If Bruins are looking to make a deal, the Ducks are an appealing trade partner

The Bruins are considering offseason targets such as Olen Zellweger and Mason McTavish. Cam Neely emphasized that the team needs more talent and more speed and that Boston is not currently at the level of the league’s elite teams. The remaining Stanley Cup playoff teams illustrate how much roster reshaping is required. Boston has multiple needs, including a top-line center, a minutes-munching top-four defenseman on the right side, and more skill throughout the depth chart. The team is still developing its prospect pipeline and homegrown talent, so additional upside is important. Pursuing major trade targets like Robert Thomas or Brady Tkachuk is uncertain due to availability and asset requirements. Don Sweeney and staff may need creative approaches, including trades involving distressed assets, cap constraints, or redundant players.

"“We need more talent, we need more speed,” the Bruins president declared. “That's something that we have to try to acquire in one way, shape or form. But you look at the elite teams in the league, we're not there.”"

"Boston has several needs it must address this summer and in the coming years - be it a top-line center, a minutes-munching, top-four D-man on the right side, and more skill across the depth chart. As the Bruins try to build off of this season's progress and ward off the threat of regression, the need for more upside is evident on a team still in the early stages of replenishing its prospect pipeline and actually cultivating homegrown talent on the roster."

"As intriguing as it might be for Boston to try and hook a big fish like Robert Thomas or Brady Tkachuk via trade this offseason, there's no guarantee that said assets will even be up for grabs - or whether Boston has the outright assets to win such a high-stakes bidding war. Similar to how Boston identified a future 39-goal scorer in Morgan Geekie on the open market or swapped out Erik Haula for a seemingly rudderless Pavel Zacha, Boston's best bet at effectively retooling on the fly is going to require Don Sweeney and his staff to get creative this summer."

"One of those potential offseason avenues? Finding a trade suitor rife with distressed assets, cap restraints, or a glut of redundant players."

Read at Boston.com