Boston Bruins: Grading the 2019 and 2020 trade deadline deals
Bruins acquire Coyle and Johansson at 2019 deadline
At the 2019 trade deadline, Sweeney made two trades that at the time experts felt was not going to shift the balance of power in the Eastern Conference.
In the first deal, he acquired Charlie Coyle from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Ryan Donato and a 2019 fifth-round draft pick. His second trade five days later, Sweeney got forward Marcus Johannson from the New Jersey Devils for a 2019 second-round pick and a 2020 fourth-round pick.
Both players used the final month of the regular season to get accustomed to their new teammates and the system, but once the playoffs hit, both took their game to another level.
After putting up four goals in 21 regular-season games, Coyle had nine postseason goals and seven assists with an impressive plus-8 in 24 games. He averaged 15:28 of ice-time and became one of the Bruins’ most productive forwards following their top line.
Johansson had just 10 regular-season games following the trade with one goal, but the 28-year old added much-needed scoring depth in the playoffs with four goals and seven assists in 22 games.
Both players found chemistry with Danton Heinen on the Bruins third line in the playoffs and proved that if you have three lines producing, then you will have a lot of postseason success.
In November of 2019, the Bruins signed Coyle to a six-year, $31.5 million contract to remain with the Black and Gold. Johannson signed with the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent in July of 2019, before being dealt to the Minnesota Wild two months ago.
2019 Trade Deadline Grade – A
Two trades with the Ducks did not work out as the Bruins had hoped.
Last February, Sweeney made two trades with the Anaheim Ducks. In the first deal, he acquired Ondrej Kase for David Backes, defensive prospect Axel Andersson and the Bruins 2020 first-round draft pick.
Sweeney was hoping Kase would solve the Black and Gold’s scoring problems on the second line right wing. In 49 games last season for Anaheim before the trade, he had seven goals and 16 assists, but missed the final two weeks leading up to the trade deadline because of an illness.
It was easy to see why Sweeny traded for the 24-year old. He has a ton of potential and the talent is there to be a point producer. It was a case of bad timing for Kase and the Bruins. He only appeared in six regular-season games with one assist before the league paused in March.
In the Return to Play over the summer, Kase had trouble getting on the ice with the new protocols in place, but once he made it on the ice, he had a better playoff showing than the regular season. He had four assists in 11 playoff games, but there were flashes of what he could be with more time under his belt.
The second trade with the Ducks was a swap of forwards with Nick Ritchie coming to Boston and Heinen going out West. Ritchie was brought in to add a physical presence that the front office thought the team was lacking.
He brought a physical presence, but maybe too much of a physical presence. He had one goal and one assist in seven games following the trade, but he disappointed in the playoffs.
He had one goal in eight games, but he was too physical and ended up taking some untimely penalties. The 6-foot-2, 230-pound 24-year old’s five-minute boarding call against Yanni Gourde of the Tampa Bay Lightning was the penalty the broke the camels back in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
The Lightning scored a late power play goal to extend to a 3-0 lead in the game at the end of the second period on their way to a 3-1 win and a commanding 3-1 series lead.
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Both players deserve another shot with the Bruins beginning this season, but if the returns are anything like their first go-around, it could end up being two of Sweeney’s worst deals.