Is a McTavish commerce finest approach for Bruins so as to add a top-6 heart?

One of many Bruins’ prime long-term wants is one other heart to pair with James Hagens.

Mason McTavish is due a hefty new contract with the Geese. (AP Photograph/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

The excellent news? The Boston Bruins might need a future top-line heart of their pipeline after including Boston Faculty standout James Hagens within the 2025 NHL Draft.

The dangerous information? Even when Hagens realizes his potential in due time as an offensive conduit on the ice, the uber-skilled pivot’s presence alone received’t be sufficient to fully shift the fortunes of a Boston roster within the midst of an overhaul.

Because the Bruins trudge forward in what could possibly be a bridge season in 2025-26, the main focus for Marco Sturm, Don Sweeney, and the remainder of Boston’s prime brass needs to be figuring out the constructing blocks that would assist construct the Unique Six franchise again up as a respectable contender within the coming years.

If Hagens — lengthy thought-about to be the crown jewel of the 2025 NHL Draft class earlier than his late slide all the way down to the No. 7 decide — stuffs the stat sheet at Chestnut Hill and joins the NHL ranks come the spring, he’ll be part of a core already anchored by a star sniper in David Pastrnak, a do-it-all blueliner in Charlie McAvoy, and a poised netminder in Jeremy Swayman.

That alone doubtless received’t be sufficient.

As evidenced by different groups just like the Panthers, Oilers, Penguins, Lightning, and even the Golden Knights, one of many hallmarks of an elite roster is boasting a pair of influence facilities atop the depth chart.

Past the generational abilities like Connor McDavid / Leon Draisaitl or Sidney Crosby / Evgeni Malkin, even poised 2Cs like Sam Bennett, William Karlsson, Anthony Cirelli, and David Krejci play important roles in the case of driving play, creating matchup woes for the opposition, and pushing different proficient gamers additional down on the depth chart.

If the Bruins need to construct up a brand new core alongside the same old suspects, they’re going to wish so as to add one other heart to kind a 1-2 punch with Hagens — particularly if a 30-year-old Elias Lindholm finally develops into extra of a 3C within the later levels of his profession.

It’s a job simpler mentioned than achieved.

In relation to fast fixes for the longer term, it ought to come as little shock that many have pointed to the potential for a franchise heart to hit free company subsequent July — particularly an area product like Jack Eichel.

Including a two-way, Hart-level heart like Eichel to a roster on the upswing can be a serious coup for the Bruins — particularly if Boston solely has to allocate cash to usher in a transformative expertise.

However as is the case yearly, pinning one’s hopes on franchise abilities hitting free company typically led to disappointment — provided that the overwhelming odds favor star gamers re-upping with their present groups.

Regardless of his native ties, one wouldn’t fault Eichel — who received a Cup in Vegas and has lastly discovered a profitable tradition within the desert after toiling away for years in Buffalo — to signal a hefty new take care of the Golden Knights.

In any case, Vegas is in a far-better place to contend over the following few years, particularly with Mitch Marner added to an already potent top-six unit.

No, if the Bruins realistically need to add one other impactful heart to pair with Hagens for the long-haul, the most effective path ahead is by way of draft or commerce.

The primary choice could possibly be a tangible path ahead if the Bruins as soon as once more labor and safe one other prime draft decide.

But when the Bruins — with their cabinet restocked filled with picks and prospects after final yr’s roster teardown — wished to amass extra of a longtime commodity, a participant like Mason McTavish could possibly be an intriguing commerce goal.

Bruins followers who aren’t tuning into rebuilding franchises out on the West Coast might not know a lot about McTavish.

However the 22-year-old heart is already on monitor to be developed into an impactful top-six heart. And given his present contract strife with the Geese, the third-overall decide within the 2021 NHL Draft may be on the transfer if contract talks proceed to stall.

Very like the arduous contract talks final yr between Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins, McTavish has discovered himself in an identical boat this offseason as a restricted free agent with Anaheim.

Recent off of a 2024-25 season the place McTavish scored 22 targets, posted 52 factors, and in addition received 50.7 p.c of his faceoffs, the budding two-way pivot is due a hefty elevate from the $894,167 cap hit he incurred final yr.

However be it a bridge deal or a long-term contract, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman acknowledged on the most recent “32 Ideas” podcast that each McTavish’s representatives and Anaheim’s prime brass have but to search out the center floor wanted to strike a deal.

“I believe that Anaheim likes the participant. I believe they acknowledge how good the participant is,” Friedman mentioned. “I believe there’s a distinction of opinion on the place the wage ought to go at totally different phrases. And that’s why this isn’t achieved but. … I believe that they imagine in him. I simply assume that you just’ve obtained lots of grinders on this negotiation.

“Pat Morris, who represents McTavish, he’s a grinder. [Ducks GM] Pat Verbeek is a grinder. And I believe Pat Verbeek sort of seems at it like earlier than the man will get the tremendous large cash. I need him to actually earn it. … I believe that McTavish’s representatives regarded for a proposal sheet. Didn’t occur.”

On condition that Anaheim continues to be working with over $20.5 million in cap house (per PuckPedia), the final consensus is that the Geese — who maintain the leverage in these negotiations — finally both get McTavish on their phrases, or benefit from their ample cap house and hand him a hefty deal.

However with Anaheim additionally having to cope with future long-term offers for different younger franchise fixtures like Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson, may an prolonged stalemate finally immediate Verbeek to maneuver McTavish for extra draft picks or prospects?

Such is a state of affairs that the Bruins and different groups in want of younger expertise down the center like Montreal and Philadelphia will probably be hoping for within the coming months.

If McTavish is definitely up for grabs, the Bruins would doubtless have to relinquish a first-round decide or two over the following few seasons — together with both an intriguing prospect or a younger NHLer (may Mason Lohrei intrigue an Anaheim group in want of some ability on the blue line?).

There’s loads of danger concerned with shifting first-round picks — particularly on a retooling Bruins group that would land one other top-10 decide subsequent June.

However a participant like McTavish additionally represents a high-upside addition with established manufacturing and extra room to develop — particularly given his age.

Because the Bruins attempt to match the proper items into place on their incomplete depth chart, there’s quite a bit to love about the way forward for this franchise if it has each Hagens and McTavish down the center for the foreseeable future.

Even when McTavish isn’t a tangible choice this summer season, the expert heart represents the kind of participant that Don Sweeney and Co. needs to be concentrating on.

Staying the course and accruing as many draft picks as potential to throw on the dartboard is a sound transfer for a Bruins group in want of extra younger expertise.

But when a deal is there to be made for a youthful participant who can each assist Boston now —and particularly within the following years — don’t be shocked if Sweeney and the Bruins get aggressive in hopes of including one other key cog for this overhauled roster.