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Trade Deadline Primer: Chicago Blackhawks

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With the All-Star break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month and a half away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Chicago Blackhawks.

After completely tearing down the team over the last several years, there was no question that the Blackhawks would be one of the lower-tier teams entering this season. After drafting Connor Bedard with the first overall selection last summer, the team attempted to put veteran players such as Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, and Corey Perry around the young phenom to help his transition into the NHL; but even that plan has not entirely gone to plan. Outside of injury, Bedard has been exactly as advertised for Chicago, but a slew of injuries has prohibited the organization from taking any noticeable steps forward this season.

Record

14-34-2, 8th in the Central

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$41.8MM on deadline day, 1/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: CHI 1st, TB 1st*, CHI 2nd, VAN 2nd, LA 2nd, CHI 3rd, OTT 3rd, CHI 6th
2025: CHI 1st, TOR 1st**, CHI 2nd, DAL 2nd, CHI 3rd***, CHI 4th, NYR 4th, CHI 5th***, CHI 6th, CHI 7th

* If the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2024 first-round pick falls within the top 10, they will not need to move the draft pick to the Blackhawks. 
** If the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2025 first-round pick falls within the top 10, they will not need to move the draft pick to the Blackhawks. 
*** If Jake McCabe plays in less than 50% of Toronto’s 2023 Playoff games OR less than 25% of Toronto’s 2023-24 regular season games, Chicago will transfer their 2025 3rd round pick instead of their 2025 5th round pick.

Trade Chips

Chicago has already taken several trade chips off the board, signing Jason Dickinson, Petr Mrazek, and Foligno each to two-year extensions. The team may look to peddle veteran forwards such as Tyler Johnson and Anthony Beauvillier; but with both currently on the team’s injured reserve, the Blackhawks could be very limited in what they can move this trade deadline season.

If the team does end up trading any of their pending unrestricted or restricted free agents, they will most certainly need to retain salary in any move considering the team is currently only $5.3MM above the salary cap floor. With $29MM currently on the team’s injured reserve, one of the biggest trade chips Chicago has to offer is their available cap space and roster space.

Outside of Beauvillier and Johnson, the Blackhawks simply do not have that much to offer teams outside of cap space at this year’s deadline. With one sizeable trade already out of the way with Elias Lindholm heading to the Vancouver Canucks, look for Chicago to be a salary broker in any future trade involving a cash-strapped buyer in the future.

Team Needs

1) Star Next To Bedard: With Bedard already penciled into the Blackhawks’ long-term plans, it is now time to find another player that he can rely on for much of his career. Nearly a month ago, Chicago missed out on budding star Cutter Gauthier, whom the Philadelphia Flyers moved to the Anaheim Ducks. While no other players similar to Gauthier have been brought up in any trade conversation; he is the right kind of player that Chicago should be targeting if any become available at the deadline. Nevertheless, with having the projected number one overall selection for the second year in a row, the Blackhawks could certainly fill this void with Macklin Celebrini in the upcoming draft.

2) Thin Out The Herd: By design, Chicago has 11 players set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, while a whopping 14 players will become restricted free agents. Appearing to be somewhat of a crossroads for the franchise, the organization will have to determine which players are worth investing in for the future of the franchise. As things currently stand, Chicago has a roster full of bubble players, and more ice time will have to be allocated to players that the team is convinced should be around for the future. Without any chance of competing for this year’s playoffs, the Blackhawks simply have nothing to lose by giving unofficial tryouts to several of these bubble players throughout the last stretch of the season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Snapshots: DeBrusk, Bruins, Perry

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In an article today by Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, he discusses the pressing matter of a Jake DeBrusk extension with the Boston Bruins. Moving forward, Conroy asserts that if the Bruins cannot extend DeBrusk at a reasonable price, he could be the central piece in a trade bringing in some top-level talent to Boston.

After requesting a trade from the Bruins only two seasons ago, DeBrusk has rebounded nicely in the last several years, scoring 39 goals and 75 points in 111 games over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Even though most teams would gladly accept a player of DeBrusk’s talent, his status as a pending unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason would make him an odd trade chip for most selling teams. Suppose DeBrusk is not willing to discuss an extension until after the season has concluded; in that case, Boston will be hard-pressed to find a team willing to acquire him, unless the Bruins are comfortable selling him for additional trade assets in a separate deal.

If Boston can extend DeBrusk before the March 8th trade deadline, Conroy points to the new eight-year, $49.6MM extension recently handed to Owen Tippett of the Philadelphia Flyers as a reasonable comparison. Although Tippett does not have a similar track record of success compared to DeBrusk, a contract value of around $52MM-$55MM over eight years seems reasonable for DeBrusk’s talents.

Other snapshots:

  • Sticking in Boston, Nick Goss of NBC Sports Boston wrote an article highlighting two of the Bruins’ biggest needs leading into the deadline: a middle-six forward and a physical veteran defenseman. Without a draft pick until the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft, it’s going to be incredibly difficult for Boston to procure said talent, so they may have to shop at the bottom-tier options at this year’s deadline. With an incredibly saturated roster, the Bruins may able to pry pending unrestricted free agents Victor Olofsson and Erik Johnson from the Buffalo Sabres by the deadline for a lower price comparatively.
  • The NHLPA has extended the deadline for Corey Perry to file for grievance against the Chicago Blackhawks according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. The original deadline was January 27th, a full 60 days after his contract was originally terminated by the Blackhawks on November 28th, 2023. Perry believes that Chicago did not have proper grounds to terminate his previous contract, while Commissioner Gary Bettman does not have any issue with how the situation was handled by the Blackhawks.

Vancouver Canucks Acquire Elias Lindholm

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The Vancouver Canucks announced that the team has acquired forward Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames. In return, the Canucks will send Andrei Kuzmenko, Hunter Brzustewicz, and Joni Jurmo, a first-round pick in 2024, and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024. The Flames have also confirmed the deal.

Being a part of the Flames organization for the better parts of six seasons, Lindholm has turned into an effective two-way threat across the league. During his time in Calgary, Lindholm played in a total of 418 regular season games, scoring 148 goals and 357 points in the process. His best offensive output came during the 2021-22 season, scoring 42 goals and 82 points in all 82 games, helping the Flames finish third place in the Western Conference.

With their eyes already set on the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs in this deal, Lindholm brings limited postseason experience. Over his five full seasons in Calgary, Lindholm managed to take part in the postseason in three of those seasons, going as far as the Western Conference semi-finals. In 27 postseason games, Lindholm has scored eight goals and 17 points as well as a 55.5% success rate on the faceoff date, a bit of an improvement over his 53.3% regular season average throughout his career.

It will be interesting to see how exactly the Canucks deploy Lindholm, as J.T. Miller has shown considerable effectiveness as the team’s second-line center. With Lindholm’s versatility up and down the lineup, the team may opt to move either player to the wing to keep them both in the top six. Nevertheless, now tied at the top of the league standings, it will be increasingly difficult for any opponent to match up against a combination of Lindholm, Miller, Elias Petterson, and Brock Boeser on any given night.

After the deal was first reported, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that no extension talks have been discussed between Lindholm and the Canucks. If Vancouver is indeed viewing him as a rental, the Flames received quite a haul for an asset the Canucks may only have for a few months.

Originally, Calgary was reportedly on Kuzmenko’s 12-team no-trade list, but LeBrun later confirmed that Kuzmenko signed off on his inclusion in the deal. Not fitting into Rick Tocchet’s system in Vancouver, the Canucks have been looking to move on from Kuzmenko for nearly the whole season.

In the first season of a two-year, $11MM extension signed with Vancouver last season, Kuzmenko brings much-needed offensive prowess to the top of the Flames’ lineup. In a forgotten season last year for the organization, Kuzmenko finished fourth on the team in scoring, putting up 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games.

Setting aside some healthy scratches earlier in the year, Kuzmenko has still produced respectably this season, scoring eight goals and 21 points in 43 games. Furthermore, Kuzmenko’s powerplay abilities have led him to 17 goals already in his young career, which should help a Flames powerplay unit that currently sits 29th in the NHL.

As far as the prospects heading to Alberta, Brzustewicz was originally drafted 75th overall by the Canucks in last year’s draft. Suiting up for the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL this year, Brzustewicz appears to be somewhat of a diamond in the rough. In 47 games played for the Rangers, Brzustewicz has scored eight goals and a whopping 61 assists, which is an impressive 17 more than the next closest player. With the Flames set to miss several defensemen to either trade or free agency by next season, the right-handed shooting Brzustewicz could feature in the lineup as soon as next year.

Jurmo, another defenseman, was also a third-round selection of Vancouver going 82nd overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. Not having made his professional debut in North America yet, Jurmo does not bring a similar offensive pedigree to the table as Brzustewicz. Nevertheless, standing at 6’4″, Jarmo can cover large swaths of ice for the Flames defensive core. Still playing in his native Finland, Jurmo has scored a total of four points in 35 games split between Ilves and KooKoo of the Finnish Liiga this year.

In the draft picks, the first-round selection acquired in the deal will undoubtedly be at the bottom of the draft, given that Vancouver is on pace to win this year’s President’s Trophy. Owning both their own and the New Jersey Devils’ fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, the Canucks will be able to choose which pick exactly ends up in Calgary.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that talks were intensifying between Calgary and Vancouver. 

Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff was the first to confirm that Lindholm was headed to the Canucks. 

Friedman was the first to report that Brzustewicz would be headed to Calgary. 

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Trade Deadline Primer: Buffalo Sabres

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With the All-Star break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month and a half away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Buffalo Sabres.

On the tail of a 91-point finish in the 2022-23 regular season, the Sabres looked ready to break their 13-year postseason drought this year. Even after some offseason acquisitions to improve areas of weakness in the organization, Buffalo has appeared to have taken a step back. As things currently stand, the Sabres are on pace for a 37-38-7 record on the season, which would once again put them in a strong lottery position in the 2024 NHL Draft. With the hope of competing this year and plenty of talent to do so, Buffalo is one of the more interesting teams leading into the deadline season.

Record

22-23-4, 6th in the Atlantic

Deadline Status

Conservative Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$36.8MM on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th
2025: BUF 1st, BUF 2nd, BUF 3rd, BUF 4th, MIN 4th, BUF 5th, BUF 6th, BUF 7th, NSH 7th*

*If Eric Robinson plays 45 games for the Sabres over the regular season, Buffalo will send Nashville’s seventh-round draft pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Trade Chips

Even with sizeable long-term extensions kicking in next season for defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, the Sabres still have quite a bit of cap flexibility to use, currently projecting around $26.14MM next summer if the cap does rise to the reported $87.7MM. With only Casey Mittelstadt and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen set to receive notable raises over their current deals, Buffalo may look to acquire a player with term this March, even through a sign-and-trade.

With where their record currently stands, the Sabres certainly have the makings of a seller at this year’s trade deadline. However, even if they were to involve themselves in the rental market this spring, the return value on players such as Zemgus Girgensons, Kyle Okposo, Victor Olofsson, and Erik Johnson may not make it worthwhile.

Assuming that Buffalo already has their sights set on next season, they could dangle their 2025 first-round selection to acquire a long-term piece, as it would take a surprise star player to enter the market for the Sabres to part with their lottery-projected 2024 first-round pick. Without much to sell, and in a position to only acquire long-term pieces, it would not be a surprise to see Buffalo be one of the more quiet teams at this year’s deadline.

Team Needs

1) Right-Shot Defenseman: Last summer, the Sabres brought in Johnson and Connor Clifton to help improve the right side of their defensive core. As things played out, neither addition has worked out as Buffalo may have hoped, as out of 29 total players, Clifton ranks 21st on the team in Corsi-For %, and Johnson ranks 24th. Desperately needing to find a serviceable option next to Power on their second defensive line, the Sabres could get aggressive and try to pry David Jiricek from the Blue Jackets, who has reportedly expressed frustration over his situation in Columbus.

2) A Definitive Solution In The Crease: An answer in the net has been one of the primary questions following Buffalo around for the last several years. Without a lot of game-changing answers on the market, it appears this question will take another year to figure out. Now, Buffalo’s goaltender prayers may be answered by either Luukkonen or Devon Levi, but neither has suggested they can fully assume that mantle. Of the two, Luukkonen has been the better option by far this season but has been extremely streaky which leads to concern. In his first eight games of the year, Luukonen produced a serviceable 3-3-1 record with a .910 SV% but followed it up with a 3-5-1 record and .876 SV% in his next nine games. Once again on a hot streak, Luukonen looks nearly unbeatable with a 6-3-0 in his last nine games coupled with a .940 SV%.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Ottawa Senators Place Rourke Chartier On Waivers

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Jan. 31: Chartier has cleared waivers and can be sent to Belleville, TSN’s Chris Johnston reports Wednesday.

Jan. 30: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the Ottawa Senators have placed forward Rourke Chartier on waivers for the purpose of reassignment to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Due to the amount of injuries to start the season, Chartier was brought in to serve in a depth forward role for the Senators this season.

A surprise addition to the roster out of training camp, before this season in Ottawa, Chartier had not yet made an NHL team out of training camp before in his career. Before a handful of call-ups last year by the Senators, Chartier’s last previous game in the NHL came back on November 11, 2018. Nearly doubling his career totals in games played this season, Chartier has produced two goals and three points over 34 games for Ottawa this year.

Aside from his track record in the NHL, Chartier has been a solid AHL player throughout his career, suiting up for the San Jose Barracuda, Toronto Marlies, as well as Belleville. Since his professional career began during the 2016-17 season, Chartier has accrued 222 games played over seven years in the AHL, scoring 62 goals and 135 points in the process. Over those seven years, Chartier’s respective team has made the playoffs four times, allowing Chartier to score three goals and 11 points in 18 postseason contests.

Afternoon Snapshots: Olympics, Tanev, Monahan, Kakko

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Currently, the last time that NHL players were included in the Olympics was the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games. Due to a dispute over funding in 2018, the Olympic hockey teams were composed of professional players not currently residing on an NHL roster. Set to go back in 2022, those plans were unfortunately canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the 2026 Winter Olympic Games to be shared between Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy, the NHL is once again looking to send the world’s best hockey players back to the international event. In today’s edition of TSN’s Insider Trading, Chris Johnson reports that Commissioner Gary Bettman is set to meet with the International Ice Hockey Federation tomorrow, and he could make the announcement as soon as Friday in Toronto.

Not only is the league looking for a return to the Olympics, but they are also looking to bring back a World Cup, which would begin in 2028 under the reported deal. Although nothing is currently set in stone, it does appear momentum is heading in the right direction for the return of NHL players to international hockey.

Other snapshots:

  • During the Insider Trading segment, TSN’s Darren Dreger mentions a new team interested in the services of Calgary Flames’ defenseman Chris Tanev; the Ottawa Senators. One would have to assume that if the Senators were to acquire Tanev at the trade deadline, an extension would almost have to be worked out, given that they are all but out of the playoff race even at this point in the season. However, the reported interest in Tanev may just be a ploy to drive up the price for their intra-provincial rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
  • After a lost season to injury last year, Montreal Canadiens forward Sean Monahan has found himself back on the trade market for this year’s trade deadline. With most teams waiting to see what happens with the Flames’ Elias Lindholm, Pierre Lebrun indicates that once that domino does fall, and Montreal commits to trading Monahan, it is more than likely the Canadiens will be able to fetch a first-round pick for a few months of Monahan, especially if they are willing to retain salary.
  • To finish off the reports from Insider Trading, Dreger also indicates that the General Manager of the New York Rangers, Chris Drury, has begun receiving calls on the availability of Kaapo Kakko. With Filip Chytil now missing the rest of the 2023-24 season due to injury, the Rangers have quite the hole down the middle after Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck. Only a few years removed from being the second overall pick, New York could build a package for a center with Kakko as the main piece heading back the other way.

Blue Jackets Expected To Be Active At Trade Deadline

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Amid another disappointing season, Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News wrote an article today encompassing the deadline plans for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Having not made the playoffs since the 2019-20 season, the Blue Jackets are expected to be an active seller at this year’s deadline.

Looking to take the next step in their short rebuild, Columbus made an unexpected splash two summers ago, signing Johnny Gaudreau to a seven-year, $68.25MM contract. Leading the team in points in his first year with the organization, the efforts of Gaudreau were not enough to get them over the hump, finishing with a 37-38-7 record.

Largely justifying the poor season by missing several players due to injury, the Blue Jackets doubled down this past summer, bringing in defensemen Damon Severson and Ivan Provorov through separate trades. Nevertheless, even with the new and improved defensive core, Columbus is on pace for an even worse record this year while they sit dead last in the Eastern Conference.

Appearing to understand the roster may not have been built as effectively as possible, a few days ago reports surfaced that indicated the Blue Jackets would be willing to listen to offers on both Provorov and Patrik Laine. Already unfeasible for the team to move on from Laine’s $8.7MM salary mid-season, he was essentially taken off the market due to his admittance into the NHLPA Player Assistance Program a few days after the initial report.

Adding to the list of players that the Blue Jackets may be willing to move on from, earlier this month, goaltender Elvis Merzlikins reportedly requested a trade once his role with the organization began to diminish. In a buyer market desperate for goaltending help, Merzlikins quickly became one of the most popular trade targets thanks to his .901 SV% on a disappointing Columbus team.

To add more salt to the wound, in the initial article from Richardson, he mentions that top-prospect David Jiricek has become increasingly frustrated with his situation in Columbus, leading to some speculation that the team could move on from him as well. Given his importance as a young up-and-coming blue liner for the team, it is more than unlikely that he will be included in any trade for the Blue Jackets this season, but after being ferried up and down from the minors of the last several weeks, his growing impatience with the team could be something to monitor.

Mackenzie MacEachern To Miss Remainder Of 2023-24 Season

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Currently playing for the Springfield Thunderbirds of the St.Louis Blues organization, Mackenzie MacEachern will have to wait until next season to make his way up the organizational depth chart. The team announced today that MacEachern suffered a shoulder injury in the Thunderbirds’ game on January 27th and that he will undergo season-ending surgery.

Besides a one-year pit stop with the Carolina Hurricanes organization a few years ago, MacEachern has been a part of the Blues organization for the majority of the time since 2016-17. Originally drafted by the team with the 67th overall pick of the 2012 NHL Draft, MacEachern has struggled to carve out a path in the NHL.

Largely destined for a bottom-six role in his future with St.Louis, MacEachern has played in a total of 123 regular season games wearing the blue note, scoring 11 goals and 20 points in the process. This year specifically, MacEachern will finish with one assist over eight games with the Blues, and six goals and 19 points in 34 games with Springfield.

Playing for the last three AHL affiliates for St.Louis, MacEachern has faired much better in the minor leagues, scoring 49 goals and 111 points throughout 252 games split between Springfield, the Chicago Wolves, and the San Antonio Rampage. A quality postseason producer in the AHL as well, MacEachern has scored eight goals and 16 points in 28 games through two Calder Cup playoff runs.

Thankfully for MacEachern, he does have a bit of security on his current deal, given that he is on the first year of a two-year, $1.55MM contract signed with the Blues this past summer. Now taking the foreseeable future rehabbing from shoulder surgery, MacEachern will once again try his luck next season to carve out a full-time role in St.Louis.

Injury Notes: Kane, Perunovich, Kapanen

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Heading into the team’s game tomorrow night against the Ottawa Senators, there was some hope from the Detroit Red Wings that forward Patrick Kane could be healthy enough to return, after missing the team’s last six games with a lower-body injury. Nevertheless, Ansar Khan of MLive reports that Kane will not be in the lineup tomorrow night for Detroit, and the team will allow him to rest and recover over the upcoming All-Star break.

With Kane making a strong comeback after offseason hip resurfacing surgery, the saving grace to this injury is that all signs are pointing to it being unrelated to his hip. However, with Kane making such an unexpectedly impressive return from resurfacing surgery, having to deal with a separate issue could likely lead to some frustration for the veteran forward.

Even though he has become one of the better forwards in the lineup, the Red Wings have faired well in his absence, producing a 4-2-0 record and picking up important victories against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. Once he does return after the All-Star break, Kane will look to improve on his 16-point total and reinforce Detroit’s current momentum.

Other injury notes:

  • Suffering a lower-body injury in the team’s most recent game against the Los Angeles Kings, Lou Korac of The Hockey News reports that St.Louis Blues defenseman Scott Perunovich was seen wearing a boot on his left foot this morning, and would be out through the All-Star break. Thankfully, the injury does not sound as serious as expected, meaning that Perunovich should be able to return shortly thereafter. On the season, Perunovich has suited up in 31 games for the Blues, tallying 12 assists while averaging about 14 and a half minutes a night.
  • Sticking in St.Louis, although it has already been confirmed that forward Kasperi Kapanen will be out through the All-Star break, Lou Korac reports that he was back at practice this morning for the team. Residing on the team’s injured reserve for the last two weeks, Kapanen was on a much slower pace compared to last season before the injury, only scoring four goals and 13 points through 42 games.

Trade Deadline Primer: Boston Bruins

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With the All-Star break approaching, the trade deadline looms large and is about a month and a half away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Boston Bruins.

Not quite as dominant as last season, the Bruins are still looking like one of the best regular season teams in the NHL, currently knocking on the door of back-to-back President’s Trophy victories, an accomplishment that has not been done since the 2016-17 Washington Capitals. Unfortunately, even though Boston has been one of the best regular season teams over the last several years, they have failed to move past the semi-finals in the postseason since their 2018-19 Stanley Cup Final loss to the St.Louis Blues. Nevertheless, with some long-term cap flexibility created this past summer, the Bruins could look to acquire players with term; something they have been unable to do for the last several years.

Record

31-9-9, 1st in the Atlantic

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$862.5K on deadline day, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2024: BOS 1st*, BOS 4th, BOS 5th, BOS 6th
2025: BOS 1st*, BOS 3rd, BOS 5th, BOS 6th, BOS 7th

*On March 2, 2023, Boston traded their 2024 first-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings with a top-10 protection placed on it. If the pick falls within the top 10 of the 2024 NHL Draft, the Bruins would then send the Red Wings an unprotected 2025 first-round pick instead. On July 9, 2023, Detroit conditionally traded the draft pick to the Ottawa Senators, with the Red Wings having the option of trading Ottawa their own 2024 first-round pick, or the Bruins’ 2024 first-round pick, with the original top-10 protections still in place.

Trade Chips

Having only eight draft picks over the next two years, it is unlikely that the Bruins will use their draft capital to make any major additions to their roster come the trade deadline. With Boston more than likely not picking until the fourth round of the 2024 NHL Draft, it would not be a surprise to see the Bruins acquire an obscure fourth- or fifth-round pick in any trade over the next few weeks, even as a buyer.

Furthermore, with a need for young and cheap talent, it would be unlikely to see the Bruins part with any of Matthew Poitras, Mason Lohrei, Georgii Merkulov, or John Beecher, given their long-term importance to the continuing success of the organization. The one asset that Boston does have, however, is long-term cap space beyond this season. If they were to pursue a player with term on their contract, the Bruins may be able to dangle pieces off of their active roster, without sacrificing too much of their future.

With many teams in desperate need of goaltending, Boston is in the envious position of having two All-Star goalies able to start for them every game, and the Bruins could certainly dangle one of them to improve other weak spots on their roster. Signed for this season and next at $5MM a year, Linus Ullmark has put together another quality season, securing a 15-6-2 record in 24 games, holding a .913 save percentage and 2.78 GAA. On the flip side, Jeremy Swayman will once again be arbitration-eligible next summer and has been one of the best goaltenders in the league with a 16-3-7 record in 27 games played on the year, also achieving a .924 SV% and 2.30 GAA.

Outside of their excess between the pipes, the Bruins may also be willing to listen to offers on Jake DeBrusk, who becomes an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. Once again being an effective goal-scorer for Boston, DeBrusk has scored 12 goals and 25 points in 47 games this season. It would not be a major surprise to work out a deal to improve their roster with DeBrusk as the centerpiece going the other way, especially if DeBrusk is willing to sign an extension with the acquiring team.

Team Needs

1) Center Help: Ever since the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, it was a foregone conclusion that the Bruins would need to improve their center depth if there was any hope of a serious playoff run. The team has played well with the combination of Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle centering the top-two lines, but with a team faceoff percentage of 49.3% (19th in the NHL), Boston will need to improve down the middle to win big draws in the playoffs at the very least. All three of Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, and Adam Henrique would allow the Bruins to add more punch down the middle, as well as strengthen their ability in the dot.

2) Stay The Course: Losing in the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs after breaking the record for wins in a regular season will be a blight on the Bruins’ history for years to come. However, it is important to remember that Boston was only two shots away from reaching the second round, losing in overtime in Game 5 as well as Game 7 to the Florida Panthers. Outside of the need for help down the middle, it is tough to point out any point of the game that the Bruins are truly lacking. Rather than deal out any of their remaining draft capital, or move on from young prospects ready to make an impact, Boston should trust in his team to get over the hump, as they have shown they can beat nearly any team they play against over the last several years.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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