The NHL’s March 3 trade deadline is now just under a month away. One major piece already moved with the Canucks trading Bo Horvat to the Islanders, and New York subsequently extending Horvat with an eight-year contract.
The Bruins had been linked to Horvat, but obviously weren’t willing to match or exceed the Islanders’ offer. Trading a key player off their active roster seemed like a borderline non-starter, and extending Horvat would have been difficult with a big-money deal for David Pastrnak expected to be completed at some point.
The league-leading B's will still be looking at ways to improve, though. There are a few other dream-big targets who could be available, but there are also plenty of more realistic targets, ranging from impact everyday players to depth upgrades. Here’s our list of targets, split into those three tiers:
Dreaming big
Dylan Larkin (C, Detroit Red Wings)
Most NHL insiders still seem to expect the Red Wings to eventually lock up Larkin on a long-term extension. But it hasn’t happened yet, and until it does, the possibility of Steve Yzerman trading Detroit’s franchise center rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency shouldn’t be dismissed. If Larkin does become available, he checks a lot of the same boxes as Horvat would have. Larkin would give the Bruins an embarrassment of riches up front now, and the 26-year-old would be their potential No. 1 center of the future if they sign him to an extension. Larkin isn’t quite as elite a finisher as Horvat, but he’s arguably a better all-around player and has averaged just under a point per game the last two years.
Timo Meier (LW/RW, San Jose Sharks)
With Horvat now off the board, at least for the time being, Meier is now atop the trade boards at TSN, The Athletic and Daily Faceoff. While the Sharks could still sign the star winger to an extension before the deadline like they did with Tomas Hertl last year, it seems more likely he ends up getting dealt. Any team that acquires Meier would obviously want to extend him as well, and that’s where it probably gets too pricy and complicated for the Bruins. Meier is due either a $10 million qualifying offer or a long-term, big-money contract, and the Bruins really wouldn’t be able to afford to pay both Pastrnak and Meier because it would leave them no money to address the center position going forward.
Jakob Chychrun (LD, Arizona Coyotes)
The same things that made Chychrun appealing when the Bruins were linked to him last year are still there: He’s a 24-year-old, 6-foot-2, top-pairing defenseman who can score and is on a team-friendly contract (two more years after this at a $4.6 million cap hit). The Bruins addressed their No. 1 left-shot D issue in both the short- and long-term by acquiring Hampus Lindholm last year. Giving up a massive haul (Arizona’s reported asking price is two first-round picks and a prospect) for another a year later seems unlikely, but the prospect of sending Lindholm and Chychrun over the boards one after the other for years to come is pretty tantalizing, and this is the “dreaming big” section after all.
Lineup regulars
Jonathan Toews (C, Chicago Blackhawks)
Neither Toews nor teammate Patrick Kane warrant their $10.5 million salaries anymore, and it’s unclear if either or both even want to be traded (they both have full no-movement clauses). Of the two, Toews is the one the Bruins have actually been linked to and the one who makes more sense. He is expected to be a little cheaper to acquire, his all-around game has not fallen off to the same extent as Kane’s, and his faceoff abilities as a left-shot center would be a welcome addition. The Bruins would need a lot of help in terms of retained salary -- from the Blackhawks and possibly a third party as well.
Ryan O’Reilly (C, St. Louis Blues)
O’Reilly is expected to return from a broken foot in the next week or two. The 32-year-old was having a down season even before that (10 goals, 6 assists in 37 games). But the Bruins know as well as anyone how dangerous O’Reilly can be if he gets back in form. He led the playoffs in scoring and won the Conn Smythe Trophy when the Blues beat Boston in the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, and Jim Montgomery coached him for two years when he was an assistant in St. Louis form 2020-22. O’Reilly could fill a similar role as Toews as a super-third-line center.
Ivan Barbashev (C/LW, St. Louis Blues)
Another player Montgomery knows well. The 27-year-old Barbashev had a breakout 60-point season last year, but has taken a step back in his contract year with 24 points (9 goals, 15 assists) in 51 games. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported over the weekend that the Blues have already informed Barbashev that they’re planning to trade him, although there have since been conflicting reports about that. Barbashev doesn’t play the kind of defense the Bruins are generally looking for, but he could still be a bottom-six upgrade with upside that we know is higher than what he’s shown this season.
Conor Garland (RW, Vancouver Canucks)
Ah yes, one of those names that just never seems to go away. No one ever seems to know what the Canucks’ plan is or who’s really available, but we do know that Garland hasn’t really been a natural fit there, and we also know that Vancouver just extended one mid-20s winger in Andrei Kuzmenko and acquired another in Anthony Beauvillier. Garland, whose production has dipped a bit this season (24 points in 48 games), has three years left on his deal after this season at $4.95 million per year. That’s probably a little more than the Bruins can commit to someone who would probably be a third-liner for them, but they’ve shown interest in the Scituate native before.
Max Domi (C/LW/RW, Chicago Blackhawks)
Domi, a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), wouldn’t seem to be a fit in Boston given his total lack of defense, but he does have 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 48 games this season, he can play all three forward position, and he’s a left shot who’s good on faceoffs. The Bruins also saw him score two goals against them in Game 7 last spring when he was with Carolina. On the other hand, Domi had one goal in the Hurricanes’ other 13 playoff games. That’s the Domi conundrum. He can run hot offensively for stretches, but when he goes cold, there’s little else to his game.
Vladislav Gavrikov (LD, Columbus Blue Jackets)
If you’re of the belief that the Bruins could use another bigger-bodied D who can play top-four minutes but you acknowledge Chychrun is probably unrealistic, Gavrikov might be what you’re looking for. He’s 6-foot-3 and while he’s not super physical, he is a defensive defenseman first. He’s also a solid enough puck-mover and flashed some offense last season with 33 points. The 27-year-old Gavrikov is a pending UFA with a $2.8 million cap hit for this season, and the Blue Jackets are reportedly allowing interested teams to discuss a possible extension with him.
Jake McCabe/Connor Murphy (LD/RD, Chicago Blackhawks)
McCabe is a left shot, Murphy a right. McCabe is 6-foot-1, Murphy 6-foot-4. Both bring some physicality. Both have been among the lone bright spots defensively on a bad Blackhawks team. Both are signed to reasonable contracts with term -- two more years after this at $4 million AAV for McCabe, three more years at $4.4M AAV for Murphy. They’re probably not players the Blackhawks would be in any rush to move, but both are also approaching 30 years old, and the Chicago rebuild isn’t going to be done any time soon. Especially if the Bruins could get the Blackhawks to retain some salary, either could be worth exploring.
Depth
Nick Bonino (C/LW, San Jose Sharks)
The Sharks aren’t going anywhere and Bonino is a 34-year-old pending free agent. He won two Cups with the Penguins, is still a good defensive forward, and still has enough offense (9 goals, 8 assists this season) that he could be an upgrade to the Bruins’ fourth line.
Nick Bjugstad (C/RW, Arizona Coyotes)
Another fourth-line upgrade who can play center or wing and is a pending UFA. Bjugstad has 11 goals and 10 assists this season, plays pretty good defense, and his $900,000 cap hit is easy to digest. He’s also 6-foot-6 and is willing to put that size to good use.
Noel Acciari (C/RW, St. Louis Blues)
An old friend who checks a lot of the same boxes as Bjugstad, just with a little less size. Acciari is also a pending UFA, and the Blues certainly look like a team that’s going to be willing to sell off some pieces. He has 10 goals and eight assists this season.
Sam Lafferty (C/LW/RW, Chicago Blackhawks)
After struggling to break through in Pittsburgh, Lafferty has developed into an ideal bottom-six energy guy in Chicago. He has eight goals and nine assists this season. He’s tied for second in the NHL with three shorthanded goals. He’s fast. He’s physical. He can play all three forward positions. Oh, and he’s under contract for another year after this with a cap hit of just $1.15 million. The fact that Lafferty isn’t just a rental means he’ll probably cost more than the three guys above him here, but he’s the kind of player you can imagine a playoff opponent hating by the midway point of a series.
Luke Schenn (RD, Vancouver Canucks)
Schenn might be the name that’s been linked to the Bruins the most. That’s fine, as long as everyone has a realistic expectation of what Schenn would be in Boston. Ideally, he would be the seventh or eighth defenseman, like he was for the Lightning during their back-to-back Cup runs in 2020 and 2021. He’s not a meaningful upgrade to their top six or a Brandon Carlo replacement if they were to move Carlo in some sort of blockbuster. Still, his size (6-foot-2, 226 pounds), physicality (NHL-leading 237 hits) and experience would make for some welcome depth.
Joel Edmundson (LD, Montreal Canadiens)
Trades between the Bruins and Canadiens are rare, but Don Sweeney and Montreal GM Kent Hughes have a long-standing relationship from Hughes’ years as Patrice Bergeron’s agent, and the two teams are in such different places that a rivalry shouldn’t stand in the way of a deal. Edmundson has valuable postseason experience, winning the Cup with the Blues in 2019 and going back to the Final with the Habs in 2021. But while his size (6-foot-5, 221 pounds) and physicality are attractive, Edmundson’s defensive metrics leave a lot to be desired (see below). If Edmundson gets moved at a depth price, great. If someone’s willing to pay a top-four price, though, it shouldn’t be the Bruins.
Nick Seeler (LD, Philadelphia Flyers)
We had Jaycob Megna in this section as of Sunday afternoon and liked him as a defense-first option with a good contract (signed through next season for under $1 million), but then the Sharks traded him to the Kraken on Sunday night for a fourth-round pick. Seeler has a little bit of a similar profile to Megna: 29 years old, left shot, has some size (6-foot-2 in Seeler’s case), solid defensive metrics, cheap contract ($775,000 cap hit) with another year after this. Seeler has probably been a bit under-utilized by the Flyers (14:18 average time on ice) considering how much some of their other D have struggled, but that could help make him a solid depth target for someone else.
Nick Holden (LD, Ottawa Senators)
The Senators have improved from last season, but they’re still 13th in the East. That could leave them in position to sell off a few pieces, including Holden, a veteran 6-foot-4, left-shot defenseman on an expiring contract. Holden made a pit stop in Boston before, when they acquired him at the 2018 trade deadline to be a depth defenseman. He was solid enough in that role, and he went on to play a bigger role on some good Vegas teams in the years that followed. The 35-year-old’s advanced metrics indicate he still has something in the tank and could be solid in a seventh/eighth D role. It shouldn’t take a third-round pick and a prospect to get him this time, either.
Keep an eye on…
Scott Mayfield (RD, New York Islanders)
The Islanders are obviously still trying to win this year after trading for Horvat, but they’re currently 10th in the East. If these next few weeks don’t go the way they’re hoping, would they sell off pieces? If they do, would Mayfield -- a 30-year-old pending UFA -- be one of them? He’s a 6-foot-5 two-way defender who can handle top-four minutes and has a cap hit of just $1.45 million this season. There would presumably be a lot of interest.
Radko Gudas (RD, Florida Panthers)
The Panthers are also still in the playoff hunt, but they’re a point behind the Islanders. Gudas is a 32-year-old pending UFA who would look nice in any contender’s bottom four. He’s a stellar defensive defenseman and one of the most physical players in the league. If the Panthers don’t feel like they truly have a chance to compete for the Cup this season, they might want to see what they can get for Gudas.
Jake Walman (LD, Detroit Red Wings)
The Red Wings are also hanging around, but they’re even a little behind both the Islanders and Panthers. Walman, a Providence College product, is having a post-hype breakout season in Detroit after years of struggling to crack St. Louis’ lineup. He’s played his way up to the Wings’ top pairing alongside Moritz Seider, and his analytics have been awesome (see below). Walman is still just 26 (27 in two weeks), so the Wings may very well want to lock him up before he hits free agency in the offseason. But they also have some other core pieces who are due extensions over the next couple years, including the aforementioned Larkin and Seider. If Yzerman doesn’t see Walman fitting in longer-term, he could probably get a pretty nice return for him before the deadline. Walman has a cap hit of just $1.05 million this season.
