The Boston Bruins didn't make a single trade after July 1, but the team still saw a mass free agent exodus in Massachusetts after one of the greatest regular seasons in National Hockey League history in 2022-23. The Bruins truly looked like a powerhouse that would march all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, just like they did in 2019. But it wasn't to be, as the pesky Florida Panthers authored a Game 7 upset to stun the TD Garden crowd and leave the fanbase with more questions than answers heading into next season.

The Bruins are still a very good hockey team, there's no doubt about that. But without Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Taylor Hall, Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Bertuzzi, Connor Clifton, Garnet Hathaway, Nick Foligno and Craig Smith, it's certainly a new-look one. It's hard to believe that one of the best teams in history has a legitimate chance to miss the postseason altogether just a year later, but that's the boat the Bruins are in.

The trade route may be the best route for the Bruins in 2023, but they don't have a lot of future assets to work with. A lot of them were dealt to bring players to Boston last year, including Orlov, Hathaway and Bertuzzi. They don't have their 2024 first-round pick and the prospect pool is one of the weaker pipelines in the league.

For that reason, if trades are to materialize either before training camp or during the season, it will probably involve players who are currently on the roster. Here are the team's best trade candidates ahead of 2023-24.

Jake DeBrusk, LW

Jake DeBrusk is the obvious first name that comes to mind when considering potential trade chips. He previously requested a trade out of Boston, but that was before he had a career year with 27 goals and 50 points in 64 games. It was reported shortly after he signed a two-year, $8 million extension with the team back in March of 2022 that he had rescinded his trade request.

That came after the Bruins fired Bruce Cassidy and hired Jim Montgomery to lead the team. Montgomery did an excellent job at the helm, but Cassidy proved his mettle by helping the Vegas Golden Knights win their inaugural Stanley Cup in 2023. DeBrusk refused to confirm or deny that Cassidy's firing played a part in him rescinding the trade request, but he still played himself onto the top line and top power play unit in 2022-23.

That doesn't mean that DeBrusk won't get traded, especially as the Bruins look to bring a star center like Elias Lindholm or Mark Scheifele into the mix. If he doesn't get moved, he'll likely remain on the top line and PP1, but his future in Boston is up in the air.

Linus Ullmark, G

Linus Ullmark is an excellent trade chip for the Bruins, and his value has never been higher. The 30-year-old Swedish netminder burst onto the scene after leaving the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent and signing a four-year, $20 million contract in New England. He was a huge part of the historic 2022-23 campaign, registering 40 wins to go along with a sparkling 1.89 goals-against average and .938 save-percentage.

Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender last season, and enters a new season with ultra-high expectations. He and Jeremy Swayman formed an elite tandem last year, and Swayman is also much younger at 24. If the team decides to go with the youngster, Ullmark could probably fetch quite a haul on the trade market. The right deal would have to come around, but Swayman absolutely looks like a starting goaltender, and one of the two will probably be traded before the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Matt Grzelcyk, D

Matt Grzelcyk is a Boston native who has played his entire career with the Bruins after being drafted in the third round of the 2012 NHL Draft. But all good things must come to an end, and the 29-year-old is a valuable trade chip ahead of a new season.

Grzelcyk is entering the final season of a contract that is paying him $3.6 million AAV, and the Bruins could get that number off the books in a potential trade for either Lindholm or Scheifele. He would look good on either of those teams, and both squads would appreciate a hard-nosed, puck-moving defenseman like Grzelcyk has been in Massachusetts for his entire career.

There is no guarantee that any of DeBrusk, Ullmark or Grzelcyk get dealt this upcoming season, but they are undoubtably the best trade chips the team has to work with considering the glaring lack of draft capital.