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4 Bruins That Could Be Moved at the Trade Deadline

By Jack Long

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 02: Jaroslav Halak #41 of the Boston Bruins gets the start as they skate out for the start of the game against the Philadelphia Flyers during Game One of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 02, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario., Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 02: Jaroslav Halak #41 of the Boston Bruins gets the start as they skate out for the start of the game against the Philadelphia Flyers during Game One of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 02, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario., Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images) /
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After an offseason of many more downs than ups, the Boston Bruins are going into the 2021 season with tons of unanswered questions.

The Boston Bruins had an offseason of nightmares. The blue line took two devastating blows in free agency losing both Torey Krug and captain Zdeno Chara. As per usual, Don Sweeney failed to find David Krejci a legit second line right wing scoring threat. Craig Smith was a solid snag to bolster the right side, but he really is a great third line guy and not a guy you can rely on for consistent scoring in a top-six role.

There are more questions than ever for this Boston Bruins squad heading into this un-regular season. Will the young guys be able to fill in for the craters that were Krug and Chara? Will the Bruins mysteriously find some secondary scoring? Will anything transpire from Sweeney’s calls on Noah Hanifin or Pierre-Luc Dubois?

The Boston Bruins East Division is the strongest by a mile. Making the playoffs out of this division is by no means a lock and will be more of a struggle than ever with the many unknowns of this Boston Bruins roster. If the Bruins get off to a slow start and can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, it isn’t out of the question for management to consider making moves for the future as they seem to have already started to shift focus.

The Boston Bruins hold many veteran assets that could prove valuable to contending teams. Although it would be tough to let these guys go, the front office has to do what is right for the club and shouldn’t lose assets for anything to just squeak into playoffs.

Jaroslav Halak

Every playoff team needs a solid backup goaltender. Look at the Dallas Stars situation with Anton Khudobin. This is a guy who got thrown to the dogs and had to play nearly every game of the Stars playoff run. Khudobin became a local Dallas legend after grinding his way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Jaroslav Halak is another contender for best backup in the game and has been eating up games for the Boston Bruins for the past couple of years while taking the weight off Tuukka Rask‘s shoulders. Halak kept the Bruins in the 2020 NHL Bubble to the best of his abilities and surprised non-Bruins fans with his quality of play.

Both Boston Bruins goalies are UFA’s after the 2021 season and it would be a stretch to say both (or either) will return for the 2022 season. If the Bruins are out of the playoff mix, you can be sure other teams will be making calls on both of their netminders. Backup goalies can bring in a solid haul and Halak could bring in picks, a  lower-tier prospect, or a solid depth player.

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