The Boston Bruins have gone through a plethora of roster changes since their historic 65-win season during the 2022-23 campaign. Several former core players have found new homes, whether through trades or free agency, and it is a significant reason why the Bruins took such a notable step in the wrong direction this past season. 

Due to this, let's discuss four former players who the Bruins are undoubtedly missing right now.

Brad Marchand, LW, Florida Panthers

With the Bruins underperforming immensely this past season, they made the franchise-altering decision to trade Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers at the 2025 NHL trade deadline. This was after the Bruins and Marchand could not come to terms on a new contract extension before deadline day, and there is no question that they miss him on their roster, both due to his skill and leadership. 

While Marchand had a bit of a shaky 2024-25 season for his standards with the Bruins, he demonstrated with the Panthers during the playoffs that he is still a star in this league. In 23 post-season games with the Panthers during their Stanley Cup run, Marchand recorded 10 goals, 10 assists, 20 points, and a plus-17 rating. He was viewed as a candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy before Panthers forward Sam Bennett officially won it. 

The Bruins were also interested in bringing back Marchand had he hit the free-agent market this summer, but he ended up signing a six-year contract extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $5.25 million with the Panthers before July 1. As a result, he will now be a big piece of the Panthers' roster for several more years, which is undoubtedly bad news for the Bruins. 

Linus Ullmark, G, Ottawa Senators

There is no question that the Bruins missed goaltender Linus Ullmark immensely this past season. After another strong season with the Black and Gold in 2023-24, Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Joonas Korpisalo, Mark Kastelic, and a 2024 first-round pick, which was used to select Dean Letourneau. This move was made to make Jeremy Swayman the Bruins' official No. 1 goaltender, and the Alaska native struggled in his first season not in a tandem with Ullmark.

Goaltending was the Bruins' worst position this past season, as both Swayman and Korpisalo had save percentages under .894. The poor play of both goaltenders was certainly a significant reason why the Bruins had such a disappointing season in 2024-25. Ullmark, on the other hand, posted a 25-14-3 record, a .909 save percentage, and a 2.72 goals-against average in 44 games with the Senators this past season. With this, he was a big reason why the Senators made it back into the playoffs this spring.

Ultimately, the Ullmark-Swayman tandem was a major reason for the Bruins' success before this past season, and breaking it up proved to be detrimental in 2024-25. It is clear that the Bruins could still use a star like Ullmark between the pipes, but like Marchand, he is now a core member of one of their division rivals.

Jake DeBrusk, LW, Vancouver Canucks 

It was not surprising when Jake DeBrusk left the Bruins during the 2024 NHL off-season and signed a seven-year, $38.5 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks in free agency. The Bruins and DeBrusk did not make enough progress with their negotiations, and the expectation was that he would hit the market. However, the Bruins failed to find a top-six scorer to replace him, and he is clearly somebody they really could use right now.

DeBrusk certainly found a nice fit for himself with the Canucks, as he scored a career-high 28 goals and recorded 48 points in 82 games with the Pacific Division club this past season. With this, he is now an important part of their top six and power play, and he will continue to be for a long time. 

The Bruins' scoring trouble was one of their biggest issues this past season, and keeping DeBrusk around could have made things different on that front for Boston in 2024-25. However, a new deal simply did not get done, and DeBrusk is another former Bruin who they certainly are missing because of it.

Brandon Carlo, D, Toronto Maple Leafs

Brandon Carlo was another notable player who the Bruins traded at this year's trade deadline. The Bruins got a very good return for the right-shot defenseman, as they acquired a 2026 first-round pick, Fraser Minten, and a 2025 fourth-round pick from the Maple Leafs. Yet, while this trade has the potential to age wonderfully for the Bruins, it is clear that they still miss Carlo right now.

Carlo was an incredibly important part of the Bruins' top four and penalty kill throughout his nine-year tenure with the Original Six club. As a result, there is no question that they miss the steady stay-at-home defenseman on their blueline. This is especially so when noting that they have not brought in a proven top-four, right-shot defenseman to replace him yet. While they traded for and then re-signed Henri Jokiharju, expecting him to be at Carlo's level is a bit of a stretch.

Ultimately, while it is hard to complain about the return they got for Carlo, his absence will be felt until the Bruins upgrade the right side of their blueline.

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