5 players the Boston Bruins could trade for by the deadline
By Bob Heyrman
As the NHL trade deadline swiftly approaches, the Boston Bruins will be buyers. Here are five players that may end up donning a Bruins’ jersey before the Feb. 24 deadline expires.
Earlier this week, the NHL saw its first real splash when the Minnesota Wild sent forward Jason Zucker to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Alex Galchenyuk. Before that occurred, the Boston Bruins saw division rival Toronto Maple Leafs shore up their goaltending issues by acquiring backup netminder Jack Campbell along with Kyle Clifford from the Los Angeles Kings.
The Leafs are currently scratching and clawing, trying to make the NHL playoffs while the Bruins once again sit atop of the NHL standings. Toronto desperately needed to add an insurance policy for star goaltender Frederik Andersen, and Campbell fits the bill.
Kyle Clifford is a piece many will surely overlook, but he’s a fourth line forward that will provide some grit to a Leafs lineup built upon finesse. He’s a forward that isn’t afraid to mix it up, someone head coach Sheldon Keefe will be comfortable with deploying against the Bruins in a seven-game postseason series if these two once again happened to meet in the first round.
The Bruins currently have a star-studded lineup, but as the deadline approaches, they will be looking for that right piece that will turn them from Stanley Cup contenders to Stanley Cup favorites.
Both president Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney aren’t one to sit on their hands while teams around them improve. While the Maple Leafs have underachieved to this point in the season, Boston no doubt also has their eyes on the likes of Tampa Bay, Washington, and Pittsburgh.
With the Penguins adding Jason Zucker, expect Boston to have an answer in the coming days. Two prospects the Bruins may dangle in a trade are forward Jack Studnicka and defenseman Urho Vaakanainen, but it would take a blockbuster to acquire either from Boston.
That being said, here are five players the Bruins should have their sights set on leading up to the Feb. 24 trade deadline.
5. D Brenden Dillon
The San Jose Sharks are officially in sell mode. It’s been a very disappointing season for the Sharks this year. On paper, this team looked like a Stanley Cup contender once again as they entered the regular season, but remain on the outside looking in, and things aren’t about to get better.
The story in San Jose this season has once again been a lack of steady goaltending mixed with a roster hampered with injuries. The teams’ top center Logan Couture fractured his ankle earlier this year, and just last week forward Tomas Hertl tore an ACL and MCL, ending his season.
The Sharks have gotten the offensive production one would think from the combination of Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, but they’ve lacked consistent scoring from their forwards all season long.
Defenseman Brenden Dillon is expected to test the free-agent market this summer; he’s a pure rental and someone the Bruins will strongly consider. Solid defensemen are hard to come by leading up to the trade deadline, and he will garner plenty of interest over the next week and a half.
Dillon is a stay at home, defensive-minded defender, and he’d pair very well with either Torey Krug or Charlie McAvoy. As a physically imposing player, he’d be the perfect answer to any Eastern Conference team that tries to get tougher leading up to deadline day. He’d easily bump defenseman John Moore from Boston’s starting lineup in his place.
The 29-year-old defender owns a respectable Corsi For percentage at five-on-five on the season of 51.5 percent, according to Natural Stat Trick. He’s accumulated 14 points, but just one goal, and is a minus-1 on the season. General manager Doug Wilson will likely command a prospect along with a second round pick for his services.