Bruins trade targets: Four top-six forwards B's should consider pursuing originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins will not be a true contender again until they fix their offense.

There were a lot of reasons for Boston’s lackluster 2024-25 season in which it failed to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The goaltending was subpar. The penalty kill was uncharacteristically bad. The team struggled defensively.

But a lack of scoring, especially on the power play, is what really doomed the Bruins. They were one of the worst offensive teams in the sport. The only reliable scorers were David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie.

If you watched the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the Stanley Cup Final in particular, you know that without enough high-end offensive talent, it’s extremely difficult to win a championship.

The Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers combined to score 45 goals in the Cup Final (7.5 per game). The Panthers averaged 4.1 goals per game in the playoffs overall — the second-highest average for a Cup champion in the last 15 years. Scoring is up, and the Bruins need to keep pace.

So, how do the Bruins add much-needed goal scorers to their roster before next season? Free agency is one option, but the 2025 class isn’t super deep. Only one player who’s able to become an unrestricted free agent this summer — 34-year-old John Tavares — scored more than 27 goals this past season.

The trade market is perhaps the best place for the Bruins to make immediate upgrades.

After taking a sledgehammer to his roster at the trade deadline in March, B’s general manager Don Sweeney now has a lot of assets to use to make deals. Those assets include five first-round picks and four second-round picks over the next three drafts, as well as some talented prospects.

Which players should the B’s target via trade? Let’s look at four players worth considering.

Jason Robertson, RW, Dallas Stars

2024-25 stats: 35 G, 45 A in 82 games

Contract: Signed through 2025-26, $7.5 million salary cap hit

The Stars are in a tough salary cap situation. They just traded a very good forward in Mason Marchment to the Kraken for third- and fourth-round picks. If the Stars choose to free up more cap space, would Robertson be available?

“The Stars aren’t actively shopping him but are listening on him to educate themselves on the market and what teams might be willing to do at some point,” The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported Saturday.

It also doesn’t sound like the Stars are in a rush to do something.

“The market interest is already pretty robust for Robertson, as it should be,” LeBrun added. “Either way, though, I don’t see a quick resolution in the coming week or two. This is a slow-play situation where he’s either extended by the end of the summer or traded in August.”

Robertson would be a perfect addition to the Bruins lineup. He is a tremendous goal scorer and would take a lot of pressure off Pastrnak. Robertson scored 35 goals last season, and he has averaged 37.8 goals over the last four years. He scored 41 goals in 2021-22 and 46 in 2022-23. He also is quite durable, having not missed a game since 2022.

Robertson is entering the final year of his contract, and a long-term deal would be expensive. But 25-year-old forwards who consistently score 30-plus goals are tough to develop and acquire.

Martin Necas, RW, Colorado Avalanche

2024-25 stats: 27 G, 56 A in 79 games

Contract: Signed through 2025-26, $6.5 million salary cap hit

Necas took his offensive production to a new level in 2024-25, setting career highs with 56 assists and 83 points in 79 games between the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche. He also scored 27 goals — one short of his career-high set in 2022-23.

Necas has averaged 26.3 goals over the last three seasons, and he’s a very good playmaker on the wing. He’s also one of the fastest players in the league, and the Bruins definitely need to play with more pace next season.

His zone entries are elite as well, and that’s an area that new Bruins head coach Marco Sturm mentioned in his introductory press conference where Boston must improve.

Necas is also just 26 years old, so he would fit the age timeline of the Bruins’ core players. He also is from Czechia and has played quite a bit with Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha during international tournaments, including a gold medal triumph at the IIHF World Championship in 2024.

Necas is able to become a UFA next summer. If the Avalanche aren’t able to reach an extension with Necas, would they move him at some point? The Bruins should at least give Colorado a call.

Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks

2024-25 stats: 15 G, 30 A in 64 GP

Contract: Signed through 2031-32, $11.6 million salary cap hit

The strongest argument against trading for Pettersson is his contract. He is signed for the next seven seasons with a $11.6 million cap hit. That’s a huge salary and one that wouldn’t be super easy for the Bruins to absorb.

On the flip side, No. 1 centers are very tough to find, and Pettersson is supremely talented.

The 2024-25 season was a tough one for the Canucks and many of their players. A reported feud between Pettersson and J.T. Miller resulted in the latter being dealt to the New York Rangers during the season. The situation seemed to affect Pettersson, who saw his production drop from 89 points (34 goals, 55 assists) in 82 games in 2023-24 to just 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 64 games last season.

However, Pettersson is in the prime of his career at 26 years old. He has three seasons of 80-plus points, including a career-high 102 during the 2022-23 campaign. He’s great on the power play and has elite playmaking talent.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to at least contact Vancouver and see what the price might be.

Marco Rossi, C, Minnesota Wild

2024-25 stats: 24 G, 36 A in 82 GP

Contract: RFA on July 1

Rossi just had the best season of his career, setting personal bets in goals, assists, points, power-play points and time on ice. The No. 9 overall pick from the 2020 draft can become a restricted free agent in July. He did benefit from playing alongside star wing Kirill Kaprizov for much of the 2024-25 season, but he clearly has impressive offensive talent.

So far, the Wild and Rossi haven’t been able to agree on an extension. The Athletic’s Michael Russo recently reported that Rossi “had been looking for a long-term deal in the Matt Boldy range ($7 million) — an area the Wild have so far shown no appetite to go near.”

The Vancouver Canucks have offered the Wild the No. 15 pick in next week’s NHL Draft, plus a player, in exchange for Rossi, per Patrick Johnston of The Province. Should the Bruins match that offer?

It’s definitely worth considering. Rossi is a 23-year-old center who has scored 21-plus goals each of the last two seasons and should have his best years still ahead of him. And the Bruins very much need centers with top-six talent.