The Boston Bruins, for the first time in a while, have a lot of good trade assets to use in the offseason to make substantial roster improvements.
But will general manager Don Sweeney be able to use his improved prospect pool and boatload of draft picks to find any deals to his liking?
The Bruins far exceeded expectations last season. After finishing with the fifth-worst record in the 2024-25 campaign, Boston ended the 2025-26 season with the league’s eighth-best record (45-27-10, 100 points) and a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Despite the positive steps taken in the regular season, the playoffs were a painful reminder of how much the Bruins still lack the needed amount of elite skill and speed to compete at the highest level. The B’s lost to the Buffalo Sabres in a six-game first-round series.
Making it back to the playoffs in 2027 won’t be easy for the Bruins. They need roster upgrades at key positions, specifically at center and the right side of the blue line.
Let’s look at seven players the Bruins should consider pursuing on the trade market.
Robert Thomas, C, St. Louis Blues
- 2025-26 Stats: 25 G, 39 A in 64 GP
- Contract: $8.125 million, expires after 2030-31 season
Thomas is exactly what the Bruins need most: A true No. 1 center in the prime of his career. The B’s have not been able to find this kind of player since Patrice Bergeron retired after the 2022-23 campaign. They signed Elias Lindholm to a seven-year, $54.25 million deal in 2024 free agency to be that kind of center, and so far that experiment has been a huge failure.
Thomas is just 26 years old and an elite playmaker who can also score 25-30 goals. He tallied 64 points in 64 games this past season and posted 80-plus points in each of the previous two seasons.
The cost to get Thomas would be extraordinarily high.
The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reported on Feb. 26 that the Blues were seeking “three first-half-of-the-first-round assets ahead of the trade deadline. For example, that could mean an established young player, a drafted prospect and a draft pick who were all selected or could be taken in the first 15 or so picks.”
Chris Johnston wrote in The Athletic earlier this week that “the Blues attached an incredibly high price to Thomas while gauging interest ahead of the trade deadline and won’t be lowering the ask this summer.”
True first-line centers signed long-term at 26 years old are franchise building blocks. Drafting and developing is the best way to acquire one because they almost never get to free agency and cost a ton via trade.
Mason McTavish, C, Anaheim Ducks
- 2025-26 Stats: 17 G, 24 A in 75 GP
- Contract: $7 million salary cap hit, expires after 2030-31 season
McTavish had a tough year in Anaheim. He saw his scoring drop by 11 points from the previous season and was a healthy scratch in multiple 2026 playoff games. His 12:25 of ice time per game in the postseason was almost three minutes less than his regular season playing time.
“I have zero evidence to suggest the Anaheim Ducks are the ones picking up the phone and calling teams about him,” The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun wrote Wednesday. “But I know for a fact that several teams have inquired about him. He’s coming off a season in which he regressed after a contract stalemate delayed his start.”
McTavish tallied career highs of 22 goals and 30 assists during the 2024-25 campaign. Can he get back to, or exceed, that kind of offensive production on a different team? Maybe. He’s 23 years old and has an impressive offensive skill set. He is a strong playmaker (high-end passing and vision) who also has the ability to score 20-plus goals. He plays with a physical edge, too.
There’s risk with McTavish, though. If he doesn’t take his scoring production to another level — 70 to 80 points, for example — he could be just another expensive center not worthy of a top-six role on a contender. The Bruins already have one of those centers in Elias Lindholm.
Jason Robertson, LW, Dallas Stars
- 2025-26 Stats: 45 G, 51 A in 82 GP
- Contract: RFA this summer
David Pastrnak is the only Bruins player since 2003 to score 40-plus goals in a season. He needs help — someone who can take on some of the scoring burden.
Robertson would be capable of doing that. He scored 45 goals and dished out 51 assists for the Stars this past season. He has scored 35-plus goals four times and has tallied at least 79 points in each of the last five seasons. Robertson has played well in the playoffs, too, posting 52 points in 62 career postseason games. He was especially effective in this year’s playoffs with six goals and two assists in six games.
Robertson is a truly elite offensive player. The question is whether the Stars, who don’t have much salary cap space, will be able to pay him what he wants.
“The Stars have been adamant about their desire to sign the prolific scoring winger to a long-term extension, but finding the right number hasn’t been easy,” The Athletic’s Chris Johnston recently wrote in his trade board column. “Robertson has a case to exceed teammate Mikko Rantanen’s $12 million annual salary, given the 18 percent jump in the salary cap since Rantanen signed his deal.”
If Roberson actually becomes available on the trade market, the Bruins should at the very least pick up the phone and see how much it would cost to make a deal. He is exactly the kind of high-end goal scorer the B’s need.
Mavrik Bourque, C, Dallas Stars
- 2025-26 Stats: 20 G, 21 A, 82 GP
- Contract: RFA this summer
If a trade for Robertson isn’t an option, then a pursuit of Bourque would make sense. Bourque has star potential, but it’s fair to wonder if he can reach his ceiling in Dallas with so many talented forwards ahead of him in the Stars’ loaded lineup.
Bourque tallied career highs with 20 goals, 21 assists and 82 games played this past season. His 36 even-strength points would have ranked fifth-most among B’s forwards.
The 2020 first-round pick could potentially be a No. 2 center in the near future, but on a contender he’s probably a very good No. 3 center. Either way, Bourque is a player who could thrive in a larger role on another team.
Shane Wright, C, Seattle Kraken
- 2025-26 Stats: 12 G, 15 A in 74 GP
- Contract: $886,666 salary cap hit, expires after 2026-27 season
Wright is an interesting buy-low candidate. He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft but hasn’t developed as expected, particularly offensively. Wright tallied 27 points this past season after posting a career-high 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) in the 2024-25 campaign. He is a smart playmaker who is responsible defensively and still has plenty of room for growth offensively. Wright is capable of being a 20-goal scorer.
He is entering the final year of his entry-level contract. Could he thrive with a change of scenery? It’s possible. There are many reasons to believe Wright still hasn’t played his best hockey yet.
Olen Zellweger, D, Anaheim Ducks
- 2025-26 Stats: 7 G, 15 A in 76 GP
- Contract: RFA this summer
The Ducks have a ton of defensemen able to hit free agency this summer, including captain Radko Gudas, John Carlson, Jacob Trouba and Zellweger.
Zellweger is just 22 years old and has shown a lot of potential as a puck-moving defenseman who plays with speed and skill. He’s also excellent at zone entries, which could make him valuable on the power play.
Zellweger was in and out of the Ducks’ lineup during the playoffs and appeared in just three of their 12 games over two rounds. He did, however, score a pretty clutch goal late in Game 5 of the second-round series versus the Vegas Golden Knights.
Zellweger is a left shot, which does not address the Bruins’ need for more depth on the right side of the blue line. He’s also not a shutdown defenseman with imposing physical traits. But his offensive skill and skating are impressive enough to considering pursuing him via trade.
Simon Nemec, D, New Jersey Devils
- 2025-26 Stats: 11 G, 15 A in 68 GP
- Contract: RFA this summer
The Devils have a decision to make soon on Nemec’s future because he’ll be an RFA in July.
The No. 2 overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft is listed at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds. He’s a very good skater, he’s an excellent puck-mover, he shoots the puck a ton, and he has the ability to score 10-plus goals. His speed and ability to skate out of trouble in the defensive zone is something the Bruins desperately need after they struggled so much with the Sabres’ relentless forecheck during the 2026 playoffs. He’s also a right-shot, and the Bruins really need another one of those players on their blue line.
Nemec has underwhelmed a bit over three seasons with the Devils, but he has a ton of talent. Taking a gamble on Nemec reaching his potential is a safer bet than giving a huge long-term contract to a UFA defenseman such as Darryn Raddysh or Rasmus Andersson.
A change of scenery and a larger role could greatly benefit Nemec.
