The Bruins need to add a center this summer, preferably one as close to a true No. 1 as possible. The problem is that bona fide first-line centers are rarely made available, and that appears to be true of this offseason as well.
The top of the free-agent market is highlighted by Steven Stamkos and Elias Lindholm. Stamkos is a future Hall of Famer, but A) likely ends up staying in Tampa Bay, B) has played more wing than center in recent years, and C) was sneaky not good at 5-on-5 this past season.
Lindholm is a more realistic option, as it seems increasingly likely that he will in fact make it to the open market. Of course, because he’s likely to be the clear top center available, there is sure to be a bidding war for his services.
The Bruins have been linked to Lindholm plenty in the past, so we can confidently say they’ll have a good amount of interest in him. That doesn’t mean their interest is unlimited, though. It’s certainly possible that the cost to sign Lindholm winds up getting to a place Don Sweeney and the Bruins are uncomfortable going.
After Lindholm, the next-best free-agent center is probably Sean Monahan or Chandler Stephenson, the latter of whom Boston has been linked to. Both are good players, and Stephenson has Cup pedigree, but either would probably be more of a two/three than a real candidate to center the top line.
With all that in mind, the Bruins are and will continue exploring the trade market as well. Of course, trading for a center comes with the extra cost of giving up assets in addition to money. But Sweeney has to be willing to explore all options.
So, which centers might be available there? Here are some ideas. Before we get to them, two notes:
-I did not include Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, because it seems beyond unlikely that Edmonton would even consider moving him. I’m trying to keep things at least somewhat tethered to reality.
-I also don’t have Martin Necas here, because I don’t really think he’s going to be a center. I covered Necas more in-depth here, and I do believe he’s a player worth pursuing, but he’s been a wing his entire NHL career and that’s probably what he’ll continue to be.
Nazem Kadri, Calgary Flames
Remember him? Once public enemy No. 1 around these parts when he was a Maple Leaf hitting various Bruins in the head, Kadri has probably been mostly out-of-sight, out-of-mind for Boston fans since moving to the Western Conference in 2019.
He’s been pretty darn good, though. Kadri had a career-high 87 points in 2021-22 when he helped the Avalanche win the Cup, then dropped down to 56 in his first season in Calgary in 2022-23, but then bounced back with 75 this past season while mostly centering youngsters Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil.
The Flames are rebuilding after a trade deadline fire sale. Kadri is 33 and said publicly before the deadline that he wanted to win. After the season, he said he remained committed to Calgary, but it’s unclear if he was being completely truthful.
The Bruins should at least be poking around. Kadri is still a very good player who brings some edge (and, for what it’s worth, his last suspension was in 2021). The biggest hang-up is his contract; he’s signed for five more years at $7 million per. He’s worth that much right now, but it’s fair to wonder how much longer that will be true.
William Karlsson, Vegas Golden Knights
The cap-strapped Golden Knights have to move some salary somewhere just to be able to fill out their roster. With Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl locked in at center, keeping Karlsson as their 3C may be a luxury they can’t afford.
Karlsson, 31, is more of a two than a one, but he did have 30 goals and 60 points this season, and he has a 43-goal, 78-point season on his resume way back in 2017-18. He’s also very good defensively (I had him fifth on my Selke Trophy ballot this season) and excellent on faceoffs (56.2% this season). He had 17 points in 22 playoff games during Vegas’ Cup run last year.
As you have hopefully realized by now, the perfect answer to the Bruins’ No. 1 center question probably isn’t out there right now. But Karlsson is a good player who would make the Bruins better, play in every situation, and take key faceoffs. He is signed for three more years at a $5.9 million AAV, a perfectly reasonable number.
Brock Nelson, New York Islanders
I brought him up on the latest Skate Pod, which you can listen to at the top of this post. The Islanders haven’t won a playoff series in three years, are getting old, and have limited cap space for any potential retooling. Nelson is 32 and has one year left on his contract at $6 million. That’s the kind of player who could be available if Lou Lamoriello wants to shake things up.
Nelson has posted goal totals of 37, 36 and 34 the last three years, and point totals of 75 and 69 the last two. He’s a finisher first and foremost, and the Bruins could certainly use more finishing. His defense, playmaking and faceoffs aren’t quite as high-end, which is probably why he’s been more of an 18-minute-per-game player than a 20-minute, all-situations guy.
Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks
This would probably be the wildest, most uncharacteristic swing Sweeney could take. Zegras is a flashy all-offense player whose apparent lack of defensive buy-in is probably why his name continues to pop up in trade rumors in the first place. He also missed time with a broken ankle this past season.
But Zegras is also 23 years old and already has a pair of 60-point seasons under his belt. The talent that made him a top-10 pick in 2019 is obvious, and the Bruins have not been in a position to add talent like that in years. Zegras is on a pretty affordable $5.75 million contract for the next two years, and would be a restricted free agent when that’s up. If he actually is available, the Bruins at least have to do their due diligence.
Shane Pinto, Ottawa Senators
These next two fall in the category of “definitely not a No. 1 center right now, but might be someday.” The Senators are one of the teams that is reportedly interested in trading for Linus Ullmark. It’s unclear if Ottawa is on his no-trade list, and it’s even more unclear if there’s any chance the Bruins could get Pinto as part of the trade.
It can’t hurt to ask, though. Pinto is a 23-year-old restricted free agent and had 27 points in 41 games this past season after serving a 41-game suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy. He has size (6-foot-3), he’s a good skater, he plays defense, and he’s over 50% on faceoffs. His offense probably tops out more as a No. 2 center than a No. 1, but at least there’s some potential for more there.
Marco Rossi, Minnesota Wild
Rossi is 22 years old and ranked fifth in rookie scoring this season with 40 points (21g, 19a) in 82 games. He was a top-10 pick in 2020. It’s not entirely clear why the Wild would trade him, but a lot of people seem to think they might. Michael Russo and Joe Smith wrote in The Athletic that the chances are “higher than you’d think,” apparently because the Wild might believe they have better center prospects on the way.
Rossi is undersized at 5-foot-9, but he does play with some jam and isn’t afraid to drive inside. His 4.05 individual high-danger chances per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 ranked second on the Wild behind only Kirill Kaprizov, and would have ranked fourth on the Bruins behind James van Riemsdyk, Justin Brazeau and Jake DeBrusk. Again, there’s a level of talent here that the Bruins usually aren’t high enough in the draft to get.
Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
The Sharks remain firmly in a rebuild, and Couture just turned 35. Their centers of the future are on the way with Boston College’s Will Smith already in the fold and Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini about to join him.
Couture missed all but six games this past season due to a groin injury. He had 67 points the year before and has a history of strong playoff production (101 points in 116 games). Anyone trading for him would need to know if that player is still there post-injury, especially with three years left on his contract, which is why this deal probably wouldn’t happen now. So, consider this more of an in-season name to monitor if the Bruins are still searching for a top-six center then.