The Boston Bruins have had a rocky start to the 2024-25 season, and their last several games have been a microcosm of that. After losing 8-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes in what was arguably the worst Bruins’ performance in recent memory, they posted two consecutive shutouts beating the Philadelphia Flyers on the road 3-0 before returning home and topping the Seattle Kraken 2-0. It looked like the Bruins were getting back on track. To the dismay of fans, however, they followed up those two stellar performances with a 4-0 shutout loss on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Bruins’ season is to continue on this rocky path, the team may begin exploring trade options. There are two players who stand out as potential trade pieces if the team were to go down that route: Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic.
Morgan Geekie
Geekie is coming off of a career season. He put up 39 points in 76 games for the black and gold in 2023-24, even earning meaningful time on the top six. He proved he has the potential to be a meaningful contributor on any NHL roster, and he carries a cap hit of just $2 million.
Related: Boston Bruins 2023-24 Season Report Cards: Morgan Geekie
Geekie, who is set to become a restricted free agent after this season, has struggled to start the campaign. He is goalless, picking up just two assists along the way, and on more than one occasion he has been a healthy scratch already. If this downward trend continues, the Bruins may look to move him ahead of the 2025 Trade Deadline. The Bruins are also limited on cap space, so if they end up buying at the deadline they will need to move dollars off their books. Geekie could be a candidate for that as well.
Trent Frederic
Frederic is another forward who has struggled to start 2024-25. He carried a similar stat line to Geekie in 2023-24, putting up 40 points and playing in every game. He has only put up as many assists and just one more goal than Geekie. His minus-8 rating is tied with Charlie Coyle for the worst on the team.
The Bruins like Frederic. They see him as a valuable contributor to their forward group, a player who is not afraid to drop the gloves, and someone who can inject life into their offense when at his best. That said, he has been a liability so far this season, and the Bruins can source his physicality from other members of their personnel, including Mark Kastelic, whose cap hit of just north of $800,000 comes in nearly $1.5 million lower than Frederic’s. Frederic would be a great trade piece for a team looking to beef up their forward group before a playoff run, as he makes every line he is on harder on the forecheck and tougher to play against. If the Bruins are looking to sell ahead of the deadline, he is a piece that they should definitely consider shopping.
Bruins Appear at a Crossroads
The Bruins appear to be at a crossroads in their season at the moment. They had high hopes coming in, but have won just six of their first 14 games. If this inconsistent play continues, they will need to address whether they are truly a team that hopes to contend this season, or if they should think about shopping certain players like Geekie and Frederic. On top of that, if they continue to slide, they will need to consider letting head coach Jim Montgomery go. The next month will be very telling on who this team is, if they hope to contend, and which personnel will stick around for the long term.
