The Boston Bruins are once again defying expectations and proving they are a juggernaut in the NHL. The team may have played with a high PDO and are doing so again this season, but you can’t deny that they are a very strong team. The Bruins lead the East in points and are still in single digit regulation wins past the halfway point in the season. As they did last season, they must load up at the deadline.
Some may argue that loading up did nothing for them since the Bruins lost all the players they brought in at the deadline and were eliminated in the first round, but a couple of things can be said about that. Boston ran into a hot team in the Florida Panthers who then stormed through the next two rounds as well. Not only that, they were a top team and had a legitimate shot at winning the Stanley Cup. It rewards the players that got them there and gives them a better shot at winning. It didn’t work out, but only one team wins the Cup each season. There are going to be disappointed teams and fanbases.
Needs of the Bruins
I think it is evident that the goaltending doesn’t need any help. The tandem of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark are very good and on the books for fairly cheap. In terms of everywhere else, this is open for discussion. The team needs a centerman, but two of the top options were moved already. The Bruins may also then need a winger if some of the players that can play both center and the wing have to move into the middle. And finally, even though nobody thought that the Bruins needed a defensive addition last season, they went out and got one anyways. There can never be enough depth, especially for a team that we don’t actually know when they are going to come crashing down.
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The playoff chances for the Bruins this season seem safe, but other teams will be going for it. Why shouldn’t the Bruins be one of those teams with the position they are in? There aren’t many years left of Brad Marchand, and the other veterans have already retired. With that being said, Nick Goss revealed that Chris Tanev could be a trade option for the Bruins at the deadline. The Calgary Flames have already proven to teams that they are open for business with the Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov trades, and Tanev is the next likeliest option to be on the move next. If the Bruins want to get serious about adding what they want and need, they need to move quicker. Players are coming off the board and there aren’t very many options on right defense worthy of solidifying the defense for a playoff run.
Price of Tanev
Pierre LeBrun noted that the Flames are currently asking for a second-round pick and another asset for Tanev. They gave up a first in the deal to get Dmitry Orlov last year at the trade deadline, so this is even more appealing. Tanev is also a rental and is arguably better at defense. Tanev won’t become “Dmitry Orr-lov” for the Bruins if acquired, but he will do everything to protect the net. Money can be retained and even a contract moved back, but adding Tanev would push Kevin Shattenkirk out of the lineup to be the seventh defenseman, and that makes more sense for the Bruins.
