Examining Bruins’ Forward Depth Ahead Of Draft, Free Agency

Editorial note: NESN.com has examined the Boston Bruins’ organizational depth over several weeks. Goaltending, defensemen and centers have already been discussed; the Black and Gold’s right and left wings complete the analysis.

The Boston Bruins entered the offseason with five unrestricted and one restricted free agent at the forward position with north of $21 million in cap space available heading into free agency on July 1.

A priority for Bruins general manager Don Sweeney is to lock up RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman — especially after trading Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators on June 24.

Sweeney revealed that the club has reached an impasse with UFA Jake DeBrusk and that talks with Danton Heinen’s agent have been ongoing.

Boston enters the 2024-25 season with Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Trent Frederic, Jakub Lauko and Justin Brazeau. Beyond those forwards, do the Bruins have forwards in the organization that could be ready to step in if needed?

Here’s a look at what each forward has to offer and their status within the organization.

IN THE NHL
— Pastrnak is entering his 11th season with Boston when the Bruins hit the ice for the 2024-25 season. In his career, Pastrnak has amassed 727 points (348 goals, 379 assists) in 674 games for the Black and Gold. He has lit the lamp 113 times on the power play. The prolific goal scorer led the Bruins in scoring in each of the last two seasons, with 110 points in 2023-24 and 113 in 2022-23. He signed an eight-year, $90 million contract extension on March 2, 2023, continuing through the 2030-31 NHL season.

— Marchand returns for his second year as captain in Boston and his 16th season with the Bruins. He is fifth in franchise history in goals scored (401) and points (929). His 36 short-handed tallies not only sit atop the Bruins’ all-time leaderboard, but it’s also the NHL’s best among active players. He is also Boston’s all-time leader in overtime goals (19). With 10 points in the 2023-24 playoffs, Marchand broke his three-way tie with Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to take sole possession of second place with 138 postseason points, behind only Ray Bourque (161). Marchand is entering the final year of his contract and will become a UFA after the 2024-25 season.

— Frederic is a versatile forward who can play both right and left wing and center. He has seen success playing with Charlie Coyle over the past couple of seasons and recorded career highs in goals (18), assists (22) and points (40) in last year’s campaign. He joined Pastrnak, Marchand and Coyle as the four skaters to play in all 82 games in the 2023-24 season and led the team with 204 hits. Frederic is signed through the 2024-25 season with an annual cap hit of $2.3 million.

— Lauko played 60 games for the Black and Gold in his second NHL season after appearing in 23 contests in 2022-23. He recorded a career-high amassed two goals and eight assists for 10 points last season while averaging 9:49 minutes of ice time on the fourth line and was second on the team with 176 hits. He can be a sparkplug for the Bruins with his energy when he hits the ice. Lauko will become an RFA at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.

— Brazeau joined the Bruins when he signed a two-year, two-way contract with the franchise on Feb. 18 after skating in 49 games with Boston’s AHL affiliate in Providence. He scored five goals and two assists in 19 games with the Bruins before suffering an upper-body injury in Boston’s 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators on April 2. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound forward returned for the postseason, where he recorded one goal and one assist in nine games. Brazeau is signed through the 2024-25 season with an annual cap hit of $775,000.

IN THE PIPELINE
— Fabian Lysell has played 110 games in the AHL with Providence, amassing 29 goals and 58 assists. He was having an outstanding season in Providence before suffering an upper-body injury against the Charlotte Checkers in March and missed a significant amount of time. The 21-year-old forward will compete for a roster spot in Bruins’ training camp in September. He is signed through the 2025-26 season, when his entry-level contract will expire.

— Georgii Merkulov is entering the final year of his entry-level contract with the Bruins. The 23-year-old hit the back of the net 30 times in his second year in Providence and had 65 points in 67 games. He was called up to the Bruns for four games last season and was kept off the scorecard. He will become an RFA at the end of the 2024-25 season with a cap hit of $925,000.

— Brett Harrison played his first full season for Providence in the 2023-24 campaign and scored 14 points in 47 games. In two playoff games for the Baby B’s, Harrison lit the lamp once and added two helpers. Harrison is signed through the 2025-26 season.

The UFA players that will be seeking new contracts with either the Bruins or a new club include DeBrusk, Heinen, Pat Maroon and James van Reimsdyk.

It’s uncertain which direction Sweeney will take in free agency, but the Bruins GM has expressed the club’s plans to be aggressive in improving the team. Boston can also snag a forward with the 25th overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft on Friday night.