If the Bruins want to trade for a center before Monday's deadline, their options are looking quite limited.
Tomas Hertl came off the board earlier this week when he signed an eight-year extension with the Sharks. The Canucks are reportedly unlikely to trade J.T. Miller.
And now it appears you can cross off Claude Giroux as a possibility for Boston as well. According to Anthony SanFilippo of Crossing Broad, Giroux has used his no-movement clause to block possible trades to the Bruins and New York Rangers.
SanFilippo reports that Giroux is expected to end up with the Panthers, while Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports that a deal with Florida isn't quite at the finish line yet and that the Colorado Avalanche -- the only other team believed to be a finalist for Giroux -- haven't given up yet.
Barring something unexpected, there may not be another clear first- or second-line center on the market at this point. Winnipeg's Andrew Copp and Paul Stastny, both of whom the Bruins will face Friday night, may be the top options. The Bruins have been linked to Copp in particular, and he would probably be a better fit given that he can also play either wing.
Giroux played his 1,000th career game with the Flyers on Thursday, and it is expected to be his last with the team, as he will not go on the road with them this weekend.
We can only guess at why he may have eliminated Boston as a destination. While the idea of playing right wing on the Bruins' top line or center on the second would seem to be pretty appealing, it's possible he doesn't view the Bruins as a serious Cup contender on par with Florida or Colorado. It's also possible he just didn't want to go to one of Philly's rivals.
The Bruins are no strangers to trade targets exercising no-movement clauses, as they have both benefited from it and been hurt by it in the past. They clearly got a boost from it last season, when Taylor Hall used his to veto other deals and push the Buffalo Sabres into trading him to Boston.
Back in 2013, Jarome Iginla infamously nixed a deal to the Bruins at the last minute -- after reports had already emerged that the trade was done -- and forced the Calgary Flames to send him to the Pittsburgh Penguins instead.
The Bruins beat Iginla and the Penguins in the Eastern Conference finals that season, and Iginla ended up course-correcting and signing with Boston as a free agent that summer.
If Giroux does end up with the Panthers -- one of Boston's Atlantic Division rivals -- you can bet the Bruins will be motivated to beat him the same way they did Iginla should the two sides meet in the playoffs.
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