Bruins GM not willing to pay 'exorbitant' price before Trade Deadline

BOSTON -- Morgan Geekie has said it. David Pastrnak too.

The Boston Bruins players have made no secret about their desire for team management to make additions -- or, at minimum, not sell – at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline, which is Friday at 3 p.m. ET.

Boston (33-21-5) entered Monday as the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

"Absolutely," Pastrnak said, of whether the Bruins have performed well enough for acquisitions. "I'm super proud of our group. We had adversity throughout the whole year. We were doubted by a lot of people, and we put ourselves in an amazing spot before the break, Olympic break, and can't waste it.

"We worked hard the whole first half before the break to put ourselves in the position we are in, which is a playoff spot right now, and that's our main goal."

The message has been heard by general manager Don Sweeney.

"We would like to continue to improve our hockey club, if possible," Sweeney said Monday. "… We'd like to give them a bump, because they've earned that. But it's an eye towards obviously this year [and] moving forward as well."

He added, "I respect when Morgan Geekie and players speak out that they would like the opportunity to continue to move forward with their group because they've done a good job."

The Bruins, who host the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, NESN, SNP, TVAS), are five points behind the Buffalo Sabres for second place in the Atlantic Division. They are four behind the Montreal Canadiens for third, and three back of the Detroit Red Wings for fourth. Detroit holds the first wild card in the East.

The balance Sweeney has to strike is knowing what is right to keep and what is OK to give up during a season in which a playoff berth isn't assured and in which winning the Stanley Cup still seems unlikely.

"The right deal has to come along," Sweeney said. "If the right deal presents that it's helping our club now and moving forward, then we'd have to explore and look at that. And that's part of the job that our scouts do a really good job, to push the envelope [and] say, 'Hey, does this make sense for us now and moving forward?'

"You're not wrong in the fact that we spent likely too much collateral assets to try and win [in previous seasons]. I'm not going to apologize for trying to win; I'm going to apologize that we haven't won. But being in a position to try and go for it? That's what this organization wants to be back in."

It has been a surprisingly successful season after the Bruins were among the most active teams at the 2025 Trade Deadline, selling off key players, including captain Brad Marchand, defenseman Brandon Carlo, and forwards Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau, amidst a season in which they fired coach Jim Montgomery and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

"Kind of feels polar opposite, to be honest," Geekie said Thursday. "I think this group's done a great job of putting ourselves in the position to stand pat or add guys, whatever they see fit."

Sweeney was clear that Boston is not in the market for rentals -- "if a player deems it as he's going to go to market regardless, then that might close the door," Sweeney said -- and will be especially cautious in trading away some of the assets acquired last season, a group that includes James Hagens, the No. 7 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, forward prospect Will Zellers, and future first-round picks from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers, plus young players like forwards Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov.

"This time of year, the asks are going to be exorbitant and that's the balancing act. It just is," Sweeney said. "But if we have a player that we've identified to be a difference-maker and he's under control or with the opportunity to extend, then we're going to explore that. And it's my job to figure out what that acquisition cost will be and whether or not we're willing to do that."

There are players the Bruins could make available, potentially including defenseman Andrew Peeke and forward Viktor Arvidsson, each of whom is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. But Sweeney said that, given the condensed schedule and the need for depth, that he's "not just in a hurry to usher people out the door that have helped us get to the point that we are right here. But if something presents and there's a lateral situation that improves our depth, then I have to do my job and explore it."

There has been a lot to like this season under first-year coach Marco Sturm, including a power play that has improved from 27th in the NHL last season (15.2 percent) to fourth (26.0 percent) under assistant Steve Spott, and an increase in competitiveness that was missing at times in 2024-25.

There are indeed plenty of positives, which is why the players are saying what they're saying, that this team deserves help before the Trade Deadline. But it's also not that simple, given the competitiveness in the Atlantic and the East, and the fact the Bruins finally are rebuilding a stock of draft picks and talent they have lacked in recent seasons after going all-in for many years with Stanley Cup aspirations.

"I don't think we've ever deviated in the fact that we want to be a playoff team," Sweeney said. "Last year we set out, acknowledged our shortcomings, changed our course, and aggressively pursued the ability to get back in the hunt this year. … We changed course, we drew up a plan that said we need to attack and we need to pull off a start to getting us back to where we need to be.

"We're not there yet; we have work to do. We've put ourselves in a decent spot. We've got a long way to go. It's going to be a hell of a competitive race. But our intensions are to be a playoff team. And then once you get in, it's up to the group, but that's our intention."