Bruins trade tiers: Which players could follow the coach out the door?

Since the Boston Bruins tone-setting 6-4 loss on opening night to the Florida Panthers , general manager Don Sweeney has tinkered with his rosters periphery.

He has demoted Max Jones, Matt Poitras and Riley Tufte.

Hes called up Tufte, Patrick Brown, Georgii Merkulov , Jordan Oesterle and Jeffrey Viel.

He signed training camp invitee Tyler Johnson to a one-year contract.

Advertisement All of this has done nothing but produce an 8-9-3 record and a minus-21 goal differential, second-worst in the league.

Sweeney brought the hammer down on coach Jim Montgomery on Tuesday.

If interim coach Joe Sacco does not produce rapid results, Sweeneys next course of action will be a trade.

Were going to identify the guys that love being here, love representing the Boston Bruins, Sweeney said Wednesday.

And if they dont, then Ill make some changes as a result of that.

Performance will drive it.

It will not be easy, though.

The Bruins are capped out.

If the GM wants to make a significant trade, the money will have to be even.

The Bruins are not in a position to package futures in exchange for significant salary retention.

So who could Sweeney swap? Here is how the 28 players who have played for the Bruins this year qualify in trade tiers: Not going anywhere Charlie McAvoy McAvoy is having a down year, but the 26-year-old remains a franchise defenseman.

His partners have included Oesterle, Mason Lohrei and Nikita Zadorov , none of whom qualify as predictable.

This comes after sharing top-pair duties for parts of seven seasons with Matt Grzelcyk .

Perhaps McAvoy is not a first-unit power-play point man.

But he is critical everywhere else.

David Pastrnak The No.

1 right wing had no shots in Mondays 5-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets .

He was benched for the third period against the Seattle Kraken .

Pastrnak is not playing to his standard.

But he is still a foundational pillar.

Not going anywhere, but for a different reason Joonas Korpisalo Korpisalo (.901 save percentage) has been a respectable No.

2.

But the ex-Ottawa Senator is on the books through 2028 at $3 million annually.

No team is taking on that contract without an asset attached.

Elias Lindholm The Bruins signed Lindholm to a seven-year, $54.25 million contract to be their No.

1 center.

He is currently centering the second line.

He has just one five-on-five goal.

Advertisement If Lindholm continues to play at this level , his contract cannot be moved.

Jeremy Swayman Swayman is the fourth-highest-paid active goalie in the league.

His save percentage is .884.

Nobody expects Swayman to remain this inconsistent for long.

But projecting goaltending performance is no sure thing.

No GM would take on this contract unless Swayman improves rapidly and significantly.

Nikita Zadorov The 29-year-old is on the No.

3 pairing.

Hes taken a league-high 13 minor penalties and is signed through 2030 at $5 million annually, which is way too much for his current role.

Part of the solution Justin Brazeau The wide-shouldered right wing has three five-on-five goals, second-most on the team.

He has touch around the net.

He protects the puck well.

Brazeau will never be a burner, but he gets to his spots.

All this at the $775,000 league minimum.

Hampus Lindholm The left-shot defenseman was the Bruins best player when he took a shot off the left leg against the St.

Louis Blues on Nov.

12.

Lindholm is week to week.

Before his injury, Lindholm was defending well, going up the ice and generating chances in tight.

Part of the future Johnny Beecher The No.

4 left wing was a healthy scratch against St.

Louis on Nov.

16.

On Monday, Beecher had no shots in 11:53 of ice time.

But the 23-year-old is one of the teams fastest skaters.

He can play center and left wing.

When hes on time on the forecheck, Beecher is a good and inexpensive bottom-six forward.

Mason Lohrei The 23-year-old is still learning to defend.

He needs no tutelage at the other end.

The former forward is an instinctive attacker who isnt afraid to take offensive risks.

Lohrei has lots of room to grow.

Georgii Merkulov A two-game sample size is small, but the 24-year-old appears more at ease with his current promotion than during his four-game stretch last season.

He likes to make plays and doesnt need much time with the puck to spring his teammates.

Advertisement Matt Poitras Its been a turbulent second pro season.

He missed time in camp because of an undisclosed injury.

The Bruins asked Poitras to play right wing.

He was assigned to AHL Providence after he lost Montgomerys trust.

But the 20-year-old still projects to be an NHL center.

He just needs reps.

Minimal returns Patrick Brown The Providence captain is a depth NHL center/right wing.

Tyler Johnson Thirty-one teams passed on giving Johnson an NHL contract.

Max Jones The Bruins signed Jones to compete for third- or fourth-line duty at left wing.

He suffered a groin injury in camp and never got up to pace.

After four scoreless games and four minor penalties, Jones was assigned to Providence.

He is in the first season of a two-year, $2 million contract.

Mark Kastelic One of the few Bruins to play to expectation.

But the 25-year-old is best suited as a fourth-line center/right wing.

Cole Koepke Like Kastelic, Koepke has fulfilled his employers ask so far.

But the Bruins leading five-on-five goal scorer (four) has gone cold.

He was a healthy scratch against the Blue Jackets.

Koepke is a fourth-liner.

Jordan Oesterle The 32-year-old is a depth NHL defenseman.

He was recalled from Providence following Hampus Lindholms injury.

Andrew Peeke The ex-Blue Jacket is a third-pairing defenseman earning $2.75 million annually.

The 26-year-old missed five games because of an upper-body injury.

Riley Tufte Tufte is a depth NHL left wing.

Jeffrey Viel Viel is a depth NHL left wing.

The 27-year-old was recalled on Monday to be a physical No.

4 left wing.

Parker Wotherspoon Wotherspoon is a No.

6 or 7 NHL defenseman.

Certainly possible Brandon Carlo The 27-year-old has settled in as a dependable defensive defenseman and penalty killer.

He is signed through 2027 at $4.1 million annually.

Carlo will never be an offensive pace-pusher.

But he skates well enough to get up the ice and keep tight gaps.

Carlo has a concussion history.

Advertisement Charlie Coyle After scoring 14 five-on-five goals last year, Coyle is stuck on one.

He is averaging 4.94 shots per 60 minutes of five-on-five play, per Natural Stat Trick , a career low.

The 32-year-old, however, is a dependable two-way center.

He kills penalties, takes important defensive-zone faceoffs and plays on the No.

2 power-play unit.

He is a hardworking forward who can also play right wing.

Coyle is earning $5.25 million annually through 2026.

Most coaches would welcome him as their No.

3 center.

Trent Frederic The 2016 first-rounder is unrestricted after this season.

He makes $2.3 million annually.

When hes on, Frederic is fast, physical, mean and strong on pucks.

He scored twice against the Blues on Saturday by being in front of the net.

Frederic is well-liked in the dressing room because of his insistence on defending his teammates.

He can play left wing, center and right wing.

Morgan Geekie The right-shot forward has been a healthy scratch five times.

Hes most recently been the No.

1 left wing, tasked to free up his linemates for chances.

Geekie is earning $2 million this season and will be restricted.

The 26-year-old is not a full-time first-liner.

But he can be an effective No.

3 center or right wing.

Brad Marchand Would Sweeney really trade the captain, lifelong Bruin and future Hall of Famer? Marchand is 36.

He is coming off three offseason procedures.

Marchands bread and butter is his high motor.

With every game, the left wing is at risk of more wear and tear.

The UFA-to-be would be a welcome addition to a championship contender because of his experience, personality and competitiveness.

Due to his age and contract status, Marchand would be more of a deadline possibility for futures than a pending flip.

Pavel Zacha Zacha, 27, started the year as the No.

1 left wing.

After Lindholms demotion, Zacha shifted to the middle.

He is not playing like a No.

1 center.

However, his ability to play center and wing, plus his work on the power play and penalty kill, would make him attractive lower in the lineup.

Zacha has a $4.75 million AAV through 2027.

(Top photo of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Linus Ullmark : Maddie Meyer / Getty Images).

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