Boston still hasn't replaced Torey Krug. The Bruins are circling Tommy Bleyl at 23, and Don Sweeney finally has a draft target who fits the void.

The buzz hit Saturday afternoon. Eamonn McLean dropped a 2026 draft profile floating the Moncton Wildcats blueliner as Boston's long-awaited power play quarterback.

Look at the junior numbers. Bleyl posted 13 goals and 68 assists for 81 points in 63 QMJHL games. A plus-58 rating. Right-shot defenseman.

That kind of point production from a 17-year-old defender is like finding a left-handed catcher who can also pitch. Rare, and worth chasing.

The Bruins finished 45-27-10 this season. One hundred points. Eighth overall. They scored 272 goals, but the man-advantage carried fingerprints of the same old problem.

Charlie McAvoy ran the back end with 11 goals and 50 assists. Two power play goals. He's a workhorse, but he's not a pure trigger man on the top unit.

David Pastrnak buried 10 on the power play. Elias Lindholm added seven. The forwards did the heavy lifting because the blue line couldn't.

Why Don Sweeney's draft pattern may need to break

Sweeney's history at the position skews big. The last time Boston picked a defenseman 6'0" or shorter was Ty Gallagher in 2021, 217th overall.

Bleyl checks in at 6'0", 170 pounds. He's not the prototype. But Lane Hutson and Logan Stankoven just torched playoff matchups, and the league keeps rewarding skill over size.

Is Sweeney willing to break his own mold for a power play specialist? That's the question hanging over Boston's war room.

McLean's full profile lays out the case in concrete detail.

The fit makes sense on paper. Bleyl could develop behind McAvoy the way Krug once developed behind Zdeno Chara. Sheltered minutes, offensive zone reps, special teams runway.

That's the pitch. Reality is messier. He's committed to Michigan State for 2027-2028, which means a long development arc before he touches Causeway Street.

Boston went 29-11-1 at home this year. They scored. They defended. But when special teams needed a closer with the puck on his stick, no one consistently stepped up.

Drafting Bleyl won't fix that next October. It's a bet on 2028 and beyond. The window with Pastrnak and McAvoy is open right now, not three drafts from now.

Sweeney has to choose. Best player available at 23, or finally end the five-year hunt for a true man with the puck. The pick will say a lot.