Bruins ‘exploring’ options ahead of 2025 NHL Draft

In possession of the No. 7 overall pick, Friday night is currently slated to feature the Bruins make their highest draft pick of The Don Sweeney Era.

But there's no guarantee that the Bruins actually make that pick, as Sweeney confirmed in Wednesday's pre-draft availability at Warrior Ice Arena.

"We've had a lot of discussions over the last month, month and a half [about] potential options with that pick, are still exploring them as of [Wednesday], probably as of [Thursday] as well," a candid Sweeney offered. "So, we feel very comfortable with making a selection, but we're going to continue to see what might present between now and then.”

It's not quite the 'absolutely open for business right now' sign that other teams have put in front of their first-round picks ahead of Friday's draft in Los Angeles, but it also speaks to how the Bruins may view this draft as a whole.

Dropping down from fifth overall to seventh overall as the ping-pong balls went the worst possible way they could've for Boston, it's entirely possible that the board does not break the Bruins' way and net them what they view as a legitimate need worthy of that high a pick. That, in fact, may be the reality in what many consider to be a rather thin draft below the top four or five.

But this is also Information Overload Season, where the seemingly obvious answer can spook you out of your shoes. Especially for a Black and Gold team that simply hasn't been in this high-pressure of a draft slot since 2007 when Zach Hamill was deemed the best pick for the Bruins at No. 8 overall.

"I mean, we're picking at a much more elevated position, so we're acutely aware of those players that are there, versus moving back, moving up, what the acquisition cost versus the move back, and who those players might be, if you do, do that, the player you might be passing up on," Sweeney admitted. "So, it's just different. We haven't done it for a number of years, envious of teams have had the opportunity, and now we're in a good situation to try and do that. So, you know, I think you have to treat it a little differently.”

And just to contextualize how weird the mock boards look ahead of Friday night, consider this: ESPN has the Bruins taking Caleb Desnoyers. NHL.com has one analyst picking the Bruins to take Jake O'Brien while the other thinks they get Porter Martone. And The Athetlc's latest mock has James Hagens going to Boston, while Tankathon and Sportsnet's thinks Brady Martin winds up being the B's pick at No. 7. For a pick this high, that amount of variance is unusual, and really speaks to the unknown ceiling of all of this year's class.

That's without getting the lottery pick wild card that is Roger McQueen, who is a 6-foot-6 center with all-world skill coming off an injury-plagued year in the WHL, and a player the Bruins scouted multiple times throughout the year, too.

It doesn't help that there's nothing that feels especially glaring beyond the No. 1 overall pick, either, with defenseman Matthew Schaefer considered the consensus No. 1. That is also rare by top-of-the-draft standards.

“Outside of your own list, I don't think you have any [idea]," Sweeney said when asked how the draft may break before the B's pick at No. 7. "I mean, people will ask the questions, but sometimes people are misleading [and] sometimes people are truthful. In the day, you only control your own draft board. So, we have to react in terms of what other teams are likely to take. You can look at other teams' depth charts and somewhat figure out what they might target, but everybody's looking for the best player. You're picking at the top part of the draft. You need who you think who is the best player to impact your own club.” 

The Bruins, for what it's worth, do not envision themselves picking higher than they'll pick on Friday night in the foreseeable future.

Things can always change, of course, much like they did this past season. But the idea is to be back in the postseason mix next season. That internal belief within their walls makes me think that this is not a pick that the Bruins are trading for win-now help. They also have other first-round picks down the road, be it their own or the '26 Toronto first-round pick and '27 Florida first-round pick, that may be best utilized as trade chips given their protections as well as those teams' status as upper-echelon teams in the NHL food chain right now.

But it's also Boston's dire need for more pure talent in the pipeline that makes it feel like the Bruins aren't outright abandoning a pick this high for help now.

"We have areas that we would like to fortify if we have the opportunity, depending on where the draft is deepest, and you can choose from players that might be similarly positioned, but ultimately, we have to find the most competitive and skilled players that we possibly can," said Sweeney. "They exist generally in the top part of the draft, from the standpoint of the skill standpoint, but the competitive nature and the growth of players that trickle down later in the draft. They're there and hopefully we do a better job, or continue to do a good job. So, I want to make sure our guys know we're not trying to be myopic in how we view things.

"To just say it’s center-based, or it's skill-based, or just guy who can shoot a puck like ultimately, we got to put all the decision-making lenses, you know, and make the best decision we can. But yeah, more skill and scoring and competitiveness are the areas that we need.”