NHL trade deadline week is finally here. Teams have until 3 p.m. ET on Friday to either buy, sell or stand pat. When it comes to the Boston Bruins, they are likely to fall in the middle and use a "cautious approach" when it comes to moves.
What is a "cautious approach" for the Black and Gold? GM Don Sweeney has been a major buyer in past seasons, but this isn't a season like those. Stuck on the outside looking in for the final Eastern Conference wild-card playoff spot, this Bruins team isn't worth buying for and a retool on the fly is likely the move the front office will make. Which Boston players are likely to leave by Friday? Let's rank the players who could be donning the Spoked-B for the final week.
5. Brad Marchand
There has been a lot of chatter when it comes to Brad Marchand and his future with the Bruins. He left Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins with an upper-body injury after being hit into the boards by Pierre Joseph of the Penguins early in the first period.
As far as moving Marchand, this will ultimately be a decision that Marchand makes for Sweeney. If he wants to chase a Stanley Cup, then Sweeney would honor that. If an extension is reached verbally, then it's unlikely he gets moved. We'll see if the injury from Saturday factors into the deadline or not in terms of a deal. He could fetch a decent return if he is moved despite being a free agent this summer.
4. Brandon Carlo
This is a very interesting decision that Sweeney needs to make. Defenseman Brandon Carlo would be attractive to teams with his ability to block shots, be a valuable penalty-killer and a minutes eater for a contending team. Moving Carlo would not be surprising, but one team that would have been interested if Sweeney takes calls on him is the Colorado Avalanche, but they added Ryan Lindgren from the New York Rangers on Saturday.
Carlo has two years remaining on his current contract which carries an AAV of $4.1 million. He does have a no-movement clause that would factor into a deal with certain teams. The 6-foot-5 28-year-old would land a rather big return with the two years remaining on his contract. This is a player worth keeping an eye on.
3. Morgan Geekie
Out of all the names that are being floated around about the Bruins, Morgan Geekie is the most interesting name. He is on an expiring contract that pays him $2 million this year in the second year of a two-year deal he signed after being let go by the Seattle Kraken. He has had two career years with the Black and Gold.
This season, he has settled in with David Pastrnak and they have kept Boston within striking distance of a postseason berth. Pastrnak has put up the better numbers, but Geekie already set a career-high in goals with 19 before the calendar even turned to March. He would be a big addition to any team's bottom-six for production. If the Bruins see him as part of the future, something he said he wanted to be last weekend, then they'll likely hold onto him. If they move him, they don't see him being with them beyond this season.
2. Justin Brazeau
Gritty forward Justin Brazeau has fallen out of the rotation under interim coach Joe Sacco and he was a scratch against the Penguins on Saturday. The 26-year-old right wing would provide a team with depth for the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
He already has a career-high 10 goals this season and is someone who is relentless on the forecheck and is not afraid to get to the dirty areas on the ice. He's a hard-working player who is on a league minimum contract, which is also appealing to teams. He won't be back next season in Boston so a trade is the path Sweeney takes here.
1. Trent Frederic
It would be stunning if the Bruins didn't move Trent Frederic by Friday mid-afternoon. He is injured currently, out week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 25. The bottom-six left wing can also move to center, which should intrigue teams.
His game is built for the postseason in terms of being physical, who checks well and can kill penalties. He is one of many underperforming forwards that Boston has this season, and after multiple frustrating seasons with the Black and Gold and scheduled to become a free agent this summer, trading him now is the move to make. A team would still take him injured to have him at the end of the year and postseason.