Bruins Need to Make This Trade With the Calgary Flames

The Boston Bruins are hanging onto the fourth and final playoff berth in the newly realigned East Division with 22 games remaining in the 56-game shortened 2021 regular season.

By no means are the Bruins a lock for the postseason, sitting just three points ahead of both the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers. If Boston is going to survive that Flyers and Rangers and get into the playoffs, upgrades to the roster by the April 12 trade deadline at 3 p.m. is necessary.

It’s no secret that the Black and Gold can use an upgrade at forward and on defense. Secondary scoring has been an issue for years now that general manager Don Sweeney has tried to address without much luck. Last season in February of 2020, Sweeney acquired Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie from the Anaheim Ducks in two separate trades.

Last season before the March 12 shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic, both players did not have enough time to get any chemistry with their new teammates. Fast forward nearly five months later to the Toronto playoff bubble and things did not get any better for either player or the Bruins.

This offseason, Sweeney’s biggest free-agent splash was bringing in forward Craig Smith from the Nashville Predators, but to date, the right wing has only four goals. Not exactly what Sweeney or the Bruins were expecting from Smith, who was a 20-goal scorer in five of his nine years with the Predators.

If Boston is going to finish in the fourth spot in the East Division and be a playoff team in mid-May, a trade by Sweeney needs to happen by April 12 to address needs for a Bruins team that is seeing the championship window closing with their core players sooner rather than later.

The Flames are a trade partner the Bruins need.

With their recent slide, the Calgary Flames are fading out of playoff contention in the all-Canadian North Division. They sit in sixth place, tied with the Vancouver Canucks, six points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the final playoff berth.

Montreal is sitting in a very good spot as far as postseason spot goes as they have four games in hand on the Canucks, who are currently dealing with a COVID-19 shutdown, and five on the Flames. With Calgary slipping further behind the Canadiens, it might be time for Sweeney to jump on a deal with them that could upgrade his team for the stretch run and beyond.

This trade gives the Bruins Gaudreau, a goal-scoring left wing who has 13 goals this season in 38 games, who has 164 goals in just over 500 career games. This would allow coach Bruce Cassidy to move Nick Ritchie to the third line, giving the Bruins three left wings with double-digit goals.

Hanifin has been a blueliner that has been on Sweeney’s radar for some time and the time to pounce on getting him in a deal is now. He would bring the Bruins much-needed depth on the left side of the defense as a top-four defenseman.

David Krejci has 21 assists as a second-line center this season, but a free agent following the season, it’s unlikely that Sweeney would bring him back. Jake DeBrusk has been a major disappointment this season with just four goals in 21 games. Currently out because of COVID-19 protocols, a change of scenery is what DeBrusk might need to get his career going again, while giving him a chance to play closer to home. DeBrusk is from Edmonton.