We are one week away from free agency kicking off, and the Boston Bruins expect to be big players once it begins on July 1. Just what avenues they decide to go down with making additions, whether it's with forwards on the blueline, there are going to be a lot of eyes on general manager Don Sweeney to see what he does.
Just how big of a splash Sweeney makes remains to be seen, as there are multiple needs at forward and maybe on defense. On Monday, Sweeney locked up a blueliner, signing Mason Lohrei to a two-year extension with an AAV of $3.2 million, which seems like a bit of an overpay. After the Entry Draft this week in Los Angeles, here are three free agents the Bruins should avoid.
Mikael Granlund
By now, it's well-known that the Bruins are in desperate need of a top center this summer and really can't get through the summer without adding one, whether that's through free agency or a trade. A mistake this summer would be giving veteran Mikael Granlund that deal for a couple of reasons.
First of all, he's going to be 33 years old, and signing him long-term would be a mistake. Second, in 83 games this past season, that's right, 83, after being traded from the San Jose Sharks to the Dallas Stars, he had 22 goals and 44 assists combined between the two teams, but he saw a decline in his numbers in Dallas than he had in Northern California. The Bruins can't afford a veteran forward getting a big contract and coming in and underperforming. Looking elsewhere for a center is the play.
Brandon Saad
Another need the Black and Gold have is a goal-scoring wing. That is something they lacked last season for any production depth and even though Brandon Saad might be that guy, he isn't worth giving a big deal to after struggling in 2024-25.
He combined to play with the St. Louis Blues and Vegas Golden Knights this past season, after mutually agreeing to terminate his deal with St. Louis in January, and had just 13 goals and 17 assists combined, which was a big drop-off from the season before. There are going to be better scoring-depth options on the market worth pursuing than Saad.
Mitch Marner
This one goes without saying. Sure, it would go up the Toronto Maple Leafs' fans' backside if Mitch Marner left the Leafs for the Bruins. It would be the same if Marchand ended up in Toronto this summer in free agency, which, when you think about it, is not a crazy idea, but giving Marner a huge deal would be a severe overpayment for Boston.
Marner is a great regular-season player, but when the lights shine the brightest in the spring, he struggles. The Bruins and their fans have seen enough of it to know that, come postseason time, he can't be counted on as he is in the regular season. It's likely that he ends up in the Western Conference and maybe it's best if he ends up there instead of a massive overpay in Boston.
