The Boston Bruins had a bounce-back year in 2025-26, as they made the playoffs with a 100-point season and flashed some of the values that the franchise held at its core for decades.
First-year head coach Marco Sturm was both a breath of fresh air and an innovative and inspiring leader. The Bruins had finished dead last in the Atlantic Division the previous season and it seemed that they were about to endure a downturn. However, the Bruins’ core players — David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and goalie Jeremy Swayman — would not let that happen.
Additionally, the Bruins reasserted the toughness factor that was missing the season before. The addition of Tanner Jeannot, Mark Kastelic and the return of Sean Kuraly gave this team the snarl that was needed.
The success, however, was limited. They matched up with the resurgent Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the playoffs and they lost that series in 6 games. While they won two games in Buffalo, they lost all three home games and there are specific weaknesses that have to be addressed if the Bruins are going to continue to climb the ladder next season.
Trocheck would be a great fit for the Bruins
The Bruins need to get stronger up the middle, and the addition of Vincent Trocheck from the Rangers could turn out to be a huge move.
Trocheck is an established playmaker and a big-game asset, and he could be a huge key for Pastrnak. There is no doubt that Pastrnak is the best player on the team and has been one of the elite goal scorers in the league. A look at his totals from the 2025-26 season shows that he had his fourth consecutive 100-point season. However, a breakdown shows that Pastrnak had just 29 goals and increased his assist total to 71.
He has moved into the role of the Bruins’ best playmaker. He has not lost any of his goal-scoring skills, but the Bruins have not had elite playmakers since the retirement of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Pastrnak has taken on that role out of necessity.
If the Bruins could add a center of Trocheck’s ability and put him on the same line as Pastrnak, it could allow the dynamic 30-year-old right wing from the Czech Republic to return to the upper region of the top goal scorers list.
He scored a career best 61 goals in the 2022-23 season, and he could get back to the 50-goal level if he had a dynamic playmaker at center.
Trocheck has played 13 years in the NHL and the last four of those seasons have been with the Rangers. He was at his best in the 2023-24 season when he scored 25 goals and had 52 assists while earning All-Star status.
He was also a huge postseason factor that year for the Rangers, scoring 8 goals and adding 12 assists in 16 postseason games.
Rangers could benefit from adding Mason Lohrei to the blue line
The Bruins know that Mason Lohrei can carry the puck and has some tangible offensive skills. He has flashed that talent each of the last three years.
Lohrei has the size at 6-5 and 218 pounds and the maneuverability to carry the puck. He is not a dominant offensive talent, but he has shown he can find an open lane to get off his shot and he can be asset on the power play.
Lohrei scored 7 goals and 19 assists in 73 games last season, and he had a plus-17 rating. That figure is significant because he was minus-43 the year before.
If the Rangers acquire Lohrei as part of a package for Trocheck, they can expect significant improvement in the upcoming seasons. Getting traded for a veteran star would be a huge boost to Lohrei’s confidence.
In addition to Lohrei, the Rangers would need a draft pick or a player to complete a deal for Trocheck. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney would most likely want to hold on to the team’s draft picks, but the Bruins could be willing to trade a key prospect in addition to Lohrei.
The belief is that the Bruins have two or three players on their minor-league affiliate in Providence who could be ready for promotion to the NHL. Those players include Georgi Merkulov, Matthew Poitras and Fabian Lysell.
Merkulov led the Providence Bruins with 61 points in 70 games, and that included 22 points with the man advantage. Poitras has had several attempts with the Bruins and now may be ready to make a consistent contribution at the NHL level. Lysell has been touted as a gifted offensive performer.
Sending Lohrei and Merkulov to the Rangers could entice New York to trade Trocheck to Boston.
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