Could the Bruins swing a trade with the Maple Leafs for the second year in a row?
The Boston Bruins' top goal ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline should be to add an impactful defenseman. It is clear that their top four is in need of a boost, and they have been linked to several defensemen on the trade market this season because of it.
Now, the Bruins are being linked to a new one from one of their biggest rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
During a recent appearance on NHL Network, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman shared that the Bruins are among the teams that he's heard have interest in Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
"Ekman-Larsson, I've heard that it's been teams like maybe Boston or Detroit have been among the teams that have been looking at him potentially," Friedman said.
Hearing that the Bruins are one of the teams interested in Ekman-Larsson is not too difficult to understand. The Bruins are in need of another top-four defenseman, and Ekman-Larsson would provide them with just that. The veteran blueliner has also been connected to the Bruins in the past.
While Ekman-Larsson is not a right-shot defenseman, he can comfortably play the right side. Because of this, he could provide the Bruins with a much-needed upgrade on the right side of their second pairing. Furthermore, he would give the Bruins another option for their power play and penalty kill due to his strong all-around play.
Ekman-Larsson would be more than a rental for the Bruins if acquired, too. This is because he has a reasonable $3.5 million cap hit until the end of the 2027-28 season. While Ekman-Larsson is 34 years old, that cap hit adds to his appeal, especially when noting that he is a top-four defenseman.
In 61 games this season with the Maple Leafs, Ekman-Larsson has eight goals, 27 assists, and 35 points. With numbers like these, he is having a very solid year offensively for Toronto and could give the Bruins more offense from the point if successfully brought in.