The Boston Bruins are rolling early on during this shortened 56-game season. As great as a 10-1-2 record is 13 games in, the Eastern Division does not sleep and the Bruins are far from a guarantee to make the playoffs.
The Boston Bruins roster has a few holes that could be filled for an eventual playoff run and the greatest need at this point has to be the left side of the defensive corps. Losing Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug certainly shallowed the depth at the position and with Matt Grzelcyk dealing with injuries throughout the campaign – the Bruins are starting three players who have only sniffed NHL action before the season began.
Word on the street is that the St. Louis Blues are engaging in trade talks for a 24-year-old defenceman that would be a perfect fit for a young Boston Bruins D-corps. Vince Dunn seems to have fallen out of favour with the Blues coaching staff after some turnovers and defensive miscues, but should still be a coveted chip before the trade deadline.
Let’s check out a deal that could bring the young blueliner to Beantown.
Boston Bruins – St. Louis Blues trade.
The St. Louis Blues are allegedly asking for a 1st round pick for Dunn, but if we’ve learned anything during Don Sweeney’s time as GM of the Boston Bruins – he isn’t willing to mortgage the future for any player.
The Blues aren’t in need of any offensive players with guys like Vladimir Tarasenko (who has yet to play a game this season) coming as reinforcements. So swapping defencemen only makes sense for both clubs.
Instead of having an odd man out for the Boston Bruins left side, Jakub Zboril seems like the guy that is the most expendable on the Bruins blue line at this point in his early career.
Zboril plus a second round draft pick may seem rich to some of the Boston faithful, but if the Boston Bruins can be somewhat convinced he’d be willing to re-sign with the organization, it should be an easy deal for Sweeney to pull the trigger on.
Dunn would be no problem to fit under the cap this season especially with Zboril going the other way and would be a guy that the Bruins wouldn’t have to break the bank on in a re-signing scenario.
An offensive puck-moving defenceman is something the Boston Bruins have been missing dearly with Krug leaving for St. Louis. Wouldn’t it be funny to find his potential replacement from the team that poached him?
Boston Bruins projected starting six blueliners with Dunn.
Lauzon – McAvoy
Dunn – Carlo
Grzelcyk – Miller
This would be an extremely strong group for the Boston Bruins back end.
Each pairing combines an offensive-minded player with a defensive specialist and immediately creates one of the strongest D-corps in the division and perhaps the entire league.