Boston, MA
How's this for an offseason nightmare? Ullmark stays and Swayman signs an offer sheet
The Boston Bruins have money. General manager Don Sweeney projects to spend most, if not all, of the approximately $20 million that will become available on July 1.
Being liberal with his checkbook, however, does not necessarily guarantee Sweeney success in reinforcing his roster. If certain circumstances fail to align, the Bruins could fall short in taking advantage of their spending power.
Here are seven ways things could go sideways this summer:
1. A Linus Ullmark trade doesn’t happen. Ullmark currently has 16 teams on his no-trade list, per CapFriendly. It goes to 15 teams on July 1. While there may be wiggle room in terms of clubs Ullmark would be willing to consider, there are still a significant number of market-reducing roadblocks that could limit the Bruins’ return.
Sweeney is not one to come off his price, whatever that may be for the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner. So if Ullmark’s list influences his market, the Bruins may not have a choice but to bring him back for the fourth and final season of his $20 million contract.
This would leave the Bruins without the futures — they do not pick until Round 4 of the draft this month — they want to add. It would keep Ullmark’s $5 million average annual value occupying critical cap space that could be applied elsewhere. It would put Brandon Bussi, the No. 3 goalie, at risk of being claimed on waivers.
Going into the 2024-25 season with Linus Ullmark still sharing starts with Jeremy Swayman would not be ideal for the Bruins. (Rich Gagnon / Getty Images)
2. Jeremy Swayman signs an offer sheet. The Bruins would match because of their cap space and Swayman’s long-term importance. But it would be a cap-crunching mechanism for the Ottawa Senators, for example, to whittle away at their Atlantic Division opponent’s advantage. Depending on the value of the offer sheet, it may limit the Bruins from signing a top-six forward, for example.
The threat of an offer sheet is one reason the Bruins have to be within a reasonable range of Swayman’s ask.
3. Swayman files for arbitration again. Last year, a hearing produced a one-year, $3.475 million agreement. But it came at a cost. Swayman did not enjoy the process. Arbitration is not fun for either side as they argue their respective price points.
Both Swayman and the Bruins want a long-term deal. But if the separation between the parties’ cases is too wide to settle via organic negotiations, Swayman may believe arbitration would work out in his favor. If he got through one hearing, he may think enduring a second one would be worth the discomfort.
4. Jake DeBrusk signs elsewhere. It appears likely that this will be the case. The Bruins will not be better off for it. The 27-year-old is an important top-six wing who raises his hand for every situation.
5. The Bruins come up empty at the higher end of free agency. Sweeney noted the need to improve the team’s secondary offense. By that principle, the GM would stay out of the bidding for Sam Reinhart, Jake Guentzel and Steven Stamkos, the top three pending unrestricted free agents. The wisdom of that approach remains to be seen.
As for the second tier, the Bruins would welcome forwards such as Elias Lindholm, Jonathan Marchessault and Matt Duchene. But if the prices aren’t right, Sweeney is not wired to overspend.
The Bruins need line-drivers more than value adds.
6. The Bruins do not progress on a Brad Marchand extension. Sweeney has said Marchand deserves to be a lifelong Bruin. But if the Bruins disagree with Marchand’s expectations for his next contract, they will risk their captain entering his walk year without peace of mind.
The Bruins would still have months to work on a deal during the season. But it might leave Marchand unsettled.
Bruins captain Brad Marchand has one year remaining on his contract. (Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
7. Matt Poitras, Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov stall in their development. The three forwards have the skill to make the 2024-25 roster. Poitras, in particular, is expected to be a go-to contributor.
But part of their offseason mandate is to become sturdier for NHL battle. If they don’t progress to becoming stronger on pucks and more competitive in 50-50 engagement, the coaching staff will not trust them in critical situations. The Bruins need internal contributions to supplement their expected offseason additions.
Coming on Thursday, a dream offseason.
(Top photo of Jeremy Swayman: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Brockton’s Moyzilla food truck offers up Asian comfort food on the go
Moyzilla is a jewel of MA food trucks. Founded by Jon Moy — son of Brockton culinary royalty — it offers Asian comfort food from Brockton to Boston.
Looking for a new marketplace to shop at this spring? You’re in luck – Boston is home to one of the best public markets in the country, according to USA TODAY 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.
The annual 10BEST awards highlight the best in travel, food and lifestyle, and winners are chosen by a public voting poll after being nominated by industry experts. In the 2026 food awards, highlighting the top food tours, food cruises, farmers markets and more from across the country, Boston Public Market ranked third in the best public market category.
Here’s what to know before you go to Boston’s top-ranked public market.
Why Boston Public Market ranked third
A year-round indoor marketplace in Downtown Boston, Boston Public Market celebrates the bounty New England has to offer with fresh groceries, prepared meals, crafts and specialty items from over 30 local artisans and food producers, with a focus on seasonal items.
Along with browsing through groceries and goods, guests are invited to join the public market for a variety of special events, including trivia, live music, magic shows and face painting.
Boston Public Market is located at 100 Hanover St. on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, directly above the Haymarket MBTA station. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday or 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
What other markets made the list?
Here is USA TODAY’s full ranking of the top 10 public markets in the country:
- Reading Terminal Market – Philadelphia, PA
- Milwaukee Public Market – Milwaukee, WI
- Boston Public Market – Boston, MA
- Eastern Market – Detroit, MI
- West Side Market – Cleveland, OH
- Essex Market – New York City, NY
- Lancaster Central Market – Lancaster, PA
- Midtown Global Market – Minneapolis, MN
- Grand Central Market – Los Angeles, CA
- North Market Downtown – Columbus, OH
The Green Line B branch trains will not run between Kenmore and Boston College through April 30, according to the MBTA.
The nine-day outage will allow T officials to work on several infrastructure improvements and maintenance, the installation of Green Line Train Protection System (GLTPS) infrastructure, replacement of 130-year-old wooden overhead catenary wire “trough” near the Green Line portals and more.
The MBTA announced free, accessible shuttle buses between the two stops, Kenmore and Boston College during the outage. The buses will not stop at Griggs Street, Allston Street, and Packard’s Corner due to “accessibility issues,” T officials said.
During the weekend of April 25 and 26, the outage will extend through Copley, and shuttle buses will skip Griggs Street, Allston Street, and Packard’s Corner during the same weekend.
Throughout the shutdown all Green Line frequency will be reduced between Copley and Government center.
The MBTA urged riders to use the Orange Line at Back Bay during the outage. The agency also noted riders can transfer to Copley from Back Bay, an approximately five-minute walk.
The route 57 bus will also be free from April 22 through 24 and April 27 through 30 for alternate service between Kenmore and Packard’s Corner, the MBTA stated. During the April 25 and 26 weekend, the T noted the bus will not be a good alternate with not Green Line service at Kenmore.
During the shutdown, riders taking shuttle buses should budget extra travel time, the T said.
“For example, a rider travelling to Park Street from Boston College should budget at least an additional 10 minutes of travel in additional to their regular commute,” the MBTA stated.
More information is available on-site through transit ambassadors and T staff, virtually through T-Alerts or following the MBTA on X @MBTA, or via the mbta.com/GreenLine.
Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 59 points, and the Philadelphia 76ers looked like a completely different team against the Boston Celtics in Game 2.
And unlike Game 1, the Sixers’ defense also showed up, holding Boston to 43 second-half points and 39 percent shooting for the game in a 111-97 road win to tie this Eastern Conference first-round series at 1-1.
Edgecombe scored a team-high 30 points on 12-for-20 shooting, and Maxey added 29 points and nine assists. The Sixers’ backcourt duo combined to shoot 11-for-22 from 3-point range. The Sixers were 19-for-39 from 3 after going 4 of 23 from that distance in Game 1.
Boston was led by Jaylen Brown’s game-high 36 points, but Jayson Tatum was the only other Celtics player who scored in double figures with 19. Boston shot 13-for-50 from 3-point range.
Here are some takeaways with Game 3 set for Friday in Philadelphia.
Celtics offense falls flat
The Celtics knew to expect a different effort from the 76ers.
One adjustment from Philadelphia likely didn’t take Boston by surprise. After taking just 23 3-pointers in Game 1, the 76ers sought out more long balls in Game 2.
Maxey called his own number more often. Edgecombe was aggressive from the start. As a team, the 76ers played with more freedom, firing plenty of shots that they might have turned down in the series opener. Philadelphia made plenty of those looks while shooting 48.7 percent from behind the arc.
Still, the Celtics would have been all right if they had played their usual offensive game. Instead, their offense was their biggest issue. They shot just 39.3 percent on field goal attempts. They missed 37 of 50 3-point attempts. They committed an atypical 13 turnovers.
Trying to come back in the fourth quarter, they had too many empty offensive possessions. Jaylen Brown got blocked while trying to beat the shot clock buzzer and picked up an offensive foul while hitting Maxey in the face. Jayson Tatum missed a contested pull-up 3-pointer early in the shot clock on one possession and threw away a pass on another. Derrick White was left wide open in the left corner but couldn’t find the bottom of the net. The 76ers left the door open early in the fourth quarter by missing several shots, including a couple of layups, but the Celtics couldn’t fully capitalize. Eventually, Maxey sank a series of baskets to create more separation for Philadelphia, and the Celtics largely went away down the stretch. — Jay King, Celtics beat writer
Sixers bounce back in Boston
This is the way the 76ers have to play if they want to extend this series as far as possible.
Maxey and Edgecombe have to dominate their guard matchups, which is exactly what they did in Tuesday night’s Game 2. Paul George needs to be a deterrent to Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. He doesn’t have to eclipse them, because that would be difficult. But he does have to give them a bit of pause. Most of all, the 76ers have to play the focused brand of basketball they exhibited in Game 2 rather than the sloppy and slapstick kind of hoops they played in Game 1.
The Celtics are such a good team that the above equates to near-perfect basketball. But that’s the task the Sixers are facing, particularly without star center Joel Embiid. On Tuesday night, this was a team up to the task. They were focused. They executed on both ends of the floor. They got much better play from their role players. Maxey and Edgecombe were absolutely dominant.
Overall, on both ends of the floor, this is the best game the 76ers have played in months. And they got it at just the right time. Now we have a 1-1 series heading back to Philadelphia. — Tony Jones, Sixers beat writer
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