The Boston Bruins are a serious Stanley Cup contender, ranked among the greatest teams in the NHL and sitting second in the Eastern Conference. The club still needs players in the defensive and forward positions, despite their current level of success.
The team’s ability to pursue any of their possible trade targets is severely limited because they have less than $5 million in salary cap space.
Still, there’s a chance for some respite.
In order to bring about such respite, they will need to decide whether to transfer Silus Ullmark, the Vezina Trophy winner who finished as the league’s best goaltender the previous season—a choice that one organization executive called “gutsy.”
to put it mildly.
However, Ullmark is most likely the starting point for any action the team takes before the deadline.
aiming for Linus Ullmark
The Bruins are fortunate to have two outstanding goalies on their team.
The current Veznia Trophy winner, Ullmark, is followed closely by Jeremy Swayman, who has emerged as one of the league’s top goalies and is prepared to take the starting position.
“He’s your Game 1 starter,” Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic was informed by an unidentified NHL hockey operations executive. Furthermore, (Brandon) Bussi is nearby.”
That argument is further strengthened by the fact that Swayman has a higher save percentage (.920 versus Ullmark’s.913).
It sounds ridiculous on the surface, but Ullmark becomes expendable with so much goaltending.
Moving him, however, would free up room and enable the Bruins to acquire the assets they feel are necessary to contend for a championship following last year’s incredibly disappointing first-round departure. He has an average yearly worth of $5 million.
Although Shinzawa stated that the Bruins would be less likely to assist two clubs who pose a real danger to them winning the Eastern Conference, he acknowledged that the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils both need an upgrade at goalie.
Two more clubs that might gain from an improvement are the Los Angeles Kings and the Ottawa Senators.
The unidentified official mentioned that the Bruins would prefer to hold off on trading Ullmark until after the season, so the return would need to be advantageous.
Adam Henrique, C, Anaheim Ducks, is a forward who helps.
Adam Henrique of Anaheim is a versatile center who is expected to surpass his personal scoring records if the Bruins are successful in obtaining cap relief.
He has averaged 17:33 of ice time, 24 assists, and 17 goals.
After the season, he will become an unrestricted free agent with an AAV of $5.825 million. The Bruins will be taking a significant financial hit, but according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com, the Ducks may be able to keep part of that contract, which would increase Henrique’s appeal to other teams.
The Bruins’ problems with the wage cap are made worse by their inability to secure a first-round draft pick.
Boston will have to work extra hard to make any deals if it doesn’t have those to bargain with. The Bruins would be wise to take a risk on Henrique given their need for scorers and his above average play in that area.
Defensive Support: Defenseman Matt Dumba