Trent Frederic
One name on the roster who has been rumored to be drawing interest from other clubs is Trent Frederic. He is in the final year of his contract which carries a $2.3 million cap hit. Struggling would be an understatement to describe his 2024-25 season to date. Unless he’s playing the Toronto Maple Leafs and Joseph Woll is in goal, he just hasn’t been producing. Of course, he scored a goal in the Bruins’ 6-4 loss to the Maple Leafs on Jan. 4 against Woll.
Given how badly he has been this year, there is no way that Sweeney could justify bringing him back on a new deal next season and beyond. A former first-round pick, a new start somewhere else could benefit him and a team acquiring him. If there is as much interest as there is rumored to be, Sweeney should move him by the deadline for assets to avoid losing him for nothing like Jake DeBrusk.
Marc McLaughlin
A local boy and a nice story being undrafted out of Boston College and signing with the Bruins, but he is blocking a roster spot for a young player like Matthew Poitras, Fabian Lysell, or Georgii Merkulov. Take your pick as they have earned a shot in the NHL. If the Bruins are afraid of losing him through waivers as a reason why he’s still in Boston, they shouldn’t be.
Boston has had all kinds of issues in their bottom six this season and they have tried fixing it in a number of different ways, but McLaughlin hasn’t been the answer averaging under 10 minutes a night. As much as he brings energy to each game, he’s primarily a fourth-line forward, but it’s hard to break up that line.