The NHL’s March 8 trade deadline is now less than two weeks away, so it’s officially crunch time for general managers across the league.
Sunday Skate: Do the Bruins need to shake things up?
Here in Boston, Don Sweeney has consistently added when the Bruins have been in contention, and he will certainly at least be trying to do so again this year.
Exactly what Sweeney will be able to add remains to be seen. The Bruins have little cap space, a shallow prospect pool, and just one pick total in the first two rounds in the 2024 and 2025 drafts.
Giving up multiple high picks for rentals like he did last year is probably out of the question this season. Sweeney may be willing to splurge for players under team control beyond this season or players he can extend after acquiring. Any salary added will require nearly equal salary being moved out.
We know Sweeney will be exploring all his options, potentially up to and including moving one of his goalies, so we will do the same.
Related
A few days ago, we took a look at 10 potential defense targets. Today we’ll look at 16 forward options, splitting them into two groups: Top six (more impactful first- or second-liners, but more expensive to acquire) and bottom six (third- and fourth-liners who would theoretically be at least a little easier to get).
After losing so much firepower from last season, the Bruins, for the season overall, have been better offensively than many expected, and Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha have done an admirable job filling the top two center spots. The B’s rank ninth in 5-on-5 scoring and eighth in high-danger chances created.
They’ve had some quiet games recently, though, and trying to find the ideal lineup has been a game of Whac-A-Mole at times for coach Jim Montgomery. Move someone around to get a struggling line going, and it creates a hole somewhere else that causes another line to go quiet. The Bruins continue to explore internal options, but Sweeney may determine that outside help is ultimately required.
Top-six forwards
Pavel Buchnevich, LW/RW, St. Louis Blues
This one is admittedly a bit pie-in-the-sky. While the Blues are reportedly willing to listen to offers on Buchnevich, they would have to be blown away considering he’s signed for another year after this and that St. Louis is still in the playoff hunt. But if the Bruins or another contender wanted to swing big for a first-line winger on an affordable contract ($5.8 million) who isn’t a rental, here’s your guy. Buchnevich is a powerful skater with a great shot who’s also responsible defensively. He’s been over a point per game the last two years in St. Louis. Even in a “down” season this year, he has 46 points (22 goals, 24 assists) in 55 games. He and Montgomery were close during their one year together in St. Louis.
Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, Ottawa Senators
Bruins fans don’t need to be reminded of Tarasenko’s playoff pedigree. He scored three times against them in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. Now 32, Tarasenko is no longer the perennial 35-goal, 70-point player he was back then, but he still creates offense and has a very good shot. A pending free agent on a disappointing Ottawa team, it seems likely Tarasenko will be moved. One potential hang-up from a Bruins perspective: Tarasenko generates more of his offense off the rush rather than in-zone, which goes against Boston’s change in offensive identity this season. Like Buchnevich, Tarasenko also worked with Montgomery in St. Louis.
Jake Guentzel, LW, Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins don’t want to be sellers, but they’re seven points out of a playoff spot and would need to leapfrog three teams. If they can’t make a serious push fast, they have to think about retooling, and Guentzel, a pending free agent, would be their most valuable chip. He is not expected to play before the trade deadline due to an upper-body injury, but he would nonetheless be a hot commodity if he’s on the market. Guentzel had 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists) in 50 games before his injury and remains a do-it-all offensive force in his prime at 29 years old. He’s a point-per-game player in the playoffs for his career and goes to the areas where goals are scored in the spring, as he ranks 11th among 346 qualified forwards in 5-on-5 high-danger chances per 60 minutes this season.
Adam Henrique, C/LW, Anaheim Ducks
With Elias Lindholm already dealt, Henrique might be the only legitimate top-six center option left in a thin market at the position. At age 34, he remains a smart two-way player who has 38 points (16 goals, 22 assists) in 57 games this season and is 53.1% on faceoffs. He can also play wing, making him even more appealing to a team like the Bruins that could use him at either spot. Henrique is a pending free agent and the Ducks are rebuilding, so he is almost certainly on the move.
Jordan Eberle, RW, Seattle Kraken
The Kraken are just barely hanging around the Western Conference wild card race for now, but if they sell, Eberle, a pending free agent, would be a coveted trade chip. At age 33, he continues to drive offense and create chances at an impressive rate. He also has 45 points in his last 63 playoff games, including two conference finals runs with the Islanders in 2020 and 2021. Eberle has 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) in 53 games this season.
Tyler Toffoli, LW/RW, New Jersey Devils
What are the Devils going to do? They expected to be a Cup contender this season, but are instead in danger of missing the playoffs, currently sitting five points out of a playoff spot. That’s close enough that they’re not going to sell yet, but one losing streak before March 8 could change that (think Washington last season). They could also buy, and would be in the market for a goalie (Linus Ullmark?) if they do. The 31-year-old Toffoli, a pending free agent, continues to produce, with 25 goals and 42 points in 57 games this season. His playoff performance has been a little up-and-down at times, but he did have 14 points during the Kings’ Cup run in 2014 and 14 again during the Canadiens’ run to the Cup Final in 2021.
Bottom-six forwards
Reilly Smith, LW/RW, Pittsburgh Penguins
Teams that can’t afford the price for Guentzel could shift their attention to another Penguins winger in Smith, who is signed through next season. His $5 million cap hit is a bit rich; would the Penguins be willing to retain some of it? Smith, who played for the Bruins from 2013-15, hasn’t quite been a fit in Pittsburgh, posting 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 49 games this season. Just one year ago, though, he helped Vegas win the Cup with a 56-point regular season followed by 14 points in 22 playoff games. He remains a smart, reliable two-way winger who can generate offense off the rush and in-zone. He would be an ideal third-liner on a contender, but can also move into the top six if needed.
Anthony Duclair, LW/RW, San Jose Sharks
Duclair scored 31 goals in 2021-22, but hasn’t been the same since tearing his Achilles after that season. He was, however, a valuable contributor on the Panthers’ run to the Cup Final last season, posting 11 points in 20 playoff games. This year, he has 19 points (11 goals, 8 assists) in 51 games on an awful Sharks team. He’s a pending free agent who should be on the move, and if he comes at a bit of a discount, there’s some skill worth betting on there.
Anthony Mantha, LW/RW, Washington Capitals
Mantha is a big winger (6-foot-5, 234 pounds) who plays a strong two-way game and is in the midst of a resurgent season (18 goals, 29 points in 52 games) after several down years. Buyer beware, though: his 21.4% shooting percentage is way above his career mark of 12.5%, so expect a little bit of a slowdown in the goal-scoring department. He also has zero goals in 11 career playoff games. Mantha is not as consistently physical as you’d want him to be, but he can turn it on when he wants to (check out his beatdown of Florida’s Nick Cousins on Saturday below). He’s a pending free agent with a pricy $5.7 million cap hit, some of which the Capitals would probably need to retain. Like the two guys above him, Mantha would be an ideal third-liner with some top-six flexibility.
Nic Dowd, C, Washington Capitals
Dowd is a shutdown fourth-line center who’s physical, solid on faceoffs (51.4% career) and has a little pop in his game (16 points in 45 games this season). He’s also signed through next season at an affordable $1.3 million cap hit. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli said he would be surprised if Dowd didn’t fetch Washington a first-round pick. That feels a little too steep, but there’s no doubt he’s the kind of player many contenders, including the Bruins, could use.
Nick Bjugstad, C, Arizona Coyotes
Bjugstad is another veteran center under contract for another year after this. He’s not quite the shutdown player Dowd is, but he brings more offensively (30 points in 57 games this season). Bjugstad is also 6-foot-6 and willing to use that size. He’s playing top-six minutes in Arizona, but is probably a better fit in the bottom six on a contender.
Tommy Novak, C, Nashville Predators
Novak is a different kind of center than Dowd and Bjugstad. He’s not physical, he’s not very good defensively, and he’s bad on faceoffs (44.4% career). What he is, is a playmaker with speed who had 43 points in 51 games last year and has 31 (12 goals, 19 assists) in 48 games this season. He could slot in as the Bruins’ third-line center and provide an offensive jolt. They would hope to coach up the rest of his game. As a late-blooming 26-year-old, there’s still some upside. Novak is a pending free agent with a cap hit of just $800,000, making him an easy add financially.
Yakov Trenin, LW, Nashville Predators
Prefer someone more physical in the bottom six? The Predators have that, too. Trenin is one of the most physical players in the league, a big hitter and tenacious forechecker who has nine goals in 54 games this season and who popped in 17 two years ago. He’s one of the few players who can say he held his own in a fight with Zdeno Chara (see below). He’s a strong defender and penalty-killer, too. Trenin, 27, is a pending free agent with a $1.7 million cap hit.
Cal Clutterbuck, RW, New York Islanders
Another hard-hitting forechecker, and one the Bruins know all too well from his clean hit that knocked Brandon Carlo out of a second-round series in 2021. Clutterbuck is part of the Islanders’ “Identity Line” that’s been together for years, but with New York fighting an uphill battle to stay in the playoff race and Clutterbuck a 36-year-old pending free agent, it might finally be time for a split. Like Trenin, Clutterbuck is also a good defensive player who kills penalties. He’s a more limited offensive player.
Pat Maroon, LW, Minnesota Wild
Another physical, identity-setting fourth-liner… and this one comes with three Stanley Cup rings. Maroon is likely out until after the trade deadline with a back issue, though, so that could potentially complicate things. When healthy, he can still hold his own offensively, posting 16 points in 49 games this season. Brandon Duhaime, also a fourth-line winger, would be another option from Minnesota. He doesn’t bring as much offense (6 points in 57 games) or Cup experience, but does bring more speed and equal physicality.
Warren Foegele, LW/RW, Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers, a Cup contender, trading away Foegele would be odd, but there he is on the trade boards at The Athletic, TSN and Daily Faceoff. The thinking is he could be a cap casualty as the Oilers look to upgrade their top six. If that’s the case, the Bruins and other contenders would be wise to poke around. Foegele is probably a little out of his depth playing in Edmonton’s top six, but he’s a strong third-line candidate who can play either wing and consistently puts up 10-15 goals and 25-30 points. He’s already approaching career highs this season (13 goals, 16 assists in 55 games). Most importantly for a Bruins team that has preached getting to inside ice, Foegele is sixth in the NHL in individual high-danger chances per 60 minutes this season, and was eighth last year. He just had two goals and a game-high six high-danger chances against the Bruins this past week. Foegele is a pending free agent with a $2.75 million cap hit.