The Boston Bruins find themselves in a fascinating spot as the March 6 NHL trade deadline approaches.
Daily Faceoff’s Scott Maxwell calls them “long-term buyers.” Their roster isn’t set up to go out and acquire rentals. But at the same time, this year’s team can make a postseason run.
That means they’ve got to thread the needle on the player they get. They’ve got to find someone who another team wants to give up, but who has longer-lasting control, and who doesn’t cost much from the current NHL roster.
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It’s possible, though. Maxwell lists these eight potential targets:
- Emil Andrae (D)
- Bobby McMann 9LW)
- Pavel Mintyukov (D)
- Shane Wright (C)
- Conor Garland (RW)
- Alex Laferriere (RW)
- Jared McCann (C)
- Braden Schneider (D)
“The Bruins are in a tough spot going into the deadline,” Maxwell writes. “They’re still very much in a retool and aren’t in a position to sacrifice from their restocked draft capital or their limited prospect pool for short-term improvement. But they also owe it to this year’s team to add for the playoffs. If they do decide to add to this group, it should be a player who either is young with plenty of upside (Mintyukov, Wright), or is well-established but locked in long-term (Garland).”
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McMann doesn’t quite fit the bill at first glance, because the Maple Leafs winger is in the final year of his contract. But because he has such a low cap hit the rest of the way, he’d be an easy guy to acquire and then look to extend.
The Bruins also don’t have a ton of cap space, further complicating matters. But it seems safe to expect them to do something, even if it isn’t a headline-grabbing move.
