4 player trade proposed between Bruins and Flames.

The 2026 Free Agency class is going to offer slim pickings for teams around the National Hockey League, with many teams around the league making moves to sign their own pending unrestricted free agents before the July 1st date could arrive.

As a result there is a belief that we will see a significant uptick in trades around the NHL this summer and subsequently we have seen many trade proposals tossed around in the recent days and weeks. One such proposal comes courtesy of respected Bruins insider Fluto Shinzawa who recently proposed a trade between the team he covers, the Boston Bruins, and the Calgary Flames.

From Shinzawa:

Lohrei, Poitras and Pelosi are traded to the Flames for Whitecloud.

The trade would see the Bruins giving up 3 pieces in 25 year old defenseman Mason Lohrei, 22 year old centerman Matthew Poitras, and 21 year old centerman Chris Pelosi in exchange for the more experienced veteran defenseman in Zach Whitecloud, one that already has a Stanley Cup championship under his belt.

The benefit for the Bruins here is obvious with the Bruins acquiring the best player in the deal right now in the form of Whitecloud, while only giving up players that have mostly struggled to establish themselves as mainstays on the Bruins roster. While the Bruins would be giving up a lot of assets in the deal they would also get Whitecloud for multiple potential runs, with his current contract running through the 2027-28 NHL season at a very manageable cap hit of just $2.75 million per season.

The upside for the Flames here is a little less obvious but with the team heading for what appears to be a rebuilding or re-tool type of process, acquiring a number of younger players in exchange for an established veteran might not be the worst move.

While it's true that Matthew Poitras has failed to find a consistent role at center at the NHL level, he likely would get a much better opportunity to develop with the Flames and there could still be some upside there in a young 22 year old prospect. Poitras had another solid season in the AHL this year with 13 goals and 31 assists for 44 points in 69 games as a member of the Providence Bruins.

Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei is the most established player going back the other way but how his season ended this time around has likely hurt his value considerably. Despite playing 73 regular season games for the Bruins this year, the Bruins made Lohrei a healthy scratch for all but 3 games during the first round of their playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres. There is an additional upside here when it comes to Lohrei for the Flames, and that is that Lohrei will be a restricted free agent at the end of his current deal. As a team that can struggle to attract talent at times, that additional layer of player control may prove enticing to the Flames.

Chris Pelosi is the biggest unknown in this deal with the 21 year old coming off of a big season with Quinnipiac University of the NCAA. In 35 games Pelosi had 18 goals and 16 assists for 34 points, although it remains to be seen if his game can translate at the pro level.

Should the Bruins make this trade? Should the Flames? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.