Bruins GM Don Sweeney may consider trading No. 25 pick in NHL Draft, other observations

Sweeney, in his half-hour media scrum, his first public availability since May 22, provided comments on a wide range of topics ahead of the draft and free agency Monday.

Subjects discussed :

Brad Marchand.

The veteran captain/winger, who underwent surgery on both hips two years ago, recently underwent a medical procedure described as “cleaning something out” by Sweeney. “But he’ll be fine, no problem,” the general manager added.

Marchand, who turned 36 in May, will enter the final year of his eight-year, $49 million contract. He indicated at the end of the season that he looked forward to continuing his career beyond the 2024-25 season.

Veterans Jake DeBrusk (F), Matt Grzelcyk (D) and Derek Forbort (D) can be expected to hit the unrestricted free-agent market that opens at noon Monday.

The Bruins have a long list of unrestricted free agents, and Sweeney again declined to say whether he specifically told any of them he didn’t want them back.

“They kind of know where we stand,” Sweeney said.

DeBrusk, the club’s leading point producer in the playoffs, is the most prominent among the Bruins’ UFAs. With no substantive contract negotiations in recent weeks, Sweeney said, it seems inevitable that DeBrusk will move, possibly to Anaheim, San Jose or other clubs with ample spending money.

“I suspect Jake will go to UFA and test the market,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney repeatedly referred to his ongoing discussions with forward Danton Heinen, who came to training camp last September on a tryout offer, earned a regular job and emerged as one of coach Jim Montgomery’s most reliable and versatile forwards.

At this point, it would be unlikely that DeBrusk, Grzelcyk, Forbort, James van Riemsdyk, Pat Maroon and Kevin Shattenkirk will return next season.

“In a perfect world,” Sweeney added, “we would get Danton Heinen back.”

Recently acquired goalies Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo.

Linus Ullmark’s move to Ottawa, Sweeney said, was made in part because Swayman and Ullmark want to play 50 or more games each season as the franchise’s workhorse. This calculation does not work in an 82 game season.

With Ullmark gone and the workload he’ll likely have to take on with the Senators, Swayman is ready to take on that role with the Black and Gold. The only problem: He doesn’t have a contract extension in hand, though Sweeney said the sides are continuing to work on that and he remains hopeful a deal can be reached without either side filing for salary arbitration.

When asked by a Globe reporter if he had any plans to trade Swayman, Sweeney responded emphatically, “No.” Swayman, until he signs an extension, remains potentially the club’s biggest trade bait.

Korpisalo played a career-high 55 games last season with Ottawa. Like the Senators franchise, it has struggled. Sweeney didn’t describe Korpisalo as a project per se, but he hopes his game rebounds under the tutelage of goaltending coach Bob Essensa and also works behind the strong defensive play of the Bruins forwards and defensemen.

Meanwhile, Sweeney noted that it’s possible that Providence AHL prospect Brandon Bussi could outperform Korpisalo in training camp and earn the right to stay with the varsity team. If the Bruins put Bussi on the roster and later want to demote him to the minor leagues, he could be placed on waivers and possibly swept up by another franchise.

Free agency.

Sweeney has about $21.5 million in buyouts and wants to make his roster “deeper in the middle” as well as on defense, likely with a left-handed shot in the top four.

Unsurprisingly, Sweeney did not provide details on the players he planned to make an offer on Monday at noon. When asked if he would consider paying a player up to $9 million or more per season, he simply noted that there could be a point where the price would put a player out of the club’s reach .

“It’s the market that dictates,” he said. “If you try to be aggressive, you may end up in a situation that makes you uncomfortable. This is what happens if you keep doing this. You can be patient, if someone fails… but deep down, we would like to improve our club. We are a very, very competitive team and we want to continue to be. »

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Kevin Paul Dupont can be contacted at [email protected].