Boston Bruins should stay away from arms race with Lightning
The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning are in a battle for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference. Here’s why they shouldn’t battle them at the trade deadline.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have been the best team in the NHL from the start of the season. Much different from the Boston Bruins, who struggled to start the year, but came on strong in December and haven’t looked back. Currently, Tampa holds a one point lead in the standings over Boston, but the B’s have two games in hand.
The Bruins and the Lightning will both be buyers at the trade deadline on February 26th. Reportedly, the two teams have similar trade targets as well. Greg Wyshynski of ESPN suggested that New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh would be a good fit for both the Bruins and Lightning.
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McDonagh would be a great trade for the B’s. He’s the Rangers’ captain and has playoff experience. These are the same reasons Tampa Bay is interested in him. If Boston can get McDonagh, awesome. I would love to add another great d-man to this team. However, if they don’t, the Bruins shouldn’t panic.
The Boston Bruins are way ahead of schedule in their rebuild. If Tampa Bay wants to spend a lot of draft picks and prospects, they can do that. The Lightning should be in “all-in” mode.
Boston should not have the same mindset. Yes, they’ve had a great season, but their young talent is still developing. Say the Lightning land McDonagh. I do not want to see the B’s panic and give up too much for a rental player like Mike Green. I’m all for Boston making a trade, but they shouldn’t feel forced into making the wrong one just because the Lightning make a big splash.
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The Bruins have a chance to be a dynasty in the coming years, and that should not be sacrificed to compete with Tampa Bay this year.