It seems like every trade deadline, the market is looking for right-shot defensemen. Teams decided to get in on the action relatively early this year. Tyler Myers, formerly of the Vancouver Canucks was traded to the Dallas Stars for a ‘27 2nd round pick as well as a ‘29 4th round pick. Then came the reports of Colton Parayko being moved from the St. Louis Blues to the Buffalo Sabres (per Darren Dreger). Parayko will need to waive his no-trade clause, but that does not seem to be an issue. PART of the return is a first-round pick and a 2025 9th overall selection, Radim Mrtka.
Lastly, on Wednesday, there is reportedly a trade for Calgary Flames defenseman Mackenzie Weegar to be moved to the Utah Mammoth (per Elliott’s Friedman). This deal also needs to be approved by Weegar, due to his current contract structure. The return has not been reported for Weegar.
The Bruins have been rumored to be in the market for a right shot defensemen before the Olympic break. Weegar would have been a guy that I would have loved to see the Bruins take a run at. He scored 20 goals two seasons ago and has proven that he can run an elite power play. Since coming back from the break, Boston’s power play has seemed to hit a bit of a wall. It could be that teams are starting to figure them out, or it could be that their quarterback, Charlie McAvoy, has just played a lot of hockey.
McAvoy is having a career year, 41 points in 48 games, a true number one defenseman for this team. I just think they would have benefited from a true puck moving defensemen to supplement what McAvoy has done for them.
Asking prices are only going up it seems
The St. Louis Blues are a team that the whole league is looking at right now, and they reportedly shipped off their first piece today. What is being stated as “only part of the return” is already a lot for Buffalo to give up. The number 9 pick in last year's draft and a future first-rounder are some large pieces in today’s NHL. Buffalo is certainly pushing all of their chips into the middle of the table. This should round out their defense core nicely heading into the last 20-odd games of the season. They are also in a very different position than the Bruins.
The Sabres haven’t made the playoffs since the 2010-11 season, while also firing their GM in the middle of this year. This seems like a move to give back to the current team and fans for sticking it out this long without playoff hockey.
The Bruins, however, are less than a calendar year removed from organization altering sell offs during the last deadline. Boston is still reportedly in the market for a right handed defensemen and a center. Two names have been constant: Justin Faulk and Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues. The Blues General Manager, Doug Armstrong, has seemed to pull off a heist of the Buffalo Sabres in the Parayko deal. I would hate to see Don Sweeney’s crafty work from last deadline be nullified this year while grasping at straws for a piece that will only make this group marginally better (3rd pair defensemen).
Robert Thomas, on the other hand, could be the number one center that Bruins fans hoped Elias Lindholm would be. The only problem with getting Thomas out of St. Louis is the fact that whoever wants him may have to give up a stake in the team to do so. James Murphy reported today that the asking price for Thomas would have included the Bruins’ 2026 1st round pick, James Hagens (The Hockey News’ #3 Prospect in the NHL), as well as Fraser Minten.
This should be a hard NO from the Bruins. Getting a high-end young prospect like Hagens does not come around often; letting him go after only a year in the organization would be a travesty. While also looking like they have struck gold with Fraser Minten, who was part of the Brandon Carlo deal last deadline, which may turn into one of the worst trades in recent NHL history for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
What I would like to see from the Bruins prior to the deadline is taking care of small moves rather than making a big splash. Young players like Hagens, Letourneau, Minten, Zellers, and Locmelis should only be used in trades that make this team better for years to come, not for unrestricted free agents that they have no chance of signing in the offseason. This team is good enough to make the playoffs and make some noise when they get in. There is no need to overextend. Doug Armstrong seems to be ransacking organizations. Don’t be the team that gets bashed for giving away too much.