What the Bruins are working with at the 2023 NHL Draft

BOSTON — The 2023 NHL Draft begins Wednesday night, though it will be a while until the Boston Bruins make their first selection this year.

The Bruins do not have a first-round pick this year. (Or next year.) They also don’t have a second-round pick this year. (Or the next year, or the year after that.)

The cupboard is pretty bare for the Bruins when it comes to early-round draft picks, thanks to the team’s deadline-day trading sprees over the last few years. This year’s first-round pick was sent to Washington at last season’s deadline to acquire defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway. Don Sweeney used his 2023 second-round pick as part of the trade package he sent to Anaheim two deadlines ago for defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who at least got a contract extension from the team and figures to be one of Boston’s top-pairing D-men for years to come.

Boston also doesn’t have a fifth-round pick this year, which was used in the trade package sent to Detroit for forward Tyler Bertuzzi last March. Bertuzzi is a free agent and the Bruins will have to do some serious salary shuffling to re-sign him.

So what do the Bruins have to work with this year? Here’s a rundown of the team’s scheduled picks at the 2023 NHL Draft, which will be held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville:

Third Round, No. 92 overall
Fourth Round, No. 124 overall
Sixth Round, No. 188 overall
Seventh Round, No. 214 overall
Seventh Round, No. 220 overall

The first round of the draft will take place Wednesday night with Rounds 2-7 on Thursday afternoon. The Bruins won’t make their first pick until sometime in the middle of the day on Thursday.

Given the lack of early-round picks the next two years, it will be key for Sweeney and company to hit on their mid-round selections. The B’s have had some success finding good players in the middle rounds, including Jakub Lauko in the fourth round in 2018 (Lauko will likely be on Boston’s fourth line in 2023), goaltender Jeremy Swayman in the fourth round in 2017, and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk in the third round back in 2012.

Now the pressure is really on for the B’s to hit on their Day 2 picks.

The Bruins knew they’d eventually have to pay for the team’s all-in approach over the last few seasons. That will start this week when, barring a trade, Sweeney and his staff will have to sit out the first three rounds of the draft.