Bruins
One of many Bruins’ high long-term wants is one other heart to pair with James Hagens.
The excellent news? The Boston Bruins may need a future top-line heart of their pipeline after including Boston School standout James Hagens within the 2025 NHL Draft.
The dangerous information? Even when Hagens realizes his potential in due time as an offensive conduit on the ice, the uber-skilled pivot’s presence alone gained’t be sufficient to utterly shift the fortunes of a Boston roster within the midst of an overhaul.
Because the Bruins trudge forward in what might be a bridge season in 2025-26, the main focus for Marco Sturm, Don Sweeney, and the remainder of Boston’s high brass must be figuring out the constructing blocks that might assist construct the Authentic Six franchise again up as a respectable contender within the coming years.
If Hagens — lengthy thought of to be the crown jewel of the 2025 NHL Draft class before his late slide down to the No. 7 pick — stuffs the stat sheet at Chestnut Hill and joins the NHL ranks come the spring, he’ll be part of a core already anchored by a star sniper in David Pastrnak, a do-it-all blueliner in Charlie McAvoy, and a poised netminder in Jeremy Swayman.
That alone probably gained’t be sufficient.
As evidenced by different groups just like the Panthers, Oilers, Penguins, Lightning, and even the Golden Knights, one of many hallmarks of an elite roster is boasting a pair of impression facilities atop the depth chart.
Past the generational abilities like Connor McDavid / Leon Draisaitl or Sidney Crosby / Evgeni Malkin, even poised 2Cs like Sam Bennett, William Karlsson, Anthony Cirelli, and David Krejci play important roles in terms of driving play, creating matchup woes for the opposition, and pushing different gifted gamers additional down on the depth chart.
If the Bruins need to construct up a brand new core alongside the standard suspects, they’re going to wish so as to add one other heart to kind a 1-2 punch with Hagens — particularly if a 30-year-old Elias Lindholm ultimately develops into extra of a 3C within the later phases of his profession.
It’s a job simpler stated than executed.
In relation to fast fixes for the longer term, it ought to come as little shock that many have pointed to the potential for a franchise heart to hit free company subsequent July — particularly an area product like Jack Eichel.
Including a two-way, Hart-level heart like Eichel to a roster on the upswing could be a serious coup for the Bruins — particularly if Boston solely has to allocate cash to herald a transformative expertise.
However as is the case yearly, pinning one’s hopes on franchise abilities hitting free company usually led to disappointment — on condition that the overwhelming odds favor star gamers re-upping with their present groups.
Regardless of his native ties, one wouldn’t fault Eichel — who gained a Cup in Vegas and has lastly discovered a profitable tradition within the desert after toiling away for years in Buffalo — to signal a hefty new cope with the Golden Knights.
In spite of everything, Vegas is in a far-better place to contend over the subsequent few years, particularly with Mitch Marner added to an already potent top-six unit.
No, if the Bruins realistically need to add one other impactful heart to pair with Hagens for the long-haul, the perfect path ahead is by way of draft or commerce.
The primary possibility might be a tangible path ahead if the Bruins as soon as once more labor and safe one other high draft choose.
But when the Bruins — with their cabinet restocked stuffed with picks and prospects after final yr’s roster teardown — needed to accumulate extra of a longtime commodity, a participant like Mason McTavish might be an intriguing commerce goal.
Bruins followers who aren’t tuning into rebuilding franchises out on the West Coast could not know a lot about McTavish.
However the 22-year-old heart is already on observe to be developed into an impactful top-six heart. And given his present contract strife with the Geese, the third-overall choose within the 2021 NHL Draft is also on the transfer if contract talks proceed to stall.
Very like the arduous contract talks final yr between Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins, McTavish has discovered himself in an analogous boat this offseason as a restricted free agent with Anaheim.
Recent off of a 2024-25 season the place McTavish scored 22 objectives, posted 52 factors, and likewise gained 50.7 p.c of his faceoffs, the budding two-way pivot is due a hefty elevate from the $894,167 cap hit he incurred final yr.
However be it a bridge deal or a long-term contract, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman acknowledged on the latest “32 Thoughts” podcast that each McTavish’s representatives and Anaheim’s high brass have but to seek out the center floor wanted to strike a deal.
“I feel that Anaheim likes the participant. I feel they acknowledge how good the participant is,” Friedman stated. “I feel there’s a distinction of opinion on the place the wage ought to go at completely different phrases. And that’s why this isn’t executed but. … I feel that they consider in him. I simply assume that you simply’ve received a number of grinders on this negotiation.
“Pat Morris, who represents McTavish, he’s a grinder. [Ducks GM] Pat Verbeek is a grinder. And I feel Pat Verbeek sort of seems at it like earlier than the man will get the tremendous massive cash. I would like him to essentially earn it. … I feel that McTavish’s representatives regarded for a suggestion sheet. Didn’t occur.”
Provided that Anaheim remains to be working with over $20.5 million in cap area (per PuckPedia), the overall consensus is that the Geese — who maintain the leverage in these negotiations — ultimately both get McTavish on their phrases, or make the most of their ample cap area and hand him a hefty deal.
However with Anaheim additionally having to deal with future long-term offers for different younger franchise fixtures like Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson, may an prolonged stalemate ultimately immediate Verbeek to maneuver McTavish for extra draft picks or prospects?
Such is a situation that the Bruins and different groups in want of younger expertise down the center like Montreal and Philadelphia might be hoping for within the coming months.
If McTavish is definitely up for grabs, the Bruins would probably must relinquish a first-round choose or two over the subsequent few seasons — together with both an intriguing prospect or a younger NHLer (may Mason Lohrei intrigue an Anaheim group in want of some ability on the blue line?).
There’s loads of threat concerned with shifting first-round picks — particularly on a retooling Bruins group that might land one other top-10 choose subsequent June.
However a participant like McTavish additionally represents a high-upside addition with established manufacturing and extra room to develop — particularly given his age.
Because the Bruins attempt to match the fitting items into place on their incomplete depth chart, there’s rather a lot to love about the way forward for this franchise if it has each Hagens and McTavish down the center for the foreseeable future.
Even when McTavish isn’t a tangible possibility this summer season, the expert heart represents the kind of participant that Don Sweeney and Co. must be concentrating on.
Staying the course and accruing as many draft picks as doable to throw on the dartboard is a sound transfer for a Bruins group in want of extra younger expertise.
But when a deal is there to be made for a youthful participant who can each assist Boston now —and particularly within the following years — don’t be shocked if Sweeney and the Bruins get aggressive in hopes of including one other key cog for this overhauled roster.
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