It's no secret to anyone in hockey that the Boston Bruins are looking to add. After striking out on Rasmus Andersson due to him choosing Vegas over Boston, the Bruins continue to hunt another right-shot defenseman.
The Bruins have consistently played with four left-shot defenseman for over half the season now. Mason Lohrei continues to play on his off-side, skating alongside Hampus Lindholm.
The pairing has worked well, but they've had defensive lapses. Analytically, the pair's actually been Boston's best on the season, with a 63.8% goals for percentage (Per Moneypuck.com).
The sustainability of having Lohrei play his off-side forever comes into question. The Bruins have Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov locked up long-term, and the plan was for Lohrei to become the third left-shot defenseman long-term.
Then came Jonathan Aspirot. Aspirot continues to be the story of the season.
From the final cut of training camp all the way to Charlie McAvoy's best partner this season, the breakout has been tremendous.
When Aspirot has played 17+ minutes, the Bruins are 14-2-2, an astounding figure. When Aspirot has simply played in the game at all, the Bruins have gone 27-7-4.
With those types of numbers and a strong pairing with Charlie McAvoy, Aspirot's going nowhere.
That's left Lohrei's future more than a little murky, and he was allegedly a part of Boston's package for Andersson back before the Olympics.
Head Coach Marco Sturm indicated postgame on Thursday that he also wanted to give Jordan Harris another opportunity after he shined early in the season prior to a long-term injury.
There's a squeeze on the left side, and Lohrei could be the one squeezed out.
As per all reporting, the Bruins would use him and potentially other assets to open up possibilities on their right side.
Behind McAvoy, the other right-shot defensemen on the roster are Henri Jokiharju and Andrew Peeke.
The Bruins scratched Peeke last night, while his name continues to get posted on multiple trade boards.
Trading Peeke would free up $2.75 million on the cap, giving the Bruins just north of $6 million in cap space, thanks to cap accrual (per PuckPedia)
All these rumors of Peeke and Lohrei ($3.2 million cap hit) on the outs for a new right-shot defenseman bring into mind the St. Louis Blues.
Last night, Blues Assistant General Manager Tim Taylor and Vice President of Hockey Operations Peter Chiarelli scouted the Bruins game.
The Bruins have been routinely linked with the Blues, with any number of players being listed as fits.
Most notably, Justin Faulk and Colton Parayko would be the two right-shot defenseman to watch.
Faulk, 33, and Parayko, 32, have $6.5 million cap hits. However, Faulk's contract ends after next season. Parayko's signed through 2030, a significantly longer amount of time.
Faulk would seem to make more sense, especially as Lindholm's excelled with more offensive-minded partners in the past.
The cost for Faulk would be Lohrei and another piece, likely a high draft pick.
It feels like a strong fit, and it makes the most sense. Despite links with MacKenzie Weegar and others, Faulk's lack of a very long-term contractual commitment makes him a more attractive option.
Seems simple enough. But, the Bruins also very publicly wanted to add another forward, whether it's a center or a scoring winger.
A center would open up kicking Elias Lindholm or Pavel Zacha to the wing, while opening up a potential trade of pending UFA Viktor Arvidsson.
It's a bit messier to add a forward, but another top-six forward would help in a big way.
Then, last night, reports emerged that Matthew Poitras could be in play.
Immediately, the Bruins' ability to add a difference-making forward changed.
Trading Poitras makes a ton of sense. Fraser Minten and James Hagens are better prospects, with Minten already solidifying himself as a huge part of the Bruins' future.
Using Poitras, Lohrei, and their own 2026 first-round pick, and one of their own or Florida's 2027 first-round pick, and all of a sudden, the Bruins could make serious noise.
If they do ship out Arvidsson and Peeke, it creates $6.75 million in space, along with the $3.2 million from Lohrei, it's up to $9.95 in space.
Staying with the thread connecting the Bruins and Blues, it makes a lot of sense to start thinking about the likes of Jordan Kyrou, Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn as serious options for the Bruins.
Thomas would be the best of the bunch, but also the costliest. However, landing a multi-time 60+ assist guy to play with David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie long-term would be a perfect, seamless fit.
Imagine a package like Poitras, at least one of Boston's four first-round picks in the next two years, Fabian Lysell, and more would be what it takes to land Thomas at an absolute minimum.
It's costly, but he's cost-controlled. Thomas is signed through 2031 at an $8.125 million cap hit, a bargain for a player of his talent in this cap era.
Thomas does hold a full no-trade clause, so he does control his own fate. But it's widely expected he's willing to waive.
The other options, Kyrou and Schenn, would be cheaper to acquire, but aren't as perfect of fits.
Kyrou is a goal-scoring winger, but prefers the right side, making him slightly redundant to Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie. However, he could really elevate the second line.
But with his long-term twin contract to Thomas' and less-than perfect fit, it's not likely Kyrou for Boston.
Schenn, St. Louis' captain, has been linked with Boston. Signed through 2028 at a slightly cheaper ($6.5) million cap hit, his leadership and two-way play make him appealing.
He'd likely bump Zacha off the 2C hole, causing a big lineup flip for Boston. Casey Mittelstadt or Zacha would go to the right wing, while Arvidsson would be displaced entirely, either off the roster or vastly improving the third line.
Everything becomes a money question, but there is a way to get this done for Boston. Schenn, Thomas, and Faulk all make a ton of sense for the Bruins.