With the NHL trade deadline approaching Friday, Bruins GM Don Sweeney outlined the team\u2019s approach as the deadline nears.<\/p>\n
A year after the last deadline, the Bruins are back in the playoff picture. They currently occupy the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. With 23 games remaining, a lot had to go right<\/a> for the Bruins to reach this position.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year, the Bruins opted for a retool. They sold off valuable assets, including the captain, and turned them into a bolstered prospect pool<\/a>, young NHLers, and draft picks.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn all likelihood, it will be a little different than last year,\u201d Sweeney said to open the conference<\/a>. \u201cNot necessarily as aggressive and active, but we would like to continue to improve our hockey club if possible.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d like to give them a bump, because they\u2019ve earned that. But it\u2019s an eye towards obviously this year, but moving forward as well. So, that\u2019s what our intentions are as we go to the deadline. That may or may not come to fruition, but we\u2019re going to explore them and see what it presents.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: Bruins Trade Rumors Ramp Up with Deadline One Week Away<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Although Sweeney is looking to give the team a bump, he is aware of where the team was at this time last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re going to sacrifice some of the things we went through last year to try and address organizational depth \u2013 both at the prospect level, draft capital level, and at the NHL level. I think we\u2019ve done a decent job there, but it\u2019s only a one-year snapshot.\u201d<\/p>\n Bringing in a player with term is important to Sweeney, but if you are hoping for a Taylor Hall-like trade<\/a>, don\u2019t. The prices are high this year, and the Bruins are not looking for short-term rentals.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNow, this time of the year, the asks are going to be exorbitant, and that\u2019s the balancing act. It just is. But if we have a player that we\u2019ve identified to be a difference maker, and he\u2019s under control or with the opportunity to extend, then we\u2019re going to explore that. It\u2019s my job to figure out what that acquisition cost will be and whether or not to add.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt really comes down to what the other team is going to look for. Some are hockey trades, some are futures. I\u2019m not going to just leverage things, to the point maybe we\u2019ve done some of that stuff in the past and thinned our group out. But I\u2019m willing to explore a hockey trade if it presents for all parties.\u201d<\/p>\n Also, Sweeney added that the \u201cpure rental market is probably not at the top of the list.\u201d<\/p>\n He doubled down on getting a player with term, saying the door might be closed if there is a player who is already set on free agency come July. However, if a player on an expiring contract (with a protection clause) says that he wants to play in Boston, that is an opportunity that they will explore.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Bruins have the assets to make a move. Anthony Di Marco<\/a> of the Daily Faceoff said, \u201cThe Bruins certainly have the ammunition to at least stay in the mix until the finish line\u201d for a player like Robert Thomas<\/a>, who has been linked to the Bruins in trade rumors.<\/p>\n But Sweeney is not rushing to trade any expiring free agents. The Bruins are in the playoff picture with the players they have now, but the intensity ramps up from this point forward.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, we play 11 games in 19 days coming up, so we\u2019re in a position that we\u2019ve got a couple [of] unhappy guys that have been out of the lineup on the back end. But chances are, you\u2019re going to need depth between now and the end of the year,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Andrew Peeke<\/a> is a right-handed defenseman on an expiring contract. He has been out of the lineup as a healthy scratch since the Bruins returned from the Olympic break. Swedish right winger Viktor Arvidsson<\/a> is also on an expiring contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe schedule is condensed. You\u2019re going to need the depth. So I\u2019m not just in a hurry to usher people out the door that have helped us get to the point that we are right here. If something presents and maybe there\u2019s a lateral situation that improves our depth, and then I have to do my job and explore it, but that\u2019s not necessarily what our intentions are. But it only takes one phone call to change that mindset of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: What Could the Bruins Get for Their Trade Chips?<\/a><\/p>\n Some of the other Bruins\u2019 assets include four first-round picks. The Bruins have two in 2026 and two more in 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe right deal has to come along,\u201d Sweeney said about the first-round picks. \u201cIf the right deal presents [itself], that it\u2019s helping our club now and moving forward, then we have to explore and look at that. And that\u2019s part of the job our scouts do a really good job, to push the envelope to say, \u2018Hey, does this make sense for us now and moving forward?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll use them, hopefully, as effectively as we possibly can to do that. I\u2019m not anxiously, aggressively doing it (trading a first-rounder), but if it presents, I have to ask the questions of who\u2019s available and whether or not those assets will allow us to acquire the player.\u201d<\/p>\n The Bruins also have a pool of prospects that can be moved out in a trade. Sweeney had high praise for Boston College forwards Andre Gasseau<\/a>, James Hagens<\/a>, and Dean Letourneau<\/a> during his press conference on Monday.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n READ MORE: Bruins Prospect Notebook: 11 NCAA Prospects on Scoresheet; Locmelis Injured<\/a><\/p>\n