Bruins: Could Boston work out this deal with this division rival?
The Boston Bruins have struggled this season to score at 5-on-5. Besides their first line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak, they just haven’t seen much 5-on-5 offense.
In fact, the Black and Gold have struggled to score in general. They have just 77 goals for this season, which is 25th in the league. Of these 77 goals, 36 have come from Boston’s top line. That’s almost 47% of the team’s goals!
A major reason for the B’s issues at 5-on-5 and secondary scoring in general is the lack of a consistent scoring option on the second line. They’ve tried several different options and all have failed to this point.
Jake DeBrusk, who had a stellar rookie season, hasn’t been able to replicate that production and has been far too inconsistent to be a regular in the top-six.
Rookie Jack Studnicka has looked much better at center than wing but still hasn’t been able to consistently put the puck in the net. And with David Krejci and Charlie Coyle on the team, there just isn’t room for him at center in the top-six.
Anders Bjork has the skill and motor to play in the top-six, however, like DeBrusk, he’s just too inconsistent.
Nick Ritchie has proven the doubters wrong, scoring eight goals so far this season when he only scored nine all of last season. However, Ritchie is basically a non-factor at 5-on-5, as over half his goals have come on the powerplay.
Ondrej Kase, although he does all the small things right and plays solid defense, just cannot find ways to produce points and has missed more games than played for the B’s.
The Boston Bruins don’t have to trade for an elite talent.
Many fans have been calling for the B’s to trade for perennial all-stars such as Jack Eichel and Filip Forsberg to fill fix the secondary scoring issues that Boston possesses.
However, I’m here to say this isn’ the case.
I think the B’s best option is to trade for a top-end second liner that could play on the first line of a team that lacks the sure-fire first line talent. These guys are cheaper, both contract-wise and in trade value, and more plentiful.
With the Black and Gold already having elite players across their first line, there just isn’t a reason to over-spend on another for their second line when they’re only in need of a consistent player that can give you 20-25+ goals a season.
That’s why I am recommending for the B’s to inquire about this player.
The Boston Bruins should inquire about Sam Reinhart.
There have been several articles covering trade rumors and options for Buffalo Sabres‘ captain Jack Eichel and left wing Taylor Hall. But for some reason, forward Sam Reinhart is constantly overlooked.
Reinhart was drafted second-overall as a center by the Sabres in the 2014 Entry Draft. However, struggling at faceoffs and defensively, he has played primarily right wing for Buffalo, switching between the first and second line depending on if Eichel is in the lineup.
With guys like Eichel, Hall, and Jeff Skinner on his team, Reinhart is overlooked. He has quietly put together three straight seasons of 20+ goals and 50+ points. In 2017-18 he was able to pot 25 goals and in 2018-19 he was able to reach 65 points. Since his rookie season of 2014-15, Reinhart has just one season where he hasn’t scored at least 20 goals.
Now at 25 years old, Reino, as Sabres’ fans call him, is currently playing on a one-year deal worth $5.2 million. After this deal, Buffalo will still have control over his rights as he’ll be a restricted free agent (RFA).
Considering Reinhart’s contract status, age, and the fact that the Sabres are normally in Boston’s division whether there’s a division realignment due to a pandemic or not, I think this deal could be a bit more costly than many would think.
This could be what a deal for Reinhart looks like:
I think this deal could be a starting point. For all those people that are about to come here and roast me for this deal, I am not saying this would be the deal, I’m saying this is a fair starting point.
The Sabres currently need defenseman. I was thinking about putting Kevan Miller, but I don’t think Buffalo would like his age and his injury history. Clifton is an young, NHL-caliber defenseman that’s only getting better and will probably equate to a second-pair defenseman once fully developed.
Zach Senyshyn is a former first-round pick that has taken a bit longer to develop than liked. However, he has been able to produce in his rare NHL experience and is still young at 23. If he can develop into what Don Sweeney saw in hi when he was drafted, the Sabres could have another 50-point scorer.
DeBrusk may just need a change in scenery to get going. He’s been progressively getting worse and worse production-wise since his 27-goal season. This piece gives Buffalo a player to slot into the top-nine.
I was originally going to put a second-round pick instead of a first, however, the B’s second-round pick will most likely be closer to a third-round pick than an actual second-rounder. So, I decided to switch it to a first-round pick as Boston’s first-rounder will most likely be no better than 20th overall.
Overall, I think the Sabres will be looking for young, NHL-ready players rather than top prospects and draft picks. They’re not rebuilding, despite what many think. They think they have the tools to win, it’s just about filling holes and finding the right coach.
The Boston Bruins top-six looks much better with Sam Reinhart.
With a healthy lineup, minus Kase, and the addition Reinhart, the Bruins forward corps looks pretty strong.
The B’s would most likely look like this if it were the trade that I suggested:
Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak
Ritchie – Krejci – Reinhart
Frederic – Coyle – Smith
Bjork/Kuraly – Studnicka/Kuraly – Wagner/Kuhlman/Steen
Lauzon – McAvoy
Grzelcyk – Carlo
Zboril – Miller
So, as you can see, while the Sabres receive assets to their lineup from this trade — and could possibly get even more — Boston only loses DeBrusk from their regular lineup.
Sabres’ fans will probably say it’s not enough for Reinhart, Bruins’ fans will probably say it’s too much. But the fact is that fans will always over-value their own players and think good value is not enough or too much.
This trade could play out well for the Boston Bruins.
Overall, I think the addition of Reinhart will help out the Black and Gold a lot. Reinhart will be going from one great playmaker to another in David Krejci, so he should be able to maintain his ability to score 20+ goals a season.
Reinhart also possesses several different ways he can score. He’s not afraid to go to the front of the net for deflections and rebounds, and he also has the ability to purely snipe a goaltender.
dark. Next. Bruins Thoughts: Studnicka, Trades & More
If Boston could pull this off, it not only would help out their current situation, it would also help out their future as Reinhart is just 25 years old. However, as I said earlier, getting a top player from a division rival is much easier said than done.