A painfully condensed window between the 2024 NHL Draft and the start of free agency left the Bruins and the rest of the league scrambling to finalize their decisions ahead of Monday’s free agent frenzy.
And for the Bruins, that came with decisions made on all seven of the Black and Gold’s restricted free agents — a class headlined by goaltender Jeremy Swayman — made by 5 p.m. Sunday. And when it boiled down to it, the decision was a simple one in the sense that a qualifying offer meant that the player was sticking around with the Bruins, while a failure to tender a qualifying offer meant that the player would be free to sign with anybody as an unrestricted free agent beginning at 12 p.m. on July 1.
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.
