Bruins bracing for busy offseason: 'We're not going to be the same team'

The Boston Bruins' front office knows it has plenty of difficult decisions to make after crashing and burning out of a historic season.

"Roster changes are coming," general manager Don Sweeney said Tuesday, per Boston.com's Conor Ryan. "We're not going to be the same team."

The Bruins enter the offseason with a roster size of 14 and only $6 million in cap space, according to Cap Friendly. Boston's list of unrestricted free agents includes Patrice Bergeron - who's unsure if he'll return for a 20th season - as well as veterans David Krejci, Nick Foligno, Connor Clifton and trade deadline acquisitions Dmitry Orlov, Garnet Hathaway, and Tyler Bertuzzi.

Jeremy Swayman and Trent Frederic are the club's only notable restricted free agents. The Bruins have a $4.5-million cap charge next season for bonus overages this year.

"We still think we can be a competitive team, but there's a lot of work to do this offseason," president Cam Neely said, according to Matt Porter of the Boston Globe.

The Bruins could trade some pieces to clear up cap space, but their options are limited. The club only has seven players under contract next year that don't have at least a modified no-trade clause.

Boston led the Atlantic Division wire-to-wire this season, setting NHL records for wins and points. Despite entering the playoffs as heavy Stanley Cup favorites, the Bruins blew a 3-1 series lead against the eighth-seeded Florida Panthers and were eliminated on home ice in overtime of Game 7.