The Boston Bruins are one among the more surprising teams within the NHL this season. They’ve been one among the streakiest teams within the league this season and so they are currently on their hottest run of the season, having won 6 games in a row after a 5-2 victory over the Blackhawks in Chicago on Saturday night and eight wins of their last 9 games.
They previously had one other 6-game winning streak, but they’ve also had two six-game losing streaks. It’s difficult to know exactly what sort of team head coach Marco Sturm has on his hands, however the larger view is that the team has a likelihood to keep up the playoff position that it has right away.
The Bruins are 28-19-2, and that is nice enough to be in the primary Wild Card position. They’re one point ahead of the much-improved Buffalo Sabres and two points behind the Montreal Canadiens within the Atlantic Division.
The Bruins were in serious discussions to accumulate defenseman Rasmus Andersson from the Calgary Flames, but general manager Don Sweeney didn’t make the move. Andersson was traded Sunday to the Vegas Golden Knights, as that team sent a package that the Bruins were apparently not willing to match or exceed.
The Golden Knights sent defenseman Zach Whitecloud, a 2027 first-round pick (top-10 protected), a conditional 2028 second-round pick, and prospect defenseman Abram Wiebe. Vegas is perpetually attempting to win the Stanley Cup, while the Bruins try to place together a decent team that’s ascending.
Bruins must upgrade the roster, but cannot mortgage future
When the Bruins were setting NHL record for points and victories in 2023, they were willing to make trades that included future draft selections. They’ve been largely criticized for not having a well-stocked cupboard for young talent. Sweeney was not going to place the Bruins in that jackpot again by trading future picks for the Calgary defenseman.
Nevertheless, the Bruins do must make no less than one serious trade this season. They were in on the Andersson discussion, so it’s clear there may be an interest in getting defensive help. Nevertheless, additionally they have to add a key player up front. Many of the discussion recently has been about help at right wing, but adding a legitimate center can be a serious acquisition that would dramatically help the team.
The player the Bruins should trade for is Nick Schmaltz of the Utah Mammoth. Schmaltz is a 29-year-old center who has decent size at 6-0 and 185 kilos and can go to the front of the web as a way to increase his team’s probabilities of scoring key goals.
The ten-year veteran has potted 18 goals and 26 assists in 49 games, and he has scored 20 goals or more in his last 4 seasons.
The Bruins currently have Elias Lindholm, Pavel Zacha, Fraser Minten and Sean Kuraly manning their 4 center slots. They’re currently performing well enough to place the team on its current run, but that doesn’t mean that they’re adequate to make sure a playoff position.
Elias Lindholm has been largely mediocre for Bruins
Zacha has been mentioned in trade rumors throughout the season, but the idea is that he needs to stay with the team. Elias Lindholm is currently the team’s first-line center between superstar David Pastrnak and Marat Khusnutdinov, and there was something missing from his overall game for the reason that Bruins signed him prior to the beginning of the 2024-25 season.
Lindholm has underwhelming totals of 8 goals and 24 assists this season, and Schmaltz can be an upgrade. Not only with regards to his point totals, but there may be some snarl to his game and there appears to be little or no of that characteristic when Lindholm is on the ice.
The Bruins would likely must offer greater than Lindholm in the event that they were to finish a deal for Schmaltz. Sweeney will want to take a look at offering a prospect playing for the Windfall Bruins within the American Hockey League. Trading one among the draft picks the Bruins began to stockpile eventually yr’s trade deadline can be a mistake.
Bruins could add to blue line
The Bruins can also be a defenseman to complement their top 3 of Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. Andersson would have slot in Boston’s top 4, so it’s clear they’re searching for a player who generally is a true difference maker.
The candidates that have to be on Sweeney’s radar include St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk and Canucks D Tyler Myers. The Blues and Canucks look like willing to trade key players, but each Faulk and Myers have additional years on their contracts and could possibly be costly.
The Bruins even have Jonathan Aspirot, Mason Lohrei and Henri Jokiharju as their other 3 defensemen. Aspirot has been a find as a hard-hitting, strong skating defenseman who can carry the puck out of trouble. Lohrei has excellent offensive instincts but is a defensive liability and will not be strong enough to win key battles within the corners or in front of the web. Jokiharju is a mediocre player who has just taken a leave of absence for private reasons.