The Boston Bruins plan to take on a project in the 2025-26 season after signing Victor Soderstrom to a two-way deal. The Swedish defenseman had a subpar start to his North American career after getting drafted by the Arizona Coyotes, but went home to find his game and ended up winning the Swedish league's Defenseman of the Year award.
Soderstrom isn't the only European player to garner some interest this offseason, as Maxim Shabanov has been turning some heads in the KHL. Shabanov was never an NHL draft pick, having spent his entire career in Russia, but he has slowly been developing to the point where he recorded 67 points in 65 games this past season.
Shabanov's breakout has led some teams to start enquiring about his availability, and he seems pretty interested in pursuing his trade in the world's best league. While the Bruins haven't been one of the teams that people are linking him to, that doesn't mean they can't be a late entrant into the conversation.
Free agency class is top heavy
The NHL offseason has some big names entering free agency that the Bruins could attempt to land. Mitch Marner is the big fish, but Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Nikolaj Ehlers, John Tavares, and Brock Boeser are other names that people will be monitoring. There will be teams lining up to get the services of any of these players, and there are only a select few teams that will get the chance.
After these six players are off the board, the free agency class drops off. It's possible that some of those players will just re-sign with their teams before it begins, as Tavares, Bennett, Ehlers, and even Marchand could presumably stay where they are if offered. That leaves only Marner and Boeser as possible additions.
With Marner likely heading to the Western Conference, the Bruins chances of improving their offense with North American free agents is slim. If Boston wants to contend next season, offensive depth is paramount, and Shabanov could be a steal for whichever team is able to get him out of Russia.
While Russian free agents out of the KHL don't have the greatest success rate, attempting to sign Shabanov is a move the Bruins have to at least consider. Improving their offense through NHL free agents doesn't seem to be in the cards, and doing it through trade would only continue to hurt their prospect pool.
If the Bruins want to contend next season while continuing to build their pipeline, taking a free shot at Shabanov is the way to go.
