Seven contracts the Bruins might try to unload this offseason

The Bruins aren’t necessarily in a cap crunch this offseason.

Boston enters the summer with a little over $16 million in cap space (per PuckPedia), with only two pending unrestricted free agents in Viktor Arvidsson and Andrew Peeke.

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Boston has the fiscal flexibility to re-up a middle-six forward like Arvidsson if the price is right, while still having some spending power to upgrade another area of the roster.

If Don Sweeney and the Bruins want their offseason endeavors to be more ambitious, Boston will likely want to be proactive in the coming months when it comes to shedding bloated or redundant contracts. ​

Here’s a look at a few players the Bruins could look to move to clear roster logjams and free up money.

Contract: $3 million cap hit, signed next two seasons

Korpisalo played better down the stretch as a veteran backup, helping Boston bank some valuable points during its hunt for a playoff spot.

The 32-year-old netminder is a serviceable option, but Boston has more than $11 million tied up in its goaltending.

Korpisalo’s solid play in the second half could entice a desperate team in need of goaltending to take him off of Boston’s hands. While Boston might have to attach a sweetener in any deal, moving on from Korpisalo and giving Michael DiPietro (the reigning AHL MVP) a shot as Jeremy Swayman’s backup moving forward could be prudent.

Contract: $3 million cap hit, signed next two seasons

Considering Marco Sturm only opted to play the right-shot Jokiharju in 41 games this past season, allocating $3 million per year to a depth defenseman is a tough hit.

Jokiharju could slot into a regular third-pairing spot next year if Peeke walks. Issues with the 26-year-old’s consistency could make him an asset in another deal — especially if Sturm is hesitant to give him an extended run next season.

Contract: $1.45 million cap hit, signed through next season

Expected to serve as a fly in the ointment in a bottom-six role, Eyssimont was a scratch down the stretch. He appeared in 56 games, including two out of a possible six playoff matchups.

With Boston’s bottom-six grouping already chock full of established NHLers — and serving as a possible entry point for young skaters next year — Eyssimont could be flipped to a team that can carve out regular reps for the 29-year-old forward.

Contract: $3.2 million, signed through next season

Whereas Eyssimont and Jokiharju might yield minimal returns, a 25-year-old blueliner like Lohrei could hold some value to a team enticed by his size and playmaking ability.

His standing with Sturm might be a bit unsteady, especially after ending the year as a healthy scratch during the final days of Boston’s first-round series against Buffalo. After averaging 19:32 of ice time per game in 2024-25, his reps dropped to 16:54 this past season.

If Boston believes Lohrei doesn’t have more room to grow — or his defensive shortcomings won’t be remedied in due time — he could be a potential trade chip.

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Contract: $5.75 million, signed through next season

Mittelstadt deserves credit for steadying what was once looking like a rudderless tenure in Boston, developing into a steady, two-way winger while skating on one of the more effective forward lines in hockey this past season.

With Arvidsson’s future in Boston in flux and Mittelstadt entering the final year of his deal, questions remain over just how sustainable that line’s production might be moving forward — and whether the 27-year-old Mittelstadt figures into the Bruins’ long-term plans.

Contract: $4.75 million, signed through next season

In an ideal world, the Bruins would like to retain Zacha. The 29-year-old forward is a versatile player coming off a career year with 30 goals and 65 points.

If Boston wants to re-up Zacha on a long-term deal, it’s easy to envision him serving as a middle-six stalwart for the long haul. But it won’t come cheap — especially as 34-year-old Charlie Coyle just signed a six-year extension with Columbus worth $6 million per year.

​Considering Zacha’s age, production, and versatility, along with a rising NHL cap ceiling, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if the Czech forward banks at least $8 million per season on a new deal — especially if he goes to market next summer.

Contract: $7.75 million cap hit, signed through the next five seasons

Boston’s top contractual headache revolves around the 31-year-old Lindholm, who has not lived up to his billing as a top-six pivot.

​Despite making some inroads on Boston’s resurgent power play, Lindholm only generated 21 points at 5-on-5 play and was plagued by a back injury for the second year in a row that sapped his skating down the stretch.

Lindholm is likely looking at a third-line center role next season as Boston carves out more reps for youngsters Fraser Minten and James Hagens.

Finding a way to get Lindholm’s contract off the books would alleviate several issues on Boston’s roster.

Beyond Lindholm’s no-movement clause, very few teams would want to take a player with Lindholm’s injury concerns — not without Boston including significant picks and prospects to make said salary dump palatable.​

A pure buyout would also be painful for Boston, as they’d take a cap hit for the next 10 years — including burdensome $5.3 million cap allocations in both 2029-30 and 2030-31 when some younger players on the Bruins roster might be due for some pay raises.

For now, it looks as though the Bruins are stuck with a contract in Lindholm that is starting to look like a sunk cost.

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