Bruins in rare spot with lots of draft capital to improve roster now, long-term originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins are loaded with first-round draft picks. It’s a pretty unique situation for the B’s to find themselves in.
After all, the Bruins have not made first-round picks in back-to-back years since 2016 and 2017, and they’ve picked in Round 1 in just four of the last seven drafts.
But after dealing away several veterans at the March 7 NHL trade deadline, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney now has a high amount of draft capital to restock the team’s lackluster prospect pool. He could also use some of these picks in potential trade packages to acquire established talent that could help Boston get back into the playoff mix quickly.
In total, the Bruins could have five first-round picks and four second-round picks over the next three drafts:
Sweeney was asked Tuesday during head coach Marco Sturm’s introductory press conference about the team’s draft capital.
“It’s always going to be what’s best for the organization. We’re in a unique position this year drafting in the top 10,” Sweeney said. “We haven’t been there for a significant amount of time. We’re excited about that. We have two second-round picks. Two first-round picks the following year. We’ve been an aggressive organization. Whether you want to point out fault in regards to trying to win and accomplish the ultimate goal, that’s what we’re here for.
“We will use the draft capital and try to improve our hockey club this year and moving forward in every capacity possible. It might be making the selection, but it won’t mean that we aren’t having conversations that say, ‘how do we improve our hockey club today and moving forward.’”
The crown jewel of the Bruins’ draft picks is their 2025 first-rounder, which is No. 7 overall. The last time the Bruins’ own selection was in the top seven was 2006, when they took forward Phil Kessel at No. 5.
Would it make sense to trade the No. 7 pick? The only scenario in which dealing away this pick would be smart is if a young star under contract was part of the return package. That said, a strong case can be made for keeping this pick and using it to bolster a prospect pool considered by many experts to be among the worst in the league. In fact, the Bruins’ prospect pool ranked 30th out of 32 teams in Scott Wheeler’s latest evaluation for The Athletic in February.
The Bruins’ No. 1 need at the NHL level and throughout the organization is a top-six center. And luckily for the Bruins, the 2025 draft class is loaded with quality centers.
Players such as James Hagens (Boston College), Brady Martin (Soo Greyhounds), Jake O’Brien (Brantford Bulldogs) and Roger McQueen (Brandon Wheat Kings) could be available at No. 7 and give the B’s a future top-six center.
The Bruins will be busy on Day 2 of the upcoming draft, assuming they keep their picks. Boston owns two second-rounders — the St. Louis Blues’ pick at No. 51 and the Carolina Hurricanes’ pick at No. 61 — one third-rounder at No. 69 and one fourth-rounder (the Philadelphia Flyers’ pick at No. 100). Boston owns its fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round picks, too.
Sweeney has to balance building for the future while executing a short-term retool. He has the draft capital to travel both paths simultaneously. The real question is whether Sweeney and his scouts will pick the right players. The Bruins’ draft history during his 10-year tenure as GM has been subpar.