2016 NHL Draft: Boston Bruins Five Realistic Draft Day Scenarios
2016 NHL Draft: Boston Bruins Five Realistic Draft Day Scenarios On Day One
It’s no secret that Bruins’ general manager Don Sweeney has a lot of work to do this off-season if he plans on fielding a playoff contender next season. Last season, the then newly-appointed general manager wasted no time in making noise when he traded away Milan Lucic, and Dougie Hamilton while in turn, acquiring draft picks and prospects prior to the draft. In his second season at the helm of the Bruins, Sweeney will need to be better as he attempts to improve the team’s current product on the ice, rather than simply stockpile prospects.
There will be many options for the Bruins come draft day, and it should be an interesting day for fans in Boston to say the last. The last draft-day experience that New England had to endure was the first-round no-show by the New England Patriots as a result of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s harsh punishment for “Deflategate” which was “more than likely” unnecessary and inappropriate.
With Boston finally getting some first round selections to be excited for in the form of Bruins’ draft picks, here are the top five realistic options for the Bruins on draft day.
Next: 5. Don Sweeney Would Have Some Questions To Answer For This
5. Use Both Draft Picks
The Bruins made three consecutive selections in the first round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. While the picks will be 15-to-16 picks apart this year, depending on where San Jose finishes in the playoffs, the Bruins’ could still look to use both picks this year as well.
The early crop of draft-eligible players includes some very solid names that the Bruins could look to draft with the 14th overall pick, including Mikhail Sergachev, Jake Bean, Julien Gauthier, and Logan Brown, among others. When the Bruins end up on the clock with pick 29 or 30, the crop of talent will have dwindled down, but there will still be valuable names to choose from as there is every year.
Using both picks seems like a move that most Bruins’ fans would be opposed to, especially given the fact that the team has missed the playoffs in two consecutive seasons and already have a stockpile of prospects who are developing within the system. There can never be enough prospects developing, but at some point, the team on the ice needs to grow, and the city of Boston is growing impatient.
Next: 4. Not The Best Case Scenario, But Not The Worst
4. Trade One Pick
The Bruins could look to trade one of their picks to help bolster an area of need. The most notable spots that the Bruins could look to improve this off-season include defense, as well as right-wing depth.
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It’s been no secret over the last few years that the Bruins defense is getting weaker and weaker by the season with Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg aging, Adam McQuaid getting continuously injured, and top-pairing candidates such as Johnny Boychuk and Dougie Hamilton being traded in consecutive years.
With that in mind, the Bruins could use one of the draft picks to help acquire a top-four defenseman, although it would likely cost an additional player or prospect to sweeten the deal. The return likely won’t be one of the more handsome names on the market, but a depth move is not out of the question for Don Sweeney who could look everywhere for help.
As Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald suggested, “(Sweeney) likely can get a good player with that first pick, but might be smarter to use it in an effort to find the veteran blue line help this team so sorely needs.”
With the top available free agents this year looking to cash in on large paychecks this off-season, the Bruins may need to address their needs through the trade market. Last season, Troy Brouwer was traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for TJ Oshie, and while the pick was a simple hockey trade as a player-for-player swap, it shows that players like Brouwer and Oshie could be available for the right price. Trading one of his two first round picks this season along with a prospect, or a later pick might entice another general manager to part ways with one of their right wingers this off-season.
Next: 3. An Unattractive Option
3. Trade Down to Acquire More Draft Picks or Prospects
The Boston Bruins best option in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft might be to trade down with either the 14th overall selection, or the 29th/30th depending on where San Jose finishes. Trading down could land the Bruins an additional pick in the draft, or a prospect, depending on the deal that presents itself.
“I think there’s a chance for a lot of movement going into the draft, and there’s been a lot of talk about it, so you have to expect that somebody might move into a position that you didn’t necessarily think they were taking that player,” said Sweeney. “But again, the depth up until that point is pretty good, so we feel comfortable.” – Don Sweeney
Just last year, there were multiple trades in the first round that involved teams trading down for multiple selections.
Toronto traded the 24th overall selection last year to Philadelphia for the 29th overall selection as well as the 61st overall selection. Toronto had already used their fourth overall selection on Mitch Marner and as a result, they had the ability to move down to accumulate more picks.
The 29th overall selection in the 2015 NHL Draft, however, wasn’t made by Toronto. The Maple Leafs once again traded down in the draft, this time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, to acquire the 34th overall selection as well as the 68th overall selection.
In short, the Maple Leafs turned the 24th overall selection into the 34th, 61st, and 68th overall selection due to smart trading.
The Bruins would be smart to trade the 29th or 30th overall selection for a second round pick and a low pick, as the more picks they accumulate, the higher chance one of their selections pans out. Scouting isn’t as simple as people would like to believe it is, and good general managers realize that sometimes the best thing that can be done in a draft is dip into as many facets as possible in hope that one spouts oil.
Next: #2. On The Other Hand, High Picks Are Appealing
2. Trade Up in the Draft
The Bruins shocked the entire hockey world last year when they made three picks in succession to acquire Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, and Zachary Senyshyn. The general belief was that newly appointed general manager Don Sweeney would package one, two, or all three of the picks in an attempt to trade up and acquire a defenseman such as Massachusetts-native Noah Hanifin, or even Zach Werenski or Ivan Provorov to lessen the blow of trading away Dougie Hamilton.
The Bruins are in a situation this year where they once again have the potential to move up in the draft. Don Sweeney has already mentioned that there is a possibility for movement, and that the team is ready to do anything they can to improve their club.
“I haven’t disguised the fact that we’re open to do anything to improve our hockey club,” Sweeney stressed. “We addressed a lot of the things I needed to address last summer. We want to continue to do that through the draft and we’re committed to that, the development process, but we also want to improve our club, so if the opportunity presents itself, we’re going to do it.” – Don Sweeney
The Bruins have seven selections in this years draft, including two firsts and one second round pick. Additionally, the team has a cupboard full of highly-touted prospects who could entise other franchises to trade down. Sweeney may need to get creative, but as his second off-season begins, the magnifying glass will be analyzing him even more closely as he’s had one full year of experience now.
Next: #1. What Everybody Wants The Bruins To Do
1. Trade Both Picks For A Top-Pairing Defenseman
There are many teams dealing with very valuable defensemen who could become available this off-season. The news has been rampant around Minnesota, Anaheim, Winnipeg, and St. Louis specifically when dealing with young defensemen who may price themselves out of their respective clubs.
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Minnesota will have to make a decision on Matthew Dumba. While the young, talented defenseman could be traded, an extension for him might force the Wild to trade away another one of their defenders such as Jonas Brodin; both would be solid additions for the Bruins. With veteran contracts such as Jason Pominville, Zach Parise, Thomas Vanek, Mikko Koivu, and Ryan Suter eating cap space for the Wild, the Bruins could step in.
The Anaheim Ducks have two pending-restricted free agent defenders up for contracts this year in Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm. With $14,950,000 locked up on defense to players such as Kevin Bieksa, Cam Fowler, Clayton Stoner, and Simon Despres next season, it’s likely the Ducks will be looking to make moves on defense. The Ducks could look to move one of Vatanen or Lindholm, but they could also look at moving Cam Fowler.
The Winnipeg Jets have one of highest-potential young defenders in the entire NHL in Jacob Trouba. At 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds, the right-handed 22 year old could command a big sum this offseason that the Jets simply won’t be able to pay. The Dustin Byfuglien-to-Boston rumors died last season when the Jets locked up their veteran defenseman to a long-term extension, but by doing so, they may have also pushed out their new-blood in Trouba.
Next: Comparing Milan Lucic and Loui Eriksson
Finally, the Bruins could make a move to acquire Kevin Shattenkirk from the St. Louis Blues. The most experienced of the players mentioned, Shattenkirk could immediately step into the Bruins top-pairing and create an impact. There were rumors around the trade deadline that revolved around Shattenkirk and Loui Eriksson, but that deal ultimately never materialized. The Blues will be dealing with salary cap issues sooner rather than later, and with rookie-Colton Parayko breaking out this season, Shattenkirk could find himself wearing different colors next season.