Bruins president ready to prepare for 2 paths ahead of trade deadline
The NHL trade isn’t until March 7, but the Boston Bruins must decide whether they’ll be buyers or sellers.
Boston is 22-19-5 through its first 46 games of the season. They’re tied in points with the Tampa Bay Lightning and seven points behind the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division and sit 10th in the Eastern Conference.
If the season ended today, the Bruins would be in the playoffs by way of a Wild Card spot. They’ve been in and out of that position, and the trade deadline could make or break where they end up in the standings come the end of the season.
Because of where the Bruins are in the standings, the team must weigh all options.
“We’d certainly like improve. … president Cam Neely told reporters at the 2025 Black and Gold Gala in Boston on Wednesday night. “We’ve got to look at two path. One that we’re buying. One that we may be retooling a little bit. We still feel like we’ve got a playoff team here. We certainly don’t want to jeopardize getting out of the playoffs because we made some moves that may be good for the future but not good for the present.”
Neely added that he doesn’t have the “appetite” for a roster retool, but noted they’ll be smart when it comes to what they need to do.
“If you do it again, you’ve got to know that you’re a team that has a good chance to have a deep run,” Neely said about being buyers. “You don’t want to go all-in and then not really feel confident that you’re going to have a deep run.”
The Bruins have made the playoffs in eight straight seasons, but a ninth isn’t going to be easy to reach.
Boston has not played up to expectations this season. After signing Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov to long-term contracts, they got bigger but also got slower. Lindholm didn’t have the kind of chemistry with David Pastrnak the team was hoping for and the offense as a whole has struggled to score. Many players have taken a step back after having a strong 2023-24 campaign, as well.
“This year has been a little frustrating because we honestly felt that coming out of the offseason, we had a better team than what we’ve shown on the ice,” Neely said. “Maybe that’s a product of us overvaluing what we have. Or just the start we had was not expected. We’re not happy with where we’ve been at this year, that’s for sure.”
They’ve also dealt with injuries to key players like Hampus Lindholm. But by far and large they have not played up to the talent they have on the roster.
