Ondrej Kase (Anaheim Ducks)
The case for adding Ondrej Kase to the Boston Bruins is one that has two sides to it.
On one side, he still has another year left so isn’t a pure rental and also is versatile enough to play on either wing.
On the flip side of that though, here’s a player that has struggled with injury concerns for more than just this current season. Throwing him into the cauldron that is play-off hockey may see any trade for him end up more like the Rick Nash deal a few years back.
Much like Josh Anderson, there’s blatantly potential there, it’s just a risky play.
23 points in 49 games isn’t a bad return; it’s an average of a point every second game thereabouts on a very poor Anaheim Ducks team.
With the Ducks having played 56 games this year, the injury worry is lessened slightly too, given it’s only 7 games that Kase hasn’t played in. Only slightly though, as that equates to 12.5% of all their games this year.
He has shown, in his games this year, to be continuing to learn how to use his body better especially when you combine it with his puck handling, which as with so many Czech players is decent in-tight.
Kase may not throw down in an old-fashioned sense, but he battles hard and that determination suggests that play-off hockey would be right up his alley, provided he’s fit and healthy.
With a year of term left, you’d assume the Ducks will push for more of a return but Kase’s injury worries may keep the price at a reasonable place. As for the Boston Bruins adding him, I’d rate him a B- for his potential ability to fit on our roster.