Trade Winds Sweeping Through Boston: Three Bruins, Including a Beloved Fan Favorite, in Danger of Being Dealt

The Boston Bruins will look to improve their lineup after the roster freeze ends on Dec. 28. With the recent troubles, the team has gone through, including the firing of Jim Montgomery and Jeremy Swayman’s holdout, the team has been through adversity and will look to change their fortunes.

The team enters the holiday break and sees themselves behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, and third in the Atlantic Division.

GM Don Sweeney and the Bruins will have to utilize the assets they have at the moment to procure more secondary scoring.

Who could the Bruins trade to find a reliable depth-scoring forward? Will they move on from one favorite, Matthew Poitras?

Brandon Carlo

Carlo is someone on the blueline who the Bruins could leverage into finding a top-six forward in the NHL.

The 28-year-old has a 10-team no-trade clause, and he has an affordable $4.1 million cap hit with two years left on the deal.

Carlo isn’t known as an offensive-defenseman and has scored four points (1G, 3A) in 33 games. He plays vital minutes on the penalty kill and plays 19 minutes TOI a night.

Nikita Zadarov

It was reported earlier in the year that the Vancouver Canucks were interested in reuniting with $30 million defenseman Zadarov.

His move to Boston has been fraught with a quick accumulation of penalty minutes instead of meaningful defensive play.

In 35 games this season, he’s only scored nine points (2G, 7A) and could be a contributor offensively, scoring 14 goals in 2022-23.

Sweeney will have to convince Zadarov to waive his full no-move clause if a deal is to happen in January.

Matthew Poitras

Poitras is a fan favorite, whose been sent down to the AHL recently, much to the chagrin of the fans.

The forward has the potential to be a second- or third-line center of the Bruins’ future. It’s just a matter of when if he’s not consistently producing in the NHL.

In 14 games played this season in the NHL he’s scored four points (1G, 3A) and has continued his tear in the minors, scoring 16 points in 17 AHL games.

The former second-rounder would fetch a nice return for Sweeney and the Bruins if they move one of their best prospects in the system.