Matthew Poitras seems like the kind of player that generally a team would avoid trading.
The Boston Bruins’ center is just 22 years old, a former second-round pick, and he clearly has some legitimate talent.
But the Bruins also seem a bit crowded at the forward spots, and Poitras hasn’t broken through into an upper-line spot in the lineup.
That could eventually point Boston toward a tough decision. If the Bruins can’t figure out the right way to use Poitras, could he be more valuable to them in a trade?
There are certainly other teams that would start circling if Poitras was truly on the trade block, and there’s at least some suggestion that the trade block is exactly where Poitras will end up.
Matthew Poitras Trade Rumors
Poitras was recently named a Bruins trade candidate in a new article by The Athletic.
It’s not the first time Poitras has been suggested in such analysis, but this is recent, with the season already underway and yet still it looking like Poitras could end up being on the move.
“Poitras is a 22-year-old right-shot center with speed and skill,” The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa writes. “He’s started the season on the fourth line, though. He is behind Pavel Zacha, Fraser Minten and Elias Lindholm on the depth chart. Could another team see more value in Poitras as a top-three center?”
Especially with a natural center who a team wants to keep at that spot, there are sometimes only so many options. If the Bruins don’t want to demote any of their other centers, all they can really do is leave Poitras on the fourth line.
He’s not a fourth-line player in the traditional sense of the physical, grinder-type players who often go on that line. Poitras just happens to be the best center the Bruins have who isn’t quite in their top-three on the depth chart.
That makes it all a bit of an odd fit, and that’s why a trade wouldn’t be a shock.
Bruins’ Potential Need
There is something to be said for the idea of Poitras being involved in a trade for a defenseman.
The Bruins have been connected frequently to Simon Edvinsson of the Detroit Red Wings, who isn’t even with his team right now as he seeks a new contract (and may end up traded instead).
Edvinsson is the player type that would fit the Bruins, a young and promising left-shot defenseman.
The Red Wings could certainly benefit from a player like Poitras, and while a player like Edvinsson probably has a higher cost than just Poitras, it’s the kind of deal Boston could explore. The Bruins won’t want to sell-low on Poitras, so that means they better start by aiming high, if they do at some point decide to trade Poitras.
Bruins’ Matthew Poitras Trade Rumors Gain Steam