Calgary Flames v Anaheim Ducks — Boston Bruins NHL Trade Deadline Early Projections 2024: Team finally lands Patrice Bergeron replacement

Boston Bruins NHL Trade Deadline Early Projections 2024: Team finally lands Patrice Bergeron replacement

Modified Jan 12, 2024 12:15 GMT

The Boston Bruins lost two of their most valuable centers, Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, to retirement last summer. The team, who once were among the league leaders in the faceoff circle, now sit in the bottom third of the league in that category.

On Tuesday, Sportsnet announced their top 25 NHL trade candidates, highlighting players who may be wearing a different jersey after 3 pm. ET on Mar. 8, 2024, which Bruins fans were eager to read to see who could come to Beantown as reinforcements.

The team has one of the best goaltending tandems in the league, with Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, and a solid defensive corps. led by Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, but the Bruins need help in the center position.

Pavel Zacha is their top-line guy, playing alongside former 60-goal scorer David Pastrnak, while Charlie Coyle anchors the second line with Brad Marchand on the wing. After that, Morgan Geekie is on the third line, with John Beecher skating on the fourth line.

Collectively, the team has won 49.3% of faceoffs this season, which ranks 19th overall, behind the St. Louis Blues and ahead of the Vancouver Canucks. Last year, they ranked second behind the Dallas Stars at 54.5%.

So, as the Bruins continue to challenge for their second consecutive Presidents' Trophy, the team needs to upgrade their center position if they wish to go on a deeper playoff run. Interestingly, there are a handful of centers out there who could help the club down the stretch.

Four centers the Bruins could acquire at the NHL trade deadline

#1. Morgan Frost - Philadelphia Flyers (45.3 faceoff win percentage)

Morgan Frost anchors down the second line with the Philadelphia Flyers, skating with Owen Tippett and Cam Atkinson. After 30 games, he's got 14 points, ranking tenth on the team. Interestingly, those totals would rank 11th on the Bruins.

Moreover, Frost is 143-173 in the circle, good enough for a 45.3 win percentage, which is better than Geekie, 118-149 (44.2%) in the second-line role in Boston. Although Frost would be a downgrade on the offense side of the game, there's a chance he could find chemistry with new teammates and could be a valuable asset down the stretch.

#2. Adam Henrique - Anaheim Ducks (54.0 faceoff win percentage)

Adam Henrique is the second-line for the Anaheim Ducks, the 29th-ranked team in the NHL. Despite the team's place in the standings, he is the fourth-leading scorer with 21 points and is one of only four players to reach double digits in goals, making him the fifth skater in Boston with at least 10 goals if he came over.

Meanwhile, Henrique is the Duck's top faceoff guy with a 326-278 record, equalling a win percentage of 54.0, second best on the team behind Mason MacTavish at 54.6. Surprisingly, if Henrique switched coasts, he could be a top centerman in Boston and wouldn't be a downgrade on offense.

#3. Sean Monahan - Montreal Canadiens (57.3 faceoff win percentage)

After 11 seasons, Sean Monahan could be considered one of the veteran leaders on a young Montreal Canadiens team. For the first time in four seasons, he's healthy and playing every game, centering the team's third line. Despite his place in the lineup, he's their fourth-leading scorer with 24 points and is their top faceoff man.

Surprisingly, after just 40 games, he's winning 57.3% of his draws (328-244), tops on the team for anyone who has taken at least 300 faceoffs. As mentioned, someone with those numbers would be the top guy with the Bruins, whose best player currently wins just 53.8%.

Moreover, Monahan is about to have his best statistical season since 2019-20, which would be a great addition to Boston's bottom six.

#4. Elias Lindholm - Calgary Flames (55.4 faceoff win percentage)

In 2021-22, Elias Lindholm netted 42 goals and 40 assists for 82 points while taking 1,592 faceoffs, earning an 842-750 record (52.9%). Even though he continued to be a set-up man last season, his production dropped as the Calgary Flames failed to make the playoffs, which is when the Lindholm to Boston rumors started circulating.

As a pending unrestricted free agent this summer, the Bruins remain linked to Lindholm since he is a true number-one center who would immediately impact the team if acquired. Considering he's a gifted playmaker, fans can only imagine his chemistry with Pastrnak, a natural goal-scorer.

Furthermore, Lindholm would become Boston's fourth-leading scorer and top faceoff guy, already taking 80 more draws than Coyle. Even though his addition would alter the lineup (forcing Zacha and Coyle to be reassigned), he could serve as the missing piece to steer the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final while boosting his profile for a new contract in the summer.