FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The NHL's pre-Olympic roster freeze goes into effect Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET. Once it hits, no trades will be permitted until 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 22. Many around the league are viewing this as something of a "first trade deadline," prior to the real deadline on March 6.
Whether the Boston Bruins do anything Wednesday remains to be seen (my hunch: don't hold your breath), but there is one player on their roster whose name has popped up in some trade chatter recently: Matt Poitras.
The 21-year-old center was mentioned in rumors during the Bruins' pursuit of defenseman Rasmus Andersson a couple weeks ago, although a source indicated to WEEI that it was unlikely Poitras would have been in Boston's final offer. The deal fell apart when Andersson was unwilling to sign an extension, anyways.
The talk around Poitras hasn't really quieted down, though. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman said on "The FAN Hockey Show" last week that Poitras and the Bruins "aren't 100 percent happy with each other" and that "it wouldn't be a shock if something happened here."
"I've wondered about [Poitras]," he said. "You can tell that both sides aren't 100 percent happy with each other here. I think the Bruins have expected more. I think Poitras would expect more from the Bruins. He just switched agents, too. That doesn't happen when people are happy. I don't know if I would call it a showcase, but I do think that it wouldn't be a shock if something happened there."
It's easy to see where Friedman's comments are coming from. After playing 33 NHL games each of the previous two seasons, Poitras had not gotten a look in Boston this year until last week. He also hadn't produced as much in Providence, going from 41 points in 40 AHL games last season to 24 in 39 this year. And, as Friedman noted, Poitras switched agents three weeks ago.
Poitras addressed the speculation on Tuesday, telling WEEI.com he is "not unhappy in any way."
"I'm happy," he said. "I haven't been unhappy all season. I'm happy to be here, and I'm happy to try and contribute. And yeah, just excited to have an opportunity to play in the NHL again. So yeah, I'm not unhappy in any way."
Poitras acknowledged he wants to be spending more time in Boston than Providence, as any player would, but reiterated that does not mean he's "unhappy" with his situation.
"I mean, obviously it's hard to be playing in Providence and the ultimate goal is to be playing in the NHL," he said. "But it's something I want to earn and not just be handed. It's not unhappiness. It's just, obviously everybody wants to be in the NHL."
As for changing agents, Poitras didn't go into much detail regarding the decision.
"Just change of scenery. Nothing really to read into," he said.
Poitras scored his first NHL goal of the season – his first NHL goal since Nov. 2, 2024, in fact – in Sunday's 6-5 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Raymond James Stadium. It was a pretty finish, as he took a pass from Mark Kastelic, raced down the slot, and roofed a backhander over Andrei Vasilevskiy's glove. Poitras helped create several other scoring chances, as he did in his first game up last Thursday against Philadelphia too.
"I felt good in both," Poitras said. "Had some good chances against Philly. Obviously, there's some nerves with the first game, and haven't played in the NHL in probably a year. It's different, obviously, adapting. It's faster, and it takes a little bit to get used to. But I felt good in both games. Just trying to do the right things, anything to stay in the lineup and just contribute positively."
Bruins coach Marco Sturm put Poitras between his two most physical forwards, Kastelic and Tanner Jeannot. It's the same thing he did earlier this season with fellow 21-year-old center Fraser Minten. It helped Minten feel more comfortable then, and the early returns after one game of Poitras playing in that spot were positive as well. The Bruins outchanced the Lightning 4-1 during the 9:31 that trio played together at 5-on-5.
"I mean, you definitely feel safe with those guys on your wings," Poitras said. "It creates a lot of space, I feel like, out there. And it also helps, Kasty is great on the draws, and Jeano can take draws on the left side, so it takes a little stress away from that too. I feel like we played well 5-on-5 last game, so yeah, just try and keep that rolling."
The Bruins have one more game before the Olympic break, and it's a big one: Wednesday night at the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers, who have slipped to nine points behind the Bruins in the Eastern Conference wild card race thanks in part to a four-game losing streak.
Barring anything unforeseen Wednesday, Poitras will line up in the same place, with Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha remaining out of the lineup. Where Poitras goes after that, or after Lindholm and Zacha presumably return following the break, is a bridge to be crossed at a later date.
"I just take it day-by-day and try not to worry about that stuff," Poitras said. "I think for me, it's just trying to be where my feet are and try and block out all that outside stuff. I mean, I can't really control it."