Bruins make calls on rest of their remaining RFAs

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney decided to take care of business early with their most important restricted free agents.

It started with a bridge deal for defenseman Mason Lohrei, but was undoubtedly headlined by Sunday night's signing of Morgan Geekie to a six-year, $33 million contract following Geekie's breakout 33-goal, 57-point year. The club also signed restricted free agent Marat Khusnutdinov to a two-year, $925,000 per year contract in between the Lohrei and Geekie signings, too.

And Monday afternoon came with decisions on the rest of the Black and Gold's pending restricted free agents, with Georgii Merkulov re-signed to a one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000 while seven other players were not extended qualifying offers by the Bruins ahead of the qualifying offer deadline.

The Russian-born Merkulov made six appearances for the Bruins this past season, and recorded one assist, seven blocks, and seven shots on goal. Down in Providence, Merkulov totaled 15 goals and 54 points in 59 games before an injury ended his 2024-25 season. Overall, Merkulov has posted 70 goals and 179 points in 201 career games with the P-Bruins.

The group of seven not extended qualifying offers (and becoming unrestricted free agents in the process), however, includes forwards Trevor Kuntar, Jakub Lauko, Jaxon Nelson, and Oliver Wahlstrom, as well as defensemen Drew Bavaro, Daniil Misyul, and Ian Mitchell.

Up front, the most notable non-qualified talent is certainly Lauko, especially after the Bruins brought him back from Minnesota to close out the 2024-25 season. A fourth-line energy guy capable of drawing penalties, and with a willingness to drop the gloves, Lauko posted two goals and five points and added 50 hits in his 18-game run with Boston to end his 2024-25 campaign.

Kuntar, meanwhile, will depart the B's organization after scoring just three goals and 12 points in 54 games for Providence this past season. A third-round pick (No. 89 overall) in 2020, the 24-year-old Kuntar scored 10 goals and 20 points in his first pro season with the P-Bruins, and leaves the organization having posted 13 goals and 32 points in 124 games with AHL Providence. 

In the case of Nelson, a 6-foot-4 center college free agent signing out of Minnesota, the move to the pro game did not come with the same scoring levels he experienced in the college game, with just two goals and nine points in 35 games for the P-Bruins this past season. 

And Wahlstrom's departure comes after the Bruins claimed the Maine native off waivers from the Isles last December. And after a B's organization run that featured a goal and an assist in 16 games with Boston before landing on waivers again and in Providence, where he scored nine goals and 15 points in 19 games for the Baby B's before scoring three goals in seven playoff games.

On the blue line, the Bruins have moved on from Bavaro after 27 games in the organization between the AHL and ECHL.

Misyul, who was acquired from the Devils at the 2025 deadline, had already left the organization to return to the KHL. But the Bruins' decision not to extend him a qualifying offer means that they will not retain his NHL rights.

And in the case of Mitchell, it looks like a clean break is coming after two years as a 'tweener' between Boston and Providence, with Mitchell making 28 appearances for the Big B's over two seasons of work.

The Bruins also extended a qualifying offer to forward John Farinacci, a source confirmed to 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Signed after a collegiate career at Harvard, the 24-year-old Farinacci has posted back-to-back seasons of 38 points for AHL Providence, and scored in his NHL debut with the Bruins lae in the 2024-25 season.

Farinacci, who is a steady pro (and actually related to the Donato hockey family), projects as a potential fourth-line piece for the Bruins next season.