The Boston Bruins are sniffing around right-shot defense help, and the deadline clock is getting loud.

Boston sits 32-20-5, good enough to think “add,” not “sell.”

The problem is familiar, the right side still hasn’t felt fully settled since the Brandon Carlo exit.

That’s why three potential targets are making the rounds: Braden Schneider, Zach Whitecloud, and Justin Faulk.

Each one fits a different version of what the Bruins could be trying to buy.

Schneider is the youth swing, the one that could matter beyond this spring.

He’s 24, drafted in 2020, first round by the New York Rangers, and he plays with that hard-nosed bite Boston always loves.

This season he has 2-9-11 with 123 hits, and he’s a pending RFA, so you’re trading for a player you can keep.

Whitecloud is the stability play, less flash, more structure, and way less drama with the puck.

He carries a $2.75 million cap hit through 2027-28, which is exactly the kind of term-and-price combo contenders dream about.

He’s at 2-8-10 in 55 games split between Vegas and Calgary, and he brings the “defend first” identity the Bruins lean on in tight games.

Faulk is the win-now power play add, the biggest name and the biggest bill.

He has 11-19-30 in 57 games, and that’s real second-pair offense from the right side.

The catch is his $6.5 million cap hit through 2026-27, which forces serious cap gymnastics.

Why the Boston Bruins deadline decision gets messy

Bruins fans are torn here, because all three options help, but none of them are “free.”

Schneider costs futures, Whitecloud costs roster math, and Faulk costs cap space and probably another move.

With the NHL trade deadline set for Friday, March 6, the Bruins don’t have long to pick their lane.

If they want a safer bet for this year, Faulk screams “push.”

If they want a piece that can grow with the next core, Schneider is the swing that makes sense.

Either way, if Boston is serious about spring hockey, the next big add might not be a scorer, it might be the guy who helps them exit the zone clean.