The Boston Bruins continue to, by all accounts, hunt down ways to improve their team.
Bruins President Cam Neely didn't hide those intentions yesterday either, speaking to reporters at his Neely Foundation Golf Outing, telling Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald and others, "If it’s going to help us, I’m all about being aggressive.”
That doesn't sound like a president who wants to sit on hands this summer.
It's also worth remembering that it's the same president who declared at the end of the season that this team needs a top-line center and a top-four right-shot defenseman, preferably one who brings some offense.
Then, over the last week, the likes of Mathew Barzal, Nico Hischier, and Dylan Larkin all wound up with some heavy trade rumors swirling around them.
Then, slowly, all those trade rumors have been fizzled, or ruled out the Bruins entirely.
Larkin's rumored trade list didn't include the Bruins. Hischier, by all recent reports, seems likeliest to extend in New Jersey. The New York Islanders seem to have no interest in moving Barzal, unless it's for a crazy package.
Now, the Bruins, had Toronto lost the lottery and ended up with the sixth-overall pick, could've used that pick or James Hagens as the centerpiece for a Barzal trade.
Without it, and with Neely also acknowledging yesterday that Boston won't receive Toronto's pick until 2028, leaves them with less ammo than before.
Yes, Boston could still offer the Islanders a package including Hagens, one of three 2028 first-round picks, and the 23rd overall pick, plus potentially more.
Barzal would unquestionably help in the short-term. But in the long term, would Boston be better off not overpaying for a center like Barzal?
After all, the summer of 2027 could feature Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews forcing their way out of Edmonton and Toronto, with their contracts set to expire in 2028.
Perhaps stockpiling as many future assets as possible should be the way forward for Boston.
Maybe the Bruins instead splurge for Darren Raddysh or Rasmus Andersson for their defense.
The 23rd overall pick should still fetch a good center, but maybe not the top-of-the-market guys Boston could be after.
The good news for Boston is that they've got a lot of options in front of them. They're in a great place to strike a major deal, or continue to display patience and wait for a better deal to fall to them.