It has been a slow start to free agency for Don Sweeney, and most of Boston’s real offseason movement has come through trades rather than the open market.
The Bruins did bring back former defenseman Connor Clifton after his stops with the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins, but the bigger additions have come via deals. Boston landed right wing JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth just before the 2026 Entry Draft last month, sending a pair of first-round picks the other way. They also brought in defenseman Will Borgen from the New York Rangers.
Even with those moves, the roster still looks crowded on the blue line and thin where it matters most up front. The Bruins need a center, and one name that fits the bill is Seattle Kraken forward Shane Wright.
Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report put together five possible landing spots for Wright in a trade this summer, and Boston came in at No. 1.
“For the past two seasons, the Boston Bruins have had an issue with the calibre of depth among their centers. Shane Wright could potentially help them address that issue for the long term,'' wrote Richardson.
He also pointed to Wright’s upside as a two-way center and the possibility that he could slot into the second line, which would give Fraser Minten more time to develop. Richardson added that Boston could even test Wright on the top line alongside David Pastrnak and the newly acquired JJ Peterka.
That leaves second-year head coach Marco Sturm with a few different ways to sort out the middle of the ice. Wright could slide into the second-line center role, but the bigger question is who handles the top spot.
Elias Lindholm? Fraser Minten?
Pavel Zacha?
Zacha has been the subject of plenty of trade chatter this summer, and he’s one of the players who could be moved. If Boston does deal him, Sweeney and the front office would need to get the return exactly right.
A Wright trade might not be as complicated as it sounds. The Bruins have extra defensemen, and moving one of them could help solve a roster need. Boston has kept Mason Lohrei so far, but this could be the moment to use him in a deal that brings back help for 2026-27.
Maybe it ends up being a pick or a prospect headed to Seattle for the fourth overall pick in the 2022 Entry Draft.
In Other News...
Bruins May Already Be Second Guessing This Ex-Leafs Pickup
Alex Steeves looked like a useful depth add when he left the Maple Leafs for Boston and settled into a regular role during the 2025-26 season. He got into 43 games, chipped in nine goals and 16 points, and the Bruins rewarded that production with a two-year extension, a sign they believed there was still more to come from a player who had found a foothold after changing teams.
The playoff picture was less reassuring. Steeves dressed in only two of six games against the Buffalo Sabres and did not record a point, which leaves his place on the roster a little murkier heading into next season. With Marco Sturm set to sort out the lineup, Boston still has to figure out whether Steeves is part of the forward mix or simply a depth piece whose early momentum has already started to fade. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Blue Line Squeeze Could Put One Young Defenseman In Trouble
The Bruins are carrying a crowded blue line right now, with 10 NHL-capable defensemen in the mix, and that kind of surplus usually creates a decision somewhere down the road. For the moment, though, there is no immediate pressure to move anyone, in part because Charlie McAvoys suspension gives the club a little breathing room to sort through the picture without rushing a roster call.
Still, the logjam is the sort of situation that tends to squeeze out a young defender before it affects the established names. Boston has enough depth to survive the short term, but once McAvoy is eligible to return, the Bruins may have to clear space one way or another, and that could put a younger blue-liner in an uncomfortable spot. [Read more 🡒]