Three different prospects Bruins might goal with the No. 7 decide
Bruins
If a few of the prime heart prospects are off the board at No. 7, the Bruins might pivot to a talented winger.
The ping-pong balls didn’t fall the Bruins’ approach Monday evening.
Regardless of getting into the NHL Draft Lottery with only a 14.2 p.c of dropping down the No. 7 decide, the Bruins had been certainly leapfrogged by two different groups within the draft order, pushing them down the furthest they may fall within the 2025 NHL Draft.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney burdened that Boston will nonetheless be ready so as to add a prime blue-chip expertise to the Unique Six franchise’s ailing prospect pipeline.
“We’re nonetheless selecting within the higher echelon of the draft, which we haven’t carried out for a big time interval, so we really feel very comfy by way of the place the highest seven picks are,” Sweeney stated Monday. “We’ll get a great participant and an affect participant, no matter the frustration of transferring again a pair spots. That’s simply the character of the lottery.”
Even when Boston continues to be in line to safe at top-10 decide subsequent month, No. 7 is a considerably unenviable spot to be in, given the potential divergence between the second and third “tiers” of prospects on this draft class.
The 2025 Draft pool is heavy on facilities, which stands as a great sight for a Bruins group in want of expertise down the center.
The Bruins might be banking on a situation the place a minimum of considered one of Djurgardens’ Anton Frondell, Moncton Wildcats’s Caleb Desnoyers, or Brantford Bulldogs’ Jake O’Brien is up for grabs at No. 7.
Such a situation can be all however a lock if the Bruins had been sitting at No. 5 or No. 6. However, a possible run on facilities initially of the draft might have Boston assessing contingency plans.
If the Bruins must pivot as a result of these top-rated facilities aren’t out there, the place else might they flip?
Past the eight prospects we’ve already mapped out, listed below are an extra three gamers who might current Boston with high-end ability, physicality, and extra.
Brady Martin, C, Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
No prospect has seen their inventory soar larger over the previous couple of weeks than Martin, whose bruising skillset and excessive flooring make him the kind of participant that the Bruins might covet at No. 7 general.
Whereas Martin didn’t stuff the stat sheet to the identical diploma as different heart prospects like Jake O’Brien (98 factors) or particularly Michael Misa (134 factors), he was a productive top-line participant for the Greyhounds (72 factors in his 57 video games).
It stays to be seen if Martin could be a play-driving heart on the subsequent degree, however the sport tape paints the image of a future professional who will make an affect given his physicality and relentless motor.
Even when Martin isn’t essentially a giant physique at 6-foot-0, his shifts are plagued by cases the place he’s crushing skaters on the forecheck, exchanging post-whistle pleasantries, and carrying the puck into high-danger ice.
Radim Mrtka, D, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
The Bruins’ most urgent want revolves round including expertise up entrance, particularly on the heart place.
However Boston additionally wants to make sure that it nails this No. 7 decide and provides a professional affect participant on the NHL degree.
And a right-shot D like Mrtka has a fairly excessive flooring as a top-four stalwart on the blue line.
The Czech product doesn’t venture to a power-play QB within the professional sport, however he’s a robust skater that has an imposing body at 6-foot-6 and 198 kilos.
Boston has a obvious gap on the best aspect of their protection after buying and selling Brandon Carlo to Toronto, and this present free-agent crop of right-shot D isn’t all that deep (Aaron Ekblad, Dante Fabbro).
Boston ought to be capable of goal different blueliners within the second spherical with their two different picks. However a possible minutes-eating stalwart beneath Charlie McAvoy on the depth chart has some attraction for the Bruins as they construct up their subsequent crop of prime expertise.
Victor Eklund, LW, Djurgårdens IF
Very like Mrtka, Eklund doesn’t precisely fill essentially the most urgent want for the Bruins. However, the 5-foot-11 winger is an elite expertise who might develop right into a 30-goal common within the subsequent few years.
The youthful brother of Sharks winger William Eklund (who posted 58 factors over 71 video games in his second full NHL season), Victor is a power within the offensive zone, able to each selecting the highest nook and dangling previous defenders.
It may be a dangerous endeavor watching sport tape on the bigger sheet of ice over in Europe. However Eklund’s capacity to make use of his skating to achieve straightforward zone entries resembles Taylor Corridor’s transition sport — an underrated side of his skillset that the Bruins have missed over the previous couple of years.
Eklund might want to work on his defensive sport transferring ahead, which might make him the kind of venture that Boston might need to keep away from.
However in as we speak’s NHL, a participant like Eklund has all of the instruments to thrive as a dynamic playmaker and elite sniper. If the Bruins suppose that the perfect out there heart at No. 7 is extra of a middle-six participant, they may go for a professional first-line winger in Eklund.
Join the At this time e-newsletter
Get all the things you should know to start out your day, delivered proper to your inbox each morning.
