The Boston Bruins sit second in the Eastern Conference and by all accounts are among the best teams in the NHL, legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. Yet, despite their success to this point, there are still two key positions of need for the team: defenseman and forward.
The team has less than $5 million in salary cap space, severely restricting their ability to make a run at any of their potential trade targets.
There is an opportunity for some relief, however.
To achieve that relief, they must make the decision to trade Vezina Trophy winner Silus Ullmark, the best goaltender in the league a season ago, a move one executive within the organization said would be “gutsy.”
To say the least.
Still, any move the team makes at the deadline almost certainly begins with Ullmark.
Targeting Linus Ullmark
The Bruins are in an enviable position of having to ace goaltenders on their roster.
Ullmark is the defending Veznia Trophy winner but right behind him is Jeremy Swayman, who has developed into one of the best goalies in the league and someone ready to assume the starter role.
An unnamed NHL hockey operations executive told Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic that “He’s your Game 1 starter. And (Brandon) Bussi isn’t far off.”
That Swayman has a better save percentage (.920 to Ullmark’s .913) only strengthens that argument.
With such a rich wealth of goaltending, Ullmark becomes expendable, an idea that sounds ludicrous on the surface.
With a $5 million average annual value, though, moving him would free up space and allow the Bruins to acquire the pieces the team believes are needed to make a run at the a title after last year’s massively disappointing first round exit.
Shinzawa wrote that the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils are in need of an upgrade at goalie but that the Bruins would be less inclined to help two teams that are legitimate threats to them making it out of the Eastern Conference.
The Los Angeles Kings and Ottawa Senators are two other teams that could benefit from an upgrade the position.
The return would have to be worthwhile for the Bruins, who the unnamed executive noted would rather wait until after the season to trade Ullmark.
Forward Help: Adam Henrique, C, Anaheim Ducks
Should the Bruins be able to find cap relief, one player to keep an eye on is Anaheim’s Adam Henrique, a do-everything center who is on pace to shatter his own offensive output marks.
He has tallied 17 goals, 24 assists, and is averaging 17:33 of ice time.
He is a pending unrestricted free agent after the season, with an AAV of $5.825 million. That is a sizeable cap hit for the Bruins but Dan Rosen of NHL.com reported that the Ducks could retain some of that salary, enhancing Henrique’s value to potential suitors.
Compounding the salary cap issues facing the Bruins is the lack of a first-round draft pick.
Without those to negotiate with, Boston will have to get creative to complete any deal. Given their need for scorers, and Henrique’s above average play in that regard, he is a player for whom it would behoove the Bruins to take a chance on.
Defensive Help: Matt Dumba, Defenseman
If there is a veteran defenseman the Bruins could realistically add from a financial standpoint, who would provide them the depth on the right side of the line, it is the Arizona Coyotes’ Matt Dumba.
The 29-year-old signed a one-year, $3.9 million deal with the team before the season but with Arizona having a down season, and several teams’ needs for defensive help, he is a prime candidate to be traded.
Dumba is a quality skater, hitter, and his ability to play both ways makes him valuable to teams looking to bolster their depth. He has also routinely played 20 minutes a game, at least, since the 2016 season.
His stat line will not wow anyone in terms of goals and assists, but he is a quality, durable player with a lot of ice time, who can shore up a side of the Bruins defense that has needed help all season.
He is not the missing piece but he is a quality addition for a team that is still very much a playoff and Stanley Cup contender.
Avoid Giving Up Draft Picks
Rather than players to avoid, it is imperative that the Bruins avoid giving up any first round draft capital.
Boston traded away 2023 and 2024 first rounders for players that ended up being little more than rentals and now, sit without the ability to grow their franchise for the future until 2025.
It is a problem that the team must rectify, starting with protecting their picks and ensuring they are a first-round player a year from now.
Leave a Reply