Wingers Cole Koepke and Jeffrey Viel have agreed to league minimum deals with the Boston Bruins, which have a $775,000 cap hit.
Koepke’s new contract only allows him to play for the Bruins for one season. Following the expiration of his one-year league minimum contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season, he became a Group 6 unrestricted free agent.
In his nine games with the Lightning during the 2023–24 campaign, Koepke recorded two assists. He played more of his time in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch, the minor league affiliate of the Bolts. In 53 regular season games, he scored 20 goals and 19 assists for 39 points, and he added 4 goals in 8 playoff games as the Crunch lost to the Cleveland Monsters in the Division Finals of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Viel had a slightly longer term than Koepke because his contract was only for two years. Following the conclusion of his one-year league minimum contract that he signed with the Winnipeg Jets the previous season, he became an unrestricted free agent.
Viel played for the Winnipeg Moose, the minor league affiliate of the Jets, in the AHL for the whole previous season. In addition to having 17 goals, 23 assists, and 40 points in 69 regular season games, he was held scoreless in two postseason contests as the Moose were swept by the Texas Stars in the opening round.
The Bruins signed eight players on the first day of free agency; center Elias Lindholm signed a seven-year contract, and defenseman Nikita Zadorov signed a six-year deal. Koepke and Viel’s contracts are two of those signings. With the signing, their projected salary cap space is less than $8 million. The only remaining restricted free agent on their NHL roster is goaltender Jeremy Swayman.
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