Boston Bruins – Buyers or Sellers?

Now the season is past the halfway point, and the Bruins sit in a Wild Card position just behind third place in the Atlantic Division. While other teams are starting to turn their play around, the Boston Bruins continue to have a roller coaster ride. While you can look at the points in the standings, I tend to focus on the points percentage. Boston is battling in the Eastern Conference.

When weighing whether a team should buy or sell at the deadline, playoff standings do play a role, but also draft positioning. A team that barely misses the playoffs leads to a first-round pick in the mid-teens. A lack of quality draft picks is a death sentence to an NHL organization.

I now see the Boston Bruins in this NHL purgatory. They are a good enough team to stay out of the NHL basement, but not quite good enough to be competing for a Stanley Cup. Now it’s time for Don Sweeney and the Bruins management to make some difficult decisions.

Sell, Sell, Sell

Don Sweeney said it himself; this is an incomplete roster at its core. Without another legitimate scorer on the roster, Boston can’t take itself seriously for a Stanley Cup. Outside of Sweeney taking a swing for a top-tier trade piece and gutting more prospects or draft picks, there isn’t any savior coming by March. Boston has plenty of pieces that other teams gearing up for a playoff push could covet.

Viktor Arvidsson

Arvidsson was acquired over the summer from the Edmonton Oilers as part of a cap casualty and carries a $4m AAV contract in its final season. While Arvidsson hasn’t been a fit in Boston, I don’t think that was the idea for the Bruins.

Arvidsson has a decent chunk of playoff experience with 87 postseason games, tallying 44 points. Along with being a five-time 20-goal scorer, Arvidsson has some value to a cup contender. With the considerably low under the new cap, Arvidsson could fetch the Bruins a second round pick and/or prospect.

Casey Mittelstadt

Mittelstadt is a byproduct of the Charlie Coyle trade that also included Will Zellers and a second round pick. So far, Mittelstadt has been servicable but hasn’t truly fit into this roster. With a plethora of centers on the team, including younger talent coming through the pipeline, Don Sweeney will need to make some tough choices to make room for the future.

Mittelstadt’s contract has another year remaining at $5.75 million AAV. While he isn’t lighting up the lamp, the 10 goals have some upside. With such a thin center market this season, Mittelstadt could be a player worth moving even if the Bruins are buying at the deadline.

With the remaining season on the contract and the cap hit involved, Sweeney might need to get creative in taking back a contract or two to make the deal work. Could it be Joonas Korpisalo part 2? Maybe. But if that increases the return for a team trying to upgrade…worth it.

Pavel Zacha

Zacha is in his fourth season with the Boston Bruins after being traded for Erik Haula in 2022. Looking back, quite a steal for the Boston. Since joining the Bruins, Zacha has averaged 50 points a season and solidified himself as a top-six player on this Bruins roster. With Zacha’s $4.75m AAV, it’s easy to see why teams would be lining up to acquire him.

While there has been discussion about Zacha re-signing with the Bruins, does it make sense? I don’t think so. Sweeney has recently drafted Dean Letourneau, James Hagens, and Chris Pelosi. While still having Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt, Fraser Minten, and a plethora of fourth-line centers. Something has to give; someone has to go. Pavel Zacha, along with Casey Mittelstadt make the most sense.

Zacha is likely to be one of the best centers to acquire when considering the cap hit. I would expect Don Sweeney to get a first-round pick and a high-end prospect in return. Following the lines of the Brandon Carlo trade last season.

Andrew Peeke

Peeke is on an expiring contract worth $2.75m. A team looking to add a depth defenseman for a playoff run may take a flier on Peeke. I wouldn’t expect to get anything more than a mid-round draft pick or a roster player swap in return.

Carson Soucy was recently traded to the New York Islanders for a third round pick. This could be a pretty good comparable trade.

Mason Lohrei

Mason Lohrei has not had the greatest stretch in Boston. After a -43 performance last season, Lohrei has turned it around and is currently a + player. In the offseason, Sweeney signed Lohrei to a two-year $6m contract with a $3m average annual value.

The Boston Bruins value defencemen who can play the physical side of the game and are generally responsible in their own end. Lohrei hasn’t lived up to that. This led to a benching by head coach Marco Sturm early in the year. Since then, Lohrei’s play has improved, including some uncharactaristic phyiscal play. But this shouldn’t be enough for Sweeney to keep him. Lohrei doesn’t fit what the Bruins are looking for, and other teams will hold a higher value to him than he has in Boston.

With the recent rumors surrounding Rasmus Anderssson, it will be interesting to see if Lohrei is involved in a deal this season.

Fabian Lysell, Georgii Merkulov, Matthew Poitras

While all three of these prospects are at different stages of their careers, one thing is consistent. They all failed to crack this Bruins roster.

Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov need a change-of-scenery trade to give them a better chance to succeed. It’s clear now that they don’t have the two-way game that’s required to play in Boston.

Matthew Poitras had a promising start in Boston during his rookie season, but it ended with a shoulder injury. He’s played in 33 games in back-to-back seasons with the Bruins. Once thought of as a top prospect, Poitras has struggled to beat out UFA signings for a roster spot. With the recently drafted centers, Poitras is likely on the way out. It’s also worth noting that Poitras recently changed his agent.

A Perfect Time To Buy

With a relatively balanced Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins are right in the mix, and with the right, and I stress RIGHT, additions, this team could make noise in the playoffs. After last season’s partial sell-off, Sweeney has five first-round picks in the next 3 seasons and a handful of prospects that don’t seem to be in the future plans. But what players could they realistically obtain?

After missing out on Rasmus Andersson, it was clear Don Sweeney is willing to spend the assets to add long-term solutions to the roster. But, as was shown, he’s going to be principled on what that looks like. Sweeney is rumored to not be interested in a rental and only willing to pony up for a player with term.

So what options could there be for the Bruins?

Alex Tuch

Alex Tuch is on an expiring $4.75m AAV contract in Buffalo, and it doesn’t look like he will re-sign with the team at this time. Since the general manager swap, the Sabres have been on a terrific run that has put them in the playoffs. BUT, if something strange were to happen, maybe there is a hockey trade to make.

Tuch is a 29-year-old, physical winger who has averaged 60 points over the last three seasons in Buffalo. With Tuch’s low cap cost and ability to play top-six minutes, he would be the ideal addition for the Bruins. Boston has the assets to make a deal happen if Buffalo is willing to do business with a divisional rival once more.

While this goes against Sweeney’s want for a long-term fit, Tuch would be a great Bruin.

Jason Robertson

It’s recently been reported that Jason Robertson may be seeking a contract with an AAV of $12m or higher, and the Stars would look to move him if they can’t reach a deal. Robertson is an RFA with arbitration rights.

For the Bruins, David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie have been the main goal scorers this season. With Geekie’s scoring having fallen off of late, Robertson’s contractual ask may scare you off, but the Bruins will have quite a bit of salary cap space to spend next season. Especially if they move a couple of contracts at the Trade Deadline.

Dallas moved quite a few assets to acquire Mikko Rantanen at the deadline last year. They’re also reported to be interested in a roster player in return for Robertson. Boston has plenty of draft capital to send Dallas’ way, but I’m unsure if a player like Pavel Zacha would be significant enough to tempt the Stars in a package.

This could also be a player the Bruins revisit in the offseason when the Stars are unable to negotiate an extension.

Jordan Kyrou / Robert Thomas

St. Louis has had another underwhelming season. There have been rumors swirling around a handful of players on the team, including Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas.

Jordan Kyrou is having a significantly down season at 24 points in 43 games. Kyrou typically averages 70 points per season with the Blues and a key contributor to their success. He is currently signed through 2031-32 (5 season past this year) at $8.125m AAV. After David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie, the depth on wing significantly falls off for Boston. Adding a player like Kyrou could give them the scoring depth that would bring them closer to a Stanley Cup contender.

Robert Thomas is an 80 point center in the NHL who is 26 years old. While he may be the most expensive player to acquire off the Blues roster, he may have the most impact. Boston is flush with centers on the current roster; but with Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt involved in trade rumors this is an obvious upgrade. Thomas is signed through 2030-31 at the same $8.125m AAV.

While Thomas and Kyrou would take significant assets to acquire, Boston has everything the Blues could be looking for. Boston has four first round picks in the next two seasons, they’ve got prospects they’d likely be willing to move on from(Hagens, Lysell, Merkulov, Dipietro, Lohrei, Poitras), and fringe roster players that could be involved salary cap purposes. When comparing the Bruins to the rest of the league, they currently hold some of the best draft capital in the NHL.

Conor Garland / Evander Kane

Conor Garland is a name that has been bandied about in Boston for multiple seasons. A player seemingly always available. Garland has not been overperforming with the Canucks as of late, with 22 points in 41 games. He has averaged 45-50 points in his career with the Coyotes and Canucks and could be a great middle-six addition for the Bruins.

Garland has a significant contract commitment left. He is signed through 2031-32 at $6m AAV.

Evander Kane is an interesting name for Boston. He has a hefty contract for his production this season, but he has the talent and grit to be a great addition to a playoff team. It has been reported that Vancouver would be willing to retain some salary in a trade. Kane’s agent has also been granted permission to try to facilitate a trade with other teams.

Vancouver is in the middle of a full-scale fire sale and is willing to get creative to make their future a bit brighter. That started with Quinn Hughes and won’t end at Kiefer Sherwood.

My Thoughts

Sweeney is poised to do ANY business he wants at the deadline. He has plenty of assets to move, he has players other teams would covet, and some cap flexibility to make things work.

A perfect trade deadline, in my opinion, would be Don Sweeney moving on from Pavel Zacha, Viktor Arvidsson, Andrew Peeke, Mason Lohrei, and potentially Casey Mittelstadt. I know this sounds like I am completely gutting the Bruins roster, but it’s not that bad.

Peeke is an expendible asset with Frederic Brunet’s performance in the AHL, there is no reason he shouldn’t have that opportunity and most likely bring more to the table than Peeke.

The center market is thin on ‘affordable’ options for impactful players. Zacha and Mittelstadt can fit that role for other teams, specifically Zacha. If traded, Boston has Elias Lindholm, Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov, Sean Kuraly, Matthew Poitras, and soon-to-be James Hagens. For players like Poitras or Hagens to have an opportunity, room must be made.

Mason Lohrei has improved since being rumored in the Andersson trade, but I doubt that deters Sweeney from moving him. Lohrei doesn’t seem to fit the identity the Bruins want their defensemen to play.

Boston is currently projected to have just north of $16m in cap space next season. With Zacha, Mittelstadt, and Lohrei signed past this season, any trades could increase Sweeney’s cash pool. If you are able to add 1-2 more first-round picks at this deadline, he will be able to leverage a king’s ransom of assets for any players the Bruins identify as a long-term fit.