BOSTON — Free agency opens on Wednesday. The Boston Bruins have used the market in different ways in the past. Last season, after striking out with higher-level targets, the Bruins turned to depth signings: Jonathan Aspirot, Mikey Eyssimont, Jordan Harris, Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly and Alex Steeves. In 2024, they went big on Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov.This time, the power of the purse may not be used as aggressively. The trade market, by comparison to previous UFA windows, remains active.“The conversations have been taking place for a while now,” general manager Don Sweeney said of swap chatter. “I think you’ll see a re-attack of some teams trying to reposition, whether that’s because the free agent market might not be as deep as you hope and you’ve got to do it through trades. I do believe there will be a revisit.”Winners and losers from the 2026 NHL DraftScott WheelerSweeney checked one of his two primary boxes for 2026-27 and beyond by acquiring JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth for two first-round picks. He may have to dip back into the trade market to address the other shortcoming: the right side of the defense. With Andrew Peeke eligible for free agency, the Bruins’ options are few behind Charlie McAvoy. The No. 1 defenseman, meanwhile, will be ineligible for the first six games of 2026-27. The Bruins did not issue a qualifying offer to Harris, the depth left-shot defenseman who could play the off side.Peterka’s $7.7 million average annual value has eaten into the Bruins’ cash hoard to the degree that Sweeney may not be able to afford Rasmus Andersson, No. 10 on The Athletic’s UFA board. The Bruins have approximately $8.5 million available. Andersson will have even more bargaining power following the sign-and-trade of fellow right-shot defenseman Darren Raddysh ($8.5 million AAV).