NHL free agency is rarely a place where teams add franchise players anymore. Superstars no longer get to unrestricted free agency. Those players are so valuable, and teams almost never let them walk for nothing in free agency these days.
Free agency is now a place to add depth at positions of need. This year’s class of unrestricted free agents is pretty underwhelming. There are no first-line caliber players who could hit the market.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has not had a ton of success in free agency during his tenure. Sure, he’s made some nice additions, like getting Morgan Geekie for cheap money in 2023. But there have been plenty of bad deals, including the Elias Lindholm contract (seven years, $54.25 million) signed in 2024. David Backes and Matt Beleskey’s contracts were pretty bad as well.
The best way for the Bruins to make substantial improvements to their roster is the trade market. The B’s have a lot of good trade assets to make deals. But if they strike out on trades, are there any UFAs who the B’s should pursue?
Let’s look at five free agents who would be a good fit for the Bruins.
Alex Tuch
- Position: Left wing
- 2025-26 Stats: 33 G, 33 A in 79 games
Tuch should have plenty of potential suitors because he’s the only legitimate top-six forward in this free agent class. He played a prominent role in helping the Sabres end their 15-year playoff drought by tallying 66 points (33 goals, 33 assists) in 79 games this past season.
The 30-year-old veteran has scored 33 or more goals in three of the last four seasons. He’s effective on the power play, and he plays with a physical edge.
The Bruins need goal scorers, and Tuch would certainly be an offensive upgrade over Viktor Arvidsson. And despite playing in Buffalo for several seasons, Tuch does have 79 games of playoff experience, largely from his time with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Viktor Arvidsson
- Position: Left wing
- 2025-26 Stats: 25 G, 29 A in 69 GP
Trading a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Edmonton Oilers for Arvidsson last July was a tremendous deal for the B’s. Arvidsson enjoyed a bounce-back season with 54 points in 69 games. His 25 goals were 10 more than he scored the previous season.
Bringing back Arvidsson makes a lot of sense for the Bruins. He brought much-needed scoring depth and speed on the wing. But doing so on a long-term deal would be a risk. Arvidsson is 33 years old. He should still be an effective player for a couple more years, but any contract that stretches longer than that could be dicey.
Anthony Mantha
- Position: Right wing
- 2025-26 Stats: 33 G, 31 A in 81 GP
Mantha missed most of the 2024-25 campaign due to an ACL injury, but he had a major bounce-back season with the Penguins in which he set career highs with 33 goals and 64 points. Mantha has scored 20-plus goals four times, including each of his last two healthy seasons.
Mantha has been injury prone for much of his career, but when healthy, he’s a pretty good goal scorer. If the Bruins lose Arvidsson, Mantha would be worth pursuing.
Rasmus Andersson
- Position: Defenseman
- 2025-26 Stats: 17 G, 31 A in 81 GP
The Bruins reportedly had interest in trading for Andersson during the season but he was ultimately dealt to the Golden Knights, where he excelled as Noah Hanifin’s partner.
If Andersson hits free agency, he’s worth pursuing because the Bruins badly need a right-shot, top-four defenseman who can play in all situations. Andersson, who’s capable of playing 21 to 24 minutes per game, checks those boxes.
The 29-year-old veteran also would help the Bruins generate more offense from the blue line. He scored a career-high 17 goals this season and has hit the 10-goal mark in three of the past four seasons.
Andersson is the best defenseman who could hit the open market and he won’t be cheap to sign. Overpaying for a defenseman who will soon turn 30 carries some risk. The Bruins paid a lot of money for Elias Lindholm in free agency two years ago at the same age Andersson is now, and that contract has been a disaster so far.
That said, adding Andersson would address a huge roster need for the Bruins and give them more scoring punch on the back end, at least in the short term.
John Carlson
- Position: Defenseman
- 2025-26 Stats: 14 G, 46 A in 71 GP
Carlson is still a very good offensive player at 36 years old. After spending the first 16-plus seasons of his career with the Washington Capitals, Carlson was traded to the Ducks in March. He was a huge help to the Ducks on and off the ice and helped a young Anaheim team get to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Carlson would help the Bruins generate more goals and scoring chances from the blue line. He has scored 10-plus goals in seven of the last nine seasons. He has tallied 44-plus points in eight of the last nine seasons. He’s a very good passer, he’s good in transition, he shoots the puck a lot and he can quarterback a power play at a high level.
Carlson also is a tremendous leader, and he has 149 games of playoff experience, including a Stanley Cup title with the Capitals in 2018.
The Natick, Mass., native would only be a short-term upgrade for the Bruins given his age, but his offensive talent, wealth of experience and his ability to play the right side of the blue line make him a good fit for Boston.
