Boston Bruins: Buyers Or Sellers At Trade Deadline

Boston Bruins: Buyers Or Sellers At Trade Deadline

One of the biggest questions that every NHL team faces going into the trade deadline is whether or not they will be buyers or sellers in terms of the trade market. For some teams, the decision is clear; for example, a team that is sitting in last place by the time the trade deadline rolls around is most likely going to be a seller because the team will clearly need to make changes. A team that sits near the top of the NHL standings might make a move to acquire a “rental” player to solidify their roster come playoff time. The line becomes skewed when teams that are fighting for a playoff spot are involved. Acquiring assets at the trade deadline has always been notoriously expensive because the buyers are in need and the sellers capitalize on that fact.

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The Boston Bruins currently have 47 points after playing exactly half of their season, with 41 games remaining to be played. With that in mind, the Bruins currently occupy the second wildcard spot behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have 48 points, as well as the Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings who have 49 and 51 points respectively after playing in 43 games each and sit in third and second in the Atlantic Division respectively.. The Bruins are right in the thick of things in terms of the playoff race, but with a 2-6-1 record in their last nine games, it’s clear that the Bruins have some troubles that are very much hindering their ability to compete consistently.

Why would the Boston Bruins be buyers at the trade deadline?

It’s no secret that the Boston Bruins are in need of a top-four defenseman, although it’s looking more and more like a top-two defenseman might be the more apparent hole on their roster. Zdeno Chara is still competing at a very impressive level, given his age and recent-injury history. However out of fairness to him, as well as to the rest of the Bruins team, Zdeno Chara simply cannot be the Bruins’ top option moving forward, especially after another 41 games and hopeful-playoff run. With that in mind, the Bruins can be perceived as buyers. The Bruins could very possibly invest in a player with term, or a player that they believe they could retain in the offseason for a reasonable contract, but the likelihood of a top-2 or top-4 defenseman coming available with those criterion is either unlikely, or way too expensive for the Bruins who might not be willing to part with the necessary assets to make it happen.

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The Bruins forward group has had a roller-coaster year, to say the least. While players like Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand, Loui Eriksson, and even Ryan Spooner have posted points consistently, their secondary scoring has been too inconsistent to rely on. It’s been notoriously said that a good third line can win a series for a team in the playoffs, and the Bruins’ simply don’t have the consistency on their third line for that to be true. The real issue with the Bruins forward group stems from the fact that just about every right winger on the roster has gotten a chance alongside either David Krejci or Patrice Bergeron, but none of been able to hold that spot consistently. With players constantly being shuffled around between the top-six and bottom-six, it’s no wonder why the team is failing to find chemistry outside of the usual suspects named above. The Bruins could be in the market for a legitimate top-six right winger, although a depth forward who can provide consistent scoring alongside Ryan Spooner in his usual third line role seems far more likely. This would also entail the Bruins finally settling on top-six wingers, but deciding whether the job should be given to David Pastrnak, Frank Vatrano, Brett Connolly, or Jimmy Hayes on a full time basis is the real question.

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Why would the Boston Bruins be sellers at the trade deadline?

The Bruins could be seen as sellers at the trade deadline for a few reasons. While they are in the playoff mix as mentioned, they also have had issues over the last two seasons with collecting points early on when needed to help ease their way into the playoffs come the end of the year. Last season, the Bruins had their fate in their own hands and couldn’t capitalize on it; the result was a missed playoff bid that fans won’t soon forget in the city of Boston. With the Bruins trending in an eerily similar direction over the last few weeks, the Bruins could eventually decide to give up on the season and work on selling off some pieces that they won’t reasonably be able to sign to extensions in the offseason. This leads to the next reason why the Bruins might be sellers.

The Boston Bruins will have to deal with six Unrestricted Free Agents, or UFAs after the 2015-16 season who are currently on the roster, as well as seven Restricted Free Agents, or RFAs. The UFA list includes players like Loui Eriksson, Maxime Talbot, Joonas Kemppainen, Kevan Miller, and Jonas Gustavsson. The RFA list includes some notable names as well, including Brett Connolly, Tyler Randell, Landon Ferraro, Torey Krug, Joe Morrow, Zach Trotman, and Colin Miller. The lists expand when looking at the AHL roster, and notable players in the AHL that should be mentioned are Alexander Khokhlachev (RFA), Seth Griffith (RFA), Matt Irwin (UFA), and Jeremy Smith (UFA)

With individual circumstances coming into play for many of the Bruins upcoming free agent group, such as a potential contract that would be too high for the Bruins to pay in the cases of Loui Eriksson and Torey Krug, a slew of goaltending prospects in the case of Jeremy Smith, and even a lack of opportunity in the cases of Alexander Khokhlachev, Seth Griffith, and Matt Irwin. the Bruins will have to make a decision on many of their free agents-to be.  With some very notable names mentioned in that list, the Bruins could look to capitalize on some of the value that their free agents might have coupled with the desperation of some of the buyers come deadline time.

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The Boston Bruins will likely compete until the very last night as opposed to throwing in the towel come trade deadline time. While they won’t ever stop competing for a playoff spot, the Bruins’ management team still has to make a decision on players like Loui Eriksson; a valuable player who is clearly a big part of the top-six, but a player who would also be painful to simply let walk away for free on July 1st. The Bruins’ may not blow their team up at the deadline, meaning they won’t necessarily be sellers, but they could very possibly make trades to help them in the now, as well as capitalize on the value of a player before they become UFAs, such as trading away Loui Eriksson for help on defense; potentially for another UFA-to-be who they might deem easier to sign than Eriksson.

Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @BShareCohen to discuss all things Bruins and sports