Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has already told you he’s not going to put his team through a massive deadline sell-off like he did a year ago.
The Bruins, clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference entering Tuesday’s game against the Penguins, have earned that right. But that’s not to say that Sweeney doesn’t have some potentially difficult decisions to make between now and Friday afternoon’s deadline.
In the case of Peeke, it feels more than curious that the Bruins returned to action from the Olympic break with Peeke as a healthy scratch. This is a defenseman who had been in the lineup for all but one of the 57 games that came before. In other words, Peeke was a lineup staple for the Bruins … and then suddenly wasn’t with the trade deadline a week away. Curious, to say the least. (Note: Peeke will be back in the B’s lineup on Tuesday night.)
But while the signs are there, Sweeney was quick to point out the schedule in front of the Bruins as a potential reason as to why it may mean nothing at all.
“Well, we play 11 games in 19 days coming up, so we’re in a position that we’ve got a couple unhappy guys that have been out of the lineup on the backend, but chances are, you’re going to need depth between now and the end of the year,” Sweeney said. “Most teams are playing 15-17 games in the month of March.
“The schedule is condensed [and] you’re going to need the depth. I’m not just in a hurry to usher people out the door that have helped us get to the point that we are right here.”
Dec 11, 2025; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke (26) bodies Winnipeg Jets forward Jonathan Toews (19) at Canada Life Centre. (Terrence Lee-Imagn Images)
Now, for as much as the B’s need depth down the stretch, they also need certainty when it comes to the future. And if Peeke, a pending unrestricted free agent still without an extension, remains an unknown approaching Friday, it makes no sense for the Bruins to hang onto him just because the schedule gets hectic down the stretch and the Bruins are inside the playoff picture right now.
Especially given the returns that defensemen tend to fetch this time of year.
On Monday, the Oilers sent a 2028 second-round pick to Chicago for pending UFA defenseman Connor Murphy (four goals, 13 points, minus-3 rating in 60 games this season). 11 points behind a playoff spot, the Blackhawks are obviously in a different spot than the Bruins. But the situations with the players shouldn’t be all that different. Peeke, for what it’s worth, has totaled four goals and 12 points along with a minus-7 in 56 games this season. Getting a comparable return to what Chicago got for Murphy is not considered unrealistic.
This also seems to be a trade market heavy on right-shot defensemen — Philly’s Rasmus Ristolainen, the Blues’ Justin Faulk, and Toronto’s Brandon Carlo are among those considered to be available for the right price — which means that there will likely be teams who miss out on their top targets for one reason or another. That could and should inflate returns on potential second-tier targets.
And as previously noted, defensemen always go for a higher price this time of year. Last year, the Ducks traded pending UFA defenseman Brian Dumoulin to the Devils in exchange for a second-round pick and a prospect drafted in the third-round a year prior. The Rangers picked up defenseman Carson Soucy for a third-round pick, while veteran defenseman Luke Schenn earned the Penguins a second-round pick and fourth-round pick from the Jets.
Sweeney and the Bruins could absolutely use more of those draft picks in their cupboard, either to use on players or to simply bolster their war chest when they go big-fish hunting on the trade market. Especially when drafting and/or trading looks more and more like the superior team-building option opposed to taking your chances with high-end talents hitting the market via free agency.
The Bruins are also clearly interested in fortifying their right side, and if Peeke has not been deemed good enough to fortify that to their liking, their summertime decision on him seems obvious. Which would make trading him for a haul right now the obvious call for the Black and Gold.
Sep 29, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Bruins left wing Viktor Arvidsson (71) in action during the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden. (Eric Canha-Imagn Images)
In the case of Arvidsson, the Bruins probably have even more reason to sell him off to the highest bidder. But as of today, I would be shocked if that happens between now and Friday. First-year Bruins head coach Marco Sturm loves Arvidsson. They have history dating back to LA, and Sturm has loved everything about what a healthy Arvidsson has brought to the Bruins this season.
You ask him about Arvidsson and Sturm just starts absolutely beaming, glowing about the player and person he is. The Bruins are mindful of their locker room and its competitive edge and spirit, and Arvidsson has become a face of that.
Through 47 games this season, the 32-year-old Arvidsson has posted 16 goals and 30 points. Arvidsson has put up 44 points in 87 career playoff games (17 in his last 26 playoff games), and has been to the Finals twice in his NHL career. If you’re a buyer, it may be hard to find a better put-you-over-the-top option to plug in on the wing on your third line and second power-play unit.
And, much like Peeke’s situation, history tells you that the Bruins could get a haul for a player like Arvidsson. A year ago, the Wild sent a second-round pick to Nashville for Gustav Nyqust (21 points in 57 games when traded). Pittsburgh, meanwhile, got a second-round pick for Anthony Beauvillier (20 points in 63 games when traded). And Reilly Smith went back to Vegas from New York in exchange for a former first-round pick and a third-round pick.
Jan 15, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Bruins left wing Viktor Arvidsson (71) celebrates his goal against Seattle during the first period at TD Garden. (Eric Canha-Imagn Images)
One could argue that the entire point of the Bruins getting Arvidsson from the Oilers this past summer was to put him in spots to succeed and then ruthlessly pump-and-dump him on another team at the deadline. Arvidsson’s impact has been greater than any of us could’ve expected. But even so, he’s still an older winger on a team without many open forward spots open for next season (they already have 12 forwards currently on their NHL roster signed for next season).
But this is the problem with where the Bruins are right now.
In one breath, they acknowledge that the ‘building’ is not done, and that they don’t want to rush what they started a year ago with rentals and quick fixes. But they also don’t seem willing to sell off and risk sending the wrong message to the team that’s compete their way into a playoff spot during deadline week.
It’s enough to get a team caught in no man’s land if they’re not careful.
“It really comes down to what the other team is going to look for, some are hockey trades, some are futures,” Sweeney noted. “I’m not going to just leverage things to the point, maybe we’ve done some of that stuff in the past and thinned our group out, but I’m willing to explore a hockey trade, if it presents [itself] for all parties. I just think we’re taking a little more pragmatic approach to improving our club now and certainly moving forward.”