On this week’s episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, insider Elliotte Friedman reported that multiple teams are already expressing interest in forward David Kampf, whose contract was recently terminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Among the early suitors, Friedman identified the Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins as teams monitoring Kampf’s availability. I am told the Boston Bruins have also made preliminary inquiries to gauge where Kampf’s camp stands, but that’s as far as it got.
The outlook in Nashville continues to dim as the Predators struggle to gain traction in the standings. According to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, veteran forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault “are believed to be willing to consider a move later this season to a top-tier Stanley Cup contender.”
They go on to add “Forwards Michael Bunting, Erik Haula, Michael McCarron, Tyson Jost and Cole Smith, and defenceman Nick Blankenburg, are all playing in the final year of their contracts and are eligible to become unrestricted free agents next July. While all six players are candidates to be traded at some point this season, veteran centre Ryan O’Reilly might be the likeliest to be dealt by the trade deadline.”
With General Manager Don Sweeney maintaining a forward-looking approach, it’s unclear whether current market options align with Boston’s immediate needs. Blankenburg could warrant a closer look.
The right-shot blueliner carries a modest $775,000 cap hit this season and offers mobility and compete—traits that could appeal to a Bruins front office seeking low-cost depth without sacrificing upside. And if the Bruins move one of their own right-shot defensemen, he could be an option for this season.
The Boston Bruins earned a hard-fought victory over the archrival Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, but the celebration came with a costly blow. Charlie McAvoy exited the game after taking a puck to the left cheek, an impact severe enough to scatter teeth and blood across the ice—prompting teammate Nikita Zadorov to scoop up the remnants. It was a physical, emotionally charged matchup, and while Boston secured the two points, McAvoy’s status now looms large as the team awaits further evaluation.
The injury concerns continued as forward Viktor Arvidsson also left the game. While pressuring on the forecheck, Arvidsson pulled up abruptly and headed straight to the locker room. Following the game, Head Coach Marco Sturm confirmed that Arvidsson will be sidelined for some time, though the team has yet to provide a detailed timeline.
With Jordan Harris, Elias Lindholm, and Casey Mittelstadt already sidelined, the Bruins are navigating a tight roster and cap situation as they look to bring in reinforcements. The most plausible path forward involves placing Mittelstadt and Arvidsson on injured reserve, a move that would free up roster spot for both a forward and a defenseman.
As of Sunday, the Bruins can add an AAV of $942,072 and remain cap compliant—enough to accommodate a single player recall under the current structure. However, the club has a potential lever to pull: placing defenseman Harris on long-term injured reserve.
Strategically, the Bruins would maximize their cap relief by recalling Matthew Poitras prior to placing Harris on LTIR. Doing so would allow Boston to leverage the full extent of Harris’s $870,000 cap hit, creating greater roster flexibility.
With Monday’s game set for home ice, the Bruins have the luxury of holding off on any immediate roster moves, avoiding the need to carry an extra body on the road. There are signs that Elias Lindholm is nearing a return, which could further influence the club’s decision to wait.
However, with a Western road swing beginning Wednesday, Boston won’t have the option to delay much longer. A move—whether a recall or LTIR placement—appears imminent as the team balances health updates with cap constraints.
This and That
In last week’s column, I explored which Bruins prospects could earn roster spots at next month’s World Junior Championship. This week, Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis—one of the most trusted voices in the prospect world—shared his early projections for Team USA. Among the names to watch: James Hagens, a near-lock for the American squad, with fellow 2025 draft-eligible forward Will Zellers and defenseman Elliott Groenewold also under consideration.
After back-to-back wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs in a four-day span, Bruins fans have started eyeing the first-round pick (top-5 protected) acquired in the Brandon Carlo trade with growing optimism. It feels premature to start celebrating.
While it’s the right of Bruins fans to indulge in early-season speculation, what’s more surprising is the number of Maple Leafs supporters that were seemingly unaware that the pick now belongs to Boston.
When David Pastrnak scored his 400th career goal, it was met with a full bench celebration from the Bruins, a moment that sparked some league-wide criticism. While the reaction raised eyebrows in certain corners, it’s hard to ignore the double standard.
Let’s be honest—if the roles were reversed and another team had cleared the bench to honor one of their stars, the noise would’ve been minimal, if not entirely absent. Pastrnak’s milestone is a rare achievement, and the Bruins chose to celebrate it accordingly.
When Tanner Jeannot squared off with Ottawa’s Kurtis MacDermid earlier this week, it wasn’t just a spirited tilt—it was a snapshot of Boston’s team-first mentality. As Jeannot made his way to the penalty box, nearly half the Bruins’ players followed suit, offering stick taps and fist bumps in a show of solidarity.
It was a telling moment for a group that continues to prove it’s more than the sum of its parts. This is a team that plays with purpose—and plays for each other.
Two Bruins prospects found themselves in hot water this week but ultimately avoided supplemental discipline following separate incidents in junior action.
Kirill Yemelyanov, Boston’s sixth-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for kicking during an MHL contest. Meanwhile, fifth-rounder Cole Chandler received similar penalties for a hit from behind in QMJHL play.
Both players returned to action in their next games and made notable impacts for their respective clubs, putting the incidents behind them as they continue their development.
The development path for Oskar Jellvik has taken another frustrating turn. The Bruins’ 2021 fifth-round pick looked poised to make the jump to the professional ranks after a breakout 2023–24 campaign at Boston College, where he tallied 13 goals and 29 assists over 41 games.
That momentum was halted midway through last season due to injury, delaying what many believed was an inevitable pro signing. Now, early signs in 2024–25 suggest more of the same. Jellvik has suited up in just three of BC’s first eleven games, sidelined once again—though this latest setback is unrelated to last year’s injury. It’s a tough stretch for a player who once seemed on the cusp.
There seems to be a lot of confusion as to how the Bruins pick from the Leafs works. In order to grasp it fully, we have to look at two different trades beginning with Toronto and the Philadelphia Flyers.
On March 5, 2025, the Flyers traded Scott Laughton, a 2025 fourth-round pick, and a 2027 sixth-rounder to Toronto in exchange for winger Nikita Grebenkin and a conditional 2027 first-round pick. The fourth-round selection, later flipped to the Boston, was used to draft Czech defenseman Vashek Blanar. The 2027 first-rounder heading to Philadelphia is top-10 protected, giving Toronto the option to defer the pick to 2028 if it falls within the top 10 or letting Philadelphia make the pick.
On March 7, 2025, the Boston Bruins dealt veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo to the Toronto in exchange for forward Fraser Minten, a 2026 first-round pick, and a 2025 fourth-round selection originally acquired from Philadelphia mentioned above. The first-round pick is top-5 protected.
If the pick is top-5 after the draft lottery, and the 2027 pick is outside the top-10 for Philadelphia, then the Bruins pick will be unprotected in 2028.
However, if the pick is in the top-5 in 2026 and top-10 in 2027, the Leafs will have the option of sending the 2027 pick to either Boston or Philadelphia with the other getting an unprotected pick in 2028.
A compelling question was asked of me on social media this week regarding the implications of Ottawa Senators forfeited first-round pick. If the Senators finish with the fifth overall selection—now voided due to league discipline—and the Maple Leafs land sixth, does Toronto’s top-5 protection still apply?
Technically, with Ottawa’s pick removed from the draft order, Toronto would be selecting fifth in terms of actual draft position. It’s a nuanced scenario that could test the language of the protection clause and the league’s interpretation of forfeited picks in relation to lottery outcomes.
After some digging around the league, the answer is now clear: in the event Ottawa finishes with the fifth overall selection, the Senators would still technically “own” the pick under NHL rules—despite forfeiting the right to make the selection.
That means Toronto’s pick, even if it moves up to sixth in the actual draft order, would not be considered top-five, and therefore not protected under the terms of the trade. The forfeited pick does not alter the protection status of other selections.
Forget everything I said about patience and restraint. Toronto’s tumble is Boston’s treasure, and there’s no reason to keep the confetti in the drawer. Light the lamp, cue the duck boats, and crank up the goal horn—because when the Leafs fall, the Bruins rise.
Celebrate loudly. Celebrate obnoxiously. Celebrate like it’s Game 7 and Pastrnak just went bar down in OT.
Dom - Hockey 