Don Sweeney Sends Clear Message To Bruins Prospects

The Boston Bruins shook up their roster on the first day of NHL free agency on Monday.

The Bruins made several additions, including signing center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov to big-time contracts, but also saw a handful of players depart as well.

The roster shuffle will open up opportunities, especially in the bottom-six forward group, for some of Boston’s prospects to vie for NHL spots in the coming months. And general manager Don Sweeney issued a clear message to the team’s youth looking to stick with the Bruins next season.

“I think we’ve made some hard decisions with players,” Sweeney told reporters Monday, per NESN. “I think this year, (Matt) Poitras and (John) Beecher were good examples of that. That they played well enough, they earned their opportunity, and I would say to (Georgii Merkulov) or Fabian (Lysell) or Riley Duran or keep going down the list, just pin your ears back, train your ass off this summer and come with the intent that there’ll be an opportunity here. If you’re the best player, then we find a way to get you in the lineup.”

Merkulov, 23, is the only player out of three Sweeney mentioned who has seen action with the Bruins, playing four games with them last season. There’s been plenty of hype around Lysell, a 2021 first-round pick, but the 21-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut. Duran, who is a Massachusetts native, made the jump from college hockey — he played at Providence College — to the AHL last season.

The Bruins also signed a contingent of free agents to two-way contracts to add depth to their team. Those players in forwards Cole Koepke and Jeffrey Viel along with veteran defensemen Jordan Oesterle and Billy Sweezy also will battle for playing time.

And with that foursome having some NHL experience under their belts, they might have the edge over the Bruins prospects. But it’s obvious the door is open for the youngsters to make their mark even though it is a difficult task.

“You have to sustain it as you’re going along,” Sweeney said. “That was always the question in terms of whether a younger player at 19 — look around the league, those guys have a tougher time as the year goes along, and whether or not you’re going to survive. A lot of those guys get injured. Matty got injured. So my response to your question is those guys should have clear intentions to come and find an opportunity to beat somebody out because it’ll be there.”