Bruins' GM looking to 'shake things up' on trade market

The Bruins got crushed by the Stars on Thursday.

It's no secret that the Boston Bruins aren't playing anywhere near the prolific level of hockey fans have gotten used to over the last few seasons. The 2024-25 Bruins are back to .500 at 8-8-2 and reeling after a 7-2 shellacking at the hands of the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.

It makes sense that general manager Don Sweeney would be looking for avenues to change the construction of the roster, and that's exactly what's happening — at least according to RG's James Murphy.

“Based on chatter coming out of Toronto at the Hall of Fame inductions, where some NHL general managers were ahead of the NHL GM meetings, there is a common belief that the Boston Bruins could be on the verge of a ‘big’ change,” Murphy wrote earlier this week.

A source told RG that it's no longer a matter of if the Bruins will shake things up — it's a matter of when.

“He is looking for help, make no mistake about it,” the source told Murphy. “It’s no secret that he wants a scoring winger for the top-6, but don’t be surprised if he snags another top-6 center. Are we talking about a legit No. 1 center? Probably not because those are hard to find on the trade market, but maybe a 1B like they already have in [Elias] Lindholm.”

Sweeney has reportedly already discussed a potential trade with Columbus Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell, although those negotiations are likely going to be put on hold after the Jackets claimed defenseman Dante Fabbro off waivers from the Nashville Predators. Sweeney has also had conversations with the Utah Hockey Club and Anaheim Ducks, per Murphy.

The executive needs to do something to help right the ship; Boston is just not looking anywhere close to the team that made all kinds of regular-season history just two campaigns ago.

Bruins dismantled by Stars on Thursday

Things continue to go off the rails in Beantown; the Bruins allowed seven goals to the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Thursday night to fall back down to .500.

“They executed at a high level, and we didn’t match the execution,” head coach Jim Montgomery said afterwards, per NHL.com's Taylor Baird. “It’s been frustrating all year that we haven’t been able to string together three or four consistent games where we feel like our habits and details are consistently there.”

“We lost every battle. Soft on the puck, soft everywhere. Not finishing checks. We just got embarrassed today,” echoed defenseman Nikita Zadorov. “We take a step forward and take a step backwards. It’s hard to win in this league. There are good teams. They’re going to put you on your heels, and you got to deal with pressure.”

While a change to the roster is the most likely scenario, there have been rumors that Sweeney could potentially replace Montgomery behind the bench. This is the same bench boss that won the Jack Adams at the coach of the year two seasons ago.

“The sense is Sweeney won’t wait much longer to either make a coaching change or shake up the team via a trade,” Murphy confirmed.

Something needs to change in Massachusetts, and it'll be interesting to see if that change will come behind the bench or on the ice in 2024-25.