Is a Mason McTavish trade the best way for Bruins to add another top-six center?

By Conor Ryan Send this article to your social connections.

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The good news? The Boston Bruins might have a future top-line center in their pipeline after adding Boston College standout James Hagens in the 2025 NHL Draft.

The bad news? Even if Hagens realizes his potential in due time as an offensive conduit on the ice, the uber-skilled pivots presence alone wont be enough to completely shift the fortunes of a Boston roster in the midst of an overhaul.

As the Bruins trudge ahead in what could be a bridge season in 2025-26, the focus for Marco Sturm, Don Sweeney, and the rest of Bostons top brass should be identifying the building blocks that could help build the Original Six franchise back up as a legitimate contender in the coming years.

If Hagens long considered to be the crown jewel of the 2025 NHL Draft class before his late slide down to the No.

7 pick stuffs the stat sheet at Chestnut Hill and joins the NHL ranks come the spring, hell join a core already anchored by a star sniper in David Pastrnak, a do-it-all blueliner in Charlie McAvoy, and a poised netminder in Jeremy Swayman.

That alone likely wont be enough.

As evidenced by other teams like the Panthers, Oilers, Penguins, Lightning, and even the Golden Knights, one of the hallmarks of an elite roster is boasting a pair of impact centers atop the depth chart.

Beyond the generational talents like Connor McDavid / Leon Draisaitl or Sidney Crosby / Evgeni Malkin, even poised 2Cs like Sam Bennett, William Karlsson, Anthony Cirelli, and David Krejci play vital roles when it comes to driving play, creating matchup woes for the opposition, and pushing other talented players further down on the depth chart.

If the Bruins want to build up a new core alongside the usual suspects, theyre going to need to add another center to form a 1-2 punch with Hagens especially if a 30-year-old Elias Lindholm eventually develops into more of a 3C in the later stages of his career.

Its a task easier said than done.

When it comes to quick fixes for the future, it should come as little surprise that many have pointed to the potential for a franchise center to hit free agency next July especially a local product like Jack Eichel.

Adding a two-way, Hart-level center like Eichel to a roster on the upswing would be a major coup for the Bruins especially if Boston only has to allocate money to bring in a transformative talent.

But as is the case every year, pinning ones hopes on franchise talents hitting free agency often led to disappointment given that the overwhelming odds favor star players re-upping with their current teams.

Despite his local ties, one wouldnt fault Eichel who won a Cup in Vegas and has finally found a winning culture in the desert after toiling away for years in Buffalo to sign a hefty new deal with the Golden Knights.

After all, Vegas is in a far-better position to contend over the next few years, especially with Mitch Marner added to an already potent top-six unit.

No, if the Bruins realistically want to add another impactful center to pair with Hagens for the long-haul, the best path forward is via draft or trade.

The first option could be a tangible path forward if the Bruins once again labor and secure another top draft pick.

But if the Bruins with their cupboard restocked full of picks and prospects after last years roster teardown wanted to acquire more of an established commodity, a player like Mason McTavish could be an intriguing trade target.

Bruins fans who arent tuning into rebuilding franchises out on the West Coast may not know much about McTavish.

But the 22-year-old center is already on track to be developed into an impactful top-six center.

And given his current contract strife with the Ducks, the third-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft could also be on the move if contract talks continue to stall.

Much like the arduous contract talks last year between Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins, McTavish has found himself in a similar boat this offseason as a restricted free agent with Anaheim.

Fresh off of a 2024-25 season where McTavish scored 22 goals, posted 52 points, and also won 50.7 percent of his faceoffs, the budding two-way pivot is due a hefty raise from the $894,167 cap hit he incurred last year.

Mason McTavish is as hot as it gets right now That's his SIXTH goal in his last four games! pic.twitter.com/zfYeLv829c But be it a bridge deal or a long-term contract, Sportsnets Elliotte Friedman acknowledged on the latest 32 Thoughts podcast that both McTavishs representatives and Anaheims top brass have yet to find the middle ground needed to strike a deal.

I think that Anaheim likes the player.

I think they recognize how good the player is, Friedman said.

I think theres a difference of opinion on where the salary should go at different terms.

And thats why this is not done yet.

...

I think that they believe in him.

I just think that youve got a lot of grinders in this negotiation.

Pat Morris, who represents McTavish, hes a grinder.

[Ducks GM] Pat Verbeek is a grinder.

And I think Pat Verbeek kind of looks at it like before the guy gets the super big money.

I want him to really earn it.

...

I think that McTavishs representatives looked for an offer sheet.

Didnt happen.

Given that Anaheim is still operating with over $20.5 million in cap space (per PuckPedia ), the general consensus is that the Ducks who hold the leverage in these negotiations eventually either get McTavish on their terms, or take advantage of their abundant cap space and hand him a hefty deal.

But with Anaheim also having to contend with future long-term deals for other young franchise fixtures like Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson, could an extended stalemate eventually prompt Verbeek to move McTavish for more draft picks or prospects? Such is a scenario that the Bruins and other teams in need of young talent down the middle like Montreal and Philadelphia will be hoping for in the coming months.

If McTavish is actually up for grabs, the Bruins would likely need to relinquish a first-round pick or two over the next few seasons along with either an intriguing prospect or a young NHLer (could Mason Lohrei intrigue an Anaheim team in need of some skill on the blue line?).

Theres plenty of risk involved with moving first-round picks especially on a retooling Bruins team that could land another top-10 pick next June.

But a player like McTavish also represents a high-upside addition with established production and more room to grow especially given his age.

As the Bruins try to fit the right pieces into place on their incomplete depth chart, theres a lot to like about the future of this franchise if it has both Hagens and McTavish down the middle for the foreseeable future.

Even if McTavish isnt a tangible option this summer, the skilled center represents the type of player that Don Sweeney and Co.

should be targeting.

Staying the course and accruing as many draft picks as possible to throw at the dartboard is a sound move for a Bruins team in need of more young talent.

But if a deal is there to be made for a younger player who can both help Boston now and especially in the following years dont be surprised if Sweeney and the Bruins get aggressive in hopes of adding another key cog for this overhauled roster.

Conor Ryan Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.

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