Bruins general manager Don Sweeney made one of the easier calls he will this season on Friday, with forward Mark Kastelic officially signed to a three-year extension worth $4.701 million.
In typical Sweeney & Co. fashion — and, listen, not to say that a Kastelic re-signing would cause major waves on social media — the Bruins got this one done in complete silence. There was not a single audible whisper, rumbling, or one scuttlebutt cheek of this happening. The Bruins simply got this one done, and at what feels like a definite value, with Kastelic re-upped ahead of the expiration of his current contract, which would’ve left as an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent at the end of the season.
A season that’s already seen Kastelic perform at a career-high level, too, with a career-high 11 points matched almost 30 games ahead of its previous pace, set in 65 games in 2022-23 compared to hitting that mark in his 33rd game of the season with Boston.
How Kastelic addresses sorely-missed area
Oct 26, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Mark Kastelic (47) celebrates his goal with teammates on the bench during the second period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/Imagn Images)
As I said, one of the things that the Bruins have excelled at under Sweeney’s tenure has been identifying fits for their fourth line, and essentially going through with a pump-and-dump with them. There’s countless fourth-line types that have come to Boston rather unheralded, thrived, and left for a bigger deal elsewhere only to never be heard from again.
But when it comes to Boston’s best fourth-line look in the post-Merlot era, there’s no denying the impact of Sean Kuraly and how he essentially became the fourth line’s motor. It’s been almost four years since the Bruins let him walk to his hometown Blue Jackets, and prior to Kastelic, it was tough for the Bruins to regain that quality from that line.
Kuraly’s first replacement, Tomas Nosek, was more defensive acumen than engine starter. And though the Bruins relied on different guys to try and be an energetic presence in that spot over the years, it just never had the same feel. It also felt a little disjointed. Jakub Lauko did his part to be an agitator, but it was tough for him to get a strong grip on a full-time gig. A.J. Greer was too reckless at times and had similar troubles when it came to in-lineup sustainability, and the Bruins brought Garnet Hathaway to town to apparently be… anything but Garnet Hathaway (a pain-in-the-ass, but an effective pain-in-the-ass) for some reason.
But Kastelic? Kastelic has nailed that.
When you look at the success of the fourth line this year, there’s obvious credit to Cole Koepke and Johnny Beecher, but Kastelic has felt like the true driving force. It just feels like Kastelic is the one that drives play, hits with legitimate hate, and is the first one to find the good ice, either for himself or his linemates.
And if you ask me, this is something that the B’s have chased since Kuraly.
Who’s next for Bruins?
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 12: Brandt Clarke #92 of the Los Angeles Kings and Justin Brazeau #55 of the Boston Bruins eye a loose puck in front of goaltender Darcy Kuemper #35 during the first period. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
With all that said, I admittedly didn’t have Kastelic being the first domino of what’ll be a busy season of negotiations for Sweeney.
Just a quick refresher: Kastelic was one of several pending restricted free agents currently on the B’s roster. Prior to his extension, he was joined on that list by forwards Johnny Beecher, Morgan Geekie, and recent waiver-wire addition Oliver Wahlstrom. On the backend, Mason Lohrei Is also a pending RFA. And beyond Brad Marchand as far as unrestricted free agents, the Bruins are looking at a season that’ll end with decisions being made on Justin Brazeau, Trent Frederic, and Cole Koepke up front, in addition to defenseman Parker Wotherspoon.
So, who’s next when it comes to inking an extension?
If I were the Bruins – and this is assuming that Marchand is sort of an automatic and will ultimately re-sign with the Bruins, which I believe to be the case and have zero reason to doubt – Brazeau should be at the top of the Bruins’ list.
In addition to being a feel good story as a player who turned an AHL contract into an NHL opportunity and never looked back, the 6-foot-5 Brazeau has been absolutely solid at the NHL level, with 12 goals and 14 goals and 24 points in 57 games with Boston since making his NHL debut on Feb. 19 last season. His 14 goals are the sixth-most among all Bruins over that span, while his 24 points rank seventh among all Boston skaters. Over an 82-game season, that’s a pace of 20 goals and 35 points. Brazeau has certainly been aided by a shooting percentage north of 15 percent, but with the way he plays and where he goes (NHL goalies could tell you what Brazeau had for a pregame meal with the way he gets his face in there), that number may closer to reality with his game than we think.
He’s also making the most of his opportunity with the Bruins. Among Boston forwards with at least 700 minutes played since his NHL debut, only Pavel Zacha, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak have averaged more points-per-60 than Brazeau and his 1.97 points/60. Among the 286 NHL forwards with 700 minutes, that 1.97 ranks 156th, and Brazeau’s 1.09 individual expected goals per 60 ranks as the 60th-best among that group of 286 and is tied with (and I’m not kidding here) Nikita Kucherov, Artemi Panarin, and David Pastrnak.
In other words, this guy has absolutely earned a new deal with the Bruins, and a modest raise from his current league-minimum salary of $775,000 is not only doable for Boston but could shape up to be a win-win for both sides.
Does this impact Trent Frederic?
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 11: Trent Frederic #11 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the third period against the Washington Capitals at TD Garden on April 11, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
When discussing the Bruins right now, all roads lead back to Trent Frederic.
It’s not his fault. It’s just the timing of his situation.
In the final year of his current contract with Boston, the 26-year-old Frederic is staring down a potential jump into unrestricted free agency as he remains without a deal. Now, back in October, Sweeney confirmed that the Bruins were indeed talking with Frederic’s camp. But it’s been over three months, and it’s been pretty much complete silence since those comments.
And, obviously (and certainly most notably), there’s still no deal between the parties.
Only adding to the stress is the fact that Frederic has not had a strong season to date, with just five goals and 11 points, along with a team-worst minus-12 rating, in 40 games for the Black and Gold this season.
And now Kastelic has been re-signed ahead of him.
Typically, when it comes to stuff like this, it’s always worth noting that bottom-of-the-roster signings are almost always easier than ones up the lineup. It’s why the B’s handled the Jeremy Swayman contract situation last during the 2024 offseason, and it wasn’t because Oct. 6 meant something personal to him. But let’s not get this too twisted: Frederic plays just one line above Kastelic (they’ve even played on the same line for stretches this season), and Frederic’s camp, in theory, had a three-month headstart on their talks with the Bruins.
The players are also relatively similar to a degree.
A Feb. ‘98 birthday, Frederic will turn 27 later this season, while Kastelic (a Mar. ‘99 birthday) turns 26 later this season. That age gap is not sizable. Both players have shown a willingness to drop the gloves, and Kastelic has absolutely taken some of the fighting pressure off of Frederic this season, and the Bruins probably aren’t complaining about that too much. But where things get most interesting, in my opinion, is that both players have posted 11 points this season, with Kastelic doing it while averaging two and a half minutes less of ice-time per game, at 11:37 per night compared to Frederic’s 14:07 entering Saturday night in Toronto. Frederic is also getting considerably more offensive-zone run than Kastelic.
Given the way things have gone for him — and on the heels of Jake DeBrusk walking for nothing this past offseason — there’s a legitimate case to be made for the Bruins getting something for Frederic if he’s not in their plans beyond this season. Especially if the Bruins believe they can replace him in the aggregate between Kastelic and another potential re-signing (like Brazeau). After all, Kastelic has already shown that he plays with some of the qualities that Frederic does (and is arguably a more ‘forceful’ presence when it comes to his physicality and pace), and will be doing so at under $1.6 million for the next three seasons.
When you’re spending as much as the Bruins are at the top of their roster — the Pastrnak-McAvoy-Swayman trifecta accounts for $29 million of the B’s salary cap pie, and that number jumps up to $43.25 million if you include the Lindholms — trying to find long-term value plays with proverbial ‘two for the price of one’ deals when it comes to your roster building can be of the utmost importance.
And, again, this is not a knock on Frederic. He’s handled the rumors and uncertainty about as well as one can. But this is going to hang over his game and the B’s deadline plans until it’s addressed in some fashion, either by way of an extension or a trade involving the 2016 first-round pick.
