2026-27<\/p>\n
Upper Limit: $104MM Poitras was limited to just three NHL games last season which makes it likely that a short-term bridge deal comes his way, likely a one-year pact.\u00a0 It should check above the league minimum but not enough to materially affect Boston\u2019s cap space.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): D Mason Lohrei<\/a> ($3.2MM), F Marat Khusnutdinov<\/a> ($925K), F Fraser Minten<\/a> ($879,166)<\/p>\n Khusnutdinov took some promising strides forward last season, his first full year with the Bruins.\u00a0 However, he was still primarily used in the bottom six and players in that situation don\u2019t typically command long-term contracts.\u00a0 If his usage and production are the same this season, Khusnutdinov could plausibly push for around $3MM per season on a bridge deal.\u00a0 Minten had a solid rookie season, moving himself into the top six at times and not looking out of place.\u00a0 He\u2019s likely a middle-six piece this year, again making a short-term second contract more likely.\u00a0 For him, the price tag of that agreement might be closer to $4MM per year.<\/p>\n Lohrei\u2019s case is an interesting one.\u00a0 He provides enough offense to push for a raise with arbitration next summer but his role dropped to more of a fifth or sixth option at best while at times being scratched.\u00a0 If things stay like that in 2026-27, the numbers suggest he could get a raise past $4MM per year but for the role he has, it\u2019s a price tag they likely can\u2019t afford to pay.\u00a0 That could make him a viable trade candidate in the coming months.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): G Michael DiPietro<\/a> ($812,500), F Michael Eyssimont<\/a> ($1.45MM), F Sean Kuraly<\/a> ($1.85MM), F Casey Mittelstadt<\/a> ($5.75MM), F Pavel Zacha<\/a> ($4.75MM)<\/p>\n Mittelstadt was one of GM Don Sweeney\u2019s attempts to bring in help down the middle.\u00a0 This one hasn\u2019t worked out, however.\u00a0 He has provided some secondary scoring since being acquired but not to the level he did in Buffalo a few years back.\u00a0 He also spent most of the year on the wing though his ability to play center will boost his market.\u00a0 Given the high demand there, a small raise could be doable on a medium-term pact.<\/p>\n Kuraly returned last summer and played the fourth-line role he has largely held throughout his career.\u00a0 The price tag for a physical veteran has ticked up a bit so a jump past the $2MM mark again should be realistic.\u00a0 Eyssimont was a late bloomer and only really has three full NHL seasons under his belt despite the fact he\u2019ll turn 30 next month.\u00a0 He\u2019s more of a 12th or 13th forward on Boston\u2019s depth chart which could hinder his market a bit next summer.\u00a0 Still, a small raise on a short-term deal is realistic.<\/p>\n DiPietro appears set to get his first real NHL opportunity as Boston moved out Joonas Korpisalo<\/a> this summer.\u00a0 Assuming they don\u2019t add a new backup before the season starts, he should get 20-25 starts to prove his worth.\u00a0 If things go well, a jump into the $2MM range is doable while if his numbers aren\u2019t the sharpest, he could be back in third-string territory which is a price tag that stays close to the league minimum.<\/p>\n 2027-28<\/p>\n Projected Upper Limit: $113.5MM A big chunk of their cap room is going to be taken up by their free agent class.\u00a0 The RFAs will run anywhere between $5.5MM and more than twice that (depending on what happens with Lohrei) while keeping Zacha alone could knock 20% or so off their spending room.\u00a0 Sweeney should still have some spending flexibility at his disposal but it won\u2019t be as much as the current cap space might suggest.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): D Frederic Brunet<\/a>, F James Hagens<\/a> ($986,250 + $1MM in \u2018A\u2019 bonuses)<\/p>\n Hagens is Boston\u2019s top prospect and got his feet wet in the pros late last season.\u00a0 A lot will depend on how he\u2019s used these next couple of years.\u00a0 Is he eased in or are they aiming for top-six minutes quickly to help get him to the top center they hope he can become?\u00a0 If it\u2019s the former, a bridge deal makes some sense while his bonuses will be unlikely to be earned.\u00a0 If it\u2019s the latter and he\u2019s productive, we\u2019ve seen where the market is going.\u00a0 On top of hitting some or all of those bonuses, his second contract could become one of their priciest deals.<\/p>\n Brunet is worth a quick mention as he\u2019s waiver-eligible and seemingly unlikely to make it through unclaimed.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be looking to establish himself as a regular on an NHL roster (in Boston or otherwise) which means he probably won\u2019t get enough of a track record to command a significant increase, though somewhere in the $1.5MM range could be doable if he has some success.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): D Connor Clifton<\/a> ($2.25MM), D Henri Jokiharju<\/a> ($3MM), F Mark Kastelic<\/a> ($1,566,667), F Alex Steeves<\/a> ($1.625MM)<\/p>\n Steeves signed an early extension last season, giving him the security of a one-way contract although it\u2019s fair to wonder if the Bruins might want a mulligan given his role down the stretch.\u00a0 He still profiles as more of a depth piece; he\u2019ll need to establish himself as a full-time regular to have a chance to beat this on his next contract.\u00a0 Kastelic has become a high-impact fourth liner while showing a bit of a scoring touch last season.\u00a0 If he has another double-digit goal campaign in him, with his physicality, a jump to the $3.5MM range (or even a bit more) seems possible.<\/p>\n Jokiharju has been a beneficiary of being a mobile right-shot defender.\u00a0 He is more of a sixth or seventh defender but those attributes keep getting him opportunities at a reasonable price tag.\u00a0 At this point, there\u2019s little reason to think that won\u2019t keep continuing, even if his role remains limited with Boston.\u00a0 Clifton is also more of a sixth or seventh option who is more of a physical player.\u00a0 He signed this deal last month and this feels like the right price range for him unless he carves out a full-time role.<\/p>\n 2028-29<\/p>\n Forecasted Upper Limit: $123MM Hagens will loom large for planning for this season.\u00a0 If he makes a big impact and gets a pricey second contract, his new deal would eat up most of the cap increase.\u00a0 They have enough in other expiring deals to afford a raise for Kastelic, who is the priority of the four pending UFAs.\u00a0 But in that scenario, they may not be able to do much else.\u00a0 If Hagens is bridged, however, then there would be some wiggle room to work with.<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (RFA): None<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): None<\/p>\n 2029-30<\/p>\n Forecasted Upper Limit: $133.5MM (8.5% increase) Expiring Contracts (RFA): None<\/p>\n Expiring Contracts (UFA): D William Borgen<\/a> ($4.1MM), F Tanner Jeannot<\/a> ($3.4MM), D Hampus Lindholm<\/a> ($6.5MM), D Charlie McAvoy<\/a> ($9.5MM), F JJ Peterka<\/a> ($7.7MM), D Nikita Zadorov<\/a> ($5MM)<\/p>\n Peterka was Boston\u2019s big addition this summer with the hopes that a return to the Atlantic Division will re-spark his offense.\u00a0 If he can get back to 60-plus-point form, he could very well push for a double-digit AAV on his next deal when he\u2019ll still be in his late 20s.\u00a0 Jeannot\u2019s contract was a head-scratcher last summer and he didn\u2019t provide a great return in year one.\u00a0 That said, the way the market has gone, he probably would have received something similar had he been a free agent this summer.\u00a0 Still, with four more years of this type of playing style, it\u2019s hard to forecast much of a raise.<\/p>\n That can\u2019t be said for McAvoy though.\u00a0 Boston\u2019s top blueliner is a legitimate all-around number one option and the market for those players appears set to skyrocket in the near future.\u00a0 At this point, a jump to $15MM or so feels doable, more if the market rises quicker than expected.\u00a0 Lindholm isn\u2019t quite the big-minute player he was with Anaheim but he\u2019s a capable second or third option at a price point reasonable for that spot.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 36 when this deal is up and a short-term pact at a small increase could be realistic.<\/p>\n Zadorov is getting the type of bigger minutes with Boston that he was seeking at previous stops and is holding his own.\u00a0 That said, his penchant for penalties hurts his value some, as will the fact he\u2019ll be 35 when this deal is up.\u00a0 Like Lindholm, he should have a shot at a small raise on a short-term contract.\u00a0 Borgen was an okay fit with the Rangers and now we\u2019ll see how he fits with the Bruins.\u00a0 If he can lock down a number four slot, there\u2019s runway for a fair-sized increase past the $6MM range on his next deal.\u00a0 If he proves to be more of a third-pairing piece as he has typically been, then he might land just a bit above this price point.<\/p>\n Signed For 2030-31 And Beyond<\/p>\n For that season, there will be a new CBA in place so trying to forecast the cap and cap space basically becomes a guessing game.\u00a0 Accordingly, we\u2019ll go back to the old Deep Dive format for players signed beyond the 2030-31 campaign.<\/p>\n F Morgan Geekie<\/a> ($5.5MM through 2030-31) Pastrnak has reached 100 points or more in four straight seasons, a mark few others have hit and they all make more than him already.\u00a0 Even though he\u2019ll be 35 when this deal is up, he should still be a legitimate top-line option or a high-end second liner.\u00a0 That should still be enough to jump up by a few million but it won\u2019t be the windfall some others have received recently simply because of his age.<\/p>\n Lindholm was another attempt to stabilize things down the middle.\u00a0 But he\u2019s more of a second option than a number one and they were clearly hoping for the latter.\u00a0 The good news is the market rate for centers is going up quickly enough that this could very well be a market-value deal before long.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 36 when the deal expires and at that point, he should be a bottom-six piece which suggests a cut in pay will come his way.<\/p>\n Geekie has had two big-time scoring years in a row now, tallying 72 times across those seasons.\u00a0 A 30-goal scorer for mid-tier second-line money is quite a bargain already.\u00a0 As time progresses, if he keeps up this pace, it\u2019ll be one of the top bargains league-wide.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be 33 when his next contract starts, giving him some runway for a huge jump in pay if he continues to produce like this.\u00a0 If so, he\u2019ll more than double this price tag.<\/p>\n Swayman\u2019s second year on his deal went much better than the first as he was a Vezina finalist once more.\u00a0 Even if he\u2019s a top-10 goalie on average, this contract will hold up quite well in the new financial landscape.\u00a0 He\u2019ll be heading into his age-33 year on his next contract so a notable raise on a longer-term agreement could be in reach.<\/p>\n Outlook<\/p>\n There are some big raises coming over the next couple of years that will cut into Boston\u2019s current wiggle room.\u00a0 However, enough veterans have expiring deals that should allow Sweeney to have a reasonable amount of flexibility to try to add to his group over time.<\/p>\n Photo courtesy of Perry Nelson-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.\u00a0 Teams that 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Current Cap Charge: $98,609,583
Cap Space: $5,390,417
Potential Bonuses: $1MM (some could be reached)
Dead Cap: $615K (retained salary on Brandon Carlo<\/a>)
Still to Sign: F Matthew Poitras<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pavel-zacha-bruins-200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>Zacha, on the other hand, was an attempt to help down the middle that absolutely panned out.\u00a0 Acquired four years ago for Erik Haula<\/a>, the 29-year-old has put up his best four offensive seasons since then, including a career-high 65 points last season.\u00a0 Notably, that came in spite of his playing time dropping by more than two minutes a night.\u00a0 That actually bodes well for his next contract as now, Zacha has demonstrated that he can provide impactful production from the second line.\u00a0 That makes him especially appealing to potential suitors next summer.\u00a0 He probably won\u2019t command top-line money but a jump to the $8MM territory on a longer-term pact definitely feels realistic at the moment.<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $78,377,917 (15 players signed)
Cap Space: $35,122,083
Potential Bonuses: $1MM (possible some of the \u2018A\u2019 bonuses are reached)
Dead Cap: None<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $68.95MM (10 players signed)
Cap Space: $54.05MM
Potential Bonuses: None
Dead Cap: None<\/p>\n
Current Cap Charge: $68.95MM (10 players signed)
Cap Space: $64.55MM
Potential Bonuses: None
Dead Cap: None<\/p>\n
F Elias Lindholm<\/a> ($7.75MM through 2030-31)
F David Pastrnak<\/a> ($11.5MM through 2030-31)
G Jeremy Swayman<\/a> ($8.25MM through 2031-32)<\/p>\n