We are closing in on just five weeks until the 2024-25 trade deadline for the NHL. One team stuck in the middle of nowhere is the Boston Bruins. Team President Cam Neely said a couple of weeks ago that the organization is planning for two paths at the deadline.
Which path they decide to choose remains to be seen, but in all honesty, this is not the year to go all-in. They are just simply not a team good enough for the front office to buy if they even make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the chances are very slim that they even win a game in a first-round series.
Trade talk and rumors are going to pick up over the next month and the Bruins are being linked to three centers that will likely be moved by March 7.
Boston Bruins linked to talented centers
According to The Fourth Period, the Bruins are linked to J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders, and Yanni Gourde of the Seattle Kraken. This is an interesting list of names to link to Boston, but all four should be a hard pass for the Black and Gold.
In seasons past, making a serious trade for one of these players would make a ton of sense for the Bruins, but this year is different. They are not a contender and mortgaging the future for any of these players makes zero sense. On the flip side, getting Miller and Pettersson from Vancouver also makes zero sense just in terms of the money that they would be taking on. Thanks, but no thanks.
Right now, the Bruins’ big signing last summer, Elias Lindholm, is making $7.75 million this year and is now centering the third line for Boston. How many people had that on their bingo card when the season started? It’s not what you want to see.
The path for the Bruins between now and March 7 is to sell smartly and not go all-in. If they do, then you’re doing so with very little chance to win a postseason series if they even get in. The time for big moves is over the summer, but hey, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a Don Sweeney panic move before March 7 either.