Brock Boeser is the latest name to be rumored on the trading block; could the Boston Bruins entice him and would they?
Obviously, we all read the suggestion of approaching the Buffalo Sabres with a deal to bring Jack Eichel to the Boston Bruins and shore up the long-term future of the team at center, albeit at some cost.
Well, Brock Boeser is now apparently available and there’s good reason the Boston Bruins should at least put the feelers out there to the Vancouver Canucks and see what a deal might cost.
Straight up, he’d be the perfect player to slot in on the second-line right wing. In fact, it’s fair to say he’d be the exact player we’ve been missing in that role. However, it wouldn’t necessarily be an easy one to work out.
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First of all, a 23 year-old with still untapped upside doesn’t come cheap in the NHL and it’s safe to say the Canucks won’t be willing to give Brock Boeser away cheaply.
Secondly, they have him on quite a sweet deal costing just $5.875 for the next two seasons beyond this one. That, while still sounding a little steep is a bargain when you consider he has two 20-plus goal, 50-plus point seasons to his name. In this year’s truncated campaign, he looked likely to manage similar numbers too.
In terms of needs, it’s fair to say that the Canucks lack some depth beyond their first two lines and also could do with some defensive help.
Would the Boston Bruins consider parting with Brandon Carlo if that was the price? Maybe Jake DeBrusk would be a trade-able asset, especially the Canucks looked at the potential for saving money in hopes of renewing Tyler Toffoli?
Now the real kicker; would Brock Boeser be a fit with the Boston Bruins? If you trade away Jake DeBrusk, you’re essentially from one wing for a small upgrade on the opposite wing and are still left with the dilemma of who fits in the final top-six spot.
Brandon Carlo likewise would be a tough loss; whilst he doesn’t get the plaudits like teammates Charlie McAvoy and Torey Krug, he’s a key part of the Boston Bruins defense. He plays that shut-down role to his more offensive counterparts and is one of the main reasons we are so defensively sound.
It might actually be worth the cost, if of course he is actually available at a price that isn’t the realms of fantasy, given he is one of the better young snipers in the league.
If there’s one thing Boston Bruins fans have against Jake Debrusk, it’s his ability to be frustrating when it comes to putting the puck home. That 27-goal season aside, he is oft perceived as wasting golden scoring opportunities. A sniper like Boeser would fix that problem.
Not only that, it would hopefully lessen the goal-scoring load on the Boston Bruins’ top line; after all, David Pastrnak may not have a 48-goal campaign every year. We can of course hope, but there’s no guarantees.
If the Boston Bruins were to get a reasonable trade deal accepted and could manage to add Brock Boeser without creating significant salary cap implications down the line, I say absolutely do it.
However, if the cost is too high, we should just move on and ignore the prospect, however enticing it might sound.