CONFIRMED DEAL: The Boston Bruins and the Ottawa Senators have formally reached an agreement to sign a highly skilled veteran winger who is expected to get a sizable salary increase.

Breaking Down Bruins’ Defensive Depth Ahead Of Draft, Free Agency

Editorial note: Over the course of several weeks, NESN.com will examine the Boston Bruins’ organizational depth. First up was goaltending, next up is defensemen.

The Boston Bruins entered the offseason with eight unrestricted free agents and three restricted free agents with north of $20 million in cap space heading into free agency on July 1.

The Bruins have plenty of depth on the blue line in Boston with a veteran group of Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Brandon Carlo and newer additions that made a name for themselves last season — Parker Wotherspoon, Andrew Peeke and Mason Lohrei.

Beyond the core, does Boston have defensemen in the organization that can step in if needed?

Here’s a look at what each defenseman has to offer, along with their status within the organization.

IN THE NHL
— McAvoy will enter his eighth season with Boston when the Bruins hit the ice for the 2024-25 season. In his career, McAvoy has 53 goals and 224 assists in 454 games. McAvoy is not only an anchor on the defensive side of the puck, but he also has a tendency to turn up the intensity by skating pucks up the ice and breaking into the offensive zone. He ranked first among Boston defensemen with 12 goals, 35 assists and 47 points.

He is known for his thunderous hits. McAvoy led all Bruins defensemen and ranked third overall on the team with 159 hits. He led all skaters with 159 blocked shots as well as ice time with 24:51 minutes per game.

McAvoy signed an eight-year, $76 million contract at the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign through the 2029-30 season.

Lindholm’s numbers, three goals and 23 assists, in his second full season with Boston weren’t as great as his first, with 10 goals and 43 assists in the 2022-23 campaign, but his patience with the puck often allowed the defenseman to create plays for his teammates which has made him so valuable to the Bruins.

He ranked second among Boston defensemen with 26 points and third in blocked shots with 100. Lindholm was right behind McAvoy in ice time with 23:17 per game.

It is possible his production took a dip, given the knee injury he sustained in February. Perhaps with the offseason to recover and train, Lindholm can produce numbers north of the 2022-23 season.

Like McAvoy, Lindholm is under contract until the conclusion of the 2029-30 campaign with an annual cap hit of $6.5 million.