The debate over whether Bruins general manager Don Sweeney should prioritize a forward or a defenseman before the March 21 deadline will likely continue right up until he actually makes a move. There are strong arguments to be made for any of a top-four defenseman, a No. 2 center, or a top-six right wing (especially if Sweeney does end up trading Jake DeBrusk).
For today, we’re going to focus on defense. Even if the Bruins don’t land an impact top-four D who can play 20-plus minutes a night, adding depth on the blue line is still a good idea, especially given the number of injuries that tend to occur in the playoffs.
A lot of defensemen have popped up in rumors over the last few weeks and months, but just how many are actually available or will actually be moved remains to be seen. We decided to sift through the market and sort some of the names into three groups.
The first is impact, top-four D who would be worth targeting. These would naturally be the most expensive to acquire. The second is depth defensemen who would be worth targeting. These are third-pairing/seventh D types who should come a bit cheaper. The third is players to avoid, whether because of their ability, contract, or reported asking price.
Impact targets
Jakob Chychrun (Arizona Coyotes)
Chychrun has been the biggest D name on the market for months, and understandably so. It’s not often that a 23-year-old, 6-foot-2 defenseman who plays 23 minutes a night, has a top-10 Norris Trophy finish already under his belt, and is signed to a team-friendly deal for three more years after this is on the market. Chychrun’s stats have definitely plummeted this season -- especially his goal total, which has gone from 18 in 56 games last season to three in 44 games this year -- but there is still a lot of skill and upside here, and a lot of teams would still love to get him. TSN's Darren Dreger has reported that Boston is one of eight "primary suitors." You would expect that getting him into a better system (like the Bruins’) and surrounding him with better players (like maybe Charlie McAvoy as his partner) would help get his game back on track. Chychrun could be that all-around left-shot D the Bruins have long been searching for, and he would be around for a while. Of course, he will likely cost a first-round pick, top prospect and more.
Hampus Lindholm (Anaheim Ducks)
On their 32 Thoughts podcast this week, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek were in agreement that the Ducks will either sign Lindholm to an extension or trade him before March 21, and that an extension may be tough to get done. If Lindholm is determined to hit the open market and test free agency this summer, then he may not be a likely target for the Bruins. He’s going to cost a premium, and Sweeney has generally been hesitant to give up a lot for rentals unless he thinks there’s an inside track to re-signing them. If Lindholm indicates a willingness to discuss an extension, though, then he checks a lot of boxes for the Bruins: Left shot, good size (6-foot-3, 208 pounds), 28 years old, minutes eater, plays in all situations, and contributes offensively.
Mark Giordano (Seattle Kraken)
Of the four players listed in this section, Giordano seems to be the most likely to actually get traded. The Kraken’s inaugural season has not gone well at all, and an amicable split with their first-ever captain looks like a good move for all involved. The 38-year-old Giordano, who is a free agent after the season, gets to chase a Cup and Seattle gets an asset or two for the future. Giordano is no longer the player who won the Norris three years ago, but he can still handle 20-plus minutes a game, play in all situations and help out offensively. It’s easy to imagine Giordano next to either McAvoy or Brandon Carlo in the Bruins’ top four. Some added veteran leadership from the longtime captain is never a bad thing either. Giordano shouldn’t cost as much as Lindholm given the age difference, with Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli suggesting it won’t take a first-round pick to get him.
Damon Severson (New Jersey Devils)
Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald said this week that he hasn’t talked to teams about trading Severson and that it would take “a really good package” for him to consider it. The Bruins and other contenders looking for D help would be wise to at least gauge what such a package might look like. Severson is 27 years old, is signed for another year after this, and is a very good two-way player. He’s a right shot, not a left, but bumping Brandon Carlo down to the third pairing wouldn’t be a bad move for the Bruins and would only make them deeper.
Depth targets
Jacob Middleton (San Jose Sharks)
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported Tuesday night that the Bruins are among the teams interested in Middleton, and he would make a lot of sense for them. After five years spent mostly in the AHL, the 26-year-old Middleton has really established himself as an NHL regular this season. He’s big (6-foot-3, 219 pounds), he’s physical, he’s a stellar defender and penalty-killer, and he has enough mobility to not have that be a weakness. He is a restricted free agent after the season, so the Sharks certainly don’t need to trade him. If they decide to, though, he could be an upgrade on the Bruins’ third pairing and bring some nastiness that’s been lacking. The team control that comes with restricted free agency would be appealing as well. (Middleton is the mustachioed fella throwing punches in this article's cover photo, by the way.)
Calvin de Haan (Chicago Blackhawks)
De Haan is going to be a sneaky good depth rental for some contender. There’s nothing sexy about his game, but the 30-year-old left shot has just been a steady defensive presence for years now, and he’s a better puck-mover than his offensive numbers might suggest. He would be an upgrade over Derek Forbort or Connor Clifton on the Bruins’ third pair, and probably wouldn’t look out of place if the Bruins moved him up at times.
Brett Kulak (Montreal Canadiens)
While all eyes have been on Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petry when it comes to Montreal defensemen who are on the market (more on them in a minute), some GM would be smart to swoop in and snag Kulak instead for a fraction of the price. Kulak doesn’t play as many minutes as Chiarot and he’s not as physical, but the 28-year-old free-agent-to-be has much better underlying numbers, and has for a few years now. As it relates to the Bruins, there is of course the long history of these archrivals not dealing with each other to consider (their last trade was in 2001 when Boston got Eric Weinrich for Patrick Traverse). But the rivalry hasn’t been so heated in recent years, and Canadiens vice president Jeff Gorton and GM Kent Hughes both have Boston roots and relationships with Sweeney. We’ve seen Red Sox-Yankees and Patriots-Jets trades in recent years, so anything is possible.
Justin Braun (Philadelphia Flyers)
Braun is 35 years old now, but the UMass product is still a stout defender who can help a team’s third pairing and maybe even move up if called upon. He’s playing 20 minutes per game this season, is one of the few Flyers making a positive defensive impact, is a good penalty-killer, and has even chipped in a respectable 14 points. Given Clifton’s inconsistency at times, Braun and his 100 games of playoff experience could be a nice alternative to have, especially since he shouldn’t cost much.
Colin Miller (Buffalo Sabres)
Could there be a reunion with the player the Bruins lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft? It could make some sense at the right cost. After a couple down years following his move from Vegas to Buffalo, Miller was in the midst of a bounce-back season this year before suffering an upper-body injury in January that has kept him out since. He is expected to return before the trade deadline. The days of Miller being a 40-point producer like he was when he helped the Knights get to the Cup Final in 2018 are long gone, but he’s still a solid defender and puck-mover who would give the Bruins some right-side depth and compete with Clifton for playing time. (P.S. Mark Pysyk would be another decent -- and even cheaper -- depth addition from Buffalo.)
Players to avoid
Ben Chiarot (Montreal Canadiens)
Reports indicate the Canadiens are still holding out for a first-round pick in exchange for Chiarot. It would be insane for anyone to pay that price. The sales pitch is that Chiarot is big, physical, plays a lot of minutes, and had a good postseason during the Habs’ surprise run to the Stanley Cup Final last year. What that leaves out is that his underlying numbers have been poor for years, that hits do not equal good defensive play, and that he benefited immensely from playing with Shea Weber during said playoff run. If the Bruins want to add some physicality to their back end, they can do so without trading a first-round pick for a player who would probably make their overall team defense worse.
Jeff Petry (Montreal Canadiens)
Petry is better than Chiarot. In fact, he was an elite defenseman as recently as a year ago. But his underlying numbers and offensive production have both cratered this season on a bad Montreal team. If that sounds a bit like Chychrun, you’re not wrong. Like Chychrun, Petry could rediscover his game on a better team and really help someone. The difference is that Petry is 34 years old and comes with a contract that carries a $6.25 million cap hit for three more years after this. If the Bruins acquired Petry and he didn’t turn things around, that contract would hinder their flexibility for years to come, at a time when they’re going to need to replenish their roster with younger talent.
Rasmus Ristolainen (Philadelphia Flyers)
See Chiarot, Ben. A lot of the same stuff applies, minus the playoff run. The Flyers traded a first-round pick to get Ristolainen from the Sabres last summer and reportedly want to get a first back if they trade the pending free agent now. There’s no reason for another team to bail them out like that. Ristolainen may be OK in a more sheltered role, but his time in Buffalo and now Philly should make it clear that he just isn’t good enough to play high in the lineup. He’ll hit everything that moves, but his positioning, decision-making and puck-moving leave a lot to be desired. Again, it’s just not good business to overpay for physicality. (Middleton, for example, presents much better value.)
(UPDATE: The Flyers signed Ristolainen to an extension on Thursday, so he's no longer available. The move could free up a better D target from Philly, though: Travis Sanheim, whom we look at here.)
Zdeno Chara (New York Islanders)
After years of a vocal minority of Bruins fans prematurely declaring Chara to be in decline, the big man’s drop-off has finally happened, and the finish line should be in sight at this point. The Capitals clearly sheltered Chara against the Bruins in the playoffs last year, and the now-44-year-old has not looked great with the Islanders this season. He’s playing a respectable 18 minutes per game, but his advanced stats have been poor, with Evolving-Hockey registering a negative impact at both ends of the ice. The Bruins arguably have at least seven defensemen better than him at this point. If Chara is OK with coming back to Boston as an eighth or ninth defenseman with no expectations to play and it costs virtually nothing to get him, then… sure. But that might be a bit awkward for everyone, and the Bruins definitely shouldn’t give up anything of value.
Others to consider
John Klingberg (Dallas Stars)
The Stars have fought their way back into playoff position, so they may just hang onto Klingberg and try to make a run anyways. Even if they do look to move the pending free agent, he wouldn’t seem to be a great fit for the Bruins. He would certainly add some offense from the blue line, which they could use, but he’s a liability defensively. The Bruins typically have little interest in that kind of defenseman, especially given how much it would probably cost to get him.
P.K. Subban (New Jersey Devils)
Can you imagine??? The Devils have informed Subban they don’t plan to extend him, so the plan is to try to get something for the 32-year-old pending free agent. They can retain up to 50% of his $9 million cap hit, and will likely have to in order to get a deal done. The Bruins are one playoff team that could afford the other 50%. Subban is far from the perennial Norris candidate he was earlier in his career, but he could still help in a third-pairing role. However, the Bruins shouldn’t be in any rush to take on a $4.5 million cap hit just for a fifth or sixth D. If they’re going to use up that much of their roughly $7 million in deadline cap space on one player, it should be someone who’s going to play higher in the lineup.
Josh Manson (Anaheim Ducks)
The 30-year-old Northeastern product, who is a free agent after the season, was a quality top-four defenseman three or four years ago, but he’s had a tough, injury-plagued last few seasons. Currently, Manson has been out since late January with a finger injury, but is expected to return in the next week or so. It’s just unclear what his value even is at this point. The Ducks will obviously hope that potential buyers still view the 6-foot-3 right shot as a top-four D, but it would be risky for the Bruins or another team to bet on him being more than a third-pairing player.
Nick Leddy and Marc Staal (Detroit Red Wings)
A pair of 30-something left-shot rentals who would be fine as cheap depth additions, but are no guarantee to be real difference-makers. Staal would be cheaper in terms of assets and cap hit, and is actually having the better season. Leddy’s name and postseason experience might drive his price higher than his current performance warrants.
All graphics from @JFreshHockey. All stats from NHL.com, Hockey-Reference or Evolving-Hockey.
Related
