Yeah, rumors are swirling all over the place that the Boston Bruins are looking to deal quite a few players, with Trent Frederic possibly leading things off. But if the Bruins are looking to trade away some big names in what would be a retool as opposed to a rebuild, why not start the retooling process early and ‘buy’ one (or a few) high-potential talents in the process?
Hey, there are quite a few youngsters out there who might find themselves on the move before or at the March 7th trade deadline. And since the Bruins, even if they engaged in a retooling project, would still possess a solid foundation, Boston would be a fair destination for some of these players to end up.
Who should general manager Don Sweeney consider trading for? Here are three players who are all in their early to mid twenties.
1 - Trevor Zegras
Is it just me, or does it seem like Trevor Zegras always ends up on the trading block every time deadline season rolls around? Or, is he just on the block all season long and never ends up leaving Southern California?
Some fans might want to stay away from Zegras, as he’s averaged less than a half-point per game when he’s suited up over the past two seasons. Still, he seemed like a player on the rise as recently as 2022-23 before hitting those speedbumps.
And even if the Bruins go through a retooling process, let’s be frank: Zegras would be in a much better situation in Boston than in Anaheim. Should a player of Zegras’ caliber come to the Bruins, expect him to start averaging close to 0.7 to 0.75 points per game to kick things off.
2 - Noah Dobson
Surprised to see Noah Dobson’s name mentioned? Don’t be, because it looks like a few very recent trade rumors have popped up regarding the New York Islanders defenseman. Of course, the rumor mill is always wrought with speculation roughly a month from the trade deadline, but if the Bruins have a chance to land a potential star defenseman, they need to take it.
And as I mentioned earlier, it’s not like the Bruins aren’t shopping a few players as it is. Don’t be shocked if we see quite a few of them leave Boston, and it would amount to a better situation if they brought in a name like Noah Dobson as compensation.
While this season hasn’t gone Dobson’s way so far, with six goals and 24 points in 46 games as of Friday afternoon, he’s been a prolific points producer in the past. And guess what? A lot of those points have come when the Isles are on the man advantage.
3 - Ryan Lindgren
Ryan Lindgren is no points producer, but he would serve an outstanding role as part of a second or even on the bottom-pairing with his willingness to deny shots on goal for opponents and to land body checks.
Even if he doesn’t help finish sequences often, Lindgren has still shown he can help create chances. That hasn’t been the case this season, with the Rangers converting just 9.0 percent of the time at even strength when Lindgren is on the ice. But if you go back to 2022-23 and 2023-24, Lindgren’s on-ice shooting percentage was 10.4 and 11.2 percent, respectively.
While Lindgren also won’t help the Bruins power play since he’s rarely utilized there, he’s someone you constantly see on the penalty kill, something the Bruins could use some help with, too. While I wouldn’t give up a ton of compensation to bring Lindgren over, if the Bruins can get him for a solid deal, then welcome him to Massachusetts.