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

Ilya Kovalchuk (Montreal Canadiens)

The final name that still seems to have some momentum out there in regards to a Boston Bruins trade is veteran Russian winger, Ilya Kovalchuk.

Frankly, this would be the most foolish option, namely because he was available as a free agent just a few short months ago. The Bruins were in for him then, but missed out and really shouldn’t go spending assets to add him now.

At the time, he appeared to be a washed-up has-been having gone to Los Angeles and not looked anything like the threat he once was in the NHL.

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Since arriving in Montreal though, he’s had a new lease on life and is now playing in their line-up without ice-time limits like the Kings were imposing.

This has proven great for Kovalchuk, who seems to thrive on having that little extra time out there. He doesn’t seem to find his game on 15 minutes or less, which would actually be useful in Boston as it’d mean our second line could be utilised that little bit more.

In terms of cost, you’d have to imagine that the Canadiens wouldn’t give him up to their most-hated rival cheaply, especially when they know just how sweet the deal he’s on is for any team with salary cap concerns.

It’s hard to predict what sort of asset haul the Canaidens would seek if Kovalchuk is indeed on the market. They might look for draft picks and focus a few years’ ahead or they might ask for a prospect or player that could step in now.

My general thinking is that Connor Clifton or Jakub Zboril might be names they ask about; if I’m the Boston Bruins I’d try to do the hard-sell on Brendan Gaunce though.

The deal might not seem much given it’s Ilya Kovalchuk, not exactly a no-name player in NHL history; however they can’t expect any team to pay too much given he was a free agent grab.