The Boston Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins]are continuing to impress this season. After a tough 6-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 14, the Bruins responded with an impressive 4-1 win over the Utah Mammoth on Dec. 16. With this victory, the Bruins have now won four out of their last five games and have a 20-14-0 record on the season. With the way the Bruins are playing so far this campaign, they are certainly setting themselves up to be buyers at the 2026 NHL trade deadline. The Bruins should be looking to add, as they have multiple areas in their lineup that could use upgrades. However, in a recent article for Bleacher Report [https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25326132-what-every-nhl-team-would-do-if-2026-nhl-trade-deadline-were-today], Lyle Richardson argued that the Bruins' biggest need is to add a right-shot defenseman for their second pairing. "The Bruins could use an experienced right-shot defenseman on their second blue-line pairing. They haven't suitably filled the gap left by trading Brandon Carlo to Toronto last season," Richardson wrote. It is hard to disagree with Richardson's take here, as there is no question that the Bruins could use an upgrade on the right side of their second pairing. While they have right-shot defenseman like Henri Jokiharju and Andrew Peeke, they would benefit by adding a proven top-four blueliner to their roster. Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson is the most notable right-shot defenseman on the market, and he would undoubtedly look good in a Bruins sweater. Yet, the Bruins would need to give up a lot to get him, as he is now the NHL's top blueliner trade candidate and is set to generate a ton of interest. Another intriguing option is St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk, but he also has a $6.5 million cap hit, which makes things complicated. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to see if the Bruins bring in a right-shot defenseman of some kind by the trade deadline. They also should be looking to add another scorer in their top six.
