In this edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, the 2024 trade deadline has come and gone on Friday (March 8) with General Manager (GM) Don Sweeney making two trades. Boston might get a key part of their defense back as soon as Saturday (March 9) against the Pittsburgh Penguins while another has likely played his final game wearing the Spoked-B. The Bruins were linked to a lot of rumors and one of them was regarding their goaltender Linus Ullmark, while Sweeney signed a defenseman to a well-earned contract for next season.
Bruins Acquire Maroon From Wild & Peeke From Blue Jackets
If there has been one area that the Bruins have been lacking this season, it’s toughness in the lineup. Sweeney addressed that late Friday morning when he acquired Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild for a 2026 conditional sixth-round draft pick and prospect Luke Toporowski. Maroon’s cap hit is $800,000. He underwent back surgery in February and Sweeney didn’t have a timeframe for his return.
Maroon will fit into the lineup in the bottom six and this season, he’s been productive for Minnesota with four goals and 12 assists in 49 games while averaging just under 13 minutes a night. When he was with the Lightning, he was a player that the Bruins hated playing against, but being brought here for the remainder of the regular season and postseason, he’ll be a player that Black and Gold fans will like.
Later in the day, the Bruins added defenseman Andrew Peeke from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Jakub Zboril, the very first pick of Sweeney’s in the 2015 Entry Draft. Peeke has one goal and eight points in 23 games this season in Columbus. He has two years remaining on his contract with an AAV of $2.75 million.
Hampus Lindholm Close to Returning to the Lineup, Forbort to LTIR
For the second straight day, Hampus Lindholm was on the ice for practice for the Bruins and following the session at Warrior Ice Arena, second-year head coach Jim Montgomery said that his left-shot defenseman is “probable” to play Saturday (March 9) against the Pittsburgh Penguins at the TD Garden. He will have to check some boxes ahead of the game before he plays according to Montgomery.
The news surrounding Derek Forbort doesn’t sound promising. Sweeney met with the media after the trade deadline and said that his left-shot defenseman’s season is likely over after being placed on LTIR with two injuries that will require surgery. If it is, it also means his Bruins tenure is over as well as he will be a free agent at the end of the season and unlikely to return with the emergence of Mason Lohrei on the left-side.
Bruins Reach One-Year Contract Extension With Parker Wortherspoon
Since being called up from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL), defenseman Parker Wortherspoon has provided the Bruins with toughness on the backend and plays a style that fits the system in Boston. Friday, the team announced that they agreed to a one-year contract extension for the 26-year-old with an average annual value (AAV) of $800,000.
“It’s obviously gone well for me here, so to get that done and just move forward, it’s great. I’m really excited to be here,” said Wortherspoon. “Obviously this organization is first class from top to bottom management. The guys in here are unbelievable, making me feel at home as I came here, so I’m really excited.”
Locking him up for next season on the left side at that price is a steal for Sweeney and the front office, who will likely move on from Matt Grzelcyk and Forbort following the season. It also allows the Bruins to have more cap space entering free agency while also looking to lock up goaltender Jeremy Swayman for the foreseeable future.
Sweeney Quiet on Swayman Contract
Speaking of his goaltender, Sweeney declined to comment on any progress that was being made in contract negotiations with Swayman and his agent. Boston’s GM said that he will leave any comments about the negotiations to Swayman’s agent, which is not surprising seeing how he generally doesn’t leak much information. The former University of Maine netminder is in line for a huge bump in salary after he went to arbitration last summer with the Black and Gold. With rumors surrounding Linus Ullmark and the trade deadline, it’s clear that Swayman is the future between the pipes in Boston after this season.
Charlie Coyle Fined
The Bruins’ 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the TD Garden on March 7 was a physical battle between the Atlantic Division rivals who are on a crash course to meet in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Boston center Charlie Coyle was fined $5,000 for cross-checking former teammate Tyler Bertuzzi. The NHL also announced that Toronto’s Jake McCabe was fined the same amount for a similar hit on Brad Marchand. If the two teams do indeed end up meeting in the postseason, it could be an expensive one for players on both sides.
The Bruins will continue their homestand against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday (March 9) before hosting the St. Louis Blues on March 11. There were some minor moves made by Sweeney and now they will try and keep pace with the Florida Panthers in the Atlantic Division race.
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