It’s been a busy 24 hours in the world of sports, especially for the Boston Bruins.
The B’s made a few moves on the first day of free agency, most notably agreeing to an extension with defenseman Connor Clifton and losing Noel Acciari after he agreed to sign with the Florida Panthers on a three-year deal.
One of the biggest questions heading into the offseason was whether the team would sign Marcus Johansson, who was acquired from the New Jersey Devils in February. But Don Sweeney had a simple answer when asked if he believed the Bruins were done with this year’s unrestricted free agent class.
“For right now, I think we are (done). … I would suspect that we’re out, but you never say never,” the general manager said Monday. “The phone’s been ringing. We’ve been having conversations.”
While it doesn’t sound as if the winger will be back in Black and Gold next year, Sweeney said he wouldn’t speculate what kind of offers Johansson has come across.
“I won’t speculate on what other opportunities he has,” Sweeney said, via a team-provided transcript. “Marcus indicated that this was a good fit for him and maybe that’s what he’s going through now is what’s best for he and his family. But he has to be the one to comment on that.”
Sweeney also gave a simple “no” when asked if the B’s had an offer for Johansson.
The 28-year-old played in 10 regular-season games with the Bruins, but shined the most in the Stanley Cup run. Johansson skated in 22 games amassing 11 points (four goals, seven assists).