Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney kept the hits right on coming this afternoon. The B’s boss wasted no time after trading away Dougie Hamilton to the Calgary Flames for draft picks. While the Bruins fan base was trying to process that disaster, Sweeney blindsided them again by trading Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings.
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It makes you wonder if Don Sweeney bound, gagged, and locked up the Jacobs family and Cam Neely and hid them away in the old Bruins ProShop before heading down to Sunrise.
Earlier in the month, I wrote an article on how all the signs pointed to Milan Lucic staying in Boston. Apparently, I didn’t factor in Sweeney’s desire to have three draft picks in a row. Mea maxima culpa there my fellow Bruins fans. I didn’t see this one coming.
The Bruins got goaltender Martin Jones, defenseman Collin Miller, and the 13th overall draft pick for Lucic. The Bruins will also be keeping $2.7 million of Lucic’s salary. The Bruins have certainly cleaned up some of their cap problems, but it was still a rough pill to swallow for many fans of the Black and Gold.
Puck Prose
The Lucic trade, while frustrating isn’t as bad as the Hamilton trade. The Bruins get some immediate value with Miller who could find himself with a starting job on the Bruins blueline in October. Martin Jones adds to the Bruins depth in net, and gives the Bruins organization to move Malcolm Subban (who has the better hockey pedigree) for other considerations. It also gives Sweeney three draft picks in a row.
Those three draft picks could be used to move up the draft board. They’re trying to get the number three selection in the hopes of acquiring Boston College’s defenseman Noah Hanifin. If the Bruins pull this off, then this year’s trades will look like more of a wash for the Black and Gold.
Lucic spent eight seasons with the Bruins, playing in 566 games. He put up 342 points (139 goals), and had a career plus/minus of +94. He also had 772 minutes in penalties during his time in Boston. While last year was a rough year for Lucic, he became a fan favorite due to his athleticism, scoring ability, and having no qualms about dropping the gloves to take on another player.
Hopefully, the Bruins organization won’t be giving their fans anymore ulcers this evening.