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It’s draft day, and like the rest of the league, the Bruins remain active both in terms of players they like from this class, and potential deals that could be made elsewhere.
With the No. 18 overall pick in their possession, here are some thoughts on the happenings and potential happenings with the Black and Gold before the night is through…
- There’s increasing chatter around the league that Marco Scandella is on the B’s radar. Where there’s smoke, there’s typically fire on draft night, and this would mark the third draft in a row that Sweeney has entered moving a first-round pick for a defenseman. The first time it was for Noah Hanifin, the second time was for Kevin Shattenkirk, and now Scandella. The 6-foot-3 Scandella is obviously the worst among that group, but that’s not an insult to him as much as a testament to the skill of the others, both of which were out of the B’s price range thanks to some straight-up insane demands.
So, while he’s a minus compared to them, he could be a plus in terms of the price you pay.
It’s believed that the Wild would look to recoup a first-round pick in any deal involving one of their defenseman. That’s a tough sell for me, to be honest, as Scandella would really be your third-best left-shot defenseman behind Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug, and counts against your salary cap for $4 million until 2020. For $4 million and a first-round pick, I think you’d like a little bit more.
Scandella is also coming off the second-worst season of his career from a production standpoint (four goals and 13 points), and had offseason hip surgery. There are some red flags. But what else is new?
- It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Bruins move down in this draft. I don’t think there’s a player that they’re in love with that believe wouldn’t be there towards the end of the first round. As much as I hate cross-sport references, it would be similar to what you saw the Celtics do with the No. 1 overall pick. They moved it because they knew their guy would be at No. 3 and got an extra asset out of it.
- Boston University goaltender Jake Oettinger is the name to watch, in my opinion. The top-ranked North American goaltender, Oettinger went 21-11-3 with a .927 save percentage as a freshman for the Terriers this past season. Oettinger is certainly in line with where the league seems to be trending as far as goaltending goes, as he stands at a massive 6-foot-4. Worth noting: Don Sweeney and the Bruins also love having these players in their backyard. It’s the easiest way for them to build a relationship and make sure that they’re maturation process doesn’t hit any speed bumps.
Would they take him at No. 18? Not sure. But it would show some serious belief in the kid.
- If Callan Foote is hanging around at No. 18, do the Bruins make one last call to Colorado and see if the Avalanche want to revisit a Matt Duchene or Gabriel Landeskog deal? Colorado front office boss Joe Sakic’s asking price on either player has been straight-up absurd, but they do like Foote. Their ability to potentially land him could lessen the asking price just a little bit.
- Not sure he falls to them, but Lias Andersson is a player I’d like to see the Bruins take a gamble on. With five first-round picks in the last two drafts, they’re basically playing with house money here.
Ty Anderson is the Boston Bruins beat writer for WEEI.com, and has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010. He can be heard on the Saturday Skate program on 93.7 WEEI (Boston), and has been part of the Boston Chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
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