Be sure to 'like' Hockeybuzz on Facebook!
The Bruins, while unable to swing a deal at last week’s NHL Draft, still want to add a defenseman to bolster their left-side depth with Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug. And though they could still find a way to address that need via trade, free agency, which starts this weekend, has become B’s GM Don Sweeney’s best bet for a short-term fix.
Sweeney has started that process, too, as the Bruins have talked with pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Trevor Daley, according to the Boston Herald.
Limited to 56 regular-season games for the Penguins this past season with an upper-body and knee injury, the 33-year-old Daley recorded five goals and 19 points. He then contributed one goal and five points in 21 postseason contests for the Pens, which ended with Daley and the Pens’ second Stanley Cup championship in as many years.
A left-shot defender, Daley fits the bill for what the B’s are looking for in that regard, and has experience playing hard minutes (he ranked third among Pittsburgh defensemen with 2:22 of shorthanded time on ice per game in the regular season), which is another bonus, as a move to help the left side would be help to ease the burden that could run the 40-year-old Chara into the ground during the most grueling parts of the year, with the B’s skating in 16 games (many of which are on the road) in March 2018. It would also allow the Bruins to move Kevan Miller back to his natural right side.
Daley would be also be an instant fit on the B's backend thanks to his strong skating game, which is where this league seems to be trending, and where the Bruins took a step back with the loss of the 24-year-old Colin Miller to the Vegas Golden Knights in last week’s expansion draft.
What Daley wants in a new contract, however, will be the real test of the Black and Gold’s willingness to address this area of perceived weakness.
Last year was the sixth and final year of a $19.8 million contract Daley signed three teams ago back in 2010 with the Stars, and with an affordable $3.3 million cap hit. And given his age and the fact that he’s won multiple Stanley Cup championships, this next contract could probably be more about financial security than anything else. There’s also something to be said for the league’s undying need for capable veteran defensemen, which means that Daley could be viewed as the next-best option if you’re a team that swings and misses on a Karl Alzner, Kevin Shattenkirk, or Brendan Smith.
The Bruins will not be alone in their pursuit of Daley, however, as the Herald noted that they were just one of eight teams to have already contacted his camp.
A 13-year veteran, Daley has recorded 78 goals and 278 points in 894 NHL games.
NHL free agency begins at 12 p.m. on July 1.
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.
Boston Bruins Blogger •Bruins Feature Columnist • 
Join the Discussion:
»