The Bruins don’t have enough draft capital or elite prospects to make a move before the trade deadline.

Since Don Sweeney became general manager in 2015, the Boston Bruins have been among the NHL’s busiest trade deadline clubs.

In each of his eight seasons at the helm, he has completed at least one deal ahead of schedule. He occasionally strikes several deals; this was the case during the Bruins’ all-in season last year.

It would be surprising if the Bruins were as aggressive at the trade deadline this season as they were in 2023, even though they are once again leading the Eastern Conference. The Bruins don’t have as many superior trade assets as other contenders, in my opinion. Another problem is Boston’s salary cap status, which, according to Cap Friendly, is less than $1 million in room.

Even so, we should still anticipate that the Bruins will attempt to make a transaction, if only a minor depth component.

What resources are available to the Bruins to make trades before the trade deadline? These are some of the things they could utilize.

NHL roster players

In recent years, Don Sweeney has added some excellent experienced players to the team around the trade deadline, such as Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitry Orlov, Rick Nash, Charlie Coyle, and Hampus Lindholm. To complete those transactions, he has never had to give up a valuable player from his own squad. The majority of them have included draft selections and prospects.

It will be more difficult to do that this season because the Bruins have fewer than $1 million in salary cap room. That is an extremely small sum. The Bruins may have to transfer a player off their NHL roster in order to acquire a veteran with a salary cap hit exceeding $3–4 million.

Matt Grzelcyk, D

When healthy, Grzelcyk is a terrific puck handler, a powerful skater, and a player who sets up scoring opportunities with his playmaking. His longtime teammate Charlie McAvoy, with whom he went to Boston University with, and he get along great. This summer, he can also become an unrestricted free agent.

Grzelcyk’s potential departure in the summer makes him too important to deal away from the Bruins in their pursuit of the Stanley Cup. He is still a valuable member of the team this year, so it wouldn’t be ideal for the Bruins if he were to walk for nothing as a free agency. This season, his salary cap hit is $3.68 million.

Jake DeBrusk, LW/RW

With DeBrusk, the Bruins need to decide. Their best forward, he can sign a UFA contract this summer. 27-year-old players with three seasons of 20 goals or more and a potent two-way skill set are hard to come by and expensive to buy.

After Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, DeBrusk is one of the few genuine top-six wings still on the team. Sure, he can be very hot and cold as a scorer. It wouldn’t make much sense to transfer DeBrusk, therefore, unless the Bruins are dealing him for a superior wing. At the deadline, Boston’s most pressing need was a middle-six wing. That necessity becomes even more apparent after trading DeBrusk.

Matthew Poitras, C

The Bruins would definitely need to shift Poitras around a lot. In addition to being on a cheap entry-level contract until 2025–2026, he has the potential to be a top–six center at some point. That is quite useful. Despite scoring just four points in 11 games between December and January, he still has a decent offensive rating for a player his age in several categories.

Poitras is an interesting young player because of his offensive prowess, hockey IQ, and desire to fight for pucks in difficult situations. Unless the Boston Bruins acquire a legitimate top-six center in exchange, there’s no need to trade him.

Jakub Lauko, RW

Lauko’s 13 career points don’t really translate into much of an offensive impact, but he does add some much-needed muscle and nastiness to the rink. If the Bruins can replace him in the starting lineup with a more capable and reliable scorer, that would be something to consider.

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