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The NHL season is only a couple of weeks old, yeah, but the rumor mill doesn’t give a damn.
On TSN’s ‘Insider Trading’ segment on Tuesday, Bob McKenzie noted that the Boston Bruins could be a fit for their top-six scoring woes with the addition of Buffalo's
Chris Stewart.
The 26-year-old Stewart, the return in the
Ryan Miller trade, is in the final year of a contract that comes with a $4.15 million cap hit and stands at the one of the bigger unrestricted free agents hitting the market next summer. In his seven-year career, Stewart’s recorded 115 goals and 229 points in 388 games. He’s even had two 28-goal seasons (the first in 2009-10 with Colorado, and the second the following year where he split time between the Avalanche and St. Louis Blues).
At 6-foot-2 and with a right shot, Stewart seems like an undeniable fit with
David Krejci and
Milan Lucic on Boston’s top line, too.
But, there are obvious concerns when it comes to adding a talent like Stewart.
For one, he’s really, well, overrated. In the B’s drubbing of the Sabres last weekend -- and in a game where the woeful Sabres actually generated a considerable amount of chances against the Bruins -- did you notice Stewart once? I know I didn’t. (I was even shocked to notice that he finished the night with four shots on goal. When?! How?!) And that’s the problem with his game.
Talk to scouts and they’ll tell you that this is a player that doesn’t look interested or engaged far too often to be a player you depend on a nightly basis. That was a major problem with
Nathan Horton during his three-year tenure in Boston, and honestly would’ve been the story of his career as a Bruin had it not been for some absolutely unbelievable postseasons.
The Toronto, Ont. native is also on his third team in just seven seasons, and his previous two clubs (the Avs and Blues) don’t exactly appear to be devastated about his departure. Not only that, he hasn’t scored more than 18 goals in a year since 2010-11. And that 18-goal season came with Stewart shooting nearly 19 percent for St. Louis in the 48-game lockout shortened year in 2012-13. That figure (obviously) isn’t sustainable.
And since coming to the Eastern Conference last season, Stewart has just one assist in 11 games for Buffalo. Obviously, the talent around Stewart isn’t exactly going to light the world on fire, but still, you’d expect something (read as: anything) from a player that was such a strong net-front presence out West.
That won’t stop people from assuming that Stewart will fit right in because he’s a big-bodied right wing that can score and fight, a trait shared his predecessors Horton and most recently,
Jarome Iginla.
Like any trade, this will come down to the price. Stewart’s not a guy you move for a top-tier prospect or first-round pick, and that’s likely going to Buffalo general manager
Tim Murray’s asking price. That figure could come down with each contending team laughing their way to the ‘end call’ button, but even so, the Bruins are not a club that’ll be willing to give up on a Ryan Spooner or Alexander Khokhlachev for a streaky rental. (Though I’ll admit, the club’s recent moves have left me questioning what I know about their habits and beliefs.)
Still, this one seems like a pass.
But speaking of Buffalo, a team that’ll be selling assets at every stop this year in an effort to maximize their top-pick chances, I still think a player like
Drew Stafford is a better fit for this group than Stewart, based on his resume, familiarity with the Atlantic Division and versatility to play up and down the lineup.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • 
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