Report card grades for all 31 NHL teams at the trade deadline

Boston Bruins: B

The Boston Bruins are within striking distance of the Tampa Bay Lightning at the top of the Atlantic Division. The Bruins are being carried offensively by their top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak. One of their objectives going into the deadline was to add more of a scoring threat. General manager Don Sweeny set out to make it happen, and swung one of the biggest deals of the year by acquiring Rick Nash. The Bruins are hoping Nash will be able to carry their second line in scoring to give them a more balanced attack heading into the playoffs.

The Bruins paid a steep price for Nash, sending the New York Rangers a five-piece package. Included in the package was a 2018 first-round pick, Ryan Spooner, Matt Beleskey, prospect Ryan Lindgren and a 2019 seventh-round pick. Spooner is an interesting piece for the Rangers. He showed flashes of strong play in Boston but was never consistent enough. The Bruins also acquired Nick Holden from the Rangers in a separate trade, giving up Rob O’ Gara and third-round pick. Frank Vatrano was flipped to Florida for a third-round pick, and on deadline day, the Bruins added Tommy Wingels from Chicago for a 2019 conditional fifth-round pick.

The Bruins added what they needed when they got Nash and took care of some other small needs by adding depth with Wingels and Holden. Being able to lose the Beleskey contract was a win, as well. As the trade market played out it became clear the Bruins paid a lot for Nash, which is what holds them to a B.