With Don Sweeney working the phones to find a potential deal to improve his team for not just this season but beyond, and with no draft picks in the first three rounds of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, what bargaining chips does he have at his disposal?
A lot depends on exactly who or what Sweeney is shopping for. And if he is shopping for help in the now and beyond, a B-level prospect isn’t going to help. So, let’s look at what Sweeney has at his disposal:
2025 First Round Pick
As mentioned, the Bruins lack picks in the first three rounds of this year’s Entry Draft and trading this pick will leave them with no picks in the top two rounds in 2025. The Bruins are going to be very reluctant to trade the pick because you can’t sustain your prospect pool by trading top 60 picks in consecutive years.
Fabian Lysell
The Bruins first round pick in 2021 is still considered the Bruins top prospect in hockey circles – if he reaches his full potential. Lysell has turned the corner as of late and his trajectory is on the rise. But there are no guarantees.
Mason Lohrei
We’ve seen Lohrei at the NHL level and there is plenty of enthusiasm in what the future holds in store for him. But there are things he still needs to work on and he will. Lohrei may have proven more at this stage and the 2020 second round pick may be more valuable to another team than Lysell is at this point.
Brandon Bussi
More on this if you keep reading.
Georgii Merkulov
Depending on who you ask, the college free agent signee may just be the Providence Bruins best player this season. Merkulov is one of the top-5 prospects in the organization and at a position of need so I can understand the reluctance to trade him.
Over the years, Sweeney has made several trade deadline days (weeks) moves but rarely has he had to give up a meaningful player off the roster. But this season is different in that he needs to move out salary to do anything of significance this time around. So, what does he have to work with?
A goaltender
The Bruins are going to try to lock up Jeremy Swayman, that much is certain. But they have Linus Ullmark under contract for another season. Trading Ullmark now would be counter to how Sweeney has built this team and would seem more like an offseason move. They could even decide to keep Ullmark for next season along with Swayman. That’s where Bussi comes in. He will have to go through waivers beginning next season so they are faced with a three headed monster should they decide to keep Swayman and Ullmark. And to a rebuilding team, Bussi would be enticing given his age.
Jake DeBrusk
We all know the situation with DeBrusk: A pending UFA that needs a new contract at the end of the season. Discussions appear to be going slow and the Bruins need to decide quickly what his value is to the organization and whether they feel they can come to terms. I do feel the lack of a deal has negatively impacted him on the ice, but there are no guarantees here either. His could be a move him or lose him scenario. But he just may be the most valuable asset (to other teams) unless you’re talking the big guys.
Matt Grzelcyk
Just like DeBrusk, Grzelcyk is another pending UFA with a $3,687,500 cap hit. Here’s the deal: If the Bruins are acquiring a player from a non-playoff team (a seller), then what is the incentive for that team to take on Grzelcyk’s contract? The Bruins will likely need to attach something to take on the contract. But there is another scenario worth discussing. Said team could acquire him along with an asset to do so, and if a deal is consummated early enough, they could then flip him again and gain a second asset. Don’t laugh, it’s happened before. Mark Letestu was Edmonton to Nashville and 24 hours later from Nashville to Columbus. Tampa Bay acquired Mark Streit and within hours traded him to Pittsburgh.
Victor Bartley, Marty McInnis, Mike Sillinger and Sam Gagner were all traded twice on the same day, although not at trade deadline. And here’s another bonus for said team: A playoff team could be interest in Grzelcyk but lack cap space. Said team could retain on his cap hit and up the ante. If, they play their cards right, they could gain a couple of assets just by taking on his salary from the Bruins and retaining for another team.
Derek Forbort
Everything above about Grzelcyk applies to Forbort except the cap hit is $3 million.
It’s hard to imagine Sweeney trading anyone else off the current roster unless you are talking minor players earning minimal dollars like Jakub Lauko or Oskar Steen. It just wouldn’t clear enough cap space to make a significant move elsewhere and it’s likely that they don’t carry enough value around the league. Sure, they could be a throw in if the Bruins need the pennies, but I wouldn’t be expecting much more than that.
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Dom - Hockey 