The Boston Bruins are in the thick of a competitive Eastern Conference playoff race. They're currently tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second wild-card spot, but Tampa has four games in hand.
According to MoneyPuck, Boston's playoff chances sit at just 16.6 percent. Under GM Don Sweeney, the Bruins have been trade deadline buyers since 2015. However, this might be different.
During Wednesday night's Bruins-Rangers broadcast on TNT, Sweeney addressed the March 7 trade deadline. He basically seemed to say he'd like to add to the roster, but only if the team proves deserving of reinforcements.
Otherwise, selling could be an option, something Bruins president Cam Neely also seemed to hint at last month.
Considering where this team currently stands, dealing away key assets such as draft picks and prospects for short-term help doesn't make much sense.
If they could pick up a prime-age player with term, then that would be different, but rentals aren't worth the gamble.
It's possible the Bruins may consider trading pending free agents if things continue to fall further away. The list of players in that position includes forwards Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau, Morgan Geekie, and defenseman Parker Wotherspoon.
Boston hosts the Vegas Golden Knights at TD Garden on Saturday before getting two weeks off for the 4 Nations Face-off.
POLL | ||
FÉVRIER 6 | 217 ANSWERS Don Sweeney Reveals the Boston Bruins' Trade Plans Ahead of the Deadline Will the Bruins end up ultimately being buyers or sellers at the deadline? | ||
Yes | 167 | 77 % |
No | 50 | 23 % |
LIST OF POLLS |
G | A | PTS | ||
Barrett Hayton | 3 | - | 3 | |
Rasmus Dahlin | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Pontus Holmberg | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Robert Thomas | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Tage Thompson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
Pavel Buchnevich | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Sean Couturier | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Drew Doughty | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Matvei Michkov | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Zachary Werenski | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
Pierre-Luc Dubois | - | 3 | 3 | |
Jason Zucker | - | 3 | 3 | |
Jakob Chychrun | 2 | - | 2 | |
Jack Hughes | 2 | - | 2 | |
Kent Johnson | 2 | - | 2 | |
Ryan McLeod | 2 | - | 2 | |
Owen Tippett | 2 | - | 2 | |
Gabriel Vilardi | 2 | - | 2 | |
Matthew Boldy | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Leo Carlsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Complete stats |
STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 57 | 40 | 14 | 3 | 83 | |
Capitals | 56 | 37 | 11 | 8 | 82 | |
Stars | 56 | 36 | 18 | 2 | 74 | |
Golden Knights | 57 | 34 | 17 | 6 | 74 | |
Oilers | 56 | 34 | 18 | 4 | 72 | |
Wild | 57 | 34 | 19 | 4 | 72 | |
Panthers | 58 | 34 | 21 | 3 | 71 | |
Maple Leafs | 56 | 34 | 20 | 2 | 70 | |
Hurricanes | 57 | 33 | 20 | 4 | 70 | |
Avalanche | 58 | 33 | 23 | 2 | 68 | |
Conference | Cumulative |