The Boston Bruins are looking to return to the playoffs next season and could be aggressive in free agency and on the trade front.
Heavy.com has a trade idea that sees the Bruins acquiring Tomas Hertl from the Vegas Golden Knights in an intriguing move.
Bruins acquire:
Golden Knights acquire:
- Matthew Poitras
- 2026 first-round pick (Toronto)
- 2026 fifth-round pick
The proposed deal would be an intriguing one as Boston would acquire a star winger to bolster their offense. Vegas, meanwhile, clears some cap space for a pivotal offseason while getting a young NHL forward, a first-round pick, and a late-round pick.
Boston would acquire Hertl, who has five years left on his eight-year, $65.1 million deal with the Golden Knights. With Vegas in the running to sign Mitch Marner, Hertl’s name has come up in trade talks. He would be a top-six forward for Boston to add some much-needed offense. Hertl recorded 32 goals and 29 assists for 61 points in 73 games in his first full season with the Golden Knights.
In return, Boston would trade two draft picks, including a first-round pick, which they got from the Maple Leafs. The first-round pick would be a big part of the trade as well as Poitras.
Poitras is 21 years old and is entering the final year of his three-level entry-level deal. Poitras can be a third-line player for Vegas and add some youth to the lineup, while also being on a cheap deal, which would help the Golden Knights acquire Marner. He recorded 1 goal and 10 assists for 11 points in 33 games.
Bruins GM Open to Trading NHL Players
Boston had one of the worst teams in the NHL last season, and the Bruins plan to be a playoff team next season.
The Bruins could be aggressive in the free agent market. But, general manager Don Sweeney is open to improving his team by trades.
“Yeah,” Sweeney said when asked if he’d trade from his roster. “Ultimately, we’re going to use all the opportunities that present to explore what will improve us now and moving forward. We have to have an eye toward what we’re capable of doing this year and in the upcoming years, in conjunction with the draft and building around that.
“That was our philosophy at the deadline, and realizing we had to take a step back and that we’re going to get back into a competitive mindset with an eye toward growing to the future,” Sweeney added. “That’s what we had to do. As I said before, I don’t think you can be stuck in neutral.”
Boston enters the offseason with just over $23 million in cap space, but still need to sign RFA forward Morgan Geekie.
The first big move for Boston was drafting James Hagens seventh overall.
Hertl Responds to Trade Rumors
Since Vegas was eliminated from the playoffs, Hertl’s name has come up in trade talks.
Yet, Hertl was interviewed by Hokej.cz’s Ondřej Mach and he opened up on the trade rumors. He says Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon called him to say he wasn’t being shopped.
“Honestly, I didn’t even know – it was the people around me who told me. I knew the situation. They can’t trade me at all until July 1, and then I have three teams that I can choose from,” Hertl said. “Then general manager Kelly McCrimmon called me and said he was sorry that this had even come up, and that nothing was being discussed.
“I was calm; I have the situation in hand. When a journalist writes something, everyone’s reaction is quick. I know that (the Golden Knights) are counting on me for next year,” Hertl added. “But you can never know anything 100 percent. That’s just how it works.”
Vegas acquired Hertl on March 8, 2024 from the San Jose Sharks.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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