The One Bargain Free Agent the Bruins Should Grab Before Someone Else Does

The Boston Bruins got back to the playoffs in 2026 after missing the cut the year before. That alone felt like a small win for a franchise that had gotten used to spring hockey. But a first round exit is a first round exit, and Don Sweeney went into the summer knowing the roster needed another push.

So Sweeney made a big swing. He traded two first round picks to the Utah Mammoth for JJ Peterka, a 24 year old winger who scored 25 goals last season. Peterka didn’t exactly light it up in Utah after they traded for him the previous summer, but the Bruins are betting that a change of scenery and a better supporting cast will unlock the version of him that looked like a future star a couple years ago.

That was the headline move. But the Bruins also brought back Connor Clifton on a free agent deal, sent goalie Joonas Korpisalo to the Rangers in one trade and picked up defenseman Will Borgen from New York in a separate deal for a couple draft picks. Solid stuff. Not flashy, but solid.

Here’s the thing though. Boston doesn’t have a ton of cap room left. The Peterka trade and the other moves ate up most of the available space. So if the Bruins want to add more, they need to find a deal. A cheap deal. And there’s one guy still sitting on the open market who fits that description perfectly.

Vladimir Tarasenko still has something left

Tarasenko is not the 40 goal sniper he was a decade ago in St. Louis. But he’s also not washed. Last season with the Minnesota Wild he put up 23 goals and 47 points, which is a 12 goal jump from his miserable year in Detroit. The difference? Playing on a functional team. The Wild added Quinn Hughes midseason and suddenly Tarasenko had real talent around him. He looked dangerous again.

The Bruins top six looks good on paper after the Peterka addition. But the depth behind them is shaky. Fraser Minten could move up, and if he does, rookie James Hagens might anchor the third line. That’s a lot of pressure on a kid. Having a veteran winger like Tarasenko on the third line would give Hagens someone to learn from and take some scoring pressure off.

Tarasenko isn’t asking for a huge contract at this point in his career. One year, low cap hit, prove it deal. That’s exactly the kind of signing that makes sense for both sides. The Bruins get a guy who can still finish chances and who knows what playoff hockey looks like. Tarasenko gets to play on a team that actually has a pulse offensively.

The risk is minimal. The reward could be a 20 goal third liner who changes the look of Boston’s bottom six entirely. If the Bruins are serious about making a deeper run in 2027, this is the kind of under the radar move that fills a real hole without wrecking the cap sheet.