3 UFAs Boston Bruins Need To Re-Sign

The Boston Bruins were stunned with a first round loss after finishing as the best regular season team in NHL history. They loaded up with some rentals at the deadline, but also had a few of their own. Despite their efforts, they must look ahead to the offseason and who they are going to keep around.

Tyler Bertuzzi

Tyler Bertuzzi was nothing special in the regular season once the Bruins acquired him. They went out and got him because Taylor Hall had suffered an injury right before the trade deadline. Bertuzzi got acclimated to the Bruins and scored four goals and 16 points in 21 games. Once the playoffs hit for his first postseason appearance, he finished the first round series with five goals and 10 points in seven games. He proved he is a playoff performer and someone worth keeping around. Even though the team has four solid top-four wingers, Bertuzzi must be in the mix and it's likely Pavel Zacha will be moving over to center, opening up a spot.

Connor Clifton

Connor Clifton wasn't used much after the Bruins loaded up and brought in Dmitry Orlov, but he was a very effective third pairing defenseman for the team this season. He had a breakout season for the Bruins as in his first four seasons he combined for just five goals and 20 points in 154 games while averaging 16:33 of ice time.

This season his ice time increased to nearly 18 minutes a game, he was solid at both ends of the ice, and recorded five goals and 23 points in 78 games. He also managed to block 120 shots and deliver over 200 hits. He is an NHL regular and since the team can't keep Orlov around and Jakub Zboril isn't good enough to take a full-time role, the team should go back to Clifton.

Nick Foligno

Nick Foligno may have been overpaid the past two seasons for what he provided, but he bounced back this season from a forgettable 2021-22. His $3.8 million AAV contract is up and the Bruins would be wise to keep a depth player and leader around at a much cheaper price. Foligno still has some game left in him and would be a solid fourth liner for another year or two.