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Would the Boston Bruins make a deal with a division rival?

By Sean Torney |
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 23: Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney meets with the media following the NHL general managers meetings at the Bellagio Las Vegas on June 23, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JUNE 23: Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney meets with the media following the NHL general managers meetings at the Bellagio Las Vegas on June 23, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

With less than one week before the February 26th trade deadline, can the Boston Bruins steal away any players from within the Atlantic Division?

The Boston Bruins are in 2nd place in the Atlantic division, trailing only the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Tampa, Boston, and Toronto occupy the three division playoff births.  However, after those three, the rest of the division is pretty weak and likely all sellers at the deadline.

The Atlantic division is home to many popular trade deadline targets.  Montreal’s Max Pacioretty, Buffalo’s Evander Kane, Ottawa’s Derrick Brassard, and Detroit’s Mike Green are among the big names rumored to be on the market from the Atlantic.  However, will any of these team’s actually make a trade with Boston?

History

The NHL realigned its conferences before the 2013-14 season, switching from three divisions per conference to two.  Since then, the Boston Bruins have only made two trades within the new Atlantic division.

ANAHEIM, CA – MARCH 18: Brett Connolly
ANAHEIM, CA – MARCH 18: Brett Connolly /

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On March 2nd, 2015, Boston traded two 2nd round picks to Tampa Bay for forward Brett Connolly.  This remains the only deadline deal the Bruins have pulled off within the Atlantic.  The Bruins missed the playoffs that season while Tampa Bay lost to Chicago in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The B’s also made a trade with the other team from the Sunshine State.  On July 1st, 2015, Boston sent Reilly Smith and Marc Savard‘s contract to Florida for Jimmy Hayes.  In the following season, the Bruins missed the playoffs for the second straight year and Florida won the Atlantic division.  Hayes was then later bought-out by the Bruins.

Prediction

Generally, it’s very hard to make a trade inside your own division.  Boston has only done it twice in four years under the new conference system.  However, if there was any year that the B’s could pull it off, it would be this one.

DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 20: Mike Green
DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 20: Mike Green /

There are so many good players on the market from this division that the Bruins might be OK with trading within it.  I don’t think trading with hated rival Montreal, especially for someone like Pacioretty, is realistic.  I could see the B’s trading with Buffalo, because who doesn’t, but Evander Kane is too much of a locker room cancer to introduce to this team mid-season.  Plus, the asking price is reportedly pretty high.

The only in-division trade that would make sense to me would be acquiring Green from Detroit, as the B’s have been looking for a top-4 defenseman.  Green does come with a $6 million cap hit though, which is a pretty big reason for the B’s to stay away.

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In the end, I don’t think Boston will stay in the division for a trade partner, as we’ve already seen.  However, I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens because of the number of solid players on the market from the Atlantic.

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