The Boston Bruins need to acquire another top-six forward who can score goals, create scoring chances and lessen the offensive burden on David Pastrnak’s shoulders.
But improving the Bruins’ offense can be done by other means, too.
The Bruins’ blue line did not provide enough offense in the team’s first-round playoff series loss to the Buffalo Sabres. None of the eight defensemen who played for Boston in those six games scored a goal, and none of them tallied more than two points.
Mason Lohrei, who’s one of the more offensively gifted defensemen on the Bruins’ roster, failed to register a single point in three games and was a healthy scratch for the other three matchups.
So, who can the Bruins target in the offseason to bolster the offensive production of their blue line and improve their transition game?
One possibility is a Simon Nemec trade with the New Jersey Devils. There were conflicting reports out of Nemec’s home nation of Slovakia this week on whether he has asked for a trade. However, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now reported Friday that Nemec has not requested a trade.
The bottom line is the Devils do have to make some kind of decision on Nemec’s future in the near term because he will be a restricted free agent in July.
Nemec was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He’s 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds. He’s not overly physical, but he plays the kind of style that Boston desperately needs on the back end. Nemec is a great skater, he’s an excellent puck-mover, he shoots the puck a ton, and he has the ability to score 10-plus goals.
In addition to a lack of scoring depth, another big takeaway from the Bruins’ playoff loss to the Sabres was how slow they played. The lack of speed from a team and individual perspective was glaring. Nemec plays an uptempo kind of game.
The Sabres’ forecheck was a huge factor in Round 1 because Bruins defensemen didn’t have the skating ability or puck-moving skill to get the puck out of danger fast enough. Nemec would help address that issue with how quickly he makes decisions and his ability to skate out of trouble. The Bruins need more defensemen capable of transporting the puck through the neutral zone and putting opponents’ on their heels, and Nemec fits that bill.
Nemec tallied 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) in 68 games for the Devils last season. His stats don’t jump off the page, but you have to consider the fact he hasn’t been given much of an opportunity and the Devils haven’t been a very good team since he made his NHL debut in the 2023-24 season.
Is it possible that Nemec will never live up to expectations as a former No. 2 overall pick? Sure. But there’s clearly some really exciting talent there, and on a better team with better coaches and better defense partners, there’s the potential for Nemec to be a legitimate top-four defenseman for many years. It’s a gamble worth taking. He’s already a good player, and given his age, there’s still a lot of room for him to improve.
Another reason why the Bruins should pursue a Nemec trade is the fact he’s a right-shot defenseman, and that’s an area the Bruins need to upgrade both in terms of depth and talent this offseason. The B’s were so thin on right-shot defensemen this season that they had to play Lohrei on his off side.
A potential Nemec trade isn’t the only way for the Bruins to upgrade their blue line in a meaningful way this offseason.
Two of the top unrestricted free agents who could hit the market July 1 are Darren Raddysh of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Rasmus Andersson of the Vegas Golden Knights. Raddysh is 30 years old and Andersson is 29. Both are expected to get a nice payday and a long-term deal.
Either player would probably make a more immediate impact for the B’s than Nemec, but buying low on a 22-year-old who was a No. 2 overall pick and has a lot of impressive talent would be the smarter move for the Bruins.
Giving a bad long-term contract to Raddysh or Andersson would be far more damaging to the Bruins’ short- and long-term future than trading for Nemec and him not reaching his potential.
Maybe Nemec stays in New Jersey after all. But if he’s available this offseason, the Bruins should absolutely pick up the phone and call newly hired Devils general manager Sunny Mehta. Nemec could help the Bruins’ blue line in a significant way for many years.
