3 Boston Bruins trade candidates after the holiday roster freeze

The Boston Bruins have dealt with a ton of adversity this season. From the Jeremy Swayman's contract saga going public, to firing Jim Montgomery and replacing him with Joe Sacco, there hasn't been a dull moment in Boston this season.

The Bruins enter the holiday break playing five more games than the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are just two points back of Boston for third spot in the Atlantic Division. GM Don Sweeney will likely be aggressive on the trade market heading into 2025, as the Bruins need to find some more secondary scoring. 

Here's three trade candidates Sweeney may consider moving after the holiday roster freeze concludes:

Brandon Carlo

If the Bruins want to add an impact player up front, they'll need to move some talent from their back end, and Carlo is someone who would fetch a top-six forward. The 28-year-old blueliner is signed for two more seasons at $4.1 million, and he does own 10-team no-trade protection. On the year, Carlo has recorded one goal and four points in 33 games, however, plays a vital role on the Bruins' penalty kill, and logs close to 19 minutes total a night. 

Nikita Zadorov

It wasn't long ago Elliotte Friedman mentioned the Vancouver Canucks may be interested in re-acquiring Zadorov from the Bruins, but no deal materialized. Could a deal be coming in early Jan? The towering defenseman signed a six-year, $30-million contract in Boston, but frankly, it hasn't worked out as many hoped, at least not to this point. Zadorov has two goals and nine points in 35 games this season, and has shown in the past he's capable of chipping in offensively, tallying a career high 14 goals in 2022-23. Zadorov owns a full no-move clause this season, so any deal that comes his way will need a stamp of approval.

Matthew Poitras

Poitras is a tough move because the 20-year-old has the talents to be a second or third-line centre of the future for the Bruins, it's just a matter of when he's going to be able to consistently produce at the NHL level. His name has been out there before in regards to trade talks, and that could once again pick up in January through to March. The former 2022 second-rounder has one goal and four points in 14 NHL games this year, and 16 points in 17 AHL games. It would have to be a significant return for GM Don Sweeney to consider moving one of his brightest prospects in his system.

Photo credit:  Brian Fluharty-Imagn Image