Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney says he wants to improve his team before Friday's NHL trade deadline, but that he may not be "as aggressive and active" as he's been in the past.
"In all likelihood it’ll be a little different than last year, not necessarily as aggressive and active," Sweeney told reporters on Monday. "But we would like to continue to improve our hockey club, if possible. … We'd like to give them a bump, because they've earned that, but it's an eye towards, obviously this year, but moving forward as well."
That last part is key. One year after a massive sell-off kickstarted a retool, Sweeney is not about to go right back to the days of trading first-round picks for rentals. That just wouldn't be smart business. While the Bruins have exceeded expectations this year, and making the playoffs is an organizational goal, they are not yet the kind of contender that warrants win-now buying.
Adding players who could help for the next 2-5 years could very well be in play, though. Sweeney already came close to landing right-shot defenseman Rasmus Andersson this season, and probably would have if Andersson had agreed to sign an extension in Boston. It was only when Andersson decided not to that Sweeney walked away from the deal – because adding Andersson for just the rest of this season didn't make sense.
We took a look at some of the players the Bruins have been linked to in the non-rental market in our trade deadline week primer over the weekend, so we won't regurgitate all those names here. Instead, let's look at the other side of the coin: the prospects and picks other teams would want from the Bruins, and whether any of them should be untouchable.
The reality is that it's rare for any prospect or pick to be truly "untouchable." If Connor McDavid suddenly becomes available, everyone and everything is in play. But keeping things more realistic, the Bruins do have some assets that would be very difficult to part with at this moment, in this market.
At the top of the list is James Hagens, the 2025 seventh overall pick. After a little bit of a slow start to his sophomore season at Boston College, Hagens has taken the leap everyone has wanted to see this season. After 37 points in 37 games last year, he's already up to 40 (20g, 20a) in 30 games this year. He currently has a 10-game point streak, and he has 27 points in 17 games since Thanksgiving.
Interestingly, Hagens' best stretches this season have come playing wing – both left and right – rather than center, his natural position. The Bruins may have a decision to make on Hagens' long-term position at some point, but for now, his success on the wing could give him a clearer path to NHL playing time once BC's season ends. Sweeney said Monday that he hasn't had any conversations with Hagens about turning pro this year just yet, but count me among those who would be surprised if Hagens doesn't sign and play NHL games this spring.
Regardless, it's hard to envision the Bruins including Hagens in any deal for any player whose name is making the rounds this week. Blues center Robert Thomas is the biggest fish in the pond. You might at least think about Hagens-for-Thomas 1-for-1 if that opportunity presented itself, but the Blues might still be asking for more than that.
The Bruins' second-most valuable asset right now is probably either Toronto's 2026 first-round pick (acquired in the Brandon Carlo trade) or Dean Letourneau, Boston's 2024 first-round pick and Hagens' teammate at BC.
The Maple Leafs continue to trend towards missing the playoffs, sitting seven points behind the Bruins for the second wild card spot, with two more games played than Boston. So, that first-round pick is going to be in the lottery. It could be in the top 10. The Bruins just need it to not creep into the top five, because then Toronto would get to keep it and give Boston a 2027 pick instead. Of the Bruins' five first-round picks in the next three drafts, this one is the most valuable.
Letourneau, meanwhile, has gone from people debating whether he was a bust last year to people debating if he should be untouchable now. He is right behind Hagens in goals (19) and points (34) for the Eagles, one year after not scoring a single goal as a freshman. Give the kid a ton of credit for the work he put in over the summer.
The Bruins might put Letourneau and/or Toronto's first on the table for Thomas, but that's about it. The Blues might ask for one of them for Colton Parayko, the Flames for MacKenzie Weegar, or the Flyers for Owen Tippett, but while all of those guys are good players who would help the Bruins, none are the same kind of high-end needle-mover as Thomas.
The Bruins' other first-round picks could be in play in other deals. They have all of their own first-round picks moving forward, plus Florida's in 2027, which could get bumped to 2028 if the Panthers end up with a top-10 pick this year – a real possibility as the two-time defending champs trend towards missing the playoffs.
As for other prospects, North Dakota freshman Will Zellers, acquired in the Charlie Coyle trade, could be valued similarly to Letourneau. He has 27 points (17g, 10a) in 33 games and burst onto the scene at World Juniors as Team USA's leading scorer in the tournament. 2025 third-round pick Cooper Simpson could be following the same path as Zellers as his stock rises – he's currently the second-leading scorer in the USHL, and will be joining Zellers at North Dakota next season.
In Providence, Matt Poitras certainly has value as a center that many around the league still believe will be a full-time NHLer. His name has popped up in several trade rumors already, and Elliotte Friedman even mentioned at one point that this might be a situation where both sides are a bit unhappy with each other. Both Poitras and the Bruins have publicly denied that, including Sweeney on Monday.
"Matty came in and played in the Stadium Game [in Tampa], scored a hell of a goal, went in and played against a really good team," Sweeney said. "Handled his own against the Florida team and the competitiveness. … He's just continuing to round out at a very young age, and he's responding. It's great to see him continue to round out, as I just referenced, to be a little more of a complete player and understand that managing the puck, managing your shift length, understanding where space is, and staying healthy. He went through shoulder surgery as well. So we're not disappointed in Matty. He's really taken to heart to try and lead a Providence team and help lead a Providence team that's had a hell of a season. He's been a big part of that. So we're still excited about where Matt Poitras is in his development, and he's already proven he can come up and play, immediately come up and play and be inserted into the lineup."
That doesn't mean Poitras won't be traded. Even if that's something Sweeney is considering, it's smart for him to position Poitras as an asset he wants to keep rather than someone he's actively trying to move. But in the prospect pecking order, it's probably fair to say at this point that Sweeney might be more willing to give up Poitras than a few of his younger prospects who could have more upside.