Bruins
If some of the top center prospects are off the board at No. 7, the Bruins could pivot to a skilled winger.
The ping-pong balls did not fall the Bruins’ way Monday night.
Despite entering the NHL Draft Lottery with just a 14.2 percent of dropping down the No. 7 pick, the Bruins were indeed leapfrogged by two other teams in the draft order, pushing them down the furthest they could fall in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Bruins GM Don Sweeney stressed that Boston will still be in a position to add a top blue-chip talent to the Original Six franchise’s ailing prospect pipeline.
“We’re still picking in the upper echelon of the draft, which we haven’t done for a significant time period, so we feel very comfortable in terms of where the top seven picks are,” Sweeney said Monday. “We’ll get a good player and an impact player, regardless of the disappointment of moving back a couple spots. That’s just the nature of the lottery.”
Even if Boston is still in line to secure at top-10 pick next month, No. 7 is a somewhat unenviable spot to be in, given the potential divergence between the second and third “tiers” of prospects in this draft class.
The 2025 Draft pool is heavy on centers, which stands as a good sight for a Bruins team in need of talent down the middle.
The Bruins will be banking on a scenario where at least one of Djurgardens’ Anton Frondell, Moncton Wildcats’s Caleb Desnoyers, or Brantford Bulldogs’ Jake O’Brien is up for grabs at No. 7.
Such a scenario would be all but a lock if the Bruins were sitting at No. 5 or No. 6. But, a potential run on centers at the start of the draft could have Boston assessing contingency plans.
If the Bruins need to pivot because those top-rated centers aren’t available, where else could they turn?
Beyond the eight prospects we’ve already mapped out, here are an additional three players who could present Boston with high-end skill, physicality, and more.
Brady Martin, C, Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
No prospect has seen their stock soar higher over the last few weeks than Martin, whose bruising skillset and high floor make him the type of player that the Bruins could covet at No. 7 overall.
While Martin didn’t stuff the stat sheet to the same degree as other center prospects like Jake O’Brien (98 points) or especially Michael Misa (134 points), he was a productive top-line player for the Greyhounds (72 points in his 57 games).
It remains to be seen if Martin can be a play-driving center at the next level, but the game tape paints the picture of a future pro who will make an impact given his physicality and relentless motor.
Even if Martin isn’t necessarily a big body at 6-foot-0, his shifts are littered with instances where he’s crushing skaters on the forecheck, exchanging post-whistle pleasantries, and carrying the puck into high-danger ice.
Radim Mrtka, D, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
The Bruins’ most pressing need revolves around adding talent up front, especially at the center position.
But Boston also needs to ensure that it nails this No. 7 pick and adds a legitimate impact player at the NHL level.
And a right-shot D like Mrtka has a pretty high floor as a top-four stalwart on the blue line.
The Czech product doesn’t project to a power-play QB in the pro game, but he’s a strong skater that has an imposing frame at 6-foot-6 and 198 pounds.
Boston has a glaring hole on the right side of their defense after trading Brandon Carlo to Toronto, and this current free-agent crop of right-shot D isn’t all that deep (Aaron Ekblad, Dante Fabbro).
Boston should be able to target other blueliners in the second round with their two other picks. But a potential minutes-eating stalwart below Charlie McAvoy on the depth chart has some appeal for the Bruins as they build up their next crop of top talent.
Victor Eklund, LW, Djurgårdens IF
Much like Mrtka, Eklund doesn’t exactly fill the most pressing need for the Bruins. But, the 5-foot-11 winger is an elite talent who could develop into a 30-goal regular in the next few years.
The younger brother of Sharks winger William Eklund (who posted 58 points over 71 games in his second full NHL season), Victor is a force in the offensive zone, capable of both picking the top corner and dangling past defenders.
It can be a risky endeavor watching game tape on the larger sheet of ice over in Europe. But Eklund’s ability to use his skating to gain easy zone entries resembles Taylor Hall’s transition game — an underrated aspect of his skillset that the Bruins have missed over the last few years.
Eklund will need to work on his defensive game moving forward, which could make him the type of project that Boston may want to steer clear of.
But in today’s NHL, a player like Eklund has all the tools to thrive as a dynamic playmaker and elite sniper. If the Bruins think that the best available center at No. 7 is more of a middle-six player, they could opt for a legitimate first-line winger in Eklund.
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