The Boston Bruins are scheduled to have nine unrestricted free agents this offseason, and they will not be able to keep all of them, but general manager Don Sweeney is expected to meet with Danton Heinen's camp this week to start discussions on a potential new contract, according to David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period.

It was unknown what free agents the Bruins truly would be prioritizing this offseason, but it appears that Danton Heinen is one of them and they would like to have him around next season at the very least. It will undoubtedly take a raise to retain Heinen, who scored 17 goals and recorded 19 assists for 36 points this season. He turns 29 in July and made $775,000 last season.

Heinen most often played on the third line as a left winger with Pavel Zacha at center and Justin Brazeau as the right wing. Given Sweeney's interest in retaining Heinen, it seems that the organization was content with what. he provided as a middle six forward.

The Bruins made the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime of Game 7 to advance, before losing in six games to the Florida Panthers, who are now in the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers.

This is a big offseason approaching for the Bruins, and Sweeney will have to make some smart moves to make sure that the team is still competitive going into next season.

Who will the Bruins retain for next season?

As mentioned before, the Bruins have nine unrestricted free agents heading into the offseason, and Heinen is one of them. It is clear that there is interest in bringing him back for next season. However, two players who are not expected to be retained are Derek Forbort and Milan Lucic.

Jake DeBrusk is a big name on the list as well, and while he can be productive, he is a bit inconsistent as well. He should get a significant contract in free agency, and it might be tough for the Bruins to let him walk, but it is also not easy to replace his production. He scored 19 goals last season and has scored 25 or more three times in his career with the Bruins.

James van Reimsdyk and Pat Maroon are the two other forwards who are entering free agency, and they played on Bostons fourth line for the most part this past season. Defensemen Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort and Kevin Shattenkirk are also scheduled to be unrestricted free agents as well. And it seems likely that Derek Forbort will leave in free agency.

As noted before, the Bruins have a lot of questions to answer this offseason, but it seems they are starting by trying to retain Forbort.