Bruins Trade Rumors: This Proposed Deal Lands Hanifin in Boston

It appears that the destination pool is being narrowed for the impending Noah Hanifin trade from the Calgary Flames. The latest reports have Boston and Tampa Bay as the most likely frontrunners. On Thursday, we ran through a proposed deal that would land Hanifin with the Lightning, and today we'll have a look at a trade that would get the Boston-born D-man to his hometown. 

The Bruins have been trying to get their hands on the star blueliner for years now, even all the way back to the 2015 Draft, when the B's tried, unsuccessfully, to move up from one of their trio of mid-first-rounders to get in position to select Hanifin. He wound up going No. 5 overall to the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Now Boston is in a position once again to bring the Boston College product home. Matching the Flames' purported ask of a first-round pick, a top prospect and a roster player is difficult for the Bruins, but perhaps this proposed deal by Julian McKenzie and Corey Pronman of The Athletic gets it done:

Boston Bruins Receive:

• Noah Hanifin, D

Calgary Flames Receive:

• Mason Lohrei, D
• John Beecher, C
• Jakub Lauko, LW

The Bruins don't have any of their picks in the top three rounds of this year's draft, nor do they have their second-rounder in 2025, thus leaving picks out of the equation as the best way for the Beantowners to get something done here. 

Lohrei, a left-shot defenseman and second-round pick from 2020, has handled himself well in his first full pro season, playing 32 games with the Bruins, with 10 points and a plus-minus rating at the break-even point. With the Providence Bruins of the AHL earlier in the season, he posted 13 points in 17 games with a +13 rating.

A young, up-and-coming sizeable D-man (6'5", 211 pounds) who can play on the power play would be a nice get for Calgary to replace Hanifin on the blueline. 

Beecher is a former first-round pick (2019) currently in Providence who didn't show a lot of offensive potential in his 39-game trial with Boston earlier this season (7 points), but also possesses plenty of size and handed out 89 hits in that short stint, in just 10 minutes average per game.

In summation though, without a top draft pick involved, McKenzie and Pronman wonder if Flames GM Craig Conroy would accept any deal from Boston that doesn't include either Fabian Lysell or Matthew Poitras. Time will tell. 

Photo: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports