Should The Bruins Trade For Robert Thomas?

The Bruins have been yearning for a number one center for a while, and this would be just that. Thomas is 26 years old, an exceptional playmaker, has 30-goal upside, and is in year three of an eight-year $65 million contract, coming in at $8.125 million per year. Thomas is coming off back-to-back 80+ point seasons, currently has 35 points in 43 games, and just returned from a lower-body injury on Sunday with two points.

Just envision a power-play line with David Pastrnak, Thomas, Morgan Geekie, Charlie McAvoy, and Pavel Zacha, an absolute chef’s kiss.

In this case, Elias Lindholm would shift to the second power-play line with Viktor Arvidsson, Hampus Lindholm, Fraser Minten, and Mason Lohrei (assuming they don’t get dealt).

The potential duo with Thomas and Pastrnak makes you stomach what it would cost to get somebody of his ilk at the exact position that Boston is clamoring for.

What Would It Cost To Trade For Robert Thomas?

The Bruins have a ton at their disposal currently, as they were able to recoup both young players and draft capital, on top of their own prospect development. Boston has four first-round picks in the next two seasons, and one would assume that the Blues would covet two of those back.

In an ideal world, you would give them both of your own, but we know the Toronto Maple Leafs’ first-round pick will be highly coveted. Then there’s the Florida Panthers first-round pick in 2027, but it’s unlikely that they’ll perform this badly next season, given their pedigree.

In terms of tradable prospects, the Bruins have Matthew Poitras, Fabian Lysell, and potentially Dean Letourneau.

Recent sixth overall pick James Hagens, who’s currently attending Boston College, should be off the table, especially when you add two first-round picks on top of it. Ideally, Minten can also be disregarded from trade discussions, but that doesn’t make him untouchable.

Poitras is only 21 years old, showed flashes in his first two seasons in the league, but ultimately, it feels like he’s gotten handed the short end of the stick. Poitras is known for his passing, IQ, and high energy.

Letourneau is probably the most intriguing player here as he’s 6’7, yet to debut in the NHL, and has 32 points in 34 games at Boston College. It would also sting the most to trade him personally since he’s been coming on strong recently, only 20 years old, and has high upside.

Lysell is another one of these former first-round picks who has 38 points in 48 games with the Providence Bruins, 12 NHL games under his belt, and has elite speed.

Out of all these combinations, the trade that would hurt the most would be the Maple Leafs first-round pick, Boston’s first-round pick in either 2026 or 2027, and Letourneau, an absolute gut punch. Thomas is incredibly skilled and would give the Bruins some much-needed help, though.

The End Of My Robert Thomas Rant

At the end of the day, it has to sting at least a little bit to get someone this talented back. The Blues don’t have to trade Thomas, which is why they’ll need to be blown away to help kickstart their potential future rebuild.

This package would definitely help them out tremendously with that, especially if they can get that Toronto first-round pick, assuming they don’t pick in the Top five. On top of an additional pick, and an impact young prospect like Letourneau.

This is the time to strike for Boston; one bad week and they would be out of the current playoff race. You can only rely on your goaltending for so long when you simultaneously don’t get enough shots up while getting peppered with shots on goal from the opposition.

This is a solid team currently, but they don’t really strike much fear into anyone, respectfully. Adding Thomas would help a ton with that and be a humongous addition for both the present and future.

As long as Hagens isn’t involved, the Bruins should be all ears. You don’t want to give up everything to look forward to in the future, but a couple of pieces, sure.