Don Sweeney and the Boston Bruins may have found something with their seventh-round selection of forward Andre Gasseau back in 2021.
But unfortunately for the Black and Gold, they very well may never reap the rewards of that pick, with the 22-year-old Gasseau expected to test free agency this summer, as shared by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in his latest 32 Thoughts post.
“Gasseau, Boston’s seventh-round pick in 2021, is going to free agency in August,” Friedman wrote Saturday. “Astute pick by the Bruins, but will test the market.”
Gasseau’s decision comes following a collegiate career played at Boston College, where he totaled 43 goals and 111 points in 135 games over four seasons. As a senior in 2025-26, Gasseau posted six goals and 23 points in 23 games, while his best season came with 15 goals and 30 points in 36 games last season.
When the Bruins were last asked about Gasseau’s last status, Bruins assistant general manager Evan Gold had nothing to say (per Mark Divver). In that same update, Divver noted some rumblings that Gasseau sought NHL games to close out his season and that he could test free agency if he did not get that. That, obviously, did not happen, as Gasseau did not join Boston or Providence to close out his year.
No matter how much you liked Gasseau as a prospect, the thought of Gasseau simply jumping right to the NHL was always incredibly unlikely. (If the Bruins weren’t going to do that with their highest draft pick in over a decade, there was absolutely no way they were going to do it with a seventh-round pick like Gasseau.)
And one could argue Sweeney even had a subtle shot at Gasseau’s camp when speaking earlier this week when a question about James Hagens came up.
“I think first and foremost, the experience, graduated steps, I think it’s important,” Sweeney said of Hagens reporting to the AHL before joining the Bruins. “I think he sent a message to other players that have taken that, and Charlie, and I thought it permeated right away. Our guys noticed it right away. Our guys made a point of saying they thought it was great that he decided to go start there, rather than just assume that he was going to jump into a lineup and help us get into the playoffs.”
If Gasseau is unwilling to sign with the Bruins, he must believe that there’s a legitimate market with legitimate NHL minutes for him out there. It’s also noteworthy that Gasseau’s agent, Pat Brisson, is one of the NHL’s heavy hitters among agents. That’s a bit of a rarity when it comes to a player drafted in the seventh round.
Gasseau also has pro bloodlines, as his father, James Gasseau, was a Buffalo Sabres draft pick and currently works with the Jr. Kings out in Los Angeles.
The 6-foot-4 Gasseau was the penultimate Bruins pick of a Boston 2021 draft class that’s looking like another lost class for the Bruins. The other picks that year? Fabian Lysell (stuck in the minors), Brett Harrison (traded), Philip Svedeback (unsigned), Oskar Jellvik (unsigned), Ryan Mast (traded), and Ty Gallagher (AHL contract).
