Bruins' Defenseman Remains Trade Chip This Season

The Boston Bruins have been playing very well as of late and are holding down a wildcard spot in the East. They have a better chance than many in the tight playoff race to make the postseason, but they are trying to add to get back in after a tough 2024-25 season.

The Bruins may have been the final team taken out of the bid for Rasmus Andersson when he went to the Vegas Golden Knights, which shows that Boston is trying to make additions, whether that be a rental, players with term, or rental with the potential to stick around.

Chris Johnston reported, "The Bruins took a serious run at landing Rasmus Andersson, which almost certainly would have forced Andrew Peeke out of town as a pending UFA. He remains a trade chip for an organization retooling on the fly."

The Bruins have done a pretty decent job of retooling on the fly, even though some of their offseason moves were rightfully questioned. Some younger players have stepped up and the top players are playing like the top players once again. This is a team that can make the playoffs, but still has some more work to do. If a defenseman is added, moving Peeke is one of those moves as it doesn't appear like he's in the future plans of the Bruins.

Boston needs a top-4 right defenseman. They only have two righties on the roster on defense, and one of them, Henri Jokiharju, is both the seventh defenseman at this time, and not at the level to be playing as the full time second pairing RD. The Bruins have enough cap space to get a deal similar to what they wanted in Andersson done, especially if Peeke is sent back. There is no reason why the Bruins wouldn't move a piece back out, whether it's to increase the return a small amount, or just to free up the roster space and cap. Keep an eye on Boston as they're going to be moving on to the next best options to upgrade their defense, and potentially more up front.