By: Eamonn McLean | Follow me on Twitter/X @EamonnMcLean44
Last season, the Boston Bruins found themselves in a completely different spot than where they are now. After a slow start, the team fired Head Coach Jim Montgomery. While the team found a bit of a spark under the Interim Guidance of Joe Sacco, it wasn’t sustainable. As a result, the team shipped out Justin Brazeau, Trent Frederic, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and perhaps the biggest shock of all, team captain Brad Marchand. In doing so, the B’s added multiple first and second round draft picks, roster pieces, Casey Mittelstadt, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Henri Jokiharju, as well as prospects in Fraser Minten and Will Zellers.
Fast-forward a year, and the Bruins are in the thick of a playoff race, currently occupying the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference at the time of writing with 71 points. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman has bounced back from an atrocious 2024-2025 campaign, while Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak have picked up where they left off from last season. Head Coach Marco Sturm was able to push the right buttons to get the team back on course after a rough start to the season, that saw the Bruins stumble out of the gates with a 4-7-0 record. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, power play guru Steve Spott has the B’s man-advantage clicking at a 26.0% success rate, the 4th best rate in the NHL. All this has everybody wondering, what should the Bruins do at the deadline this season?
Do: Survey the Market
Part of an NHL General Manager’s job is knowing what’s out there, and it appears the Bruins are doing just that. Boston has been linked to a plethora of players by NHL insiders, suggesting that General Manager Don Sweeney has been active on the phones. With the B’s occupying a playoff spot, and rumors swirling of a potential buyer’s market, it’s of the utmost importance that Bruins Management knows what’s out there.
Don’t: Acquire Rentals
While the Bruins have had a fantastic season relative to expectations, they are still far from a lock to make the postseason. At the time of writing, MoneyPuck.com gives them a 54.7% chance of making the postseason. Unlike in previous seasons, the B’s are not in a position to dump assets into players on expiring contracts.
Do: Get Value for Pending UFA’s
In seasons past, the Bruins have kept pending unrestricted free agents as “Internal rentals” such as Jake DeBrusk and Torey Krug in order to chase a Stanley Cup championship. While those moves made sense at the time, the Bruins likely missed out on recouping some draft and prospect capital they could’ve gotten if they weren’t in the mix for Lord Stanley.
This year’s Bruins are highly unlikely to go on a cup run as currently constructed. Therefore, it makes sense for the B’s to get value for their pending UFA’s that they are unlikely to retain. Andrew Peeke has been a healthy scratch the past two games, and seems unlikely to receive a contract extension at this point in time. Meanwhile, Viktor Arvidsson has been a solid contributor for the B’s this season, with 16 goals in 47 games. If the Bruins do not plan on retaining either player, it feels necessary to get value for them.
Don’t: Be Afraid to Take a Big Swing on a Player with Term
While the Bruins should stay far, far, away from rentals at this deadline, they should not be afraid to target high-end, game-changing talent with term. If Don Sweeney wants to do just that, he should call his Team Canada colleague, Doug Armstrong. The St. Louis Blues have had a miserable season, sitting second-to-last in the Western Conference with 51 points. The Blues General Manager has been willing to deal and isn’t afraid to make bold moves, evidenced by his offer sheets for Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway.
A move for Blues center Robert Thomas would be expensive. However, with the cap rising and free agency not what it once was, 75-85-point players like Thomas are not readily available, especially in their prime at 26 years old. Other options for the Bruins could be Jordan Kyrou or Colton Parayko, whom Sweeney would be well aware of from Team Canada. Landing any of these three names will be very difficult, but if B’s management can find a way to do so, would be well worth it.
Don’t: Trade Premium Assets for Marginal Upgrades
Prices at the Deadline can be exorbitant. Each year, you see a trade or two that, a year later, look really bad for the buyer. For the Bruins, this past deadline, they took advantage of a desperate Brad Treliving, acquiring Minten and a first round pick for a struggling Brandon Carlo.
A year on, it’s incredibly important that the Bruins don’t make that mistake. Spending premium assets on players like Justin Faulk or Brayden Schenn would be a waste. Neither player makes a significant enough impact to warrant trading away premium assets for their services.
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