# 2001–02 Boston Bruins season

The 2001–02 Boston Bruins season was the Boston Bruins's 78th season of operation. The Bruins qualified for the playoffs, losing in the first round to the Montreal Canadiens.

## Offseason

After barely missing the playoffs the previous season, the Bruins went on a free-agent signing spree under new general manager Mike O'Connell. The team signed high-profile free agents: forwards Martin Lapointe, Bill Guerin, Rob Zamuner, and Scott Pellerin, and defenseman Sean O'Donnell.
Two more major pieces for the Bruins came thanks to a contract holdout by captain Jason Allison. After failing to report to training camp and missing all of the pre-season, Allison was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for two former Bruins: Glen Murray and Jozef Stumpel. The two proved to be invaluable to the team, as Stumpel led the team in assists and Murray finished second on the team in goals, more than making up for Allison's production.

## Regular season

On October 25, 2001, Joe Thornton scored just 12 seconds into the overtime period to give the Bruins a 2–1 home win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. It would prove to be the fastest overtime goal scored during the 2001–02 regular season.
The Bruins finished the regular season with the highest penalty-kill percentage, at 87.11%.

### Final standings

Northeast Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 43 | 24 | 6 | 9 | 236 | 201 | 101 |
| 2 | 4 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 43 | 25 | 10 | 4 | 249 | 207 | 100 |
| 3 | 7 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 39 | 27 | 9 | 7 | 243 | 208 | 94 |
| 4 | 8 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 36 | 31 | 12 | 3 | 207 | 209 | 87 |
| 5 | 10 | Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 35 | 35 | 11 | 1 | 213 | 200 | 82 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Z- Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 43 | 24 | 6 | 9 | 236 | 201 | 101 |
| 2 | Y- Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 42 | 27 | 10 | 3 | 234 | 192 | 97 |
| 3 | Y- Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 35 | 26 | 16 | 5 | 217 | 217 | 91 |
| 4 | X- Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 43 | 25 | 10 | 4 | 249 | 207 | 100 |
| 5 | X- New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 42 | 28 | 8 | 4 | 239 | 220 | 96 |
| 6 | X- New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 41 | 28 | 9 | 4 | 205 | 187 | 95 |
| 7 | X- Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 39 | 27 | 9 | 7 | 243 | 208 | 94 |
| 8 | X- Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 36 | 31 | 12 | 3 | 207 | 209 | 87 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 36 | 33 | 11 | 2 | 228 | 240 | 85 |
| 10 | Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 35 | 35 | 11 | 1 | 213 | 200 | 82 |
| 11 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 36 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 227 | 258 | 80 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 28 | 41 | 8 | 5 | 198 | 249 | 69 |
| 13 | Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 27 | 40 | 11 | 4 | 178 | 219 | 69 |
| 14 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 22 | 44 | 10 | 6 | 180 | 250 | 60 |
| 15 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 19 | 47 | 11 | 5 | 187 | 288 | 54 |
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2001–02 regular season :
October: 5–3–3–2 (home: 4–0–0–2; road: 1–3–3–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1WOctober 4, 20014–2Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2001–02)1–0–0–0Recap
2WOctober 6, 20014–3 OTAtlanta Thrashers (2001–02)2–0–0–0Recap
3WOctober 8, 20014–0Washington Capitals (2001–02)3–0–0–0Recap
4LOctober 10, 20011–2@ Minnesota Wild (2001–02)3–1–0–0Recap
5LOctober 13, 20012–3@ San Jose Sharks (2001–02)3–2–0–0Recap
6TOctober 16, 20011–1 OT@ Phoenix Coyotes (2001–02)3–2–1–0Recap
7TOctober 17, 20012–2 OT@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (2001–02)3–2–2–0Recap
8WOctober 20, 20012–1@ Nashville Predators (2001–02)4–2–2–0Recap
9LOctober 23, 20010–2@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2001–02)4–3–2–0Recap
10WOctober 25, 20012–1 OTToronto Maple Leafs (2001–02)5–3–2–0Recap
11OTLOctober 27, 20011–2 OTNew York Rangers (2001–02)5–3–2–1Recap
12TOctober 28, 20013–3 OT@ Chicago Blackhawks (2001–02)5–3–3–1Recap
13OTLOctober 30, 20013–4 OTNew Jersey Devils (2001–02)5–3–3–2Recap :
November: 8–4–0–0 (home: 6–2–0–0; road: 2–2–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
14WNovember 3, 20012–1@ New Jersey Devils (2001–02)6–3–3–2Recap
15WNovember 6, 20011–0 OTEdmonton Oilers (2001–02)7–3–3–2Recap
16LNovember 8, 20013–5Minnesota Wild (2001–02)7–4–3–2Recap
17LNovember 10, 20011–5Columbus Blue Jackets (2001–02)7–5–3–2Recap
18WNovember 13, 20015–3Montreal Canadiens (2001–02)8–5–3–2Recap
19WNovember 15, 20015–4 OTNew Jersey Devils (2001–02)9–5–3–2Recap
20WNovember 17, 20013–1Buffalo Sabres (2001–02)10–5–3–2Recap
21LNovember 20, 20012–3@ Montreal Canadiens (2001–02)10–6–3–2Recap
22WNovember 23, 20013–2Vancouver Canucks (2001–02)11–6–3–2Recap
23LNovember 24, 20010–2@ Toronto Maple Leafs (2001–02)11–7–3–2Recap
24WNovember 27, 20016–3Tampa Bay Lightning (2001–02)12–7–3–2Recap
25WNovember 29, 20013–2 OT@ Philadelphia Flyers (2001–02)13–7–3–2Recap :
December: 8–4–0–2 (home: 3–2–0–1; road: 5–2–0–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
26OTLDecember 1, 20011–2 OT@ Ottawa Senators (2001–02)13–7–3–3Recap
27WDecember 4, 20013–2@ Atlanta Thrashers (2001–02)14–7–3–3Recap
28LDecember 6, 20011–4Pittsburgh Penguins (2001–02)14–8–3–3Recap
29WDecember 8, 20014–2Buffalo Sabres (2001–02)15–8–3–3Recap
30WDecember 12, 20014–2@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2001–02)16–8–3–3Recap
31LDecember 13, 20011–2@ Washington Capitals (2001–02)16–9–3–3Recap
32LDecember 15, 20012–5Philadelphia Flyers (2001–02)16–10–3–3Recap
33OTLDecember 18, 20012–3 OTAtlanta Thrashers (2001–02)16–10–3–4Recap
34WDecember 20, 20015–0Montreal Canadiens (2001–02)17–10–3–4Recap
35WDecember 22, 20014–2@ New York Islanders (2001–02)18–10–3–4Recap
36WDecember 26, 20013–2Ottawa Senators (2001–02)19–10–3–4Recap
37WDecember 28, 20017–1@ Florida Panthers (2001–02)20–10–3–4Recap
38WDecember 29, 20015–4 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2001–02)21–10–3–4Recap
39LDecember 31, 20011–2@ Dallas Stars (2001–02)21–11–3–4Recap :
January: 8–4–0–3 (home: 5–2–0–1; road: 3–2–0–2)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
40WJanuary 2, 20026–3@ Carolina Hurricanes (2001–02)22–11–3–4Recap
41LJanuary 3, 20021–2Toronto Maple Leafs (2001–02)22–12–3–4Recap
42WJanuary 5, 20027–4Washington Capitals (2001–02)23–12–3–4Recap
43WJanuary 8, 20023–2@ Pittsburgh Penguins (2001–02)24–12–3–4Recap
44WJanuary 10, 20025–0Los Angeles Kings (2001–02)25–12–3–4Recap
45LJanuary 12, 20024–5New York Islanders (2001–02)25–13–3–4Recap
46OTLJanuary 14, 20020–1 OT@ Washington Capitals (2001–02)25–13–3–5Recap
47WJanuary 17, 20025–2Ottawa Senators (2001–02)26–13–3–5Recap
48OTLJanuary 19, 20021–2 OT@ St. Louis Blues (2001–02)26–13–3–6Recap
49OTLJanuary 21, 20023–4 OTSt. Louis Blues (2001–02)26–13–3–7Recap
50LJanuary 23, 20024–8@ New York Rangers (2001–02)26–14–3–7Recap
51LJanuary 24, 20023–4@ Ottawa Senators (2001–02)26–15–3–7Recap
52WJanuary 26, 20024–2Florida Panthers (2001–02)27–15–3–7Recap
53WJanuary 28, 20022–1Chicago Blackhawks (2001–02)28–15–3–7Recap
54WJanuary 30, 20024–3 OT@ Montreal Canadiens (2001–02)29–15–3–7Recap :
February: 3–2–2–0 (home: 1–1–1–0; road: 2–1–1–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
55WFebruary 4, 20028–0@ Columbus Blue Jackets (2001–02)30–15–3–7Recap
56TFebruary 5, 20022–2 OTBuffalo Sabres (2001–02)30–15–4–7Recap
57WFebruary 9, 20024–1Florida Panthers (2001–02)31–15–4–7Recap
58LFebruary 11, 20022–5@ Colorado Avalanche (2001–02)31–16–4–7Recap
59WFebruary 12, 20022–1 OT@ Vancouver Canucks (2001–02)32–16–4–7Recap
60TFebruary 26, 20023–3 OT@ New York Islanders (2001–02)32–16–5–7Recap
61LFebruary 28, 20022–6Carolina Hurricanes (2001–02)32–17–5–7Recap :
March: 9–5–0–0 (home: 3–3–0–0; road: 6–2–0–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
62LMarch 1, 20023–4@ Buffalo Sabres (2001–02)32–18–5–7Recap
63LMarch 4, 20021–4Philadelphia Flyers (2001–02)32–19–5–7Recap
64LMarch 6, 20023–5@ Montreal Canadiens (2001–02)32–20–5–7Recap
65WMarch 8, 20023–0@ Atlanta Thrashers (2001–02)33–20–5–7Recap
66WMarch 9, 20023–2Calgary Flames (2001–02)34–20–5–7Recap
67WMarch 13, 20023–1@ New York Rangers (2001–02)35–20–5–7Recap
68LMarch 14, 20021–2Toronto Maple Leafs (2001–02)35–21–5–7Recap
69WMarch 16, 20022–1Detroit Red Wings (2001–02)36–21–5–7Recap
70WMarch 19, 20024–2Phoenix Coyotes (2001–02)37–21–5–7Recap
71WMarch 21, 20022–1@ Buffalo Sabres (2001–02)38–21–5–7Recap
72WMarch 23, 20023–1@ Florida Panthers (2001–02)39–21–5–7Recap
73WMarch 24, 20024–3 OT@ Tampa Bay Lightning (2001–02)40–21–5–7Recap
74WMarch 26, 20023–2@ Carolina Hurricanes (2001–02)41–21–5–7Recap
75LMarch 30, 20020–2Carolina Hurricanes (2001–02)41–22–5–7Recap :
April: 2–2–1–2 (home: 1–1–1–1; road: 1–1–0–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
76WApril 2, 20024–2@ Philadelphia Flyers (2001–02)42–22–5–7Recap
77OTLApril 4, 20021–2 OTNew York Islanders (2001–02)42–22–5–8Recap
78LApril 6, 20024–6New York Rangers (2001–02)42–23–5–8Recap
79OTLApril 7, 20022–3 OT@ New Jersey Devils (2001–02)42–23–5–9Recap
80TApril 9, 20022–2 OTTampa Bay Lightning (2001–02)42–23–6–9Recap
81LApril 11, 20020–4@ Ottawa Senators (2001–02)42–24–6–9Recap
82WApril 13, 20027–1Pittsburgh Penguins (2001–02)43–24–6–9Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2002 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens – Canadiens win 4–2
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1LApril 18, 20022–5Montreal CanadiensCanadiens lead 1–0Recap
2WApril 21, 20026–4Montreal CanadiensSeries tied 1–1Recap
3LApril 23, 20023–5@ Montreal CanadiensCanadiens lead 2–1Recap
4WApril 25, 20025–2@ Montreal CanadiensSeries tied 2–2Recap
5LApril 27, 20021–2Montreal CanadiensCanadiens lead 3–2Recap
6LApril 29, 20021–2@ Montreal CanadiensCanadiens win 4–2Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Scoring

* Position abbreviations: C = Center; D = Defense; G = Goaltender; LW = Left wing; RW = Right wing
* † = Joined team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, signing) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Bruins only.
* ‡ = Left team via a transaction (e.g., trade, waivers, release) during the season. Stats reflect time with the Bruins only.
| No. | Player | Pos | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | +/- | PIM |
| 14 | Sergei Samsonov | LW | 74 | 29 | 41 | 70 | 21 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 0 |
| 19 | Joe Thornton | C | 66 | 22 | 46 | 68 | 7 | 127 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 10 |
| 13 | Bill Guerin | RW | 78 | 41 | 25 | 66 | −1 | 91 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | −2 | 6 |
| 12 | Brian Rolston | C | 82 | 31 | 31 | 62 | 11 | 30 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | −1 | 0 |
| 27 | Glen Murray† | RW | 73 | 35 | 25 | 60 | 26 | 40 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 4 |
| 16 | Jozef Stumpel† | C | 72 | 7 | 47 | 54 | 21 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 0 |
| 20 | Martin Lapointe | RW | 68 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 12 | 101 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −2 | 12 |
| 17 | Rob Zamuner | LW | 66 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 6 | 24 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 4 |
| 21 | Sean O'Donnell | D | 80 | 3 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 89 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 4 |
| 11 | P. J. Axelsson | LW | 78 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 6 | 16 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 |
| 25 | Hal Gill | D | 79 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 16 | 77 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 44 | Nick Boynton | D | 80 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 107 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 32 | Don Sweeney | D | 81 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 22 | 35 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −3 | 2 |
| 26 | Mike Knuble | RW | 54 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Benoit Hogue†‡ | C | 17 | 4 | 4 | 8 | −3 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Kyle McLaren | D | 38 | 0 | 8 | 8 | −4 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20 |
| 31 | Jamie Rivers† | D | 64 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 45 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Scott Pellerin‡ | LW | 35 | 1 | 5 | 6 | −6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Marty McInnis† | RW | 19 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −1 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | Dennis Bonvie† | RW | 23 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 84 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 55 | Jonathan Girard | D | 20 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 64 | Jarno Kultanen | D | 38 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −1 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 42 | P. J. Stock | C | 58 | 0 | 3 | 3 | −2 | 122 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 |
| 23 | John Emmons | C | 22 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −4 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | Gord Murphy†‡ | D | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 62 | Andrei Nazarov‡ | LW | 47 | 0 | 2 | 2 | −2 | 164 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 29 | Andy Hilbert | C | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 23 | Sean Brown† | D | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | −1 | 47 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 34 | Byron Dafoe | G | 64 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 27 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 |
| 47 | John Grahame | G | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 36 | Ivan Huml | LW | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 33 | Jeff Norton† | D | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 22 | Mikko Eloranta‡ | LW | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 43 | Ric Jackman | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 48 | Chris Kelleher | D | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 72 | Pavel Kolarik | D | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 57 | Eric Manlow | C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | Andrew Raycroft | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 46 | Tony Tuzzolino | RW | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — |

### Goaltending

| No. | Player | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| No. | Player | GP | W | L | T | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI | GP | W | L | SA | GA | GAA | SV% | SO | TOI |
| 34 | Byron Dafoe | 64 | 35 | 26 | 3 | 1520 | 141 | 2.21 | .907 | 4 | 3827 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 141 | 19 | 3.18 | .865 | 0 | 358 |
| 47 | John Grahame | 19 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 503 | 52 | 2.89 | .897 | 1 | 1079 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1 | Andrew Raycroft | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 29 | 3 | 2.77 | .897 | 0 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |

## Awards and records
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | NHL All-Rookie Team | Nick Boynton (Defense) |
| League (annual) | NHL Second All-Star Team | Bill Guerin (Right wing) |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Robbie Ftorek (coach) |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Joe Thornton |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Week | Glen Murray (January 2) |
| League (in-season) | NHL YoungStars Game selection | Nick Boynton |
| Team | Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy | Brian Rolston |
| Team | John P. Bucyk Award | Hal Gill |
| Team | Seventh Player Award | Bill Guerin |
| Team | Three Stars Awards | Byron Dafoe (1st) |
| Team | Three Stars Awards | Brian Rolston (2nd) |
| Team | Three Stars Awards | Joe Thornton (3rd) |

### Milestones

| Milestone | Player | Date |
| First game | Ivan Huml | December 4, 2001 |
| First game | Andy Hilbert | December 20, 2001 |
| First game | Chris Kelleher | March 16, 2002 |
| 25th shutout | Byron Dafoe | December 20, 2001 |

## Transactions

The Bruins were involved in the following transactions from June 10, 2001, the day after the deciding game of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 13, 2002, the day of the deciding game of the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 24, 2001 (2001-06-24) | To Boston Bruins Ric Jackman | To Dallas Stars Cameron Mann |
| October 24, 2001 (2001-10-24) | To Boston Bruins Glen MurrayJozef Stumpel | To Los Angeles Kings Jason AllisonMikko Eloranta |
| January 12, 2002 (2002-01-12) | To Boston Bruins Benoit Hogue | To Dallas Stars Future considerations |
| January 25, 2002 (2002-01-25) | To Boston Bruins 5th-round pick in 2002 | To Phoenix Coyotes Andrei Nazarov |
| March 5, 2002 (2002-03-05) | To Boston Bruins Marty McInnis | To Anaheim Mighty Ducks 3rd-round pick in 2002 |
| March 19, 2002 (2002-03-19) | To Boston Bruins Sean Brown | To Edmonton Oilers Bobby Allen |
| March 19, 2002 (2002-03-19) | To Boston Bruins Darryl Laplante | To Minnesota Wild Greg Crozier |
| March 19, 2002 (2002-03-19) | To Boston Bruins Jeff Norton | To Florida Panthers 6th-round pick in 2002 |
| May 13, 2002 (2002-05-13) | To Boston Bruins Rights to Kris Vernarsky | To Toronto Maple Leafs Ric Jackman |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| July 2, 2001 (2001-07-02) | Martin Lapointe | Detroit Red Wings | 4-year | Free agency |
| July 2, 2001 (2001-07-02) | Sean O'Donnell | New Jersey Devils | 3-year | Free agency |
| July 6, 2001 (2001-07-06) | Rob Zamuner | Ottawa Senators | 3-year | Free agency |
| July 23, 2001 (2001-07-23) | Chris Kelleher | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 23, 2001 (2001-07-23) | Jeff Maund | Chicago Blackhawks | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 23, 2001 (2001-07-23) | Tony Tuzzolino | New York Rangers | 1-year | Free agency |
| July 26, 2001 (2001-07-26) | Scott Pellerin | Carolina Hurricanes | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 27, 2001 (2001-07-27) | Greg Crozier | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2-year | Free agency |
| July 27, 2001 (2001-07-27) | Mike Gellard | St. Lawrence University (ECAC) | 2-year | Free agency |
| August 8, 2001 (2001-08-08) | Carl Corazzini | Boston University (HE) | 2-year | Free agency |
| August 8, 2001 (2001-08-08) | John Emmons | Tampa Bay Lightning | 1-year | Free agency |
| September 19, 2001 (2001-09-19) | Colton Orr | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) | 3-year | Free agency |
| September 28, 2001 (2001-09-28) | P. J. Stock | New York Rangers | | Waiver draft |
| October 5, 2001 (2001-10-05) | Dennis Bonvie | Pittsburgh Penguins | | Free agency |
| October 13, 2001 (2001-10-13) | Jamie Rivers | Ottawa Senators | | Waivers |
| January 29, 2002 (2002-01-29) | Gord Murphy | Atlanta Thrashers | 1-year | Free agency |
| June 6, 2002 (2002-06-06) | Peter Metcalf | University of Maine (HE) | 2-year | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| N/A | Elias Abrahamsson | Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| N/A | Marquis Mathieu | Saint-Georges Garaga (QSPHL) | Free agency (VI) |
| N/A | Keith McCambridge | Providence Bruins (AHL) | Free agency (VI) |
| June 28, 2001 (2001-06-28) | Peter Popovic | Sodertalje SK (SHL) | Free agency (III) |
| July 2, 2001 (2001-07-02) | Ken Belanger | Los Angeles Kings | Free agency (UFA) |
| July 5, 2001 (2001-07-05) | Eric Weinrich | Philadelphia Flyers | Free agency (III) |
| July 6, 2001 (2001-07-06) | Shawn Bates | New York Islanders | Free agency (UFA) |
| July 9, 2001 (2001-07-09) | Kay Whitmore | Calgary Flames | Free agency (III) |
| July 18, 2001 (2001-07-18) | Andrei Kovalenko | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (RSL) | Free agency (III) |
| July 23, 2001 (2001-07-23) | Brandon Smith | San Jose Sharks | Free agency (VI) |
| August 1, 2001 (2001-08-01) | Peter Ferraro | Washington Capitals | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 2, 2001 (2001-08-02) | Andre Savage | Vancouver Canucks | Free agency (VI) |
| August 3, 2001 (2001-08-03) | Joel Trottier | Columbia Inferno (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| August 7, 2001 (2001-08-07) | Darren Van Impe | New York Rangers | Waivers |
| September 2001 (2001-09) | Shane Belter | Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 2001 (2001-10) | Joe Hulbig | Providence Bruins (AHL) | Free agency (VI) |
| October 2001 (2001-10) | Peter Skudra | Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 11, 2001 (2001-10-11) | Eric Nickulas | Worcester IceCats (AHL) | Free agency (VI) |
| November 14, 2001 (2001-11-14) | Dixon Ward | SCL Tigers (NLA) | Free agency (III) |
| January 12, 2002 (2002-01-12) | Scott Pellerin | Dallas Stars | Waivers |
| March 19, 2002 (2002-03-19) | Benoit Hogue | Washington Capitals | Waivers |
| March 19, 2002 (2002-03-19) | Gord Murphy | | Retirement |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| July 10, 2001 (2001-07-10) | Andy Hilbert | 3-year | Entry-level |
| July 17, 2001 (2001-07-17) | Bobby Allen | 2-year | Entry-level |
| July 19, 2001 (2001-07-19) | Ric Jackman | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 20, 2001 (2001-07-20) | Hal Gill | 2-year | Re-signing |
| July 25, 2001 (2001-07-25) | P. J. Axelsson | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 25, 2001 (2001-07-25) | Mike Knuble | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 1, 2001 (2001-08-01) | Jay Henderson | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 1, 2001 (2001-08-01) | Kyle McLaren | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 8, 2001 (2001-08-08) | Bill Guerin | 1-year | Arbitration award |
| August 11, 2001 (2001-08-11) | Brian Rolston | 2-year | Re-signing |
| August 29, 2001 (2001-08-29) | Mikko Eloranta | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 29, 2001 (2001-08-29) | Jarno Kultanen | 2-year | Re-signing |
| May 13, 2002 (2002-05-13) | Kris Vernarsky | 3-year | Entry-level |

## Draft picks

Boston's draft picks at the 2001 NHL entry draft held at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida.
| Round | # | Player | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 19 | Shaone Morrisonn | Canada | Kamloops Blazers (WHL) |
| 3 | 77 | Darren McLachlan | Canada | Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) |
| 4 | 111 | Matti Kaltiainen | Finland | Espoo Blues (Finland) |
| 5 | 147 | Jiri Jakes | Czech Republic | Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) |
| 6 | 179 | Andrew Alberts | United States | Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL) |
| 7 | 209 | Jordan Sigalet | Canada | Victoria Grizzlies (BCJHL) |
| 8 | 241 | Milan Jurcina | Slovakia | Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) |
| 9 | 282 | Marcel Rodman | Slovenia | Peterborough Petes (OHL) |