Change is coming this offseason for the Boston Bruins. Despite making the Eastern Conference postseason with 100 points in the regular season and the first wild-card slot in the East, if Boston wants to get back to the playoffs next season, well, some changes are needed.
Exactly what changes are going to be made is the question. There are some players that fans would love to see gone, and some players fans would love to see back. There are some players around the league that the Black and Gold can target in a trade to improve their club, whether it's through free agency or a potential trade. With that said, here are four under-the-radar players the Bruins and general manager Don Sweeney could trade this summer.
Mikey Eyssimont
Last summer, Sweeney signed Mikey Eyssimont to a two-year contract with an AAV of $1.45 million. Things didn't go as planned. Eyssimont only played in 56 games for first-year coach Marco Sturm with eight goals and 10 assists. He averaged 11 minutes a night, and honestly, the fit isn't what Sweeney hoped it would be. This isn't about dumping, more of dumping the player to clear a roster spot. However, Eyssimont is the type of player Sweeney covets. Take that however you would like.
Alex Steeves
After being called up from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL), Alex Steeves scored a goal against his former club, the Toronto Maple Leafs. He would go on and supply some surprising and much-needed scoring depth, which triggered a contract extension from Sweeney for two years and $3.25 million with an AAV of $1.625 million. Talk about jumping to conclusions. His production fell off, and he found himself a healthy scratch more often than not down the stretch. He had nine goals and 16 points, but like above, this is more about clearing a roster spot without clogging the P-Bruins than it is about clearing money.
Fabian Lysell
If this isn't the season where the Bruins part ways with Fabian Lysell, they never will. Just where he fits in the organization going forward is still a mystery. If that is the case, this long into his time, then it's time to move on. He is a restricted free agent this summer, but moving his rights to a team that wants him is a potential move Sweeney could make. Again, he'll probably be brought back, and we'll do this all over again next season. That helps nobody.
Michael DiPietro
So Joonas Korpisalo is the obvious trade candidate between the pipes for the Bruins, but if Sweeney keeps him, moving DiPietro is the next option. Boston got lucky last season when he cleared waivers to get to the AHL, but he isn't clearing this season. If Korpisalo is the guy behind Jeremy Swayman again, cash in on DiPietro's value right now. There are plenty of teams looking for goaltending and would jump at the chance to acquire him.
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