Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm both returned to Bruins’ practice on Monday. Neither will play on Tuesday at Buffalo, but their return signals a significant step in their efforts to return to the lineup.

Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy’s wife Kiley showed fans that she isn’t going to let pregnancy slow her down.

Lindholm has been a 22-point flop. He is signed for six more seasons with no-move protection through 2029. Lindholm, 30, is practically untradeable, even if the Bruins eat part of his remaining salary.

Charlie McAvoy‘s absence ... their game against the Ottawa Senators. McAvoy’s injury caused an even bigger hole on Boston’s defense. Hampus Lindholm suffered a broken bone in his leg and ...

Charlie McAvoy, sidelined for the last five games ... Sacco said there have been no issues from Elias Lindholm after spending the last few games as the team’s third-line center.

Hampus Lindholm, out since Nov. 12 with a lower-body injury, was also a full participant in practice for the first time since going down in St. Louis after taking a shot off the knee. Like McAvoy, he will not travel to Buffalo but is closing in on a return to game action.

For this matchup against the Sabres, the Bruins' forward group will be getting a boost. This is because forward Cole Koepke will be back in the lineup after missing each of the Bruins' last five games.

Due to the Bruins' placement in the standings, president Cam Neely said the team is considering two paths for the trade deadline: buying or retooling. If the Bruins decide to go down the buying route, they have three needs they could try to fix. Let's discuss each of them now.

The up-and-down Boston Bruins remain squarely on a crowded playoff bubble in the Eastern Conference. Team president Cam Neely has acknowledged that a “retool” could be on the table between now and the March 7 trade deadline.

Don Sweeney and the Boston Bruins have underperformed throughout this season. Well, at least by their standards, especially if you consider the fact that they won a combined 112 games in their last two seasons and have only won 24 going into Saturday’s game.

The Bruins must determine if a trade is worth the fallout of trading one of the club’s best players of all time.

Pillar of consistency. That’s a good way to describe the Boston Bruins over the past 20 years. With three trips to the Stanley Cup Final (winning in 2011)