When Don Sweeney said he probably wasn’t going to be aggressive at the trade deadline for a change, the Bruins’ GM wasn’t just playing poker.

Trade deadline season always holds out some hope, as well as rampant rumor-mongering, that something big will happen and the B’s were the subject of much talk. But in the end, Sweeney held onto his four first-round draft picks and his prospects and left his team intact to go earn a playoff spot.

Sweeney made some minor adjustments to his organizational depth, trading Brett Harrison and Jackson Edward to Philadelphia for fellow minor leaguers Massimo Rizzo and Alexis Gendron, while taking a flyer on 2020 first-rounder Lukas Reichel from Vancouver for a 2026 sixth-rounder. All three new players will be headed to Providence.

It seemed like anyone of consequence who was moved – Justin Faulk, Brayden Schenn, John Carlson, Nazem Kadri, even Nicolas Roy – cost a first-rounder plus other assets. The return Vancouver got for Conor Garland was not as prohibitive (a 2028 second-rounder, 2026 third-rounder) but his contract (six years at $6 million) would have been a tough swallow.

With the B’s hanging on to a playoff spot by a single point going into the weekend, Sweeney elected to let the status quo play out, adding his first round picks weren’t “burning a hole in his pocket.”

“I would have liked to have added to the group,” said Sweeney. “We always would like to, always want to improve our team. We did enough due diligence and maybe that applies at the draft or afterwards. Or maybe we take our picks because we’re committed to the process that we started.

“We didn’t deviate from what we felt was the right choice and I’m hoping that pays dividends right now with the guys that are still here, because they’ve earned that right to carry us forward and moving forward as an organization.”

One of the big names that could have accelerated Boston’s retool, St. Louis center Robert Thomas, did not move. Whether Sweeney laid any groundwork to revisit landing the 26-year-old No. 1 center in the summer remains to be seen. The Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck also did not move.

The B’s did not land the right-shot defenseman for which they’ve been in the hunt. Sweeney did concede that the uncertainty around two of the four first-round picks (the Toronto pick this year is top-5 protected and the Florida pick next year is top-10 protected) added to the reticence to move any of them.

But he said the way his team has played coming out of break – they’re 2-2 and needed great goalie performances to score the wins and were stomped by an in-flux Nashville team on Thursday – did not add to his caution. Considering all the players they offloaded last year at this time – Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau – the team’s progress is pretty much on schedule, despite how it’s been trending lately, especially on the road.

“I was honest the other day when I said I don’t think we’re playing to the same standard as we were prior to the break. We’ve lost a little momentum and we need to get it back,” he said. “But we had charted the course last year that we knew this wasn’t going to be one and done. Our intentions were to get back to right where we are and be the most competitive we can be. The guys have done a great job and the coaching staff as well. We’re still excited about that. The odds are, if we play the way we’re supposed to be playing before the break, we’re going to be a tough out and get in. That’s the challenge to the group.”

While he was non-committal about No. 7 overall pick James Hagens joining the team after Boston College’s season is over, he didn’t rule it out, either. He even referenced a couple of blasts from the past in Craig Janney (USA) and Bob Joyce (Canada), who came right from their respective Olympic programs and stepped right onto the 1988 team that went to the Stanley Cup Final.

“Each player determines (when he’s ready to contribute),” said Sweeney.

Sweeney said he did his due diligence and listened to calls on his two pending UFAs, Viktor Arvidsson and Andrew Peeke, but he stayed true to what he had said earlier in the week, that he wasn’t going to take from this current team for mere futures. He wants to give this roster a chance. He also said he held discussions with each player’s camp on possible extensions.

Sweeney admitted that watching teams around him in the standings making moves – the Islanders landed Schenn, the Blue Jackets got Garland and Detroit acquired Faulk – got the competitive juices flowing.

But ultimately, Sweeney decided to stand pat, neither buying nor selling. It’s tough to be passionate about doing nothing but, right now, it seems like it was a perfectly reasonable path for him to take.