Sweeney: Bruins are 'going to be aggressive' this offseason
Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney vows to be on the attack this summer.
"We're going to be aggressive," Sweeney said, per the Boston Globe's Conor Ryan. "I've got to find the players to complement our group."
The Bruins, fresh off a second-round exit, project to have over $20 million in cap space this offseason. As for what they could stand to add, speed is a priority.
"We're not as fast as we'd like to be," team president Cam Neely said.
But there's also internal business to address. Winger Jake DeBrusk is the team's top pending unrestricted free agent, while goaltender Jeremy Swayman is the most pressing restricted free agent.
Sweeney added that locking up Swayman is high on his offseason to-do list.
"It's a priority and it will continue to be a priority," Sweeney said.
Swayman is coming off a stellar regular season in which he posted a .916 save percentage in 44 games. He was even better in the playoffs - he was inarguably the team's best player - recording a .933 save percentage in 12 contests.
With fellow goalie Linus Ullmark entering the last year of his deal, there are rumors the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner could be on the move. He was reportedly almost traded to the Los Angeles Kings at the deadline but used his no-trade clause to nix the deal.
After Ullmark took a back seat to Swayman in the playoffs, there's further speculation that the former could be traded. Ideally, though, Sweeney hopes to keep them both.
"In a perfect world, we'd love to keep the tandem because it's damn good," he said.