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4 Bruins Who Won’t Be in Boston by the End of the Season

By Devon Platana

Mar 23, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Jake DeBrusk (74) reacts after scoring during the first period against the Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 23, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Jake DeBrusk (74) reacts after scoring during the first period against the Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports /
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The 2023-24 NHL season is less than a month away, meaning Boston Bruins hockey is almost back on the menu.The fanbase has eagerly anticipated what version of the Bruins we’ll see on the ice this year. After all, there was much to be desired after Boston set the record for most points by an NHL team (135) only to bounce by the Florida Panthers in the postseason’s opening round after blowing a 3-1 series lead.

After the dual retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci in the offseason, the Bruins’ 2023-24 roster is nearly finalized. At the same time, just because a player is on the roster now doesn’t mean that they will be once the season ends.

Here are four Bruins who won’t be in Boston by the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

4 Bruins Moved by End of 2023-24 NHL Season

1. James van Riemsdyk

One of the Bruins’ offseason moves saw them add winger James van Riemsdyk to a one-year, $1 million contract. With Bergeron and Krejci gone, it made sense to add another veteran presence up front.

Earlier in his career, van Riemsdyk could be relied on for 20-plus goals and 50-plus points. He isn’t exactly at that level now, coming off a season that saw him tally 12 goals and 29 assists in 61 games with the Philadelphia Flyers.

There are one of two reasons why I could see JVR not lasting all that long with the Bruins.

The first is that his decline continues, I can’t see him having much use in the lineup. Even if his contract isn’t all that expensive, it’d be hard to find a use for him if he somehow doesn’t improve upon the 0.2 goal-per-game pace he displayed in 2022-23 — his worst rate since his rookie season.

The second reason is that he could be moved if the Bruins aren’t a playoff team. If we can’t overcome Bergeron and Krejci’s retirements, other teams will call general manager Don Sweeney to see if they can snag van Riemsdyk as a rental player. After all, he does have 20 goals in 71 career playoff games, so at least one team is bound to find that attractive.

Either way, don’t count on JVR spending the entire season with us.

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