One way or another, there is going to be some change for the Boston Bruins this offseason. It needs to happen as the path toward an Eastern Conference playoff berth is going to be a lot more difficult than it was in 2025-26.
Filling some needs that the Black and Gold have will not be easy for general manager Don Sweeney. The free agent class is beginning to dry up and will continue to do so before July 1. If that does indeed end up being the case, then making some trades is the route that Sweeney might have to go. If he does, what are his best trade assets? We'll rank the Top 4 at his disposal.
4. First-round picks
One positive to the last couple of trade deadlines for the Bruins has been Sweeney holding onto his future first-round picks. He has his pick this month, 23rd overall, and future picks from the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs. It remains to be seen just how those picks end up officially working out.
However, as we have learned in past seasons, Sweeney is not afraid to move a first-round pick or two to address an immediate need. Well, this summer he has three: a top-line center, a goal-scoring wing, and a right-shot defenseman. If one is addressed, expect Boston to go big with a package to get something done. A first-round pick almost has to be included.
3. Pavel Zacha
It's not a guarantee that Pavel Zacha is moved, but if it's to address a need down the middle, Sweeney might have to really consider it. This feels like a summer where either Zacha is going to be moved after a ton of trade rumors last summer and early in the season, or he signs a long-term extension.
If Sweeney can address a need and Zacha has to be part of the deal, then he just might have to do it. David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman in their prime, and how many more years can the Bruins waste on that without making a big effort to contend? Not many.
2. Matthew Poitras
The future of Matthew Poitras is certainly in question going into the offseason. The second-round pick in the 2022 Entry Draft broke into the league a couple of years ago, but this past season, he was buried, for the most part, in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins. The emergence of Fraser Minten, acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline in 2025, has certainly created another roadblock for Poitras.
There is no doubt, in the right situation, Poitras is NHL-ready, and certainly, there are teams that would jump at having the chance to acquire him. If there is a big trade to happen, Poitras is certainly at the top of the list to be moved.
1. Mason Lohrei
You get the feeling it's not a matter of if, but when, defenseman Mason Lohrei is moved. He has been tabbed as a change-of-scenery candidate multiple times already this offseason. He has had an up-and-down start to his NHL career. However, having a career like that might be better off somewhere else than in Boston.
There is no doubt the talent is there, and he is someone waiting to find a home where he can be the quarterback of a power play and play more freely. Giving up on him might be tough for Sweeney to do and watch him go have success somewhere else, but those are the chances you have to take to improve your team to win now.
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