Why you shouldn’t expect a full fire sale even if the Bruins sell at the Trade Deadline
Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney’s press conference on Sunday signalled a potential transition for his group. While not overtly declaring a fire sale – and to be clear, that isn’t what the Bruins are looking to do – Sweeney did admit that the team’s playoff uncertainty has opened up the possibility for his team taking a different approach to the upcoming Trade Deadline.
Sitting a point back of the Ottawa Senators for the second Wildcard spot, the Bruins are not fully out of it. They are bunched up with the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers and Senators (all four teams within two points of each other) vying for the last playoff spot. But for a team that has been a staple in the postseason for close to a decade, these are truly unchartered waters for Bruins management.
As I mentioned above, the Bruins are not prepared to firesale. Not only because they don’t plan for this to be an extensive rebuilding process, but also because they just don’t have many names to “sell off” in the traditional Trade Deadline sense. As far as rentals, there are few and far between on the Bruins’ roster. Among them is forward Trent Frederic, who’s name has become the center of trade discussion since Sweeney’s press conference.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli did a deep dive on Frederic’s player portfolio Tuesday, breaking down the 27-year-old’s ideal role, potential suitors, contract status, etc. Referencing the Lars Eller trade to the Colorado Avalanche in 2023 and what Garnet Hathaway’s value garnered in the multi-player deal that sent him to the Bruins two seasons ago: Frederic’s likely return will be somewhere in the second round pick range for a team looking to acquire him.
In terms of Frederic’s role, a third-line center is likely the hope for any acquiring team. While Frederic can certainly check that box, I do think, given his physical style of play, he is best served to be on the wing. There aren’t many comparable players on the market right now to Frederic, with Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton being the only other name that fits a similar role. Even at that, Laughton is not a rental and is under contract until 2026 with a $3 million AAV – $700,000 more than that of Frederic, who is on an expiring deal.
In general, the Bruins don’t have a ton of rentals to sell off. More so, they aren’t looking to completely blow their roster up. As one source close to the Bruins said to me earlier today, it doesn’t make much sense to embark on a rebuild when you have guys like Brandon Carlo, Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak and Jeremy Swayman locked up on long term contracts.
Personally speaking, I think a combination of Sweeney’s roster construction up front and Swayman’s down year after the contract hold out are primary reasons for the team’s “down” season. But this isn’t a roster on a runaway train destined for wreckage; they need to make some tweaks. Considering this, I don’t think the Bruins will be solely looking for futures in the way of assets at the Trade Deadline and beyond.
As one executive said to me a month ago, the Bruins have been on the lookout to bolster their center ice position and add skill on the wing. Charlie Coyle has predominantly played right wing this year after playing center last season due to the lack of top-six talent the wings. There is a need to add talent on the wing especially if/when Frederic gets moved.
I believe the Bruins will be looking to add younger players that check these boxes at the Trade Deadline and beyond. Do they value players that can help immediately (and make sense long term) more than draft picks? I can’t say for certain, but as one person said to me, draft picks beyond the top 15 are largely a crap shoot and won’t be able to help you for several years. Given that the Bruins are looking to turn this thing around rather quickly, would they rather look to bring back a younger player who can jump into the lineup relatively soon?
There are some other pending UFAs the Bruins have in Justin Brazeau and Riley Tufte, neither of them (much more so the latter) moves the needle all that much in terms of a potential return. And yes, I’m very much aware that I’ve avoided the elephant in the room until this point: pending UFA forward Brad Marchand.
For obvious reasons, this is clearly a very delicate situation for the Bruins. Marchand has been the team captain for 18 months and a franchise cornerstone for 15 years. Marchand made it known that he doesn’t desire to chase a Stanley Cup on another team, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Bruins won’t explore the possibility.
I can’t say one way or another which way the wind is blowing on a Marchand potential trade, but there is definitely a possibility. There are so many moving parts to this, including the contract Marchand is in need of. In an ideal world, the Bruins would like to keep Marchand; he is a major part of the team’s identity. But the Bruins have always been tough negotiators (i.e. the Swayman contract), and for a guy on the back nine of his 30s, are the Bruins going to pay Marchand what he thinks he’s worth? After all, Marchand has been on one of the best bargain deals in the NHL over the last decade; could he look to cash in now?
The Claude Giroux three year, $19.5 million contract seems like a fair ball park for Marchand. But if he wants to push the envelope, is it crazy to think he could get more on the open market? At which point, will he price himself out of Boston?
I don’t think the Bruins need an extension done within 10 days to keep Marchand, but I imagine they will need to have some kind of sense that a deal that works for both sides is likely. If they do elect to trade him, mind you, I think he’d have plenty of suitors. According to one executive I spoke to a month ago, it’d start with a first-round pick as part of any kind of package to acquire Marchand. But given his pedigree, I could easily see a bidding war for Marchand should the Bruins look to go down that road.
The Bruins are in an unfamiliar spot this deadline season and at least one or two names will likely be on the move off their roster. But even though the Bruins may ultimately punt on this season, this won’t be a longtime fix. They want to get this thing back on the rails for next season, so if there’s an addition that makes sense long term, I wouldn’t put it past Sweeney jumping on it.
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