Don Sweeney and his new-look front office may not be done this summer, but they’ll have to keep an eye on the next wave of contract decisions. There are 10 Boston Bruins who are entering the final year of their contracts, and eight are already eligible to sign an extension.

Only Lukas Reichel and Jordan Harris are not eligible until January 1, 2027. Ahead of this year’s free agency class, AFP Analytics released their 2026 offseason contract projections, which included new deals for the eight Bruins eligible for an extension.

The projections are not predictions, as the market has changed this offseason, but they serve as a ballpark for what a new contract may look like. Note: starting September 16, a player re-signing with his current club can sign for a max of seven years Pavel Zacha AFP Extension Projection: 5 years, $7.32M AAV The biggest name the Bruins have to make a decision on is Pavel Zacha.

Don Sweeney knows it. Zacha is not the No. 1 center the Bruins are looking for, but it’s hard to argue that he’s not their top option down the middle.

And for that reason, Sweeney wants to be “proactive” with the negotiations and has made it clear his goal is to extend him, even with all of the trade noise. “I got asked earlier in terms of whether or not, what’s the trade noise, and I can’t control those things.

Teams are going to ask me,” Sweeney said about Zacha. “Other people have asked other players to get out, and sometimes that’s a domino effect.

My goal is to extend [him]. He had a really good year.

He’s an important player for us. If you ask Marco, he’d say the same thing, how important he is.” AFP’s projection is not too high, especially in a market where high-end centers are hard to come by.

Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas, on their season-closing episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, suggested that if he keeps his level of play up, Zacha may be looking at an eight-figure deal. Casey Mittelstadt AFP Extension Projection: 4 years, $6.54M AAV Casey Mittelstadt is also due for a new contract at the end of this season.

He found a home on the left wing under Marco Sturm’s system, and he finished with 15 goals for the second consecutive season. Without Viktor Arvidsson on the right wing, the line combinations will look a little different, which buys time for the front office as the season plays out.

Mittelstadt, 27, is on the last year of a three-year, $5.75M AAV deal that he signed in Colorado. AFP does not see his AAV going up more than $1 million.

Mason Lohrei AFP Extension Projection: 3 years, $4.84M AAV Mason Lohrei is an interesting contract situation to monitor. The 25-year-old left-shot defenseman is on the last year of a two-year bridge deal signed last summer, but the blue line is crowded this season.

The Bruins loaded up the right side, where Lohrei looked comfortable alongside Hampus Lindholm, and they have five other NHL-capable lefty defensemen on the depth chart. The Bruins looked at moving Lohrei back in January, reportedly including him in a package for Rasmus Andersson.

He’s been featured on trade boards this summer, with a late May report saying that the Bruins were “looking at” moving the defenseman. Whether the Bruins decide to keep Lohrei as part of their long-term plans will be sorted this season.

Lohrei is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer. Fraser Minten AFP Extension Projection: 3 years, $3.86M AAV Fraser Minten is up, and the Bruins will be paying him a nice raise.

While Sweeney said he was not “well down the road,” the conversations are starting within the front office. “My discussions now turn to whether or not Fraser is ready for his extension, whether or not [Marat Khusnutdinov] is ready for an extension, [Pavel] Zacha…

so we have to forecast to that degree,” Sweeney said after free agency. “That’s what we’re trying to do in balancing and building the best team we possibly can for today, moving forward.” Minten broke onto the scene during his full first season in Boston, finishing with 35 points (17-18–35) and the Seventh Player Award.

The market for young players, especially centers, has shifted. Teams have been proactive in locking their younger players into longer-term deals, betting on their upside while the cap continues to rise.

Marat Khusnutdinov AFP Extension Projection: 2 years, $2.87M AAV While talking about Minten, Don Sweeney also mentioned Marat Khusnutdinov. The 23-year-old Russian forward is nearing the end of a two-year deal ($925K AAV), and he’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights if he gets to next summer unsigned.

He started the 2025-26 season as a rotation guy on the fourth line, but earned a greater role and finished the season with 33 points (15-18–33). He also earned top-line minutes when injuries hit, and the front office hinted that he is a part of the future plans in Boston.

AFP’s projection for Khusnutdinov is lower than Minten’s, but a two-year deal keeps him under team control as an RFA upon expiry. He is eligible for unrestricted free agency after the 2030-31 season.

“Boston feels like home,” Khusnutdinov said after the season. “I feel like it’s my family.” Sean Kuraly AFP Extension Projection: 2 years, $2.60M AAV Sean Kuraly, the Bruins’ oldest player at 33, is due for a new contract next summer.

The Bruins had a feel-good reunion with Kuraly last summer, and he did exactly what was asked: win faceoffs and kill penalties. Kuraly was one of three Bruins with perfect attendance last season, and he finished with 22 points (6-16–22) for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

Kuraly will be 34 when his contract expires next summer, and AFP sees him getting another two-year deal along with a small raise from his current $1.85M AAV. Mikey Eyssimont AFP Extension Projection: 2 years, $1.94M AAV Mikey Eyssimont was brought in last summer but could not grasp a full-time spot on a specific line.

Through that, Eyssimont managed 18 points (8-10–18) in 56 games. He was a valuable extra forward for the Bruins and will continue to be through the 2026-27 season as he fights for another opportunity to land a full-time spot.

After the season, Eyssimont talked about the “blueprint” he has for his offseasons, and he mentioned the two playoff games he played were crucial for his confidence. He will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, giving him a chance to earn another contract elsewhere if he can’t crack the lineup.

Michael DiPietro AFP Extension Projection: 1 year, $900K AAV Michael DiPietro is making the jump to the NHL, and he’ll have a new contract coming next summer. He’s playing out the last year of a two-year deal ($812.5K AAV); he won the AHL MVP in the first year.

His new opportunity with Boston allows him to establish himself before signing a new deal. He will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and last time he was set to hit the open market, teams were circling his name.

A similar situation played out with DiPietro’s former teammate, Brandon Bussi. During his first season in the NHL, Bussi inked a three-year extension in February with a $1.9M AAV.

Lukas Reichel Not eligible for an extension until Jan 1, 2027 Acquired at the trade deadline, Lukas Reichel plugged right into the third line last season. The Bruins then extended the German winger (1x$950K) after the season, giving them another depth option with speed and some skill.

Reichel, a 2020 first-round pick, has 198 career NHL games under his belt and is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer. Jordan Harris Not eligible for an extension until Jan 1, 2027 On July 1, after leaving him unqualified, the Bruins kept Haverhill native Jordan Harris around on a one-year deal worth $850,000.

Harris comes back to an even more crowded blue line, and that’s after a season where he did not play much when healthy. He will still be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights when his deal is up at the end of the season.

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