Bruins looking to add a top center in summer free agency

Stephenson is a very fundamentally-talented centerman, who’s showed an impressive ability to use his high hockey IQ to make plays in all three zones. He’s lauded one of the most effective two-way centermen in the league, with his stout defense giving his wingers – like Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault – more opportunity to spearhead the offense. Stephenson’s talents would be a serviceable replacement for the years of elite two-way play of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, even if his performance isn’t on the Selke Trophy-demanding level of his predecessors. Stephenson is coming off a four-year, $11M contract that’s turned into one of the most team-friendly deals in the league – with Vegas’ second-line centerman effectively costing $2.75M in cap space over the last four seasons. With such a modest salary, any offer paying Stephenson his market value would mark a substantial pay raise. That could work in Vegas’ favor when negotiations roll around, though the Golden Knights are still facing seven pending free agents, including Stephenson and Marchessault, with less than $1M in cap space.

The Bruins will be quick to act, and likely quick to spend, should either Lindholm or Stephenson get priced out of staying with their current teams. Boston has 12 pending free agents of their own, including Jeremy Swayman and Jake DeBrusk, though they have roughly $21M available to re-sign them. The team could also free up cap space by trading former Vezina Trophy-winner Linus Ullmark, who carries a $6M cap hit. Pavel Zacha stepped into the spotlight and performed well this season, posting a career-high 59 points and forming a duo with Pastrnak that even carried over into the 2024 World Championship. But it was clear that Boston was missing an X-factor as they looked to keep their energy up in the second round. Addressing that missing piece will seemingly be their top priority this summer, with two of the market’s top names already in Boston’s sight.