After a disappointing second-round exit, the Bruins now face an important offseason that will feature some critical decisions in free agency, in the Seattle expansion draft, and in the regular NHL draft.
So, when will everything be happening? Here’s a timeline of the key dates this summer:
July 15: Last possible date of the Stanley Cup Final. A potential Game 7 would likely be even earlier, especially if both of the semifinal series wrap up in fewer than seven games.
July 17: Teams submit their protection lists ahead of the Seattle Kraken expansion draft. This will be the first big offseason decision for the Bruins and every other team, with the exception of the Vegas Golden Knights, who are exempt from this as a recent expansion team themselves (albeit it an extremely successful one that doesn’t seem to need the help, but alas).
You can read up on all the expansion draft rules here, but the basic premise is that the Bruins can protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie, OR eight skaters (regardless of position) and one goalie. They must also expose at least two forwards, one defenseman and one goalie who meet the requirements.
July 21: Seattle expansion draft. The Bruins find out which player they’ll lose to the Kraken. It won’t be a goalie -- they’ll protect Dan Vladar and don’t have to protect Jeremy Swayman since he’s a first-year pro and not eligible. Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak are free agents. Practice squad goalie Callum Booth fulfills their one exposure in net.
Assuming they protect Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk on defense, the Bruins could potentially lose one of Connor Clifton, Jeremy Lauzon or Jakub Zboril, with Clifton seeming like the most likely option.
Up front, Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, Craig Smith and Charlie Coyle (who has a no-movement clause) should all be locks to be protected. That leaves the Bruins protecting two of Jake DeBrusk, Trent Frederic, Nick Ritchie, Curtis Lazar, Karson Kuhlman and Chris Wagner, and exposing the rest.
July 23: NHL draft first round. For just the second time in the last four years, the Bruins have a first-round pick. They will pick 21st overall, giving them their highest selection since they took Urho Vaakanainen 18th overall in 2017.
Given how thin the Bruins’ prospect pool is -- most rankings have them last in the NHL or close to it -- it is absolutely critical Don Sweeney and company hit on this pick and land a player who brings some real top-of-the-lineup upside.
Aside from the home run pick of McAvoy in 2016, too many of the Bruins’ recent first-round picks appear destined to be depth players at best, and they are still being haunted by the 2015 first round in particular.
July 24: NHL draft rounds 2-7. The Bruins don’t have a second-round pick this year after trading it for Taylor Hall (pretty good!), but they do have a third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and two sevenths. These are the rounds where you’re looking to add future organizational depth and/or longer-term projects.
July 28: Free agency begins at noon. The Bruins will have a week between the Seattle expansion draft and the start of free agency to negotiate with and sign their own free agents. That’s when you could see the Bruins sign any or all of Taylor Hall, David Krejci, Mike Reilly and Tuukka Rask, all of whom have publicly expressed a desire to stay in Boston.
The Bruins should have somewhere around $23-27 million of cap space to work with depending on qualifying offers to their restricted free agents. Their unrestricted free agents could take up a good chunk of that, but they should still have some money to play with. Based on Cam Neely’s comments on Tuesday, it’s safe to say a top-four left-shot defenseman and some offensive depth up front are at the top of the Bruins’ shopping list.
TBD: Training camp. In pre-pandemic times, on a non-compressed schedule, training camp usually started about three weeks before the start of the regular season. So, maybe sometime around Sept. 20?
Oct. 12: Tentative opening night for the 2021-22 season. The NHL’s hope is to get back to a much more normal schedule for next season and start just a week later than usual. The Canadian government will still need to clear the way for regular cross-border travel before then.
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