Centers Jack McBain, Jack Drury could be right draft fit for Bruins

Don Sweeney and the Bruins gambled when they sent their first-round pick to the New York Rangers as part of the package to acquire Rick Nash in February.

The intention was to bolster the lineup with a veteran forward, a move that would pay dividends toward winning a Stanley Cup.

It’s the type of move contenders make annually and one that looks great when it pans out. When it doesn’t, the hindsight view makes the deal look like a flubbed opportunity at building in the future.

The latter is where the Bruins currently stand after they were eliminated in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nash had a somewhat incomplete season. He only played 11 regular-season games because of an injury and was inconsistent in the playoffs.

He’ll be an unrestricted free agent July 1, and the Bruins are on the outside looking in on the first round of the draft, which begins Friday in Dallas.

It’s a position Sweeney lamented being in at the end of the season, and one that would require the Bruins to part with valuable assets in order to get back into the first round.

“I do think it will be difficult, yeah, but there are teams with multiple picks,” Sweeney said at the scouting combine. “You never know what some team may want to do based on where – everybody’s really had or will have coming out of this, their amateur and pro meetings, so things kind of take shape within your own team and what your teams are.”

If the Bruins stand pat, they’ll draft at No. 57 overall toward the end of the second round. Here’s a look at some players who could fit the bill for the Bruins at that spot.



Jack McBain, center, 6-3, 196 pounds, shoots left: The Bruins have good depth at the center position and some of their talented younger players are expected to push for jobs on the bottom six of the Bruins roster. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson or Trent Frederic challenge for the third or fourth-line center positions, especially if the Bruins do not retain Riley Nash. The sensible move at the end of the second round would be to replenish that depth, which is where McBain comes into play. The 18-year-old is committed to Boston College next season and is a big-bodied center who checks a lot of boxes for the Bruins. He’s a smart, two-way player who could make a big impact for the Eagles in his rookie season. He had 21 goals and 37 assists in the Ontario Junior Hockey League last season and three points in five games for Canada in the World Junior Championships. Whether McBain is still on the board when the Bruins pick at No. 57 will be the real challenge. Some projections have him slated as an early or mid-second round pick.

Jack Drury, center, 5-11, 179, shoots left: Another center, another Jack. Sticking with the theme from above, the Bruins may want to replenish their center depth after some prospects may make the jump this season. The Winnetka, Illinois, native is committed to Harvard and wore the “captain” patch for the Waterloo Blackhawks in the USHL last season. That’s a big step for a younger player, something Bruins prospect Jack Studnicka experienced last year with the Oshawa Generals. He comes from rich bloodlines as the son of former NHL center Ted Drury and the nephew of Chris, who won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. The fact that he was trusted to be a captain for his team reflects well on his character and mental ability. He’s calm on the ice, something that will help him as he progresses in his career.

Kevin Bahl, defense, 6-6, 231, shoots left: The Bruins need help on defense, but it may not be their first selection in the draft. Whether the team decides to bolster the defense at all, a topic we’ve covered extensively here in the past, they may do it via free agency or a trade for immediate help. Still, it helps to build a good defense at the lower level and Bahl could help do that. The game is going away from big, physical players, but there’s still something to gain from having a 6-6, 231-pound defenseman. Bahl had one goal and 17 assists in 58 games for the Ottawa 67’s in the OHL and proved to be a strong skater – something that doesn’t always come easy for bigger players at a young age. He’s a solid defenseman, one who doesn’t take too many chances offensively, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing either.

Bruins draft order:

Second round: No. 57
Third round: No. 77
Fourth round: No. 119
Sixth round: No. 181
Seventh round: No. 212

On Tuesday we will explore which Bruins have the biggest trade value to help the team make a draft-day deal.