Boston Bruins: Is it possible to get a trade return from injured reserves?

The Boston Bruins seem likely to start the new season with both John Moore and Kevan Miller on the injured reserve list. Can they still make some good trade deals despite this?

Now obviously, they may not be seen to be in a position of strength when it comes to any sort of trade negotiations. That, of course, depends on the team you’re dealing with; another General Manager may see the value in taking the contracts from the Boston Bruins, given the flexibility injured reserve lends to it.

General Manager, Don Sweeney will of course be looking for those teams that see it that way. For him, the contracts of John Moore and Kevan Miller can be tucked away on injured reserve for only so long.

We’re not talking insignificant chunks of change here either; Miller will cost $2.5 million for this coming season whilst Moore is tied down for 4 more years at $2.75 million a season.

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You only need look at the fact that the NHL actually sent out a list of designated injured players that couldn’t be made available in the Vegas Expansion Draft to realise that trading in injured assets is actually something that is done within the league.

The list of players that have essentially had long-term contracts paid out whilst hiding in plain sight used to always focus on players acquired by the Arizona Coyotes, but other teams have gotten on-board with it too.

Of the twelve on that list a couple of seasons back, there were the Arizona trio of Dave Bolland, Craig Cunningham and a player we all definitely remember as a Coyote; Chris Pronger?!

Other than them, there was former Boston Bruins forward Nathan Horton and Stephane Robidas with the Toronto Maple Leafs and a pair in Detroit; Joe Vitale and Johan Franzen. Other teams only had the one guy on that injury list.

Either way, these guys, for the duration of their contract make their way back to their respective teams and essential fail the pre-season physical thus proving they can not play the season in the NHL.

This is where there may be an angle that Don Sweeney can swing with a fellow General Manager. For someone like Kevan Miller especially. You only need look at the list of injuries he fought last season to realise that it’s your best possible way of making a trade:

Whilst none of them individually can really be seen as career-ending ones; you could make strong argument that they could lead to a stint on long-term injured reserve and thus savings against the cap.

If a trade partner only has to hide him away on injured reserve for the season before his contract expires, maybe someone will bite on such a deal. Maybe he even goes along with it, giving himself a year to rehabilitate and push for a professional try-out contract the next summer.

Certainly seems more likely than dealing John Moore with an injured reserve caveat. Either way, it’s not a nice thing to be considering dealing injured guys, but rather just a cruel reality of the Boston Bruins current cap situation.