Bruins reportedly searching for ‘scoring winger’ before deadline

Boston Bruins

“I’m not sure if Matias Maccelli’s going to be their guy still, or they look for someone else.”

The NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 6. 

But a Bruins team that has largely punched above its weight this season might already be on the prowl for reinforcements. 

According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Bruins have already kept tabs on scoring forwards who might be dangled out on the open market — including Maple Leafs winger Matias Maccelli.

“I heard Boston had poked around him last year when he was available. I don’t know if that’s still the case now, Friedman said on Friday’s episode of his “32 Thoughts” podcast. “But you always look at who were the other teams that were maybe interested in acquiring him.

“I know the Bruins were there. I know they’re still looking for a scoring winger. I’m not sure if Matias Maccelli’s going to be their guy still, or they look for someone else.”

Maccelli has appeared in 22 games with Toronto so far this season, scoring nine points (four goals, five assists) while slotting in and out of the lineup. 

The 25-year-old forward could potentially be moved by Toronto as they look to augment their roster, with Boston potentially intrigued by a winger like Maccelli who did post 49 and 57 points, respectively, from 2022-24 with the Arizona Coyotes. 

Friedman’s report is a bit interesting, given that the Bruins’ most pressing need might revolve more around defense if Don Sweeney is adamant about adding to this roster.

For all of the concerns about Boston’s offensive depth entering the 2025-26 campaign, the Bruins actually rank ninth in the NHL with 3.24 goals per game. 

“One of the things that’s kind of surprised us a little bit is the goal scoring,” Bruins president Cam Neely told The Boston Globe’s Jim McBride this weekend. “We weren’t sure if we were going to be able to, early on, score enough goals, but we’ve certainly shown that we can.”

Even if Maccelli does have some upside that the Bruins could tap into, Boston has been able to identify reliable middle-six scorers so far this season, including former AHL regular Alex Steeves (seven goals in 17 games).

Meanwhile, the Bruins have had some red flags in their own zone. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Bruins currently rank 28th in 5-on-5 high-danger chances allowed (12.44 per 60 minutes) and are 32nd out of 32 NHL squads in expected goals against (3.02 per 60).

Without Jeremy Swayman — who ranks fourth in the NHL with 16.5 goals saved above expected — the Bruins might be far worse than their current 19-14-0 record would indicate.

Boston could try and target an asset to help them both now and in the coming years like 29-year-old Rasmus Andersson (who would be due a hefty new contract extension at the end of this season). 

But the Bruins — who are starting to see some of their prospect pipeline flourish with the continued development of youngsters like James Hagens, Dean Letourneau, and Will Zellers — may also be hesitant to part with prospects or valuable draft capital, even if this team continues to hover around the playoff picture.

Boston has both its own first-round pick and Toronto’s conditional first-round selection (top-five protected) this season. 

 

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