Boston Bruins linked to $30M forward as NHL free agency nears

This is a guy Boston’s had on their radar for a while, but never pulled the trigger. There might’ve been a reason for that.

Islanders could finally be open for business  

Now that Mathieu Darche has taken over in New York and the Isles somehow landed the top pick in the draft, the vibe is different. Lou Lamoriello isn’t there to keep clinging to “his guys.” Pageau could actually be available this time.

Makes sense for them. He’s 31, expensive, and not part of their long-term picture. But for Boston?

That’s where this gets murky.

Been there, done that, still doing it  

We’ve seen this movie. Pageau is a solid player, kills penalties, wins faceoffs, plays hard. Cool. But this team already had three similar centers last year: Charlie Coyle, Pavel Zacha, and Elias Lindholm. And it didn’t work.

They moved Coyle at the deadline. Lindholm might walk.

Zacha is still there. Plugging in Pageau to repeat the cycle doesn’t solve the issue, it just restarts the clock.

They need a real center, not another placeholder  

Unless the Bruins pull a surprise and draft a center at No. 7 who can jump right into the NHL (which almost never happens), they’re staring at a familiar depth chart. And a familiar outcome.

If they want to get serious, they need to aim higher. Not tinker.

If you’re on the phone with the Islanders already, here’s a thought: ask about Mathew Barzal. Will it be expensive? Of course. But he’s the kind of player who changes your ceiling, not just your middle six.

Pageau’s not the issue, but he sure isn’t the fix

This isn’t about trashing Jean-Gabriel Pageau. He’s a solid NHLer. But the Bruins need more than “solid.”

They’re in a spot where every move has to count—and this feels like a move that doesn’t.

They’ve patched this hole before. It didn’t work. Time to stop taping over the cracks and start building toward something real.