The first is defenseman Noah Hanifin. The Bruins were highly tied to the blue liner near the deadline but Vegas won the trade acquiring him from Calgary. While Vegas has him until the end of the season, Hanifin has yet to re-sign which means he will likely be a free agent this summer which puts the Bruins back into play.
The Bruins will have a lot of options this summer since they have Jake DeBrusk, James van Riemsdyk, Milan Lucic, Pat Maroon, Danton Heinen, Matt Grzelcyk, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Derek Forbort all set to become free agents. Although some of these players may end up re-signing, this will give the Bruins $21.7 million to use in free agency.