The Boston Bruins aren’t going to win a Stanley Cup with the roster they currently have constructed. They are holding onto that bottom seed in the eastern conference playoffs and the Florida Panthers are on their heels.

Sure, the Bruins could claw their way to the eighth or the seventh seed of the playoffs and take a matchup with the powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning or New York Islanders, but what kind of chance do they have at moving forward?

The Bruins roster has been stifled, unable to score goals and their defense has looked sloppy for months. Their battle factor has been less than impressive for a long time now.

They could make a trade to improve this year, but there aren’t many good names out there. Cam Atkinson with the Columbus Blue Jackets would be a good second line addition on right wing, but they need a lot more than that.

Chris Stewart from the Buffalo Sabres and Micheal Ryder from the New Jersey Devils have been mentioned, but neither of those guys would be make-it-or-break-it players. They still need more if they want to contend.

Then come the rumors of who the Bruins might trade; if they want to improve even this off season, they need to clear cap space. Not to mention, Carl Soderberg and Dougie Hamilton are free agents who need to be signed.

Some have speculated trading Zdeno Chara, who has not played great since returning from a knee injury. However, the Bruins defense has already struggled without Johnny Boychuk; does trading Chara really make sense long term or short term? It obviously depends on what they would get, but who would take the $7 million cap hit and send the Bruins young, viable players? Not to mention trading Chara would certainly throw in the towel for this season.

The Bruins might need to make a move, and it might be hard to find available players, but it’s not time to throw away the season trading away key pieces like Chara.