3 early Bruins trade targets after 1st round loss to Sabres

Story by

Story by
3 early Bruins trade targets after 1st round loss to Sabres

Nate Duffett, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Tue, May 5, 2026 ·

4 min read

About Our Ads

3 early Bruins trade targets after 1st round loss to Sabres appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

It was an interesting season for the Boston Bruins . The team tore down at last year's trade deadline with their future looking bleak, and reloaded by acquiring draft picks and prospects. After acquiring the pick that landed them Dean Letourneau before the 2024 NHL Draft and then falling to the seventh pick to draft James Hagens in 2025 , they also acquired Fraser Minten , Marat Khusnutdinov , and Will Zellers. The Bruins went from looking at a rebuild to now wondering whether they can become contenders again with some key trade targets in the 2026 offseason.

The future looked much brighter heading into the 2025-26 season, and then the Bruins went on to a miraculous 100-point season, advancing to the playoffs and taking on the Buffalo Sabres . They lost in six games to the Sabres , but some of their young players gained key playoff experience that could serve them well moving forward. If the Bruins end up stealing the sixth overall pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs in Tuesday night's draft lottery, it could be the best of both worlds.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs should've shown the Bruins two things: one, that they need to acquire some talent to play alongside David Pastrnak ; and two, that the defense needs more speed and offensive talent. The Bruins could address both issues with trades this offseason.

Would Bruins re-engage in Robert Thomas trade talks?

The Bruins were reportedly one of the teams involved in trade talks for Robert Thomas at this past year's trade deadline. Boston wants to address some of their depth issues at the center-ice position, as Minten was a great find, but the verdict is out on how Pavel Zacha and Elias Lindholm 's futures with the organization will go. The Bruins drafted Hagens as a center, but he could be more of a left wing after playing there for most of his NCAA season.

Thomas has always been a fit in Boston since the rumors that he was on the trade block. Pastrnak played some of the best hockey of his career alongside Patrice Bergeron , and while Thomas isn't the best defensive forward in the league like Bergeron was, a two-way right-shot center would be something that makes Pastrnak comfortable.

If they acquire Thomas, the Bruins could explore putting Hagens on the pair's left wing as a long-term first-line option for the organization.

Jason Robertson 's future in Dallas is one to monitor for Bruins

Jason Robertson has always been a name that comes up in trade talks , and the Bruins are one of the teams that seem like a good destination. The Dallas Stars ' winger is one of the most streaky scorers in the league, but when he is at his best, it'd be hard to see why Dallas would ever trade him.

Robertson has four straight seasons of over 80 points and hasn't missed a game in over four seasons. When he did miss games during the 2021-22 season, he came one point short of what would've been his first 80-point season. He is also an elite playoff performer with 52 points in 62 career games.

The Stars' winger would give Pastrnak an interesting pairing on the first line, and would give the Bruins the ability to put either Minten or Hagens in the middle and have some serious mentorship for one of their two brightest prospects.

If the Bruins want to keep Pastrnak around through the end of his career, they're going to need to put him in a position to win a Stanley Cup and not feel like he is left to lead the offense all by himself. Adding one of Thomas or Robertson would go a long way.

Robertson hasn't re-signed with the Stars yet, and as a pending restricted free agent, Dallas could look to trade him for a team willing to sign him long-term.

Olen Zellweger could fix Boston's defense

One of the Bruins' weakest areas is their defense. The Sabres took advantage of the group's lack of speed, and Buffalo's forecheck made life miserable for the defense, whom didn't have the puck-moving abilities to break out.

Zellweger could fix all of that with his offensive abilities. Zellweger, like Robertson, is in the final year of his contract and is a pending RFA, and his usage with the Anaheim Ducks in these playoffs could have him questioning his future.

The left-shot defenseman played in 76 regular season games for the Ducks this season, but was a healthy scratch for the entire first round against the Edmonton Oilers . Joel Quenneville and the Ducks have their reasons for doing it, but it's a tough way to keep one of their young puck-movers happy.

Zellweger's average ice time also dropped nearly two minutes from last year to this year. It's too early for the 22-year-old not to be in Anaheim's plans, but it's a concerning trend.

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: