Bruins training camp 2024: Four key storylines to watch originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The puck drops on the 2024-25 NHL season in just a few weeks, which means training camps around the league are about to begin.
The Boston Bruins will open their camp Wednesday at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Mass., as they prepare for the upcoming campaign.
Expectations remain high for the Bruins. They won a playoff series last season for the first time since 2021, but for the second straight year, their postseason journey was ended by the Florida Panthers.
The B’s were busy in the offseason. They made a splash in free agency to bring in top-six center Elias Lindholm and top-four defenseman Nikita Zadorov. They also traded former Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators in a move that cleared salary cap space and brought in two players.
This roster is among the heaviest and tallest in the league, which could make the Bruins even tougher to play against, especially when the calendar flips to April and May.
Here are four key storylines to watch as Bruins training camp gets underway.
Jeremy Swayman‘s contract situation and backup goalie competition
The biggest question mark surrounding the Bruins as the start of camp nears is the status of No. 1 goalie Jeremy Swayman. The 25-year-old netminder remains unsigned as a restricted free agent.
Swayman deserves a huge raise after making $3.475 million last season — the salary awarded to him in arbitration. Both sides decided not to do arbitration again, which wasn’t surprising given how vocal Swayman has been about not enjoying the arbitration process.
Swayman is a top 10 goalie, and he was the most outstanding player at his position through the first two rounds of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Bruins would have been eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round if not for Swayman’s brilliance in net.
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There’s no hard deadline for the Bruins and Swayman to meet until Dec. 1. He has to be signed by that date to play the rest of the season, per the league’s collective bargaining agreement. So there’s plenty of time to work something out, but this situation could become a distraction for the team the longer it drags on.
It would be bad for the Bruins if they had to open the regular season Oct. 8 against the Florida Panthers with Joonas Korpisalo and Brandon Bussi as their two available goalies. So it would behoove the Bruins, who have around $8.64 million in salary cap space (via PuckPedia), to get this done ASAP.
Regardless of what happens with Swayman, the backup goalie job is one to keep an eye on. Korpisalo was awful last season, posting a 21-26-4 record with a .890 save percentage and a 3.27 GAA for the Senators. However, he did play pretty well for the Los Angeles Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets in 2022-23. Bruins goalie coach Bob Essensa is the best at his position, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he makes the necessary corrections to Korpisalo’s game.
Bussi has played well in Providence over the last two seasons and is ready to challenge for a backup role at the NHL level. He’s an exciting prospect with a bright future.
Who will play second-line right wing?
Perhaps the most interesting roster battle in camp will be the competition for the second-line right wing spot. This player will most likely be playing alongside left wing Brad Marchand and center Charlie Coyle.
The Bruins lost Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen in the offseason, giving them less depth on the wings. Even though DeBrusk and Heinen were inconsistent at times, they did score 19 and 17 goals, respectively, last season. It’s not easy to replace 36 goals.
The top candidates for the role likely are, in no particular order, Morgan Geekie, Trent Frederic, Fabian Lysell, Matthew Poitras and Georgii Merkulov.
Frederic has good chemistry with Coyle after playing more than 900 5-on-5 minutes with him over the last two seasons, and the 25-year-old forwad has set a career high in goals scored each of the last two campaigns (17 in 2022-23, 18 in 2023-24). Geekie has the type of two-way skill set that would fit with Marchand and Coyle, and he also tallied a career-high 17 goals last season (nearly double his previous high). Merkulov has very little experience at right wing and is best suited at center.
Lysell earning this job probably is the best-case scenario for the Bruins. It’s time for the 2021 first-round pick to show he can be a viable NHL player. He has all the offensive skill you want — great shot, impressive playmaking ability, very good speed, etc. — but it remains to be seen whether he can handle the defensive responsibilities that playing with Marchand and Coyle would entail. This line often plays against the opponent’s top-six forwards.
The competition for this spot should be pretty entertaining over the next few weeks.
How will new guys fit in?
Elias Lindholm was the biggest offseason addition for Boston. He’s a legit top-six center who should make a seamless transition to the top line alongside Pavel Zacha at left wing and David Pastrnak at right wing. Lindholm plays a Patrice Bergeron-esque all-around game, including the ability to excel on both special teams units. Head coach Jim Montgomery should be able to use the Swedish center in any kind of situation.
Mark Kastelic was acquired by the B’s as part of the Linus Ullmark trade with the Ottawa Senators back in June. He could quickly become a fan favorite with his hard-nosed, physical style of play. He’s a candidate for the fourth-line center role.
The B’s signed forward Max Jones in free agency, and he’s another potential bottom-six candidate. The 2016 first-round pick tallied 19 points for the Anaheim Ducks in 2022-23 and 15 points in 2023-24.
The blue line will be a little different as a result of Derek Forbort, Matt Grzelcyk and Kevin Shattenkirk all leaving in free agency. But the team does have several players who are ready for an increased role, most notably Mason Lohrei and perhaps Parker Wotherspoon, too. The only major addition to the group was the signing of free agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
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Zadorov is listed at 6-foot-6 and 248 pounds, and he’s not afraid to use that size to block shots, clear traffic from the front of the net and dish out huge hits. He’ll definitely add a little more snarl to the blue line.
Zadorov could play up and down the lineup, but the most logical place for him to start is the left side of the first pairing alongside Charlie McAvoy.
“I really enjoyed watching him from afar and the player that he is and the career that he’s had, and I’m thrilled with the opportunity to have him here, and he makes our d-corps really, really whole,” McAvoy told reporters after a captain’s practice earlier this month.
“We’ve got a little bit of everything, and I’m just really happy that he’s here, and if I get the chance to play with him, I think we’ll hit it off. I think we’ll be really good together.”
Young prospects aiming to make the roster
The Bruins were able to integrate rookie centers Matthew Poitras and Johnny Beecher, as well as defenseman Mason Lohrei, into the lineup early last season. Poitras and Beecher made the Opening Night roster. Poitras was not expected to compete for a roster spot so soon, but he played so well in camp and the preseason that the Bruins had to keep him.
This year’s group of prospects who could compete for a roster spot include Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Riley Duran, John Farinacci, Marc McLaughlin and goalie Brandon Bussi, among others.
After losing Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen and James van Riemsdyk in the offseason, there will be a few roster spots up for grabs in camp, especially on the wings.