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Could Bruins and Flames make big swap?

June 11, 2015, 2:38 PM ET [143 Comments]
Ty Anderson
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Their exact direction is still unknown, but it’s pretty obvious that the Boston Bruins will be one of the more active teams in this summer’s expected-to-be topsy-turvy trade market. New general manager Don Sweeney has already pinpointed areas of concern for the Black and Gold, and at the same time needs to find ways to dig the club out of a cap-hell ripe with overpayments and no-trade clauses.

One player whose name has been linked as the potential odd-man out for the cap-crunching B’s is Milan Lucic. The 6-foot-4 power-forward is entering the final year of a three-year contract that comes with a $6 million cap-hit, and could be out of the Bruins’ price range when it comes to hammering out an extension. Some believe Lucic will want to be a $7-8 million per year player on his next deal, and it’s borderline impossible to see the Bruins committing anything close to that for a player that’s been as hit-and-miss as the 27-year-old Lucic has been since the start of the 2012-13 season.

In 207 games over the last three seasons, Lucic has recorded 49 goals and 130 points, along with 11 goals and 26 points in 34 postseason contests. Those figures aren’t exactly terrible -- especially when you consider how long it took Lucic to get going in the lockout-delayed 2013 season -- but it seems as if something’s gotta give with this squad in terms of a higher priced contract. And with David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron recently inked to long term contracts, that’s put Lucic in the crosshairs.

That in and of itself has always been an interesting point to me, as well. Under the old regime, the Black and Gold always found ways to take care of ‘their guys’ before they came close to hitting free agency. Both Krejci and Bergeron were taken care of way earlier than expected, whereas Lucic remains in limbo.

That’s of course opened the door to rumblings that Lucic could be part of a summertime trade package.

And it’s an idea that TSN’s Scott Cullen toyed with in his (always awesome) offseason gameplan blog on the Calgary Flames a couple of days ago.

From TSN:

The Flames have enviable depth, maybe even too many NHL-calibre forwards at the bottom of the depth chart, but could use more high-end talent. When filling out my Off-Season Game Plan for the Boston Bruins, I had the Flames acquiring Milan Lucic, a winger that could play in the top six with the kind of grit and toughness that would seem to fit well with the kind of team Calgary has put together, but if not Lucic, the Flames should be actively seeking upgrades to their forward group.


Cullen doesn’t necessarily spitball the return the Bruins would get for Lucic directly, but perhaps it’s worth noting that his 2015-16 Flames depth chart does not feature 2013 first-round choice Emile Poirier (22nd overall, the pick the Flames got from the Blues in the Jay Bouwmeester to St. Louis trade) or 22-year-old defenseman Tyler Wotherspoon.

Could, or would, that be enough of a return for a player of Lucic’s caliber?

Poirier is a 20-year-old winger that’s started his pro career with 21 goals and 46 points in 57 games at the AHL level and an assist in six games in the NHL, and would come to Boston on an affordable entry-level contract. Though he’s just 6-foot-1, Poirier has been noted as a gritty scorer, and would skate as yet another left-handed shot on the Boston roster. And Wotherspoon, a former second-round choice of the Flames (57th overall in 2011), has tallied four assists in 14 games at the NHL level.

This wouldn’t be a staggering return for a player that’s an undeniably unique talent and with a resume that includes 61 points in 96 career postseason contests, but the Black and Gold are not exactly in a position for a star-for-star swap from a salary cap standpoint. And if the B’s concerns about Lucic -- from his next contract to his long-term value or even the health of his wrist -- are enough to keep them from extending No. 17, wouldn’t it make sense to nab something of value in return while you still can?

But any trade would, of course, come back down to what the Flames are willing to spend.

Or if they’re even interested in a player whose contract expires this time next summer.

It’s obvious that Brian Burke has always had an affinity for size and strength, and Lucic would bring that to a considerably smaller Calgary forward group. He’d also bring some winning pedigree to an organization whose ‘new blood’ had their first taste what it takes to win the postseason this past spring.

And if talks were to go anywhere or whatever, this wouldn’t be Calgary’s first go-round with Lucic, as they sought the Vancouver-born winger in a potential trade for Jarome Iginla back in 2009.

Again, the idea of a match between the Flames and Bruins is merely hypothetical at this point. But if there’s a trade to be made, especially with the Bruins’ need to sign Dougie Hamilton to a heavy extension, I wouldn’t rule anything out at this point.

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
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