The Boston Bruins made their first move of the offseason on Monday morning by signing Czech goalie Simon Zajicek to a one-year, entry-level contract with an NHL cap hit worth $872,500.
Zajicek, 23, has spent the last four seasons playing for HC Litvinov of Czech Extraliga. He put together a 15-13-0 with a 2.12 goals against average and a .930 save percentage with five shutouts across 29 starts this past season.
Goaltending isn’t necessarily an area of need for the Bruins, but Zajicek fortifies their depth between the posts. The organization has several decisions to make this offseason when it comes to the netminders they already have, namely, Michael DiPietro and Brandon Bussi.
The two goalies made up the tandem in net for the Providence Bruins this past year and are both about to become unrestricted free agents on July 1 if the Bruins don’t sign them to extensions beforehand. It’s entirely possible that one or both find new opportunities on the open market that could lead to them playing at the NHL level. That certainly could be the case for DiPietro, who was far and away the AHL’s top goalie last season, winning the Aledge “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award.
As of right now, an opportunity like that doesn’t appear to be open in Boston, with both Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo signed to long-term deals. Although that could very well change.
After appearing in just 27 games, Koorpisalo made it clear after the season that he was unhappy with the amount of playing time the Bruins gave him. The team has him signed for the next three years, but could move his $3 million cap hit off the books by sending him to a team in need of a goalie.
Swayman’s spot in Boston is far more secure after inking a massive contract extension with the Bruins last year. However, the first year of that deal was a downright disaster as Swayman struggled during his first season as the Bruins’ starter, posting a woeful 22-29-7 record with a 3.11 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage.
By no means have the Bruins given up on Swayman, but another bad year from him could lead to the team trading him before the no-movement clause on his contract kicks in at the start of the 2026-27 season.
It’s not clear what plans the Bruins have for Zajicek, or any of their other goalies, for that matter, but they’re clearly preparing for any all possibilities.
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