NHL Trade Deadline 2016: Boston Bruins and Kris Russell

It’s no secret that the Boston Bruins are in serious need of defensive upgrades for this year, and the future. With captain Zdeno Chara about to turn 39 in March and Dennis Seidenberg already 34, it’s clear that the Bruins top two defenseman are on their last legs. Both players are playing well given their age and recent injury history, but it’s unreasonable to expect either of them to log top minutes every single game for the remainder of their respective contracts, including playoff runs.

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With that in mind, the Boston Bruins have been linked to defensemen all season, ranging from Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler of the Anaheim Ducks, to Keith Yandle of the New York Rangers — a rumor that never seems to die — as well as Dustin Byfuglien and Jacob Trouba of the Winnipeg Jets. While each of the aforementioned players would come at varying prices, with the exception of Dustin Byfuglien who just signed a contract extension with the Winnipeg Jets, the Boston Bruins may look to add a defenseman at the trade deadline that would cost less, and would fittingly produce less for the team.

Enter Kris Russell of the Calgary Flames. An intriguing option on the blue line for the Bruins, Kris Russell has made a name for himself as a shot-blocking, minute-eating defenseman who has average 22:52 minutes of ice time per game so far this season. The Boston Bruins have been linked to Kris Russell in a major way as NHL Insider Darren Dreger tweeted out that the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins were both in on Russell.

Kris Russell was informed yesterday he is likely to be traded. No surprise. Very strong market. Pitt and Bos frontrunners. #TradeCentre
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) February 27, 2016

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Pittsburgh acquired defenseman Justin Schultz from the Edmonton Oilers later on that very same day, and that could make Boston the sole front-runner in the Kris Russell sweepstakes.

While the Boston Bruins do need an upgrade on defense, Kris Russell is probably not the player that they should look to acquire. Despite the fact that Russell is playing top-pairing minutes, he isn’t actually playing against opposing teams’ top lines, and his Corsi For percentage is a lousy 43.62. The Boston Bruins already have a player similar to Kris Russell, although statistically, he may even be better, in Kevan Miller.

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Kevan Miller has made most Bruins fans want to pull their hair out of their head for most of the 2015-16 season, and Kris Russell may simply be Kevan Miller in disguise. It’s entirely possible that Kris Russell is actually a better defenseman than his numbers suggest, with his situation in Calgary potentially creating a dampening effect on his all-around effectiveness, but if the cost is too much, the Boston Bruins should steer clear of the 28 year old, $2,600,000 unrestricted free agent-to be.

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