What are the three worst contracts on the Bruins’ books for 2024-25?
This off-season has long been circled on the calendars of not only Boston Bruins fans, but also GM Don Sweeney. Several contracts were released, freeing up significant salary space, which Sweeney used to enhance his roster, with center Elias Lindholm and defender Nikita Zadorov receiving the two largest contracts.
Both of those contracts may expire when goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman signs a new contract (hopefully), but Sweeney now has just over $8.6 million in cap room, according to Puckpedia. Again, the most of that will go to Swayman. Whether it was due to players returning from last season, free agency, or a trade, there are some subpar contracts on the books for 2024-25. Here are three terrible contracts for the Black and Gold this season.
Elias Lindholm
Sweeney has long been believed to be interested in bringing Lindholm to the Bruins, and he became available this summer after failing to sign an extension with the Vancouver Canucks after being dealt there by the Calgary Flames. That opened the door for Sweeney, who pounced on Lindholm.
Finally, the Bruins signed Lindholm to a seven-year contract with an AAV of $7.75 million. That’s a significant investment in a top-line center coming off a difficult season, and the Bruins are counting on him to rebound in Boston alongside David Pastrnak. Lindholm’s performance dropped this season, with him scoring 15 goals and 29 assists for the Flames and Canucks combined. The Black and Gold need Lindholm to rebound this season, or this could be a difficult contract to keep for a long time.
Hampus Lindholm
It’s not that Lindholm’s deal is horrible, but coming off a season with a significant drop in output, the Bruins will need him to reclaim his 2022-23 form, when he scored 10 goals and had 43 assists for an amazing plus/minus of plus-49. This season, he has only three goals and 23 assists in 73 games.
Zadorov was recruited in via free agency to help the left side with Lindholm and Mason Lohrei, but Lindholm’s return to form from two years ago will be critical in making this a better AAV for the 2024-25 season and for the Black and Gold to swallow.
Joonas Korpisalo
This is the worst contract the Bruins currently have. Joonas Korpisalo, acquired from the Ottawa Senators in the Linus Ullmark deal, is coming off a terrible season with the Senators, and Sweeney taking on $3 million per year for the next four seasons is a big ask. Last season, he finished 21-26-4 for Ottawa, with a 3.27 GAA and.890 SV%.
The Bruins are counting on goaltending coach Bob Essensa to work with Korpisalo and help the former Columbus Blue Jackets goalie regain his form. If that does not happen, and Brandon Bussi outperforms him in camp and preseason games, Sweeney will be in a difficult situation with some tough decisions to make.
