James Hagens is a big piece of the Boston Bruins' future, and no matter how much people want to throw him into trade talks, it seems highly unlikely that Don Sweeney would move him this early. When a player has the potential to be a star in your organization, the front office has to do what it can to keep him happy, and the rookie made a bit of an ironic plea on Wednesday afternoon.
It seems hard to believe a now 20-year-old wouldn't know about social media rumors, and his going on the record with a reporter about how much he likes another prospect, Dean Letourneau, who just so happens to be in rumors with the Dylan Larkin trade, seems almost too on the nose. Hagens spoke glowingly about his former Boston College Eagles teammate and "good buddy," according to Bridgette Proulx via X.
"“[Letourneau's] gonna be a lot of people's favorite player. He's exciting to watch, and that's gonna lead over to when he’s playing at the Garden. I'm excited to be able to follow those guys this year and hopefully play with him again, so that'll be really cool. I'm so grateful and so excited that he's a part of the Bruins organization. He’s one of my good buddies.”"James Hagens
Bruins fans also don't want to see the team trade away someone who could be a force as early as the end of this season, but most likely at some point next season. The idea of acquiring someone like Larkin is great, but trading future assets to bet on him having a few good years left is a risk. Fans had some thoughts on X after Proulx's post, and user @ElGatoBajo summed it up perfectly.
“Translation... I am your future.. my friend is also really good. My friend is a young gigantic Center with hands. Friends make me happy. Don’t trade my friends for a borderline 1c approaching the backside of his career, who quits on his team. Make the future happy.”
You don't want to do everything to keep your stars appeased, because then you are no better than teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have dug themselves in a hole because of that. However, the balance of power between players and management is rockier than ever, and front offices have to listen to their players a bit more now.
If the Bruins can find a way to acquire Larkin without trading a player like Letourneau or Will Zellers, then by all means, make the deal. However, in this case, they may want to listen to their rookie and trust the process.
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