There weren't too many people outside of New England who anticipated the 2023-24 Boston Bruins being this good. All summer, the talk was how much this club would regress without the likes of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, as well as key trade deadline additions in Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway.

But 17 games into a new season, that has not been the case. Not at all. The Bruins remain one of the top teams in the National Hockey League, and just usurped the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot on ClutchPoints' weekly NHL Power Rankings. The defense and goaltending remain the class of the league, while David Pastrnak continues to play Hart Trophy-caliber hockey.

It's hard to top what Boston did last season, and fans of this team will not soon forget the electric 65-12-5 record, making all kinds of NHL history in the process. But the 2023-24 iteration of this squad is already 13-1-3, and seems poised to at least compete for another President's Trophy, if they don't run away with it again.

But the Bruins could be even better. Although Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle have stepped up admirably to address the glaring depth down the middle caused by Bergeron and Krejci's retirements, there is still a lack of forward depth that could be explored on the trade market. Here are a few ideal options if Bruins general manager Don Sweeney decides to make a splash.

Elias Lindholm remains Bruins' best trade target

Elias Lindholm, Calgary Flames, NHL

Both Mark Scheifele and Elias Lindholm saw their names swirling in trade rumors for basically the entire 2023 offseason. The former is off the table after inking a seven year, $59.5 million contract extension to remain with the Winnipeg Jets until the conclusion of the 2030-31 campaign.

But the same cannot be said for the latter. Lindholm remains a perfect trade target for the Bruins, especially as his contract will be up at the end of this season. The Calgary Flames are also off to another bad start in 2023-24, currently sitting in sixth place in the Pacific Division with a 7-8-3 record. We knew after last season that this Flames team was lacking something without Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, and it seems last year's playoff miss wasn't a fluke.

Although Lindholm has said he is open to staying in Calgary, it just doesn't seem likely that he will make it to the end of the season if this team is still out of a playoff spot come the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline. Craig Conroy can't afford to lose another player for nothing after watching Gaudreau walk. Either Lindholm signs soon, or the Flames GM will have no choice but to move him.

And what better destination than New England for the 28-year-old? Although the top line of Pavel Zacha between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak is one of the best in the league and in no danger of being broken up, the Swede could slot in at the 2C position and make the Bruins even better. Lindholm is strong defensively, and his style of play fits perfectly in Boston's system. Not to mention he's having a solid season in Alberta, posting four goals and 13 points in 18 games. Sweeney should strongly considering moving out a piece or two — even if it's a high draft pick — to bring the former fifth overall pick to Massachusetts.

Change of scenery for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins?

 

If Lindholm doesn't end up working out, Sweeney could look to another faltering team in Alberta, and Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The 30-year-old Canadian was already linked to the Bruins in rumors this summer, and Boston media had a field day suggesting No. 93 as a potential fit.

Nearly one-quarter into the 2023-24 season, a Nugent-Hopkins trade could make sense. It was reported that Edmonton was looking for a defenseman in return, but Boston could also potentially dangle one of their elite starting goalies. Both Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman have been fantastic this year, but the former is now 30-years-old himself and not playing quite to Swayman's level.

That's not to say the Bruins should part with either goalie, but it's not an impossibility. Nugent-Hopkins had the best season of his career in 2021-22, scoring 37 goals and 104 points over a full 82-game slate. He's struggling so far this year in comparison, along with most of his teammates, to the tune of three goals and 13 points in 17 games. It's certainly not bad, but it could be time for a change of scenery for a player who is on a mouthwatering contract that will pay him just over $5 million until the conclusion of 2028-29.

Last NHL Trade Deadline, the Bruins made multiple trades to improve the team and it ended up meaning nothing. Sweeney could just let this roster play, and see if they can capture a Tampa Bay Lightning style of lightning in a bottle (the Bolts won two straight Stanley Cups after winning the President's Trophy and being shockingly swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2019). There is an argument to just letting this elite team play, but it's hard not to think that either Elias Lindholm or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins could be the missing piece come playoff time.