2 Forwards the Bruins Should Target in Free Agency

Marner figures to become the highest-paid forward – if not player – in NHL history this offseason, but the Bruins have cap space to play with. He will likely end up inking a deal for north of $12 million per year, the question will end up being if the Bruins believe he is worth the amount the market is willing to pay for him. This will particularly be a concern given that the Bruins have some long-term contracts that they signed last offseason that are off to a bad start. If they are going to commit the dollar value and term that Marner will be asking for, they should feel very confident that he is going to be as advertised.

Brock Boeser

While there are perhaps bigger names available on the market, Brock Boeser would be a top-six winger that the Bruins could very well target this offseason, who would immediately inject additional life into their offense. He was unable to reach an agreement with the Canucks this season and appears set to depart in free agency. He averaged nearly a point per game in 2024-25 and, at 28 years old, is in the prime of his career. While this signing would not be nearly as loud as Marner’s, Boeser would come in at about half the annual value. The Bruins found some success towards the end of the season, pairing Pastrnak with Geekie and Elias Lindholm on their top line. If they wanted to keep these three together, Boeser could fit in well on a second line with Casey Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha. This would allow the Bruins to bolster positions further down their roster, which would likely go less addressed if they were to target Marner.

Options at Forward

The 2025 free agent class is deep at the forward position. With that said, many of the names on the market are on the back half of their careers. With their moves at the trade deadline, the Bruins put themselves in a position to be competitive in the future, and they should not squander that by signing players who will be past their primes in a few years. John Tavares, Brock Nelson, and Brad Marchand (assuming he would not come back on a team-friendly deal) all fall into this category. Boeser and Marner are two options on the wing who would both make an immediate impact and will likely be in their primes for the near future.