It’s that time of the year, as the NHL is fresh out of the Holiday Break and is nearing the halfway point of the season. With that, trade rumors will be heating up around the league as the trade deadline is quickly approaching on March 3rd.
That includes the NHL-leading Boston Bruins, who every year seemed to be linked to every available player. This season is no different especially given their current position as the best team in the league. The Bruins are going all in to win the Stanley Cup for their aging core, and a splash at the deadline would make sense. They have been linked to the likes of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Bo Horvat, and Jakob Chychrun.
While big game hunting at the deadline has been general manager Don Sweeney’s pattern over the years, this year may be a little different as he could be looking just to sure up some key spots on the defense and bottom six.
According to Dominic Tiano, Sweeney is in talks with a familiar trade partner.
As per Tiano:
”Some deep discussions with Bruins and Ducks. History there.”
Tiano states that it’s not just talks between the two teams but “deep discussions.” This could signal a trade could be close to being done or agreed upon.
The Ducks make a lot of sense as a trade partner, given their status. They are in the bottom of the league and are still in a rebuild with a few veteran players on the roster that could be turned into valuable assets.
The Ducks have four veterans that have recently had their names floated around in rumors, with defensemen John Klingberg and Kevin Shattenkirk being two of the more prominent names. Forwards Frank Vatrano and Adam Henrique have also been mentioned.
The Ducks and Bruins are no strangers when it comes to making trades, as they’ve completed three trades over the last couple of years. Their latest trade occurred just last year when Don Sweeney acquired defenseman Hampus Lindholm at the trade deadline.
The Bruins have a few veterans themselves they would like to get rid of. The top names being forward Craig Smith, who is on an expiring deal, and defenseman Mike Reilly who has one year remaining after this season.
Both players were waived this season to create cap space, with only Reilly actually reporting to Providence to play games for the Bruins AHL affiliate. Reilly did request a trade earlier this season once his role with the team was diminished, and he was sent down. If a trade is to be completed between the two teams, expect Reilly to be the top name heading out west in the exchange.
