Bruins Willing To Listen On Andrew Peeke

The Bruins won’t embark on the near full-scale teardown they did at last year’s deadline when they shipped out Brandon Carlo and Brad Marchand for futures. They’re in the thick of the playoff race this time around and come out of the break with a 61% chance of clinching a berth, per MoneyPuck.

That won’t completely preclude the B’s from listening to offers on roster players if it helps them replenish their long-uninspiring prospect pool, though. They’re willing to part ways with pending unrestricted free agent Andrew Peeke to help them add to their prospect and pick arsenal, Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic wrote this week.

The other notable pending UFA in Boston’s ranks is winger Viktor Arvidsson. He’s played a key role on their second line this season, though, and his 14 goals and 28 points in 45 games are valuable for a team light on scoring depth. They “would not be as quick to break up their second line if the return is for a mid- to late-round selection,” Shinzawa writes on Arvidsson.

Boston gave up a third-round pick, plus depth piece Jakub Zboril, to acquire Peeke from the Blue Jackets at the 2023 deadline. He wasn’t a rental at the time, having inked a three-year, $8.25MM extension with Columbus in the prior training camp. Since he doesn’t have any term left, Boston likely won’t be able to recoup as much value as they paid for him unless the trade market takes a big swing toward sellers.

That said, Peeke is having his best season as a Bruin. After slotting as their third-pairing right D behind Charlie McAvoy and Carlo last year, he’s assumed second-pairing shutdown duties with Hampus Lindholm with Carlo out of the picture. That pairing has been woeful offensively but has done its job in preventing chances against, allowing only 2.43 expected goals against per 60 minutes. That’s fourth out of Boston’s 13 pairings with at least 60 minutes of ice time together.

The bump in role has led to increased ice time, with Peeke averaging over 19 minutes per game for the first time since the 2022-23 season. He’s recorded a 4-8–12 scoring line in 56 games with a -7 rating. Peeke, who turns 28 next month, also leads the Bruins with 101 blocks and ranks seventh with 67 hits.