3 Trade Deadline Candidates for the Boston Bruins this Season

The Boston Bruins are just two seasons removed from their league-breaking 135-point season. With only two years, you would think the team is still competitive; however, this isn’t the case. The Bruins sit tenth in the Eastern Conference with a 27-24-6, putting them one point outside a wildcard spot. Is it time to retool in Boston? Among those who are trade-worthy, here are the three top candidates to go by this deadline.

Is Marchand’s Time in New England Nearing an End?

Brad Marchand, 36, is the only player left from the 2011 Stanley Cup Winning Bruins squad. He has the fifth most points in Bruins history with 973, fourth most in goals with 421, and fourth most in games played with 1086. Love him or hate him, you have to admit that he is one of the best in Bruins history. With the Bruins slowly fading into the league’s basement, it may be time to move away from the greatest to make way for the next greatest.

Marchand is in the final contract year of his eight-year contract, a $49 million deal signed back in 2016. If the Bruins want to start the retool this season, Marchand is an obvious pick. Boston has many young and promising prospects waiting to see NHL ice time. Fabian Lysell, a 22-year-old left winger, has only seen the NHL ice once in his career. If Marchand was out of the lineup, a spot on the left side would open up for players like Lysell to take over and prosper on the NHL level.

Frederic Isn’t Living Up to Expectations

Trent Frederic, 26, put up a career year last season, tallying 40 points (18 goals and 22). This season, he isn’t doing so well as he is only on a 22-point pace, currently with eight goals and seven assists. Even though he has been given more ice time than he had last season, he has underproduced big time. If the Bruins want to get something valuable, moving Frederic may be the move.

The former first-rounder is set to become an RFA this offseason. With an annual cap hit of $2.3 million, nearly every team in the league can obtain him without salary retention. Given that multiple teams have been reportedly interested in him, Boston should have no problem finding a way to get him out of Boston for potentially better assets.

Bruins Might Capitalize on Brazeau’s Increasing Trade Value

At an astounding height of 6’5”, Justin Brazeau, 27, has been nothing but a presence on the ice. The rookie has recorded 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 53 games with Boston this season. While the whole point of a retool is to replace the old with the new, Brazeau may be the rare case where the new is being replaced. The Bruins do not have a second- or fourth-round pick for this upcoming draft and do not have a sixth in the draft after that. If Boston traded Brazeau, they could easily get one of these three picks in the system.

The Ontario native is on an expiring deal, so he will be a UFA at the end of the season. His ELC is a league minimum of $775k, making his contract everything team-friendly. If a team were to trade for him, there would be no worry about getting over the cap. He has many promising years ahead of him, and any team would be lucky to acquire him.

Next: 3 Trade Deadline Candidates for the St. Louis Blues this Season