The deadline for the NHL is just two days away, and the Boston Bruins are expected to be involved in some form.
In anticipation of the deadline, here are some thoughts on the Browns.
– We discuss this in detail on the acclaimed “NESN Bruins Podcast”, but there are enough chats about the Bruins for a goalkeeper.
The vote here is no.
Tuukka Rask’s health is of course of concern, but Jaroslav Halak should not be on the COVID-19 list forever. To begin with, if Rask’s injury is a long-term problem for some reason, no goalkeeper who would acquire the Browns in a trade will be able to repeat what Rask offers.
Then you have to take into account that all goalkeepers traded are likely to be an indemnity player. It is unlikely that Boston would carry three goalkeepers on its active roster, and to send the third goalkeeper down to the taxi team, they would have to go through a waiver.
It is not easy to send a goalkeeper through this season: Anton Forsberg (several times), Alex Stalock, Troy Grosenick and Eric Comrie have all been claimed.
The netminder most mentioned in trade rumors is Jonathan Bernier. It seems that the Bruins are not worth giving up an asset or two for him, but to expose him to remission if / if Rask and Halak are healthy.
We saw good things from Jeremy Swayman and Dan Vladar. And while they should not displace a healthy Rask or Halak, they appear to be more than capable contingency plans.
– We will think more about this in our upcoming piece “among the radar players who could chase the Bruins”, but one drum that we have been beating for a long time is that the Bruins have to chase Andreas Athanasiou.
We continue to rekindle it now.
He has eight goals and seven assists in 30 games with the Los Angeles Kings, with whom he signed a cheap one-year deal during the off-season. He’s not much of a defensive player, but he’s a great skater who likes to shoot and can play a physical game.
He makes sense as a wing option that can play anywhere in the top nine. On top of that, his cap shot ($ 1.2 million) is low enough for the Bruins to get him and make a few more moves.
The Bruins’ defense has been beaten by the rider this season, so we’ll be shocked if Boston does not try to make a deep defender.
For the first time, there does not seem to be a big blue liner available – less so than David Savard – especially with the Nashville predators making a turn, which will make Mattias Ekholm increasingly unlikely.
But the Bruins have been left behind so many times and forced to put things together at the back that we would be shocked if they did not go after someone who represents an upgrade of Jarred Tinordi and Steven Kampfer.
We do not know exactly who it would be. Brandon Montour or Colin Miller could be options, perhaps Dmitry Kulikov. We have driven the idea of Alex Goligoski before. It sounds like a lot of teams can be sellers, so there are probably guys available that no one knows about.
We’ll end it with this hug from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: ‘The sellers are more than the buyers, as far as I can see. I have a strange feeling that the prices might come on Monday, and that there are decent players available at cheaper prices. ”
This could be fantastic news for the Browns. We keep thinking back to the Bruins trade for Marcus Johansson in 2019, which cost Boston a second and fourth player. That third rule with Johansson, Charlie Coyle (also getting the deadline) and Danton Heinen was one of the Bruins’ most consistent rules during the post-season, and Boston doesn’t have to give up a ton to make that happen.
The Bruins never positioned themselves as sellers, but there is now even more incentive to be buyers, and big ones at that, if LeBrun’s intention is correct.
Thumbnail via Stephen R. Sylvanie / USA TODAY Sports images