We are two weeks away from Christmas and three months away from the 2025-26 NHL trade deadline, and rumors are beginning to fly around. Two Boston Bruins forwards, Casey Mittlestadt and Pavel Zacha, were the subject of rumors earlier this year when the Black and Gold were stuck in a losing streak.
Since they have turned things around, the rumors have been fewer, and now they include a goalie in the American Hockey League (AHL), Michael DiPietro. ESPN released its NHL trade tier big board, and it has two Boston players on it.
Zacha was mentioned in the "Elite players with term tier.'' Unless things really fall off the rails for the Bruins, it's hard to see them trading Zacha by the deadline. There is still a good chance that general manager Don Sweeney sees him as part of the future. That didn't stop Greg Wyshynski of ESPN from listing him.
"Zacha, who has a $4.7 million AAV and two years left on his deal, was prominently mentioned as another trade possibility for GM Don Sweeney during the offseason, but is that still the case with the Bruins thriving under new coach Marco Sturm? Zacha has 22 points in 30 games,'' Wyshynski wrote.
As for DiPietro, he ends up on the list with a large number of teams looking to upgrade their goaltending. He has spent the entire season in the AHL with the P-Bruins, but a lot of teams see him as NHL-ready. Former Boston prospect Brandon Bussi, who was stuck in the minors during his time with the Bruins, is thriving with the Carolina Hurricanes.
Bruins not in on Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes has been the subject of trade talks recently. The one team that has been linked to him is the New Jersey Devils, which is no surprise. As far as the Bruins are concerned, Jimmy Murphy of RG.org doesn't expect Sweeney to pursue him, according to his source.
“They’ve got a stud in McAvoy, and they’re still really focused on getting scoring help up front. They’ve been looking hard for a scoring forward, and that will keep going, but they know they don’t have the assets for Hughes, and that’s not their focus. It’s just not a match right now for Hughes,'' Murphy's source said.
This isn't surprising as the Bruins, if they dip into the trade market, need a forward or two rather than a defenseman. We'll see what happens as the next couple of months play out.