Boston Bruins

"Sometimes that's a half a step back for two steps forward."

By Conor Ryan

June 24, 2026 | 5:48 PM

8 minutes to read

The NHL offseason is already in full swing — with several blockbuster trades dominating headlines as clubs utilize deals to counter both a rising salary cap and a barren free-agent market.

But, will the Bruins jump in on that trading frenzy, or opt to stand pat and try to build up their retooling roster in other ways?

With the NHL Draft set to begin on Friday, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney addressed the media on Wednesday afternoon at Warrior Ice Arena.

Here are five takeaways from Sweeney’s press conference:

A willingness to buy…

While the Bruins have largely sat on the sidelines so far this summer, that hasn’t stopped the rest of the league from getting a head start on augmenting their rosters before free agency begins on July 1.

​So far, key cogs like Brady Tkachuk (Florida), Bowen Byram (Chicago), Alex Tuch (Washington), Darren Raddysh (Toronto), and Jordan Kyrou (Washington) are just some of the players who have been dealt to new teams over the past week.

​Given that the Bruins have no shortage of needs to address on their roster moving forward — including at least another top-six forward and top-four, right-shot defenseman — Sweeney stressed that Boston is looking to insert itself into this trade-heavy discourse.

“It’s been busy, obviously, around the league chatter. I don’t think the transactions are going to stop between now and the timeframe in July. We’re eager to participate [in trades]. Haven’t yet, I guess what we did with [Andre] Gasseau, but there’s been a lot of chatter so I expect things to continue in terms of player movement and stuff heading into the draft to be busy.”

The Bruins have some intriguing trade chips at their disposal, be it NHLers on the roster like Pavel Zacha and Mason Lohrei, younger players and prospects like Fraser Minten, James Hagens, and Dean Letourneau, or a cupboard full of draft picks — including five first-rounders in the next three years.

Sweeney acknowledged that Boston could part with its 2026 first-round pick (No. 23 overall) if it gives the Bruins an impact player to supplement this current core led by David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman.

‘It’s always on the table to be honest with you,” Sweeney said of moving first-round picks. “We’re trying to improve our hockey club. We’re competitively driven, as I said, and our players are going to be impatient in that regard. Organizationally, we’ve tried to look at this as, what’s our window?

“We did a good job to get back and be competitive this year relative to where we were a year ago. We had some players, you know, young players get integrated and take steps. We’d like to add to the group, you know, so it has to be. Whether that’s in a move up or move back or if that’s in a player acquisition, you know, we have to be in the marketplace.”

… and a willingness to sell

As much as the Bruins might be in the market to add speed and skill to their roster in hopes of building off last season’s playoff appearance and staving off some regression, this could also be a prime summer to take advantage of a seller’s market if Boston is willing to play the long game with its retool.

If a promising, albeit flawed defenseman like Bowen Byram can get shipped to Chicago for the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the case can be made that Boston might be able to land a top-10 pick, or a few promising young players/prospects, for an established center like Zacha.

​Choosing to subtract from this roster after exceeding expectations in 2025-26 might seem like an abrupt about-face for the franchise, but Sweeney acknowledged that Boston is leaving all options open for how to best approach a pivotal offseason.

“I think everything has to be on the table at this time of the year,” Sweeney said. “Ultimately, our goal is to improve now and moving forward and having depth in positions or having, as I said, maybe it’s a younger player that’s able to grow into a role and situation as we did with both Fraser and Marat [Khusnutdinov].

“So we may need to identify the next one, and sometimes that’s a half a step back for two steps forward, and that just might be what the deal represents. We’ll be open-minded about that. But we have to live in all those spaces, we just do, and I’m not promising, but I do believe we’re trying to do a little bit of both.”​

Beyond the potential of maximizing assets in this seller’s market for future returns, there stands a chance that Boston is still on the outside looking in at winning bidding wars for other coveted trade chips.

​Boston does have some promising pieces like Hagens, Letourneau, and multiple first-round picks, but there are several other teams with plenty of ammo to utilize this summer via trade — including the Sabres (now in possession of the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft), Sharks (holding picks No. 2 and No. 9), Mammoth, and more.

As evidenced by aggressive moves by teams like the Capitals over the last few days, the Bruins are far from the only club across the NHL that is trying to be aggressive this offseason.

Holding onto Zacha?

If the Bruins opt to sell off assets in the coming week, Zacha stands as their most realistic trade chip given his profile as a two-way center, some established production, and his looming status as a free agent after next season.

​Zacha has already been linked to several trade rumors this summer, with that discourse only getting louder, given the quality returns some teams have already secured by shipping off players.

But speaking on Tuesday, Sweeney stressed that the Bruins are still looking at extending Zacha, who is eligible to sign a long-term deal with the club on July 1.

“Yeah, I’d prefer to be proactive in that,” Sweeney said. “I got asked earlier in terms of … what’s the trade noise, and I can’t control those things. Teams are going to ask me, other people have asked other players, to get out and sometimes that’s a domino effect.

“My goal is to extend [Zacha]. He had a really good year. He’s an important player for us. If you ask Marco [Sturm], he’d say the same thing — how important he is. Maybe it does remain by committee, but he’s a big part of our team.”

Retaining other free agents

The Bruins already have most of their roster signed through 2026-27, with only two pending unrestricted free agents to account for in winger Viktor Arvidsson and defenseman Andrew Peeke.

With both skaters set to hit the open market on July 1, Sweeney said that conversations remain ongoing with both players as the offseason continues to ramp up.

“I’m going to be vague because I don’t share details in that sense other than it’s been mutually very respectful,” Sweeney said of conversations with both Peeke and Arvidsson. “I think there’s interest for both sides, just haven’t found an agreeable term and [average annual value], so that’s a simple fact. Ultimately, in a perfect world, they’d already be done because we have expressed interest in both.

“But there’s obviously a disagreement because you haven’t signed the players. So that’s my job, to find a way to balance that out. And if not, you have to execute a trade that fills a hole because they were both important players for our — referencing just the two that you asked —  they were both important players for us.”

Arvidsson in particular stands as an intriguing option for the Bruins when it comes to charting the best path forward for the franchise.

The 33-year-old winger was a favorite of Sturm’s and one of Boston’s most effective forwards in 2025-26 — scoring 25 goals and 54 points over 69 games while driving play on the Bruins’ second line next to Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt.

But, signing Arvidsson to a three or four-year deal could invite some risk given his age and injury history.

If Arvidsson was willing to sign a shorter-term deal, he’d be a tempting player to re-up as Boston tries to bridge the gap between this current retooling group and a potential contending club once an influx of younger players and prospects arrives.

But, given how lackluster this free-agent class is, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if a desperate team gives a speedy and skilled forward like Arvidsson a pretty compelling offer next week if he goes to market.

Is Boston still a top destination?

Despite Boston’s standing as an Original Six franchise that has largely been competitive over the past 20 years, the NHL landscape has shifted in recent years regarding preferred landing spots for teams.​

In particular, clubs based in warmer climates and exempt from state income taxes, like the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars, have emerged as prime destinations for free agents or star players seeking trades.

As such, Sweeney was asked about whether or not the NHL should intervene when it comes to teams getting preferential treatment regarding the tax status in their respective states.

“Way above how I look at things,” Sweeney said. “We look at — we’re an attractive place to play. Everybody has their positives and negatives in terms of how they look at it. The league looks at it globally and says we’re in a good spot. You respect that and move on.

“Ultimately, I just use that as an example because whether or not that’s where a spouse wants to live or where … they’re all variables. You just have to address them and move forward. We’ve got a terrific fan base. The guys love playing here. The conversations that I have about people wanting to play here have fortunately not changed. And we’re thankful for that. And we’re a destination place.”

Beyond the tax implications, teams like the Minnesota Wild — who have asserted themselves as a rising power in the Western Conference — have become an appealing spot after trading for star Quinn Hughes, while the Panthers’ appeal is also rooted in their standing as an established contender.

Still, Sweeney stressed that the Bruins believe they can remain competitive in this shifting NHL landscape — especially in an Atlantic Division that has seen teams like Buffalo and Montreal take steps forward and is bracing for a bounce-back year from a healthy Panthers club.

“Ultimately, you’re going to have to show up and win your games,” Sweeney said. “I think we’re competitive within our division. We were last year. And you’re going to need to be, because you are playing those games more frequently than the others.

“I don’t think it’s to the point where you’re like, ‘Oh, our division is overwhelming us by any stretch.’ I think we’re perfectly fine to compete within our division, but we have to address some areas in order, to your point, to acknowledge that other teams have finished ahead of us right now.”