With a flurry of NHL trades happening this week, with marquee defenseman Quinn Hughes going to the Minnesota Wild, it feels like a good time to revisit Boston’s situation entering the trading season. It feels pretty obvious that the Bruins were not heavily involved in the Hughes talks, given it would have cost them multiple first-round picks and a prospect like James Hagens at the bare minimum, and there are zero guarantees Hughes is going to sign anywhere else but New Jersey with his brothers when he reaches free agency in the summer of 2027.
It also seems pretty apparent that the Bruins weren't involved in the Stuart Skinner/Tristan Jarry swap either, given the very satisfactory goaltending they have received from Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo to this point this season, a set of performances that have them 11th in the NHL with a .901 save percentage this season.
So what will the Black and Gold be in the market for with a hockey club that currently sits in a wild card spot, and is just one point out of first place in a jam-packed Atlantic Division that’s got Tampa Bay, Detroit, Montreal and Boston all slugging it out this season?
It feels pretty clear at this point that 19-year-old Hagens is going to be a candidate to be added to the NHL roster when he finishes up with his sophomore season at Boston College, and that will be the kind of addition that could mitigate what the Bruins are looking for from a forward perspective.
I appreciate this one
— Foley (@NHLFoley) December 10, 2025
Hagens is the #5 in college. He's been the well-rounded, two-way forward and great shooter we all expected
Letourneau is on track. Crushing the offense, getting involved on defense. Seems like he's a few steps back from a real, full-ice impact#NHLBruins https://t.co/ndm0Zl01yU pic.twitter.com/lle4k87bVN
In fact, with Hagens, the Bruins may even look to move a forward from a team that is loaded with viable lineup candidates that saw free agent acquisition Mikey Eyssimont get healthy scratched for the last couple of games.
But the back end is a place where the Bruins could and should continue to add depth, particularly on the right-hand side where Charlie McAvoy and Henri Jokiharju have already missed good chunks of time this season. Marco Sturm believes that the Bruins can withstand injuries because of the offensive and defensive systems that they play, but that solidity can be tested when left shot D-men have to play on their weak side such as the B’s were doing with left-shot injury replacement D-man Jonathan Aspirot prior to his most recent injury on the road trip.
“For is it’s all about structure. I have experienced it personally with the Kings and in the minors, and the structure we play and the system we play when everybody buys in, a lot of times it doesn’t matter who is in or out,” said Sturm. “Of course, you still need good players. Don’t get me wrong. But I have seen that movie before. There’s nothing we can do with the injuries. I think the guys know too now that they can rely on the system and it works, especially when guys are out [of the lineup].
“People who know me know that is not who I am. I am very proud of my team. I think it’s always a group effort to do that. I can have the greatest plan or system but if [the players] don’t buy into it then it’s almost useless. Those are the guys. I am directing them, guiding them and teaching them, but those are the guys that are getting it done. So it’s a group effort, and not just players the whole coaching staff, management…there is a lot to it. That’s what I am proud of…we have come a long way in a very short amount of time and having come together like a family is what I am proud of.”
The good news for Boston is that there are expected to be some strong names available at the trade deadline with Calgary bruiser Rasmus Andersson at the top of The Athletic’s Trade Bait list, and Justin Faulk and Connor Murphy are also among the right-handed D-man trade options along with old friend Brandon Carlo.
Check out this pass by Rasmus Andersson. He has been playing some of the best hockey of his career recently.
— Robert Munnich (@RingOfFireCGY) December 5, 2025
🎥: Sportsnet | #Flames pic.twitter.com/iKGE29aoHU
Much could change if there are significant injuries, as we saw last season, and Bruins management should be very, very wary of