The Bruins have accumulated valuable trade assets and draft capital for offseason roster improvements. After a poor 2024-25 season, Boston improved to an eighth-best record in 2025-26 and reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The postseason exposed remaining gaps in elite skill and speed, with Boston losing to the Buffalo Sabres in six games in the first round. Returning to the playoffs in 2027 is expected to be difficult without upgrades at key positions, especially center and the right side of the blue line. One target is Robert Thomas, a 26-year-old elite playmaking center from the St. Louis Blues who can score 25–30 goals and has produced 80-plus points in recent seasons. Acquiring him would likely require an exceptionally costly package.
"The Bruins far exceeded expectations last season. After finishing with the fifth-worst record in the 2024-25 campaign, Boston ended the 2025-26 season with the league's eighth-best record (45-27-10, 100 points) and a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite the positive steps taken in the regular season, the playoffs were a painful reminder of how much the Bruins still lack the needed amount of elite skill and speed to compete at the highest level. The B's lost to the Buffalo Sabres in a six-game first-round series."
"Making it back to the playoffs in 2027 won't be easy for the Bruins. They need roster upgrades at key positions, specifically at center and the right side of the blue line. Let's look at seven players the Bruins should consider pursuing on the trade market."
"Thomas is exactly what the Bruins need most: A true No. 1 center in the prime of his career. The B's have not been able to find this kind of player since Patrice Bergeron retired after the 2022-23 campaign. They signed Elias Lindholm to a seven-year, $54.25 million deal in 2024 free agency to be that kind of center, and so far that experiment has been a huge failure."
"Thomas is just 26 years old and an elite playmaker who can also score 25-30 goals. He tallied 64 points in 64 games this past season and posted 80-plus points in each of the previous two seasons. The cost to get Thomas would be extraordinarily high. The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford reported on Feb. 26 that the Blues were seeking "three first-half-of-the-first-round assets ahead of the trade deadline."
Read at NBC Sports Boston
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