We are a week away from the NHL trade deadline and Don Sweeney better be picking up the phone and making some moves to improve the Boston Bruins. The Bruins have slipped to fourth in the East Division and Philadelphia is creeping behind the Bs and could be close to knocking the Bruins out of a playoff spot.
However, things change and prospective trade deadline targets have shifted over the last few weeks. Teams like the Nashville Predators, who a month ago seemed destined to be sellers at the deadline, find themselves in a playoff spot and may now want to keep highly sought-after assets like Mattias Ekholm. And now, new targets may need to be found for trades.
The Columbus Blue Jackets may have that new answer. The Blue Jackets are on the verge of forcing the hand of GM Jarmo Kekalainen into becoming sellers at the deadline. The Blue Jackets have lost three-straight games, and seven of their last eight, including back-to-back losses to the Detroit Red Wings.
The Bruins, who could use some help on defense, should be lining up a call with Kekalainen to see if they can improve their roster to make a run in the postseason.
What Blue Jackets should the Bruins be looking to trade for?
With Ekholm potentially off the market, that may now make David Savard the new prize possession to go after for teams needing to upgrade their defense.
Savard will be an unrestricted free agent this upcoming summer. The stay-at-home, physical defensemen is someone that Lauren Campbell of NESN named as a defenseman the Bruins should trade for. Here’s what Campbell had to say of the Blue Jackets defenseman.
"“The Blue Jackets have been proven to sell at the trade deadline, and Savard could provide a bit more physicality for the Bruins at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds. Of course, Columbus would have to be willing to part ways with Savard, and it’s unclear if it will sell come April 12.”"
If Ekholm is off the board, Savard’s trade value would increase. Simple economics – the higher the demand, the higher the value. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic wrote that, in addition to Boston being a likely destination for Savard, with the increased value, the Blue Jackets could possibly get a first-round draft pick for Savard.
It’s not out of the question for a team to give up that much draft capital for a player that may not be seen as a first-round pick equivalent. Tampa Bay did it just last year, using first-round picks to get Black Coleman and Barclay Goodrow, and how did that work out? Pretty dang well.
Similar to if the Bruins traded for Ekholm, Savard would give the Bruins a strong top-four, when all healthy, of McAvoy, Carlo, Grzelcyk, and Savard. He could be placed alongside McAvoy, giving the Bruins a strong defensive safety valve for their offensive D-man to jump up in the rush more, or even alongside Carlo to create a strong, second-line pairing that would be a pain for any forward line to play against, whenever Carlo does return.
While the Bruins have NHL-caliber defensemen, health has been an ongoing issue. The timetable on Carlo right now is “week-to-week”, so if anything, the Carlo injury should be an even bigger sign that Sweeney needs to make a move for a defenseman.
Savard has missed just one game this season, and just two in total since the 2017-18 season, both due to illness, not injury. He could provide that assured defensive depth that otherwise hasn’t been there, especially as of late.