On Tuesday, we looked at nine forwards the Bruins could potentially target if they decide to make a move up front before the April 12 trade deadline. Today we look at nine defensemen.
Up front, it was a little easier to identify what the Bruins should target: a winger who would be a clear middle-six upgrade. Adding a bottom-six depth piece wouldn’t really seem to be a priority -- not that that kind of player couldn’t help, but it feels like you already have enough forwards who fit that bill.
On the blue line, the picture is a little murkier. The new-look defense was playing well through the first month of the season, and the Bruins would have loved to have gotten a longer look at everyone in their intended roles before deciding if they need to make a trade and, if so, for what caliber player.
But then the injuries hit and everything got thrown into turmoil. The defense has struggled of late, but a lot of that has come with three and sometimes four regular defensemen out. Jakub Zboril is back now, and Matt Grzelcyk could return as early as Wednesday night. Jeremy Lauzon is out until at least the end of March, and there’s no timetable yet for Kevan Miller, who is dealing with lingering soreness in his surgically repaired knee.
Connor Clifton has been solid enough when he’s filled in, John Moore has struggled, and Urho Vaakanainen hasn’t looked quite ready to handle NHL physicality. The Bruins claimed Jarred Tinordi off waivers over the weekend and he could get a shot as early as Wednesday, but his entire career -- full of trips between the NHL and AHL -- tells us that he’s a fringe NHLer and more of a stopgap than a long-term answer.
So, where does that all leave the Bruins? They could certainly target a clear top-four defensemen, preferably a left shot, with the thinking being that they’d want to get a sure thing in case youth catches up to Lauzon and/or Zboril or Grzelcyk continues to battle injuries.
Or if the prices are too high on the big names, Don Sweeney and Co. could target some depth, especially of the veteran variety and especially if they don’t like what they’ve seen over the last couple weeks… which should in fact be concerning.
So, here are some possible options, starting at the higher end and working down from there. Not included are two big names whose names surfaced in trade rumors before the season, but who it’s hard to imagine would be available now: Florida’s Keith Yandle and Minnesota’s Matt Dumba.
The Panthers and Wild are both in second place in their division, and Yandle and Dumba are both playing important top-four roles. It wouldn’t seem to make any sense for their teams to even think about trading them now, no matter what questions may still exist about their futures.
Mattias Ekholm, Nashville Predators
The top defenseman and possibly the top player on the market, Ekholm is a bona fide top-four D and a left shot to boot. The 30-year-old Swede is under contract for next season as well at an affordable price ($3.75 million cap hit), so he won’t come cheap because the Predators know how attractive all that makes him. Ekholm has played over 23 minutes per game each of the last four seasons, has topped 30 points in four of the last five, can play in all situations, drives possession, and is a big guy (6-foot-4) who can skate.
Hampus Lindholm, Anaheim Ducks
You could take a lot of what you just read about Ekholm and paste it here. Also a clear top-four, left-shot D who plays big minutes. Also plays in every situation. Also a big guy (6-foot-3) who can skate. Also Swedish. Also won’t come cheap. And also under contract for next season as well, though at a bigger cap hit ($5.2 million). A little bit less offense -- more in the 25-30-point range on average than the 35-point range Ekholm is usually in. As we mentioned with Rickard Rakell in our forward write-up, the Bruins and Ducks made two trades last season, and the Ducks are out of the playoff picture and should be willing to sell again. Don’t be surprised if they talk again. Josh Manson, a right shot, could also be an option from Anaheim, but he’s missed the last month and a half with an oblique injury and any buyer is going to have to see how he comes back first.
Alex Goligoski, Arizona Coyotes
Goligoski is 35, but he can still play and he could be a nice veteran rental for a team that’s contending. He’s still playing 22 minutes per game -- second-most on the Coyotes (and more than rumored offseason target Oliver Ekman-Larsson) -- which might be a couple too many, but the Bruins would be able to lighten his load a little and not rely on him quite that much. Perhaps some easier assignments would help him rediscover some of his offense, too, as the usual 30-plus-point producer has just one assist through 21 games this season.
Ryan Murray, New Jersey Devils
Murray has never lived up to the potential that made him the second overall pick back in 2012, but he has settled into a career as a fairly reliable defense-first, bottom-four defenseman. The 27-year-old is a free agent after the season, the Devils have slipped since a promising start, and coach Lindy Ruff recently made Murray a healthy scratch, so his time in New Jersey may be coming to an end.
Jordie Benn, Vancouver Canucks
Benn has been relegated to third-pairing duty in Vancouver, but the analytics suggest his play has bounced back from some struggles last season (Evolving-Hockey has him at 3.3 goals above replacement this year compared to minus-3.4 last year). The 33-year-old is a free agent after the season and probably wouldn’t cost too much. At the very least, he’d be an upgrade over Tinordi and Moore in terms of veteran insurance on the left side.
David Savard, Columbus Blue Jackets
Savard is a right shot, but the 30-year-old is a rugged 6-foot-2, 230-pound defender who can handle tough defensive assignments and has flashed a little bit of offense in the past (36 points in 2014-15, 20-plus in three other seasons). He’s also a rental. If the Bruins are concerned about Miller’s longer-term prognosis for the rest of the season, Savard could be a perfect choice to come in, fill a similar kind of role, and shore up the right side.
Marc Staal, Detroit Red Wings
Last week, I quickly dismissed the idea of trading for Staal when Eddie Olczyk mentioned it. I would slightly amend that to say: I wouldn’t trade for him with the expectation that he would significantly improve my defense, because the 34-year-old just hasn’t been particularly good for several years now. And if you’re not expecting that, then taking on the rest of his $5.7 million cap hit for this season doesn’t make much sense. But if there’s salary retained by Detroit and you’re just bringing him in to be a better left-shot veteran depth option than Tinordi and Moore, then… fine.
Erik Gudbranson, Ottawa Senators
The Senators stink and the 29-year-old Gudbranson is a free agent after the season, so he’s probably available. I wouldn’t exactly be leaping at the chance to get him, though. He’s a minus player, whether you’re looking at the traditional plus-minus, the more advanced Corsi, or the even more advanced expected goals from Evolving-Hockey. The Bruins should only consider going down this path if things take an even worse turn with Miller and his season ends up being in jeopardy, and suddenly you’re desperate for any right-handed depth.
Brandon Montour, Buffalo Sabres
Montour’s name has already popped up a lot and will continue to do so given that he’s a pending free agent on a bad team. I’m not sure the 26-year-old UMass product makes much sense for the Bruins, though. He’s a right shot, he’s never been that good defensively, and his offense -- the biggest selling point of his game earlier in his career -- has really dried up over the last season-plus in Buffalo. Maybe a change of scenery and reduced role would help him out, but I’m not convinced he’d be an upgrade over Clifton, and he’s not really the kind of defenseman you’d want to pair with a player like Clifton or Zboril.