh defenseman to start the season.  Given his track record with Montreal in the past, he seems like a strong non-tender candidate for next summer, simply to avoid giving him arbitration rights.  Meanwhile, unless he can play somewhat of a regular role, he’s likely to stay close to the minimum salary as well.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Mikey Eyssimont ($1.45MM, UFA)
F Marat Khusnutdinov ($925K, RFA)
F Sean Kuraly ($1.85MM, UFA)
D Mason Lohrei ($3.2MM, RFA)
F Casey Mittelstadt ($5.8MM, UFA)
F Pavel Zacha ($4.75MM, UFA)

It has been an eventful couple of years for Mittelstadt.  The Sabres decided to move him for Bowen Byram at the 2024 deadline in a swap of younger core pieces.  Colorado then inked him to this deal, feeling he could be their longer-term solution as their second center.  However, he struggled with them, leading to this move to the Bruins back in March.  Still just 26, Mittelstadt is young enough to still potentially be an impact player offensively and has two seasons of more than 55 points under his belt.  If he can get back to even that level, a jump past $7MM per season is reasonable.  However, if his struggles continue, not only will he likely be on the move again within these next couple of years but he’ll also potentially be looking at a dip in salary.

Zacha was the focus of some trade speculation this summer after a dip in production from 59 to 47 points last season.  Still, that’s decent second-line production from a position that’s always in high demand.  Even if 47 is the new range for his output moving forward, Zacha should be in a spot to get a raise past the $5MM mark and a long-term agreement in 2027.  Kuraly is back for a second stint in Boston after signing with them this summer.  He has been a solid fourth liner for most of his career but this price tag provides a reasonable reference point for what his next contract should be; unless he can lock down a bigger role between now and then, it’s going to be hard for him to beat this by any sort of significant margin.

Eyssimont was also brought in via the open market in July with a deal that is his personal best.  A little younger than Kuraly, there could be a bit more earnings upside for him as he only has a couple of full-time NHL seasons under his belt so far.  That said, given that he’s a winger instead of a center, the ceiling for him might check in around the $2MM mark.  Khusnutdinov was brought in from Minnesota last season with Boston hoping that a fresh start could unlock some of the offensive potential he showed in Russia.  He’ll need to show it on this contract as he’s not a prototypical fit in a bottom-six role; if the production doesn’t improve between now and the 2027 offseason, he becomes a non-tender candidate.

Lohrei wound up playing a much bigger role than expected last season due to injuries and showed lots of offensive upside but some defensive warts as well, making a bridge deal like this one the inevitable outcome.  If he can build off that and clean up some of his in-zone concerns, a long-term contract could wind up doubling this price tag.

Signed Through 2027-28

D Henri Jokiharju ($3MM, UFA)
F Mark Kastelic ($1.567MM, UFA)
G Joonas Korpisalo ($3MM, UFA)*

*-Ottawa is paying an additional $1MM per season on Korpisalo’s deal.

Kastelic came to Boston as part of the trade that netted the Sens Linus Ullmark.  He was supposed to simply be a depth fourth liner for the Bruins but wound up playing a few extra minutes per game while being their leading hitter among forwards, earning him this extension in-season.  While this is more than a lot of fourth liners make, the fact he’s a center who wins faceoffs at an above-average clip also helped his value.  That said, given his offensive limitations, there’s going to be cap on his earnings upside that’s pretty close to this.

Jokiharju was added at the trade deadline to see how he might fit in with this group and the early returns were positive enough to land him this contract just before free agency opened.  Still just 26, he has shown flashes of top-four upside but consistency has been an issue.  If he can become a steady 18-20-minute player, he could see a pretty big jump on his next deal, especially as a coveted right-shot player.

After a rough year in Ottawa, Korpisalo was also in the Ullmark trade last year.  His first year with the Bruins was a bit better although his overall numbers were still a little below league average.  Even with the Senators paying down part of his deal, he’s on the pricier side for a backup without above-average play.  He’ll need to turn things around if he’s going to have any shot at a raise on his next contract.

Signed Through 2028-29

None

Signed Through 2029-30 Or Longer

F Morgan Geekie ($5.5MM through 2030-31)
F Tanner Jeannot ($3.4MM through 2029-30)
F Elias Lindholm ($7.75MM through 2030-31)
D Hampus Lindholm ($6.5MM through 2029-30)
D Charlie McAvoy ($9.5MM through 2029-30)
F David Pastrnak ($11.25MM through 2030-31)
D Nikita Zadorov ($5MM through 2029-30)

When Pastrnak signed this contract two-and-a-half years ago, there was some sticker shock when it came to the AAV.  Yes, he was in the middle of his first 100-point season but was that the outlier or a sign of things to come?  It turns out it was the latter as he has surpassed that mark the last two years as well.  In a cap environment that’s seeing salaries go up quickly, this deal already looks like a team-friendly one, something that should only continue moving forward.  Lindholm (the center), on the other hand?  Not so much.  His first season with the Bruins was tough as his offensive stagnation continued.  While he’s not getting top center money, he’s at least getting high-end number two dollars and 47 points doesn’t qualify for that distinction either.  They’ll be hoping for a bounce-back as if this is his ceiling moving forward, this contract will be an anchor in a hurry.

Geekie had a breakout season in 2024-25, scoring 33 goals after only tallying that many combined over the previous three years.  That made this contract particularly tricky, especially with arbitration rights.  In the end, they settled on a deal that pays him more like a consistent second liner moving forward.  If he stays around the 25-goal territory, they’ll get decent value.  But if his output drops more to his previous numbers, this could be a problematic deal as well.  Jeannot’s deal, on the other hand, looks problematic already.  Despite a tough year in Los Angeles that saw him on the fourth line, Boston ‘won’ the bidding war for his services, thinking that a change of scenery and perhaps a bigger role could help rejuvenate him.  While it’s possible that happens, it’s more likely that he continues on the path he has been on the last couple of years, making this an overpayment both in dollars and term.

McAvoy’s deal also carried some sticker shock when it was signed four years ago.  However, the first two years worked out pretty well although last season was a little tougher.  He wasn’t as impactful as he was the previous two seasons and a long-term shoulder injury sustained at the Four Nations Face-Off ended his year prematurely.  For an all-situations number one defenseman like McAvoy is, the price point is reasonable, especially as salaries start to escalate quicker.  But he will need to get back to the level he was in the first two seasons of this contract for the Bruins to get the type of return they’re hoping he’ll be able to provide.

Lindholm (the blueliner) had a breakout year in his first full season in Boston in 2022-23 but hasn’t come close to that type of offensive production since while he missed 65 games due to injury himself.  He wasn’t signed to be a big point producer though and as long as he’s succeeding in tough defensive matchups and chipping in a bit at the other end, this deal should hold up well.  Zadorov was another of GM Don Sweeney’s big swings last summer that raised some eyebrows.  In Boston’s defense, he played a bigger role with them than he had elsewhere and this price for a top-four defender is defensible on its face.  However, if you’re of the mindset that he’s more of a third-pairing player in an ideal world, then it’s a big overpayment, no matter how much physicality he brings to the table.

It took until the start of last season for Swayman to get this deal, one that has been used as a benchmark for others since then.  However, he responded with his worst performance by a significant margin.  The injuries on the back end certainly didn’t help but it’s fair to say that they’re expecting Swayman to be one of the top goalies in the league.  He’ll need to get back to that level for them to get a good return on this contract.

Buyouts

None

Retained Salary Transactions

D Brandon Carlo ($615K through 2026-27)

Carryover Bonus Overage Penalty

None

Best Value: (non-entry-level) Zacha
Worst Value: E. Lindholm

Looking Ahead

Boston opens this season with a little more than $2MM in cap space, a reasonable amount but one that might not allow them to bank much in-season flexibility once you account for injuries that will likely creep up over the first few months.  That said, if they wind up being sellers once again, they’re probably not going to be looking to take on money closer to the trade deadline anyway while if they are in the mix, they’ll have to get a little creative to add.

Looking to next summer, the Bruins will have a little less than $20MM at their disposal with Arvidsson and Peeke being the only players of some significance to re-sign.  New deals for them could cost around $8MM, leaving some flexibility to add a piece or two and at least shore up their depth.  However, with over $48MM in space as things stand for 2027-28, that will be the window for Sweeney to potentially take a bigger swing to change up his core group.

Photos courtesy of Bob DeChiara and Sergei Belski-Imagn Images.