Boston Bruins
Players like Olen Zellweger and Mason McTavish could be potential targets for the Bruins this summer.
Olen Zellweger and Mason McTavish are two potential trade targets for the Bruins. Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP
Cam Neely didn’t mince words earlier this month when asked about the Bruins’ top needs this offseason.
“We need more talent, we need more speed,” the Bruins president declared. “That’s something that we have to try to acquire in one way, shape or form. But you look at the elite teams in the league, we’re not there.”
All it takes is a quick glance at the four remaining clubs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs — the Canadiens, Hurricanes, Avalanche, and Golden Knights — to get a sobering reality check as to how much work is required to reshape Boston’s roster into a legitimate contender.
Fair to say, the Bruins aren’t just one player away from putting themselves over the top.
Boston has several needs it must address this summer and in the coming years — be it a top-line center, a minutes-munching, top-four D-man on the right side, and more skill across the depth chart.
As the Bruins try to build off of this season’s progress and ward off the threat of regression, the need for more upside is evident on a team still in the early stages of replenishing its prospect pipeline and actually cultivating homegrown talent on the roster.
As intriguing as it might be for Boston to try and hook a big fish like Robert Thomas or Brady Tkachuk via trade this offseason, there’s no guarantee that said assets will even be up for grabs — or whether Boston has the outright assets to win such a high-stakes bidding war.
Similar to how Boston identified a future 39-goal scorer in Morgan Geekie on the open market or swapped out Erik Haula for a seemingly rudderless Pavel Zacha, Boston’s best bet at effectively retooling on the fly is going to require Don Sweeney and his staff to get creative this summer.
One of those potential offseason avenues? Finding a trade suitor rife with distressed assets, cap restraints, or a glut of redundant players.
And when it comes to finding a match, there’s a lot to like about what an ascending Anaheim Ducks team might have to offer.
The Bruins and Ducks have been regular trade partners over the years, agreeing to four different swaps since 2020. Since current Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek took over in February 2022, he’s struck two deals with Sweeney — sending Hampus Lindholm to Boston in March 2022 before sending a fourth-round pick over to the Bruins for Jeffrey Viel this January.
But why exactly would a young Ducks team that just made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs have any interest in moving assets off its roster?
Some of it is rooted in Anaheim’s desire to cut into some redundant areas of their depth chart, while also giving themselves as much fiscal flexibility as possible with some hefty paydays on the horizon.
While Anaheim is projected to enter this offseason with over $40 million in cap space, a good chunk of that money is going to be tied up in two of its top stars in 21-year-old, top-line center Leo Carlsson and 22-year-old winger Cutter Gauthier — both of whom are pending restricted free agents.
Beyond potentially biting the bullet and trying to sign that duo to two long-term deals now instead of letting their values continue to spike, Anaheim also has three veteran D-men in John Carlson, Jacob Trouba, and captain Radko Gudas all hitting free agency — with the Ducks potentially placing value on re-upping those elder statesmen on a team littered with younger skaters.
Add in the postseason usage of some younger, unproven players under the watch of coach Joel Quenneville, and Verbeek might be willing to listen in on some players who could appeal to a Bruins team looking for several roster upgrades this summer.
Two names in particular to keep tabs on are defenseman Olen Zellweger and center Mason McTavish.
Zellweger, a 22-year-old defenseman, may not be the most imposing figure at 5-foot-10 and 193 pounds. The left-shot blueliner also doesn’t account for the vacancy on the right side of Boston’s D corps.
But if the Bruins are looking for a fleet-footed, skilled puck mover who could potentially pair with Charlie McAvoy and could add more speed to the back end, Zellweger is a player who could take off with more reps elsewhere.
Zellweger, who scored seven goals and 22 points over 76 games with Anaheim this past season, only appeared in three of the Ducks’ 12 games this postseason — scoring a goal and an assist over that stretch.
A pending RFA, Zellweger is the type of player that the Bruins should look to invest in if they’re looking for high-upside skill — especially if they’re willing to give said player more minutes and a greater role moving forward.
He’d also fit into Boston’s mandate of incorporating more speed and skill into an area of the lineup that could use some scoring punch and dynamic personnel.
According to NHL Edge tracking data, Zellweger ranked in the 98th percentile in skating bursts over 22 miles per hour (eight times), 99th percentile in 20-22 mph bursts (162), and 99th percentile in 18-20 mph bursts (587).
A look under the hood at Zellweger’s production paints the picture of an offensive-minded blueliner who continues to improve with each new season. (Chart via HockeyStats.com)
If Boston is looking to both augment some of its defensive personnel and potentially slot other holdovers like Jonathan Aspirot into a role on the third line, a young D-man like Zellweger would be a very intriguing addition to the Bruins’ blue line moving forward.
McTavish is a greater risk, given both his contract and the wide gap between his floor and ceiling.
The third-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, McTavish still has plenty of upside as a potential top-six center with a sturdy 6-foot-1, 219-pound frame.
After posting 52 points in 76 games in 2024-25, the skilled pivot’s tenure in Orange County has been rocky, to say the least.
After a prolonged contract negotiation that carried into late September 2025, McTavish finally signed a six-year deal worth $7 million per season — only to regress under Quenneville’s watch.
Pushed down the depth chart by Carlsson and veteran Mikael Granlund, McTavish posted 41 points over 75 games in 2025-26. He was scratched in two playoff games, averaging just 12:25 of ice time per postseason contest when he was in the lineup.
McTavish’s value has taken a hit, but it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if the Ducks dangle the 23-year-old center to see if someone wants to take on that contract and tap into his evident upside.
A Bruins team desperate to add more talent down the middle could make sense for McTavish, especially if he can reach his ceiling as a legitimate top-six talent who can throw his weight around.
There’s far more risk in an unproven commodity like McTavish, especially given his cap hit, slower foot speed (just 29 speed bursts between 20-22 mph), and the viable scenario where he develops into a serviceable, steady player — but not exactly a needle-mover.
But as the Bruins continue to leave no stone unturned when it comes to reshuffling their roster and incorporating younger talent, players like McTavish and Zellweger might be more realistic targets when weighed against established stars like Thomas or Tkachuk.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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