The Boston Bruins began training camp with 54 players on their roster. After three weeks filled with practices and exhibition games, the team whittled down its roster and unveiled on Monday the 23 players who earned the right to call themselves Bruins to start the season.
Forwards:
Johnny Beecher, Justin Brazeau, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, Morgan Geekie, Max Jones, Mark Kastelic, Cole Koepke, Elias Lindholm, Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Riley Tufte, Pavel Zacha
Defensemen:
Brandon Carlo, Hampus Lindholm, Mason Lohrei, Charlie McAvoy, Andrew Peeke, Parker Wotherspoon, and Nikita Zadorov
Goalies:
Jeremy Swayman, Joonas Korpisalo
Non-Roster Injury:
Matthew Poitras, Ian Mitchell, Alec Regula.
Most of the names above were expected to make the team, but the opening night roster does have a few surprises, with Cole Koepke chief among them.
An under-the-radar free agent signing by the Bruins this summer, Kopeke was lost in the shuffle at the start of camp among the many other players who were vying for a role in the bottom six. Slowly but surely, though, the 26-year-old began to stand out from the rest of the pack.
He scored a goal in Boston’s preseason opener against the New York Rangers on Sep. 22 and soon began to appear regularly on the Bruins’ presumed fourth line alongside Mark Kastelic and Johnny Beecher.
How often Koepke will play during the regular season isn’t clear. Nevertheless, he will be with the Bruins when they begin the season tomorrow night, appearing on the opening night roster for the first time in his career.
While it’s somewhat surprising that Koepke made the roster, it’s equally unexpected that Tyler Johnson did not.
Johnson proved to be a reliable player for the Bruins during training camp while on a professional tryout contract. He brought veteran experience to the locker room and played smart, responsible hockey in various situations. However, the 13-year veteran didn’t do enough to secure a guaranteed contract.
The Bruins’ decision to exclude Johnson from the roster may have been influenced by salary cap constraints. After re-signing Jeremy Swayman to an eight-year, $66 million deal on Sunday, the team has just $145,261 in cap space, according to Puckpedia.
There has been no official announcement from the Bruins regarding Johnson’s status with his PTO. He is allowed to travel and practice with the team until the trade deadline on March 7 and can sign a guaranteed contract before that date.
Last season, Danton Heinen played for the Bruins on a PTO and only signed a guaranteed contract after the team had already played eight regular-season games.
The Bruins will kick off their 2024-25 season tomorrow night at 7 p.m. against the Florida Panthers at Amarant Bank Arena.
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