Boston Bruins Potential 2025 Trade Deadline Targets

By: Matthew Lemear | Follow me on X @Mlemear331

The Boston Bruins desperately need some help at the trade deadline if they are to compete for a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs; there is no doubt about that. The players, coaches, fans, and even Don Sweeney and Cam Neely know it. Neely said last week that Bruins management needs to prepare for two different paths come deadline time. Today, we will look at some potential trade targets for the Bruins if they choose the path of being buyers.

The Bruins currently have a record of 24-20-6 and 54 points. They are third in the Atlantic Division and third in the wild-card race, but they are currently on the fringe of a playoff team, going 4-4-2 over their last ten games. The following players would address some issues of concern for the Bruins organization with how their roster is currently built. First things first, though, let’s look at some stats for the Bruins to this point in the season.

Thanks to https://www.nhl.com/stats , I was able to compile the following statistics for the 2024/2025 Boston Bruins. As you will see, offensive production and penalty killing are two glaring problems with this team. I tried to address these issues when selecting these potential trade targets.

By this point in the season, every die-hard fan has run all different trade scenarios through their heads. And who doesn’t want to see their team acquire superstars? The most discussed rumor for the Bruins this year seems to be the team trying to acquire either Elias Pettersson or JT Miller from the Vancouver Canucks, with some fans even clamoring to acquire both players. While having two players of this caliber would be a dream come true, both players carry hefty contracts, and we all know the cap mess the Bruins currently face.

Elias Pettersson: Center, 26 years old, at 6’2 and 176 pounds. Pettersson had 68 points in the 21/22 season, 102 points in the 22/23 season, and 89 points last season. Pettersson has 30 points to his credit this season and is Vancouver’s number one center and their number one powerplay center, which would address two weak spots for Boston. The unfortunate part is Pettersson comes with an $11.6 million price tag for the next seven seasons, meaning the Bruins would likely have to unload some NHL-level talent in return in the likes of players such as Charlie McAvoy, Charlie Coyle, and perhaps more prospects or draft picks mixed in. https://puckpedia.com/player/elias-pettersson

JT Miller: Center, 31 years old, 6’1″ and 218 pounds. Miller had 99 points in the 21/22 season, 82 points in the 22/23 season, and 103 points last season. In addition to the elite scoring, Miller would add some toughness and grit up front as he has amassed 60 and 58 penalty minutes in the last two seasons, respectively. This season, Miller is at the 32-point mark and serves as Vancouver’s number two Center and number 1 RW on the powerplay. Miller carries a cap hit of $8 million for the next five seasons, so if only acquiring Miller, Boston would have to do less cap juggling; however, it would have to work even harder to make the numbers work if they were to try and acquire both Miller and Pettersson. https://puckpedia.com/player/jt-miller

Frank Vatrano: Right Wing, 30 years old, 5’11” and 206 pounds. Former Bruin Frank Vatrano has blossomed since getting to Anaheim. Vatrano scored 42 points in the 22/23 season and 60 points last season. Vatrano is currently at 25 points this season and serves as Anaheim’s number one LW, as well as number one LW on the powerplay and number two LW on the penalty kill. Along with being able to play special teams on both sides, Vatrano brings some snarl with his game and has racked up a combined 151 penalty minutes over the last two seasons. Vatrano comes with a $3.5 million cap hit this season and then a $4.5 million cap hit the next three seasons. Anaheim is probably less willing to part with a player they just signed to an extension. However, everyone has a price. https://puckpedia.com/player/frank-vatrano

MacKenzie Weegar: Defense, 31 years old, 6’0″ and 206 pounds. Weegar scored 44 points in the 21/22 season, along with a +40 rating, 31 points in the 22/23 season, and 52 points last season. While on the smaller side, Weegar would provide the Bruins with more offense from the blue line, and sacrificing a little bit of size is not a huge deal for this Bruins team that currently boasts the biggest (but slowest, I might argue) D corps in the league. Weegar currently has 25 points and is a +7 on the season. Weegar could also provide the Bruins with time on both the penalty kill and powerplay. Weegar carries a cap hit of $6.25 million over the next six seasons. https://puckpedia.com/player/mackenzie-weegar

Mario Ferraro: Defense, 26 years old, 6’0″ and 209 pounds. Despite his size, Ferraro brings ferocity and tenacity to his game. Since debuting in 2019, Ferraro has amassed 415 hits, the most on the Sharks in that span. At that same time, Ferraro also leads the shark in blocked shots at 305. Ferraro had 21 points and 36 penalty minutes last season. Ferraro carries a $3.25 million cap hit through next season and then will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA).https://puckpedia.com/player/mario-ferraro

Oliver Bjorkstrand: Right Wing, 29 years old, 6’0″ and 175 pounds. Bjorkstrand has proven to be a points producer over the last three seasons, totaling 57, 44, and 59, respectively. In addition to consistent point production, Bjorkstrand finds a way to stay healthy as he has played in 80, 81, and 82 games, respectively, over the last three seasons. To date, Bjorkstrand has 31 points in 47 games on the season and carries a $5.4 million cap hit through next season and then will become a UFA. https://puckpedia.com/player/oliver-bjorkstrand

Chris Kreider: Left Wing, 33 years old, 6’3″ and 230 pounds. Known for his bone-crushing hits, Kreider will fit right in with the Bruins’ physical style of play. In addition to his physicality, Kreider brings offensive prowess. Kreider has tallied 206 points over the last three seasons, of which 81 have come on the powerplay. Kreider is another player who finds a way to stay healthy, as he has missed only four games over the last three seasons. Kreider has 17 points on the season and carries a $6.5 million cap hit for the next two seasons. One thing to remember about Kreider is that his departure from New York has been rumored for quite a while now, and the Rangers recently shipped out embattled Captain Jacob Trouba for similar issues. https://puckpedia.com/player/chris-kreider

Taylor Hall: Left Wing, 33 years old, 6’1″ and 209 pounds. Hall made it no secret that he loved his time in Boston and loved being a Bruin. In Hall’s last two seasons with Boston, he tallied 96 points collectively. Hall was injured last season and only played in ten games for Chicago; however, he has 24 points in 46 games played this season. Hall would bring speed and a powerplay presence to Boston’s lineup, which are desperately needed. Hall carries a $6 million cap hit for this season and will be a UFA at season’s end. https://puckpedia.com/player/taylor-hall

Some of these trade targets may be pipe dreams; however, all of them would help this Bruins lineup in different ways. The Bruins did a good job of getting bigger and tougher last offseason. The bad part about getting bigger and tougher is that it seems as though they sacrificed offensive upside as a result. A decrease in offensive production paired with down years from the players you consider to be your stars has been a recipe for disaster.

As previously mentioned, the Bruins would have to do some serious cap magic to make some of these deals work. Unfortunately, the Bruins need to improve the roster if they truly want to compete for a playoff spot and do not have much of a choice. On the contrary, team President Cam Neely stated that the Bruins could also go the route of sellers come deadline time. However, that is a discussion for another day in the not-so-distant future.