Two of the last three seasons at the trade deadline, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has traded away the team’s first-round draft pick.
In 2018, Sweeney sent the Bruins pick to the New York Rangers in a deal that brought Rick Nash to Boston. Last season, he dealt the 2020 first-round pick out West to the Anaheim Ducks in a deal that brought in right wing Ondrej Kase.
In 11 regular seasons games for the Bruins, Nash had three goals and three assists with a minus-4. Kase was a disappointment last season in both the regular season and postseason as he struggled to get going with his new teammates following the trade because of the coronavirus that paused the season on March 12, 2020.
In the Toronto playoff bubble, Kase had four assists in 11 postseason games. This season, he played in the first two games of the shortened 56-game season and has been out since with an upper-body injury.
Sweeney needs to be smart with the Bruins first-round pick in 2021.
The NHL trade deadline is two days away at 3 p.m. on Monday. The Bruins are expected to active over the next couple of days, seeing if their roster can be upgraded in a couple of areas.
A middle-six forward and a left shot defensemen should be the priorities for Sweeney, depending on the cost.
Trading the first-round picks two of the last three seasons has had an effect on the Black and Gold’s prospect pool. It’s not as deep as it once was and with that, comes the first-round pick into play in a potential deal.
Giving away the first-round pick in this summer’s draft is not something that should be done easily. That pick should not be handed over for a rental player over the remaining of the regular seasons and playoffs.
That pick should be used if it’s for a player with more time remaining on their contract or for a player that is on an expiring deal, but is able to work out a contract extension before a trade is complete.
Over the next two days, it’s buyer beware for Don Sweeney and the Bruins front office with their first-round pick this summer. Over the next two days, the 2021 first-round pick needs to be treated like gold. You can’t keep giving away your first-round pick each season, as eventually down the line, that will catch up with you.