Boston Bruins: Who are the alternatives if there’s no Chris Kreider trade?

BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 04: Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins reacts with his teammates after scoring in the second period of a game against the Vancouver Canucks TD Garden on February 4, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - FEBRUARY 04: Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins reacts with his teammates after scoring in the second period of a game against the Vancouver Canucks TD Garden on February 4, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
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Boston Bruins Don Sweeney
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 18: Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins attends the 2019 NHL Awards Nominee Media Availability at the Encore Las Vegas on June 18, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The Boston Bruins are reportedly still interested in New York Rangers’ winger Chris Kreider; but what if that deal doesn’t happen?

Just because the Boston Bruins may miss out on the supposed top trade target, it doesn’t mean that General Manager, Don Sweeney has failed in his job. There are plenty of alternative options available to him, as we can see purely through the circulating rumors.

Trade deadline is the same every year; there’s plenty of names linked with different teams and in the end, maybe one or two actually end up there.

Look at last year; I think the Marcus Johansson trade to the Boston Bruins caught most people off-guard, while I also doubt people ever expected that Ryan Donato would’ve been moved out, given his relative youth.

Half the challenge becomes knowing which media outlets generally get it right and which Twitter accounts are spouting nonsense; not any easy task by any stretch of the imagination.

Chris Kreider could still end up wearing a Boston Bruins jersey in the final stretch of this season, however, it’s seeming less and less likely as you start hearing the price of such a deal.

As much as we may want him; he could end up costing a high-end prospect, low-end prospect, draft pick and a roster player. That’s a huge price to pay even if he may be the player that pushes us over the line.

Looking elsewhere, there could still be value found in the trade market. There have been three or four persistent names being linked with the Boston Bruins in recent weeks.

We take a look at what sort of cost would be associated, how they might fit within the salary cap and whether they’d be a strong fit: