The Christmas break is a week away and it feels like the current Boston Bruins are what they are – a slightly above-average hockey team that has had their fair share of ups and downs, constantly searching for some sort of consistency. As it stands on Dec. 18, the Bruins are fourth in the Atlantic Division for points percentage, narrowly ahead of the Ottawa Senators with a 17-13-3 record. Boston is ever-so-slightly in a playoff position as a second wild card team, creating a potential rematch against the Toronto Maple Leafs if the playoffs started today.
The record is far from where many expected Boston to be at this point of the season, especially the upper management who made many big offseason moves to try and strengthen the roster and make a stronger push after another playoff elimination to the Florida Panthers last spring. While the team has improved since Joe Sacco took over, a staggering loss to the Winnipeg Jets followed by an uninspired defeat to the Seattle Kraken, there are concerns this roster is still lacking pieces. Trades are needed.
Related: Bruins’ Loss to Jets a Harsh Reminder Work Still Needs to Be Done
Of course, trades are not a one-way street. Boston will have to part ways with assets of their own in order to improve their odds of winning more games, whether that is acquiring a forward or defenseman in return. Being narrowly within the salary cap makes it more likely that the Bruins will be forced to ship out a roster player of their own, rather than just dumping draft capital and/or prospects to a selling franchise. For general manager Don Sweeney, keeping tabs on their assets and deciding who/what has the most value for other teams is very important.
In an “everyone is available for trade” scenario, there will be obvious players who hold significantly more value than others, but for Boston’s current situation – there is a near-impossible chance those players get moved, be it for their star status or a contract clause preventing such. For argument’s sake, these untouchable players are David Pastrnak (no movement clause; NMC) Charlie McAvoy (NMC), Jeremy Swayman, Elias Lindholm (NMC), Hampus Lindholm (NMC), and Nikita Zadorov (NMC). Additionally, Brad Marchand will not be included given the unlikelihood a semi-buying Bruins would ship their captain that leads the team in goals. Matt Poitras will also be left off as he is Boston’s top prospect riding a seven-game goal streak in the American Hockey League (AHL).
1. 2025 First-Round Pick
In the league-wide standings, the Bruins are 15th in points percentage (.561%) and given they’re on the edge of making and missing the playoffs, teams will be interested in Boston’s first-round pick if it becomes available. Without question, this asset, while not a player, is Boston’s most valuable asset among realistic departures. Teams are acquiring roster players for depth defensemen and mid-round picks (ie. the Kraken acquiring Kaapo Kaako from the New York Rangers for Will Borgen, a 2025 third-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round pick), so a first-round selection that has the potential of becoming a lottery pick has a lot of value.
In Boston’s case, Sweeney will be treading very lightly when it comes to dealing this pick as it is well known that the Bruins have a weaker prospect pipeline and any future picks they move away only hurts the team long-term. Boston has picked in the first round only twice since 2020 – one of which was by trading back into the opening round in the Linus Ullmark trade with the Ottawa Senators, allowing them to select forward Dean Letourneau this past summer.
Balancing short- and long-term goals is what makes this very tricky for management. As mentioned, sacrificing more skilled prospects higher in the draft is hard to come to terms with. However, in the three years since 2020 that Boston has shipped their first-rounder, it has been for a key asset. In 2023, Boston packaged their pick in a three-team trade to acquire Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Washington Capitals. In 2022, their draft pick along with prospect Urho Vaakanainen acquired them Hampus Lindholm who has since become a crucial member of Boston’s blue line. 2020 was a bit different, as their pick was used to offload the contract of David Backes, while also bringing in forward Ondrej Kase.
If they strategically find a good trade partner and land on a worthwhile trade, there is a good argument to trade their first again. It’s risky, but may be what separates a decent player from a pretty good one coming in.
2. Forward Trent Frederic
On Saturday (Dec. 14), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said that there is “lots of interest” around the league for Trent Frederic and it isn’t too surprising. Frederic, 26, is in the last year of his $2.3 million deal and will become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1. After a career season in 2023-24 where he put up 18 goals and 40 points, Frederic hasn’t been as hot through the opening two-and-a-half months of 2024-25. With 11 points in 33 games, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound forward is on pace for less than 30 points, a production dropoff that is partially to blame for Boston’s early struggles.
Many teams will be quick to call Sweeney’s phone regarding Frederic, given his size and physicality. He is second on the team in hits (99, behind only Mark Kastelic). Even though he is having a down year – nearly everyone on the Bruins is – so his value shouldn’t necessarily tank and a contending team may want his services for their bottom-six. Can the Bruins become a better team while moving Frederic? Depends. Players like him are valuable on the ice even when they aren’t scoring as their tenacity and toughness are something every locker room needs, it’s just a great bonus that he can score 35-40 points in a season too.
A couple days later on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Friedman went on to say that some teams have a belief that Boston and Frederic won’t be able to get a deal done before his contract expires, causing him to potentially be a free agent in July. Losing another quality player for no return (Jake DeBrusk last offseason), cannot happen again. If Boston truly feels they either can’t come to terms on an extension or they will be the ones overpaying on the new deal, they should most definitely entertain any and all offers that come their way.
If, and only if, there is a team willing to part ways with their first-round pick, it could help Boston facilitate another trade – given that they would have two picks on day one of the draft. More flexibility and options are an asset itself and if Frederic was heading out regardless, anything coming in is a positive. As Boston continues to balance between good and bad hockey, Frederic’s name will be talked about even more.
3. Defenseman Mason Lohrei
This may be a tad controversial, but Mason Lohrei is far from untouchable and in the midst of a struggling season, a 23-year-old offensive defenseman is quite intriguing for many teams around the NHL. Boston can afford moving him as once Hampus Lindholm returns from injury, the Bruins have a deep enough defensive core with Jordan Oesterle or Parker Wotherspoon as the Lohrei replacement on the third pairing.
Lohrei has shown promise, there is no denying it. He has offensive skill with the puck, is not afraid to take a risk to make a play up the ice, and his 6-foot-5 frame makes him an anomaly on the ice. That said, defensively he has had a tough time this season, losing track of his role in coverage and at times, seeming lost in his own zone. Lohrei has the highest goals-against per 60 at 5v5 among Bruins defensemen (3.18) and has the second-lowest expected goals-against percentage (47.03%).
These statistics may not look that appealing to teams trading for him, but in a decreased role and maybe even some power play minutes, Lohrei can be an asset for rebuilding or contending teams. If Boston does decide to part ways with him, they should be getting a solid roster player back – likely a forward – to help aid one of the league’s worst offenses. Like the first-round pick, it may be too big of a risk to move a young blueliner with NHL experience, sacrificing the long-term goals for shorter-term success. Judging trade by trade, there may be something out there to make the risk pay off.
While Limited, Bruins Do Have Options
The Bruins’ situation is a very tough one. Having a roster that management believed would be strong enough combined with a lack of assets while also trying to remain competitive in not only the division, but the Eastern Conference as a whole makes it quite difficult to orchestrate a win-win hockey trade. No matter what, they can’t remain complacent, hoping to squeak into the postseason. Either commit to improving the team or consider selling assets and retool for next season. Getting to the March trade deadline seems like a gamble by itself – shake it up now, as it allows time for the team to make additional moves as the new-look team progresses down the line.
Whatever the Bruins decide to do, they are not totally stuck. They have options available to them – even if it means moving players like Marchand, Charlie Coyle, or even a Morgan Geekie or Pavel Zacha. All that’s left is figuring out what route they want to go down.
