Boston is going to have a lot of eyes on it when the 2021 NHL trade deadline comes around – again. The Bruins may not be the Stanley Cup favorites, but they should be a legitimate destination for players who want to go to a contender.

As Ty Anderson and I discussed on the most recent episode of the SideLines podcast, it may be time for the Bruins to think big. Bold. One final push for the Cup with the current core. The question is, how do they go about accomplishing that?

The mostly-outrageous David Pastrnak trade talk has thankfully fizzled. Charlie McAvoy is playing like a Norris candidate, so he’s officially a must-hold. And we can safely assume the Bruins would part with at least one first-round pick in a major trade scenario. But they may have to trade a first as an overpay for more of a middling trade chip, considering the players or prospects they’d pair with it.

That leaves forwards Jake DeBrusk, Trent Frederic, Jack Studnicka, and Anders Bjork, and basically any defenseman not named McAvoy who would carry the most value among the Bruins’ tradable players. There’s no obvious top prospect in the pipeline, but perhaps another team likes a forward like John Beecher, who is currently playing for the University of Michigan, or Jakub Lauko, who is with the Providence Bruins.

When is the NHL trade deadline?

The 2021 NHL trade deadline is scheduled later than usual, falling on April 12 at 3 p.m. ET – when teams are usually gearing up for the playoffs. So the Bruins and every other team have plenty of time to make their deals. Based on the action in 2020, the majority of the trades will happen on deadline day and the week leading up to it.

Multiple teams have already been discussed as sellers, and they appear on this list for the Bruins. Among the clubs rumored to sell are the Nashville Predators, Detroit Red Wings, and Buffalo Sabres.

Speaking of Buffalo, would they really trade captain Jack Eichel within their division to his hometown Bruins? And risk him tormenting the franchise for years to come? This is why Eichel is the deepest and widest of pipe dreams in Boston. But as a Mass. native and B.U. alum, Eichel has long been the ideal star for the Bruins to build around for the next era.

LISTEN: SideLines Podcast, “Shake ‘Em Up”

The point of this exercise: there’s nothing wrong with wanting the Bruins to do something bigger than they’ve done over the past decade. It may be their best hope for their veteran core to hoist the Cup one more time. So think big! You’ll survive getting yelled at on Twitter, I promise.

All that being said, there are more sensible options out there for the Bruins, too. So the below list isn’t just a punishing parade of pipe dreams. But don’t be afraid to think big if you want the Bruins to make a trade to improve the team, because it’s how other teams have beaten them in the recent past. Don’t think about the odds, think about the possibilities.

10 Potential Trade Options For The Bruins

• C Jack Eichel

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  The aforementioned Eichel is a bona fide franchise center, but he is playing for one of the worst-run franchises in the NHL. So the trade chatter will only continue until the Sabres figure it out. But it may be time for the ol' change of scenery for Eichel, and there can't be a better destination for that than Boston.
  
  The problem is ... the Bruins likely wouldn't have enough to convince the Sabres at all, let alone enough to outbid a team like the Rangers, with their glut of elite prospects and better draft capital. Their best hope is that the market of suitors is limited, and Sweeney gives them an offer they can't refuse. But there's a chance that is impossible. So I'm telling you there's a chance.

• C Aleksander Barkov

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  If Don Sweeney wants to identify a No. 1 center of the future who carries the torch from Patrice Bergeron, it would be hard to do better than Barkov. He's one of the league's premier two-way centers. He scores at a point-per-game pace and is sound in his own end. He's got prototypical size. The question is whether the Bruins would be willing and able to offer the best trade package and give Barkov a long-term extension, a la Mark Stone in Vegas.

• C Eric Staal

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  Staal is just three years removed from scoring 42 goals for the Wild. At age 36, he's still a proven scorer and leader. Fitting him in the Bruins' lineup might be an issue, and they don't exactly need leadership. But Staal would at least add some needed offense and the potential for big things in the playoffs.
• D Keith Yandle

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  Another local guy who has been linked to the Bruins in the past. The Boston native can still create offense from the blue line with the best of them. His lack of pure defense and physicality may be frustrating at times, but Yandle would be a clear upgrade over Matt Grzelcyk or Jakub Zboril. He's owed $6.35 million for the next two seasons, so he may not have as high a price tag in a deal.

• D Mathew Dumba

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  The Bruins lack organizational depth on the right side of the defense behind Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo. Dumba's feisty style would fit the Bruins well. If Carlo doesn't stay long-term, Dumba would make for a fine long-term replacement. The B's don't necessarily need to make a move like this, so they'd be better off not overpaying for Dumba.

• W Bobby Ryan

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  Ryan scored four goals in his first three games and has struggled since. Same old story. He'd be a less expensive piece for the Bruins to acquire, considering they could have just signed him as a free agent. He has the kind of skill set they still need in terms of size and secondary scoring. But the consistency has never been there for him. Banking on Ryan to be the missing piece of a Stanley Cup run comes with risk.
• F Mikael Granlund

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  Granlund may be a left-shot center, but he's a proven 50-60-point producer from his time in Minnesota. He hasn't produced at the same level in Nashville, but Granlund is still just 28 years old.

• RW Jake Virtanen

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  There's a lot to like about Virtanen just looking at him in warmups. He has good size (6-foot-1, 226 pounds) and the promise of the rare combo of scoring and physicality. Problem is, the skill hasn't translated to points for the former sixth overall pick.
  
  Virtanen could use a change and the Bruins could use another player of his type, if only for depth. For the Bruins, this could be similar to the Danton Heinen-for-Nick Ritchie swap. Would Vancouver take Anders Bjork?

• F Sam Bennett

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  Bennett is a left-shot natural center, but the Bruins could find a fit for him because he can play any forward spot. He's never lived up to the offensive potential he brought with being the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, so Bennett would be more of a flyer at this point. But he's still just 24 years old and may finally find his game in a new uniform.
• D Mattias Ekholm

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  The Bruins' new youth movement on defense has worked pretty well, but Don Sweeney always likes to have depth. Ekholm would be a solid veteran addition to an inexperienced left side of the Boston blue line. However, he may cost one of those young left-shot defensemen in the process.

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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @mattydsays. You can also email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

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