Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Pressured Pete: Bruins still in search of big trade

February 26, 2015, 7:30 PM ET [39 Comments]
Ty Anderson
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Be sure to 'like' Hockeybuzz on Facebook!

In the last two days alone, the Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Daniel Winnik, while Jiri Tlusty landed with the Jets, and d-man Andrej Sekera went to the Los Angeles Kings. If you go a day before yesterday, Sean Bergenheim was traded to Minnesota, while the Montreal Canadiens and Anaheim Ducks made a Jiri Sekac for Devante Smith-Pelly swap. And today, the Florida Panthers entered the market, acquiring 43-year-old Jaromir Jagr from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a 2015 second-round and third-round draft pick.

The trade market is flying. And the Boston Bruins have remained on the sidelines.

The Black and Gold haven’t been totally silent, though, as reports have indicated that the club has placed both top-line center David Krejci (partially torn MCL in his left knee, expected to be out 4-6 weeks) and defenseman Kevan Miller (shoulder surgery, done for the season) on the long-term injured reserve. While Miller was a known loss, putting Krejci on the LTIR indicates that the Bruins feel it’s best to take their time with No. 46, and shut him down for basically the rest of the season in an effort to bring in other pieces and have him ready for a cap-less postseason.

(Worth noting, however, that Krejci doesn’t seem one to sit out the rest of the regular season willingly, noting on Tuesday morning that he’d like to return to the ice ‘as soon as possible’.)

Most importantly, that move frees up their cap-hits -- Krejci’s $5.25 million and Miller’s $800,000 (or $6.05 million) -- and hints that the B’s will be buyers before Monday’s deadline.

Despite Krejci’s injury, you’d think that the Bruins are still intent on adding a top-six winger, and addressing their year-long defensive woes with the acquisition of a top-four defender. But where that comes from, especially with that newfound cap space, becomes an intriguing situation.

The consensus around the league is that Boston will be the landing spot for Buffalo’s Chris Stewart, and that’s still the case. And as discussed numerous times, it’s the asking price that’s been the biggest roadblock for B’s general manager Peter Chiarelli, as he won’t move the club’s first-round pick or even their top prospect (Alex Khokhlachev), for a rental.

On Wednesday night, TSN’s Bob McKenzie indicated that the Sabres could add ‘other elements’ to the trade to get the deal done from Buffalo’s point of view, prompting rampant speculation from both sides.

If the Sabres were to throw another player into the mix, pending unrestricted free agent Torrey Mitchell, a forward with center/wing capabilities, could be a bottom-six solution for the B’s. The 30-year-old Mitchell has three goals and seven assists (four of which primary) in 49 games this season, and has posted the second-best CF% (40.2) of nine Buffalo forwards with at least 500+ minutes played at 5-on-5 on a historically bad Buffalo squad. Massachusetts native Brian Flynn, a restricted free agent at the end of the season, could be another name that files under that concept. Or perhaps even netminder Michal Neuvirth, in the final year of a contract that comes with a $2.5 million cap-hit, could be a solution for a Boston club that may be in search of a capable backup for Tuukka Rask.

Admittedly, the Stewart-to-the-Bruins stuff seems like a simple inevitable at this point, as the Bruins have spent way too much time on the 6-foot-2 righty with 10 goals and 23 points in 59 games this season, and his potential fit with a Krejci and Milan Lucic combo, for nothing to come out of this.

But the Bruins would be wise to look elsewhere, at the same time, though.

Arizona’s Antoine Vermette is undeniably on the market, and though his stats won’t blow you away, he has the makings of a Bruin given his career connections. The 32-year-old was drafted by, you guessed it, the Ottawa Senators, back in 2000. He’s also a close friend of Boston’s Chris Kelly, and trains with Boston center Patrice Bergeron in the offseason. Above all else, Vermette, who has 13 goals and 35 points in 61 games this season, is a free agent at the end of the year.

Vermette, though an interesting piece, is probably not the lone return piece of a Bruins-Coyotes trade, and thats where things could get interesting for the Bruins and that newly freed up money.

Defensemen Zbynek Michalek or Massachusetts’ own Keith Yandle could be a fit. Michalek, a $4 million cap-hit, is off the books at the end this season, while Yandle and his $5.25 cap-hit would be on the Boston books through next season. Of the two, Yandle is undoubtedly the sexier name, and could be more of a fit with what the Bruins want from their top four (which is more mobility, or simply mobility from somebody other than third-year pro Dougie Hamilton).

But acquiring Yandle would prompt a larger return for Arizona in the now (especially when you look at the return for somebody like Sekera, or even Toronto’s Cody Franson a few weeks back), and would likely force the B’s to move another contract out of town this summer (like Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Loui Eriksson, or Dennis Seidenberg). And for what it’s worth, sources close to Yandle have always told me that he’d “love to come home” but that’s typically the case with any player and his hometown.

Even with the potential of making a bigger splash than they could this time a week ago, the Bruins are still not dealing from a position of strength. The club has taken on significant water with losses in eight of their last 10 games, and the entire league knows that Chiarelli has to make a deal or basically run the risk of losing his job with this roster, putting prices through the roof for the Black and Gold front office.

With pressure from both the inside and outside, there’s no doubt that the Bruins will make a deal before Monday’s deadline, but what will be left on the market by then, seems painfully out of Chiarelli’s hands.

Just what he wants to hear, too.

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
Join the Discussion: » 39 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Ty Anderson
» Bruins' leaders answer Montgomery's challenge
» B's issued reality check; Duran turns pro
» Bruins' mistakes doom them in loss to Rangers
» Bruins refuse to make it easy for themselves
» Bruins sign Notre Dame D-man; A Maroon setback?