Bruins likely in mix for coveted undrafted free agent forward
The Bruins have limited draft picks in the 2024 draft and limited forward prospects in their system. They can help overcome both hardships with one transaction.
Boston is expected to be in the mix for Collin Graf, who is considered by many to be the best undrafted free agent available and happens to be from Massachusetts.
Graf, a standout at Quinnipiac likely played his final college game on Sunday when the Bobcats lost to Boston College in overtime. Graf, a junior right wing, is considered the best undrafted college free agent available and he’ll never have more leverage to make a deal than he does right now.
The Lincoln native had 107 points (43 goals, 64 assists) in 74 games over two seasons for QU after transferring to the Connecticut school from Union after his freshman year. The 6-foot-0, 170-pound forward is expected to get interest from several teams including the Rangers.
The Athletic’s NHL draft and prospect guru Corey Pronman ranked him the top undrafted player and described him as follows.
“He has a ton of offensive talent and has the potential to score in the NHL. He is a very skilled puckhandler who skates well and can create on the move like a pro. He sees the ice well, can run a power play with quick decisions, and has a good shot as well. His game can lack physicality at times and stick too much to the perimeter, which is my only concern about him, but I wouldn’t call him soft or a low-compete type. He is a player a lot of NHL teams will have interest in, and he could be a legit middle-six wing in the league.”
SportsNet Canada’s Jason Bukala likes him too. He wrote:
“The team that signs Graf will be hoping his offensive element translates to a top six role at the NHL level. He won’t come cheap, though. Graf will certainly sign for maximum dollars and his entry-level deal will be for a full three-year term.”
Being active in the chase for available undrafted free agents and in college and junior hockey is important to the Bruins, who don’t draft until the fourth round in the 2024 draft and don’t have second or fourth-round selections next year.
The Bruins could be an attractive spot for an undrafted free agent for a handful of reasons:
1. The Bruins can be financially aggressive in the process as their salary cap, which won’t be alleviated until this summer, don’t affect this process.
According to PuckPedia:
“Only players that are on the NHL roster count against the cap. If the Bruins sign a college free agent and assign him to the AHL, there would be no cap hit.”
2. While the Bruins would be likely to send any college signee to the AHL now, there figures to be forward positions to fight for on the 2024-25 team.
3. On top of that, the Bruins don’t have a lot of high-profile prospects especially at forward and with limited picks aren’t likely add any, so any signee could be closer to the NHL than they might be in another organization.
The Bruins have already been active signing Notre Dame’s Drew Bavarro. Graf’s Quinnipiac teammate Jacob Qulillian, a 6-foot-0, 200-pound center from Nova Scotia, who had 15 goals and 29 assists in 38 games is also expected to draw some attention.
