Don Sweeney, general manager of the Boston Bruins, is well known for making big decisions before of the NHL trade deadline. Taylor Hall in 2021, Hampus Lindholm in 2022, Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Garnet Hathaway were the acquisitions he made last year.
It’s no secret that the Bruins need another defenseman in addition to a legitimate top-six center or tough winger, as Boston Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy noted last week. Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames and Noah Hanifin, a defenseman, have been suggested as possible trade targets for Sweeney.
The Bruins do not, however, have first- or second-round selections in the NHL drafts of 2024 and 2025. This year’s
The Bruins do not, however, have first- or second-round selections in the NHL drafts of 2024 and 2025. This year’s draft lacks a third-round pick for them as well, and they also need to replenish their depleted prospect pool.
Murphy thinks the Bruins wouldn’t be able to afford to acquire Lindholm or Hanifin before the trade deadline. Murphy believed that Sweeney would be better off waiting until this summer to pursue those two Flames via free agency, when he’ll have more salary-cap cash to deal with, given the club’s success this season.
Fluto Shinzawa of the Athletic concurs that the Bruins would not be able to afford to pursue someone like Lindholm in the trade market. Jake DeBrusk thinks they need to sign a scoring winger because he is having trouble finding the back of the net.
According to Shinzawa, meeting that need won’t cost much. By the trade deadline on March 8, wings like Anthony Duclair of San Jose, Tyler Johnson of Chicago, and Adam Henrique of Anaheim might become available. Each of the three has a great deal of postseason experience.
About DeBrusk, Murphy’s associate Mick Colageo pondered whether the Bruins would try to deal the winger by the deadline for trades or let him go in July as a free agency. Colageo thinks DeBrusk’s future in Boston is uncertain because of his patchy performance across his NHL career.
Trading DeBrusk for futures won’t benefit the Bruins’ roster for the rest of the season unless they can exchange him for a player. Their best option could be to hold onto him for the remainder of the current campaign and monitor the situation from there.
draft lacks a third-round pick for them as well, and they also need to replenish their depleted prospect pool.