Well, we all knew this one was coming. After speculation galore, the Boston Bruins made a big trade, this one involving Trent Frederic. Here’s how the Edmonton Oilers Staff at NHL.com summed it up:
“Trade 1: Boston Bruins trade Trent Frederic (50% salary retained) to New Jersey Devils in exchange for unsigned draft choice Petr Hauser. Trade 2: New Jersey trades Trent Frederic (50% salary retained) to Edmonton in exchange for unsigned draft choice Shane Lachance. Trade 3: Boston trades Max Jones and unsigned draft choice Petr Hauser to Edmonton in exchange for Max Wanner, St. Louis' second-round pick in 2025 (owned by Edmonton) and Edmonton's own fourth-round selection in 2026.”
Did you get that? Anyway, the Bruins didn’t come up empty-handed as they still added Max Wanner, plus a second and fourth round selection in 2025 and 2026, respectively. That said, we’re now looking at that inevitable retool that the Bruins were undoubtedly about to go on after what has been a season that saw them fall far short of expectations.
Who is Max Wanner and what does it mean for the Boston Bruins?
In return for Frederic, the Bruins prize piece is an AHL-level blueliner, and one who has some potential. Max Wanner is a solid 6’3, 185 lbs, and a former seventh-round pick who is in his second full AHL season. His numbers haven’t been impressive, but hey, this soon-to-be 22-year-old has moved up to full-time status in the AHL, something we saw last season when he played in 68 regular season games and recorded 17 points.
Wanner may be a player some fans will scoff at, but some outlets, including Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal, seemed to be impressed with Wanner. That said, if I were the Bruins, I’d be excited about Wanner coming into the system, even if it might be a minute or so before he’s NHL-ready.
And that leads me to my second point: Acquiring players like Wanner officially means the retool has begun, and that moving a player like Trent Frederic (and Max Jones) is only the beginning.
Should the Bruins have kicked off the retooling process?
Looking at the wild card standings as of Tuesday afternoon, the Bruins were only two points behind their rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, for the final wild card spot. But, the Wings have two games in hand, and the Bruins are also behind the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, and Ottawa Senators.
It’s been a trying year regardless of how you look at it for the Bruins, too, which comprised a holdout from goaltender Jeremy Swayman that nearly went into the regular season, a rough start that led to a coaching change, and what has been a roller coaster campaign overall since that change.
So, while the Bruins are technically still in playoff contention, the deeper question is: Are they still legitimate contenders to make a deep playoff and potential Stanley Cup run? The answer is an ever resounding ‘no.’
For that, trading Trent Frederic was an easy, foreseeable decision for the Bruins. The current group would likely have gotten them into the second wild card position, at best. A significant drop-off from what was a Presidents’ Trophy-winning team just two years ago.