While discussing the upcoming trade deadline on Monday, Bruins GM Don Sweeney also provided updates on several players in the organization’s prospect pool.
At last year’s trade deadline, the Bruins opted to sell. They acquired players, draft picks, and reestablished a deep prospect pool.
This year will be different, as the Bruins are looking for a player with term to add to the lineup. Sweeney believes the team is positioned for success, although some of their future could be at risk for an upgrade, whether it be now or in the summer.
READ MORE: Don Sweeney Speaks on Bruins’ Approach to Trade Deadline
“I think we’re in a really good spot moving forward,” Sweeney said on Monday. “We have flexibility, we have younger players that likely will come online, and we have some draft capital that we can explore. Sometimes that presents, [if] that deal doesn’t happen at the deadline, [it] may happen at the draft or shortly thereafter.”
Aside from a bolstered prospect pool, the Bruins have four first-round picks at the next two drafts. The first-round pick that they acquired from Toronto at last year’s deadline is currently No. 11.
Sweeney also added that he has not had conversations with any college players yet; the individual conversations will come after their season. He said that “the vast majority of them should be continuing along their college path and developing naturally.”
However, he also said, “There’ll be some guys that, Andre Gasseau is graduating, you know, there will be some guys turning pro this, you know, after their college seasons.”
Gasseau is one of Boston College’s three captains. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2021 draft.
He missed time this season due to an injury sustained in November; he returned to the BC lineup on January 16. Since he returned to the lineup, Gasseau has 17 points in 14 games. He has 21 this season, but he is at a career-high points-per-game pace (1.11).
The Bruins have until August 15, 2026, to sign Gasseau. It is likely that he will join the Providence Bruins for their playoff run, following the likes of Dalton Bancroft, Dans Locmelis, and Ty Gallagher, who made the transition from the NCAA last year.
“Whether they’ll impact our team, that remains to be seen. There aren’t a lot of guys that come in at playoff time and impact their team or in a playoff race, but we’re open to it. We’re not going to close any doors. We’re going to have the conversations at the appropriate time and make the most informed decision we can.”
READ MORE: Bruins Prospect Notebook: 11 NCAA Prospects on Scoresheet; Locmelis Injured
James Hagens and Dean Letourneau, the two most recent first-round picks, are the top point scorers for Boston College this season.
While it might still be early to move Letourneau up, Hagens looks ready to make the jump. He leads the Hockey East in scoring with 40 points (20-20–40).
He was also named the Hockey East Player of the Month for February.
“His production is still really good,” Sweeney said about Hagens. “He’s played a lot more on the wing, which could be an easier entry point for a young player in the National Hockey League. That, again, remains to be seen. We drafted him as a center; he can play center, but now he’s playing both sides. So I think that adds to the versatility.”
He can play anywhere on a forward line, but BC has been playing him mostly on the wing. At the World Juniors, Hagens centered Team USA’s first line.
“Well, we talk a lot about two position players, [a] player’s entry point,” Sweeney said. “It’s a lot of time about where the entry point is. There’s been a lot of rhetoric about whether or not we have enough depth and impactful players up the middle of the ice. I think our centers have done a pretty good job this year. Can we improve upon it? If James is the right guy, can somebody else move to the wing? Yeah, because they’ve been able to do that. He’ll determine when he’s ready to come in and impact and where he’s going to impact.”
“So, it’s just being a better all-around player and understanding that. Is it an easier lift? Possibly as a winger, and not playing checking 200-feet and playing against the elite guys on draws, and some of the things that all young players have to be insulated on at times. But you know, we’re excited about what his progression has been.”
Letourneau is right behind Hagens in the Hockey East scoring race. The 6-foot-7 forward has 34 points (19-15–34) this season, a massive leap from his three points (0-3–3) the season before.
“People are talking about it being a wasted year, and I don’t believe that. It was up to Dean to put the work in that, first of all, that was necessary to be able to have the type of year he was having. And he did a lot of that, and he continues to do a lot of that. The opportunity needed to get in the lineup that he then needed to take advantage of. Those are the positive attributes that Dean and the coaches and our player development guys, where the alignment is at. And it’s obviously been a productive year.”
His eight power-play goals are the most in the Hockey East. He also has a shorthanded goal, demonstrating a rise in his game on the special teams as well.
However, Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff floated Letourneau as a trade chip. Jimmy Murphy of RG reported that the Bruins would only trade him if it were in a package for St. Louis forward Robert Thomas.
Outside of Chestnut Hill, Matt Poitras has been linked as a potential trade chip for the Bruins. He has played in two games with Boston this season; the majority of his season has been with Providence.
“He’s just continuing to round out at a very young age,” Sweeney said about Poitras. “And he’s responding. It was, it’s great to see him continue to round out, as I just referenced, to be that, a little more of a complete player and understand that, managing the puck, managing your shift length, understanding where space is, and staying healthy. You know, he went through shoulder surgery as well. So we’re not disappointed in Matty. He’s really taken to heart to try and lead a Providence team and help lead a Providence team that’s had a hell of a season. He’s been a big part of that.”
With the P-Bruins, Poitras has 10 goals and 31 points in 49 games played. He ranks sixth on the team in points, and he leads them in power-play goals with six.
The Bruins have options with some of their prospects. Whether any of them will be moving on trade deadline day remains to be seen, but some of them are trending towards making the professional ranks at the end of their college seasons.