Bruins signing winger Cole Koepke to contract
Having gone through undeniable turnover within their forward depth, the Bruins turned to a rival’s pipeline for some help Monday, with former Lightning forward Cole Koepke signed to a contract, a source tells 98.5 The Sports Hub and the Bruins confirm.
The deal, will be a two-way deal, and will be worth the league minimum $775,000 cap hit at the NHL level.
A sixth-round pick of the Lightning back in 2018, the 6-foot-1 Koepke spent the majority of his 2023-24 campaign with AHL Syracuse, where he tallied 20 goals and 39 points in 53 games. Koepke also made nine appearances for the Lightning during the 2023-24 season, and certainly made the most of his 6:42 per night over that nine-game sample, with two assists and 23 hits for the Bolts.
Overall, the 26-year-old Koepke has appeared in 26 career NHL games, with one goal and three points, along with 21 shots and 55 hits, all of which came as a member of the Lightning.
Speaking with 98.5 The Sports Hub, one source described Koepke as a player who “plays like a Bruin,” and noted that Koepke is a player who can definitely bring more to the table when given an opportunity.
And to that point, looking under the proverbial hood of his NHL results to date, Koepke certainly brings an intriguing mix to a Black and Gold roster that’s undergone some significant changeover in its bottom-six with Jesper Boqvist not extended a qualifying offer, Jakub Lauko traded, and Pat Maroon hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent. Particularly when it comes to replacing what Boston lost.
Though he’s been deployed for just over 215 minutes of time on ice over the last two seasons, Koepke managed to draw five penalties for the Lightning. The Bruins lost a strong penalty-drawing talent with the trade that sent Lauko to Minnesota. Koepke also dished out 13.67 hits per 60 over that 26-game sample in Tampa Bay, which was the fourth-highest rate among Bolts (minimum 200 minutes). And throwing the body around is a must for any player that skates on the B’s fourth line, as made clear by its complexion over the last two years and what Jim Montgomery demands and asks out of that line as an identity.
The sample size with the Minnesota-Duluth alum is obviously limited, but penalties drawn are penalties drawn, and hits are hits. And those are stats and intangibles that tend to translate over larger samples, and they are absolutely qualities that can often provide pathways to NHL minutes and opportunities.
Koepke has also shown a scoring touch in the AHL, with that aforementioned 20-goal campaign with the Crunch a season ago, as well as a 20-goal year with Tampa’s top affiliate in 2021-22.
Overall, the Hermantown, Minn. native has posted 49 goals and 100 points in 183 AHL games over the last four seasons, along with six goals and 10 points in 18 career Calder Cup Playoff games.
Bruins make decisions on their restricted free agent class ahead of deadline
Marc McLaughlin of the Bruins skates during a game against the Blues at TD Garden on April 12, 2022. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Up front, the Bruins also extended a qualifying offer to forward Marc McLaughlin.
The North Billerica, Mass. native scored in his lone NHL outing of the 2023-24 season, and has recorded four goals and 21 hits in 14 NHL games over the last three seasons. On the farm, McLaughlin posted eight goals and 14 points in 68 AHL contests, and has tallied 21 goals and 44 points in 135 total AHL games with Providence.
McLaughlin’s qualifying offer checks in at $813,750.
Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Michael Callahan (79) checks a shot by New York Rangers center Jake Leschyshyn (15) during the second period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
On the blue line, Massachusetts native Michael Callahan was extended a qualifying offer following a 2023-24 season that featured four goals and 17 points in 70 games for the P-Bruins. Those figures were professional career-highs across the board for the 6-foot-2 left shot defenseman. Originally acquired in a trade with the Coyotes in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick, Callahan has made 140 appearances for Providence since 2022.
Callahan’s qualifying offer is for $874,125.
Sep 24, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Alec Regula (75) makes the save against against the New York Rangers during the second period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha/USA TODAY Sports)
Callahan was not the only B’s defender extended a qualifying offer by Sunday’s deadline, as the Bruins also extended one to Alec Regula. Added to the fold via last year’s cap-clearing deal with the Blackhawks, Regula scored four goals and 26 points, along with a plus-36 rating, in 55 games for the P-Bruins. Regula’s plus-36 was not just tops among all Providence skaters, but also finished the year as the best mark in the entire American Hockey League.
The 6-foot-4 right shot’s qualifying offer is for $813,750.
Feb 24, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Boston Bruins forward Jesper Boqvist (70) awaits the start of play against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at Rogers Arena. (Anne-Marie Sorvin/USA TODAY Sports)
The most notable player to not be extended a qualifying offer by the Bruins, however, was speedy fourth-line forward Jesper Boqvist. Capable of playing both center and wing, Boqvist made 47 appearances for Boston in 2023-24, with six goals and 14 points over that NHL run. Boqvist also posted a career-best plus-12 rating, while his 71 hits were also a career-high, besting his previous high (50 in 2022-23) by 21 smacks.
The Bruins’ decision to not qualify Boqvist means that he will be an unrestricted free agent, and that the Bruins have effectively moved on from at least two consistent members of their 2023-24 fourth line, with Jakub Lauko traded to Minnesota in last Saturday’s deal to move up the board in the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
