The Boston Bruins began their 2023-24 season with a strong 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. It was a great way to start the campaign, but this new season is just beginning. When looking at the Bruins’ current roster, it is clear that they have a few trade candidates to pay attention to during the year. Let’s discuss their three most notable trade candidates right now.
Matt Grzelcyk
Perhaps the Bruins’ biggest trade candidate for the 2023-24 season is defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. The 5-foot-9 defenseman was the subject of trade rumors this offseason, and it has carried over the start of the regular season. During the preseason, Grzelcyk was reportedly generating trade interest. With that, Boston Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy reported before the start of the season that an NHL executive source told him that Bruins general manager (GM) Don Sweeney was “working the phones” to try to fit Mason Lohrei on the opening night roster.
With Grzelcyk being a left-shot defenseman, he would make sense as a player to move out if the Bruins want to have Lohrei play consistent minutes at the NHL level at any point this season. Furthermore, it has already been confirmed that teams have expressed interest in him, and he is, of course, now in the final season of his contract. Thus, this is a storyline to pay attention to during the season.
Related: 3 Takeaways From Bruins’ 3-1 Win Over the Blackhawks
The one downside to a potential Grzelcyk trade is that he has become a nice fit with Charlie McAvoy on the top pairing. As a result, moving him may not be the easiest of decisions. However, if he were used in a trade to bring in help at the center position, it may be worth some real consideration for Sweeney.
Derek Forbort
Staying on the subject of left-shot defensemen, Derek Forbort is also a legitimate trade candidate. Like Grzelcyk, he is now in the final season of his contract, and moving him would open the door for a Lohrei call-up. With that, the Bruins tested Forbort’s trade market during the offseason and are continuing to do so, as Murphy noted in his same Lohrei piece.
If moved, Forbort is unlikely to bring in much of a return. However, one thing that the Bruins would gain back in a potential move is much-needed cap space. The 6-foot-4 defenseman carries a notable $3 million cap hit, and that is fairly hefty for a bottom-pairing defenseman who does not provide much offense. Yet, at the same time, he is a valuable part of the Bruins’ penalty kill because of his defense-first nature and steadiness, so like Grzelcyk, moving him may come with some risk.
Overall, Forbort is another Bruin to watch in trade talk this season. With Lohrei seeming ready to make the jump to the NHL, moving out Forbort would create the opportunity for the top prospect.
Jakub Zboril
While a big-name Bruin like offseason trade candidate Linus Ullmark would be a juicy final pick for this list, I just do not see the club moving him during the season. As a result, I’m going to focus this last one on Jakub Zboril. The 2015 first-round pick failed to make the team out of camp, as Ian Mitchell outplayed him during the preseason and landed the seventh defenseman role. As a result of this and the Bruins have other call-up candidate defensemen like Lohrei, Parker Wotherspoon, and Alec Regula, perhaps a change of scenery could be in the cards for Zboril.
Zboril, 26, never developed into the top-four defenseman that the Bruins expected him to be when they drafted him. However, he also has shown signs of being a potential NHL bottom-pairing defenseman in the past. Yet, at this juncture, that just will not happen with the Bruins, so a trade could be beneficial for him.
If the Bruins’ season goes south and they fall out of the playoff race by the deadline, several more trade candidates would emerge. The Bruins have some notable pending unrestricted free agents (UFA) like Jake DeBrusk, James van Riemsdyk, and Kevin Shattenkirk who could be rental candidates if they are not signed to extensions. Yet, DeBrusk and the Bruins are having ongoing contracts talks, so there is a good chance that he will be kept around past this season.
We will need to wait and see if the Bruins trade any of these players during the 2023-24 season. Out of the main trio, Grzelcyk likely has the highest odds, but don’t rule out Forbort or Zboril being dealt during the campaign.
