Have Golden Knights, Hurricanes given Bruins a blueprint to contending? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Drafting and developing has often been the best and most cost effective way to build a true Stanley Cup contender, especially in the salary cap era (2005-06 to present).

The Chicago Blackhawks won three Stanley Cup titles after drafting franchise cornerstone players such as Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. The Pittsburgh Penguins won three titles after drafting Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury and Kris Letang.

The Tampa Bay Lightning won two championships after drafting Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat and Victor Hedman.

There are several other examples, too.

This season’s Stanley Cup finalists — the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes — have taken the complete opposite approach to roster construction.

Let’s break down some crazy numbers and notes from both of their active rosters ahead of Tuesday night’s Game 1 in Carolina:

The Golden Knights’ Game 1 lineup likely won’t have a single player they drafted in the first round. The Hurricanes have two of their own first-round picks (Andre Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis) on their roster.
Andre Svechnikov (Carolina) is the only player drafted by one of these teams in the top five. Other players, such as Jack Eichel (Vegas), were top-five picks, but they were drafted by other teams.
Sixteen of Vegas’ players, including many of its best players (Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Mark Stone, Noah Hanifin, Tomas Hertl, Rasmus Andersson, etc.) were acquired via trade.
Seven Hurricanes players, including Taylor Hall, captain Jordan Staal, K’Andre Miller and Logan Stankoven, were acquired via trade.
Only two of the Golden Knights’ players — Pavel Dorofeyev and Kaedan Korczak — were drafted by Vegas. Just six of the Hurricanes’ players — Svechnikov, Jarvis, Jackson Blake, Sebastian Aho, Alexander Nikishin and Jaccob Slavin — were drafted by Carolina.
Both starting goalies — Carter Hart (Vegas) and Frederik Andersen (Carolina) — were free agent signings.

Veteran sportswriter Adam Gretz made a great graphic that highlights these two rosters:

How the Stanley Cup Final teams were built.
Only two players selected by either team in the first round. Only one top-5 pick (Svechnikov at No. 2… and oddly enough, Carolina only had the 11th-worst record that year. Big lottery luck). pic.twitter.com/egOKWs3QTm
— Adam Gretz (@AGretz) May 30, 2026

The Florida Panthers’ 2025 Stanley Cup team was built heavily on trades, too. The Panthers acquired Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand and Seth Jones in separate trades.

It’s true, to some degree, that the Golden Knights are a bit of a unique case. They greatly benefited from the expansion draft process. They also operate in the state of Nevada, which has zero state income tax, and that’s helpful in terms of signing players to team-friendly contracts. But their overall approach of not overpaying in free agency and making super aggressive (but also smart) trades has been fascinating to watch over the last eight years.

Is there a lesson or a blueprint the Bruins can follow here?

Yes, actually.

Trades are an effective way to build a team. This method of roster construction does carry plenty of risk, especially if you’re trading away first- and second-round picks at a high rate. But if you have good pro scouts and can identify players who will fit your team and can be extended long term (if necessary), it’s possible to build a perennial contender through the trade market.

Jack Eichel and Mark Stone. — The Golden Knights got Jack Eichel and Mark Stone via trades.

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has generally done a good job in his role since taking over in 2015. Drafting and developing has been a challenge for the entire organization during his tenure, though. It’s gotten better in recent years, but overall, the Bruins have not done a good job building through the draft.

Trades are a different story. Sweeney is awesome at making deals. He has won nearly every trade he’s made as Bruins GM, and many of them were home runs. It doesn’t matter if he was a buyer or seller — he almost always knocks it out of the park.

If a team is looking to build a winning roster via trades, Sweeney is a great guy to have in charge. And if you look at the Bruins’ current situation, they absolutely should consider being super aggressive in the trade market this summer.

Why is that?

For starters, the free agent market is pretty weak. Alex Tuch is the only legit top-six forward available. Rasmus Andersson and Darryn Raddysh are the only legit top-four defensemen available, and giving an expensive long-term deal to either player would be a risk considering they’re both 29 years old.

The Bruins have the No. 23 pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. They did not get lucky in the draft lottery and won’t get a first-round pick from the Maple Leafs to complete the Brandon Carlo trade until 2027 or 2028.

That leaves the trade market. And for the first time in a long while, the Bruins are loaded with quality assets to dangle.

They have five first-round picks in the next three drafts. They own all their second-round picks, too. They have several super talented prospects such as James Hagens, Dean Letourneau and Will Zellers. NHLers such as Casey Mittelstadt and Mason Lohrei have value, too.

The Bruins desperately need more high-end talent. They have only one elite forward in David Pastrnak. Every true Cup contender has at least two or three of those players. The B’s have a legit No. 1 defenseman in Charlie McAvoy, but the depth and talent behind him (especially on the right side of the blue line) is not great. The B’s have a great goalie in Jeremy Swayman. That’s one position that doesn’t require substantial improvement.

Boston hasn’t been able to find a real No. 1 center, or even a legit top-six center, since Patrice Bergeon and David Krejci both retired in 2023. Elias Lindholm was supposed to be that kind of player when he signed a seven-year, $54.25 million deal in 2024 free agency, but he has played well below expectations so far. Maybe Hagens becomes a No. 1 center in the near future, but even if that scenario did play out, trading for another top-six center should still be a priority.

The bottom line is the trade market is by far the best way for the Bruins to add the premium talent they need.

Which players could they target? Last week, we looked at seven players the Bruins should consider pursuing, including top-six forwards Robert Thomas, Jason Robertson and Mason McTavish, as well as defensemen Owen Zellweger and Simon Nemec.

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Robertson is a 45-goal scorer at left wing and only 26 years old. He would take significant pressure off of Pastrnak. Thomas is a legit No. 1 center and an elite playmaker. He might be a little unrealistic as a target given the crazy high asking price. McTavish might be a less expensive option if he became available.

Zellweger and Nemec are two highly talented young defensemen who could benefit greatly from a change of scenery and/or a larger role.

The Bruins have a good core. Pastrnak, McAvoy and Swayman are franchise pillars. Pavel Zacha was a 30-goal scorer. Morgan Geekie is a very good goal scorer, too. Hampus Lindholm, when healthy, is a solid second-pairing defenseman. Fraser Minten could be a strong two-way center for many years. Hagens has enormous potential.

James Hagens, C, 19 years old
Fraser Minten, C, 21
Morgan Geekie, LW, 27
Jeremy Swayman, G, 27
Charlie McAvoy, D, 28
Pavel Zacha, C/W, 29
David Pastrnak, RW, 29
Elias Lindholm, C, 31
Nikita Zadorov, D, 31
Hampus Lindholm, D, 32
Viktor Arvidsson, LW, 33 (UFA this summer)

There’s a lot to like about the Bruins’ roster. But the lack of elite talent was glaringly obvious during the playoffs, and until that issue gets addressed, the Bruins will likely be a first-round exit kind of team.

The best place for them to make immediate and massive roster additions is the trade market, which is why Sweeney needs to be aggressive this summer.

Brandon Carlo

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