Bruins' biggest reasons for hope after 2025 NHL Trade Deadline

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It might be surprising to see a title with so much hope surrounding the Boston Bruins. Before the NHL Trade Deadline, the Bruins looked like a hopeless team, which led to a fire sale. Trent Frederic was the first longtime member to head out of town, joining the Edmonton Oilers days before the deadline.

The deadline was quiet most of the day before Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo went to the Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs. However, they saved the best (or worst) for last, trading captain Brad Marchand to the hated Florida Panthers.

The Bruins had a limited prospect pool before the deadline, but Don Sweeney’s work helped that significantly. Boston added Casey Mittelstadt, Jakub Lauko, Marat Khusnutdinov, William Zellers, Fraser Minten, Henri Jokiharju, a 2026 first-round pick, three second-round picks, two fourth-round picks, a fifth-round pick, and a sixth-round pick.

Mittelstadt brings a high ceiling that he hasn’t fully discovered. Lauko brings some familiarity, while Khusnutdinov, Zellers, and Minten are young players who could become great pieces. The Bruins can also never have too many draft picks, and the 2026 first-round pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs is an interesting piece, considering they could lose some significant pieces of their core in the offseason and look completely different if they don’t make a deep playoff run.

The Marchand deal was a shot in the heart to many Bruins fans. However, recent reports that he searched for $7.5 million annually over three years brings some clarity and reality to the situation. Marchand hasn’t been the same player, coming from three off-season surgeries. He’s a nostalgic piece, but paying him that much over the next three years could’ve turned bad quickly.

New Bruins core emerges after loss of Brad Marchand

Maybe the Bruins and their fans were holding on to the past too much. Boston turned back the clock in the last season of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s career but crashed and burned in the postseason. The prospect pool showed a team that should’ve rebuilt, but they tried to extend the competitive window over the past two seasons by adding players and hoping something would stick. It didn’t, which led to the ultimate teardown at the deadline.

The Bruins have one advantage over other teams heading into this rebuild/retool: they already have elite, prime-aged players at every position. David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman each have long-term deals, which is an unbelievable kickstart to the next era for the Bruins. It’d be wise not to go on a long rebuild and ruin their primes, but Don Sweeney and co. can get things turned around quickly with the right moves.

The Bruins also have some other young pieces they can add to that core. One of the leading players in that group is Mason Lohrei, who has been stepping up this season in Hampus Lindholm’s absence. Lindholm suffered a lower-body injury early in the year, which could keep him out for the rest of the season, barring an unlikely playoff berth.

Boston also recently signed Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov to help bring some leadership and support to the core. It hasn’t been the best start for the pair, but we could see them take on a more significant role on this new-look roster. Lindholm might not have the offensive production you’d like to see from a player making over $7 million, but he is the type of player you win with in the right situations.

Boston is on fire out of the trade deadline

It would’ve been easy for the Bruins fans to check out after the trade deadline passed. Their longest-tenured player was traded to their rival, and the roster looked more like a minor-league team than the once mighty Bruins. It seemed like a better plan for the fans to stop watching every game for the next six weeks and check back in at the end of the year to see how high of a chance they’d have in the draft lottery.

Another issue was Lindholm and McAvoy’s injuries. The team was already thin, and two of their best defensemen being out of the lineup didn’t help. It could’ve been ugly when they left the trade deadline and had to walk into two back-to-back games with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.

The Bruins, however, proved their doubters wrong, looking like a team on a mission by defeating their Atlantic Division rivals and staying in the thick of the playoff race. With many mediocre teams surrounding them for the last wild card spot, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bruins win 11 or 12 of their final 18 games and find a way into the playoffs as the last seed.

What Bruins fan wouldn’t want to see a first-round matchup against Marchand and the Florida Panthers? Boston would attempt to prove to their captain that he should’ve stuck around and taken the lower salary. It’d be a must-see television experience and one of the most intriguing series of the first round.

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