Boston misses out on two more potential defensive targets

The trade deadline is a day away and the mantra of “Don Sweeney is tied to targets, but never pulls the trigger” is taking full form yet again for the Boston Bruins.

After missing out on Kyle Palmieri, and with Bobby Ryan going down with a season-ending injury, two potential targets at winger were crossed off the list. You can now cross out two defensemen off your trade target list for Boston.

Saturday afternoon, Columbus Blue Jacket David Savard, who was regarded as the top defensive trade target if Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm was off the board, was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a three-way trade with Tampa, Columbus, and the Detroit Red Wings.

The big, left-shot defenseman was rumored to be an interest of Boston, but the talks with Columbus and Tampa engaged quickly, and ultimately, the reigning Stanley Cup champions were able to get Savard.

And now, less than 24 hours after SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada the Bruins could be in on Detroit’s Jon Merrill, the Montreal Canadians have made a move to acquire the 29-year-old defenseman.

Now the Lightning did give up a pretty penny for Savard. They sent a first-round pick and a third-round pick to the Blue Jackets, as well as a fourth-round pick for Brian Lashoff from Detroit. Now there is some salary that is being retained by both Columbus and Detroit for Savard, but ultimately the first-round pick might have put the Bruins out of contention, as the Bruins seem to be hesitant to use that as a trade asset.

But when it comes to Merrill, all it cost the Canadians was a fifth-round pick and a 23-year-old prospect who has spent more time in the ECHL than the AHL. It certainly seems like a price that could have been met. Merrill, much like Savard, wouldn’t have provided much offensively, but he would have provided defensive depth on a D-core that is in some serious injury trouble as of late.

Would either of these players make the Bruins immediate Cup favorites? No, but there’s no denying the need for depth on defense. The pairings that the Bruins are rolling out for Sunday’s matchup with the Washington Capitals would be very good at the AHL, but nothing more.

The clock is ticking away and the list of potential trade candidates continues to shrink for Don Sweeney and the Bruins.