The Boston Bruins are in a terribly interesting spot, with surprisingly strong early-season returns over the first few months and the growing possibility that several game-changing talents will be available on the trade market. It’s only a matter of time until the Detroit Red Wings end up moving disgruntled former captain Dylan Larkin and unsigned, young D-man Simon Edvinsson, as interim GM Shawn Horcoff has been thrust into a wholly unenviable spot in Hockeytown.
The latest name added to the mix is mercurial Flyers winger Matvei Mickkov as Kevin Weekes reported earlier this week that he wants out of Philly after a very public screaming match on the bench with D-man Nick Seeler.
There appeared to be a heated moment on the Flyers bench involving Matvei Michkov. https://t.co/fXNF1IdYYY
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) November 10, 2026
Then there’s the volatile situation with Nikita Kucherov in Tampa Bay, where the superstar, two-time Hart Trophy winner and two-time Cup winner, has already let the Lightning know he won’t be returning after his current contractual walk year with the Bolts. As we saw in Boston when an influential, top-drawer talent like Brad Marchand was in the last year of his contract and uncertain to return, things can go sideways pretty quickly in that situation, and it will be interesting to see if anything like that happens in Tampa Bay.
The bottom line with the Black and Gold is that there is top-drawer talent on the trade market, the B’s are buyers headed up to the trade deadline and in a favorable position with cap space ($7 million currently), draft picks to potentially deal, a budding list of prospects and even NHL trade chips like Pavel Zacha, who is also in the last year of his contract with Boston and very uncertain to return.
Things may be moving faster after the NHL general managers met in Toronto at the beginning of this week, following the Hockey Hall of Fame weekend that saw Patrice Bergeron inducted into hockey immortality.
Patrice Bergeron: Hockey Hall of Famer. Watch Bergy's full speech from tonight's ceremony in Toronto. #NHLBruins | @HockeyHallFame https://t.co/jlyYHtm7Rp
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 10, 2026
There were tremors in the trade whisper business a couple of weeks ago when Detroit assistant GM Kris Draper was at TD Garden watching the Bruins and Golden Knights play each other, and it’s expected that the Bruins will keep tabs on all fronts in case the prices drop to their liking. Edvinsson, in particular, could be a really valued piece given that he’s 23 years old, 6-foot-6, and just a couple of full seasons into an NHL career where he looks like a potential No. 1, left-shot D-man.
The Wings are still hopeful they can sign their young blueliner to a deal both sides are happy with, but it also feels like reality is creeping in as a Dec. 1 deadline looms, and Edvinsson will sit out the season if he isn’t signed to a contract.
“I’d still like to sign Simon, but I think when it’s someone like that and the situation that we’re in, you can’t help but take calls,” said Horcoff. “It’s my job to do what’s in the best interest of the Detroit Red Wings. I’m going to take all those calls and hear what people have to say.”
Edvinsson would be a tremendous fit with a Boston team where most of their top D-men are 30 years old or above, and there isn’t a single young D-man in the B’s system that projects as a future No. 1 defenseman, or an heir apparent to Charlie McAvoy.
The problem there is that Detroit is going to be looking for a bundle for a young skater with such a bright future, and that means they will be demanding some of a team’s best young assets – Fraser Minten, James Hagens – as the asking price. Could they be swayed into a package that includes fellow young players like Mason Lohrei, Matt Poitras or some of the young prospects in the B’s system like Dean Letourneau or Will Zellers?
All that remains to be seen, but it’s a good problem to have: the Bruins are producing a growing list of untouchable young assets they aren't willing to move in any trade scenario right now.
Following James Hagens at the Bruins’ annual toy shopping https://t.co/wAdKyZUyus
— Bridgette Proulx (@bridgetteproulx) November 11, 2026
Still, the bigger trade whispers have been around the Bruins and Larkin because Boston may also need a veteran top-6 center who could play on a top line with David Pastrnak. Zacha has been that guy for stretches this season, but there appears to be real hesitation from Boston’s end. The issue at hand: Locking up the 29-year-old veteran to a long-term, big-money contract that could surpass Pastrnak’s $11.25 million AAV when it’s all said and done in this new, post-Leo Carlsson NHL economy.
So a potential deal with the Bruins and Red Wings swapping veteran top 6 centers – with the B’s obviously adding significantly more to the deal – could make a lot of sense from a logic and “need” standpoint.
The one fly in the ointment for Larkin coming to Boston?
The high-flying Red Wings center