Apparently, NHL organizations can never have enough goaltending. At least that was the motto that the Boston Bruins took into the NHL Entry Draft this past weekend.
After trading their first-round pick on Friday, 23rd overall, to the Utah Mammoth for right wing JJ Peterka, the Black and Gold didn't make their first pick until the second round on Saturday. They took a goalie, Yuri Ivanov, with the 56th pick. However, they weren't done. In the sixth round and with the 170th pick, they selected Roberto Henriquez. So why two goalies in one draft?
“We felt we needed to get back out in front of having depth in that position, so we attacked it today, presented, and our guys did a lot of work to be able to feel like they were good in that spot,'' GM Don Sweeney said.
Selecting one goalie is a decision, but plucking two in one draft? Clearly, there was a vision they had between the pipes.
Don Sweeney hints that trade discussion might go longer than some think
Sweeney finally got in on the trade fun on Friday night. Expect there to be more chatter this week before free agency begins on Wednesday. There are still more deals that the Bruins could look to swing to improve their roster for the 2026-27 season. However, Sweeney doesn't believe that the trade chatter will end on Wednesday.
"I think you'll see a reattack of teams trying to reposition,'' said Sweeney. "That's because the free agent market might not be as deep as you might hope, and then you've got to do it through trades. I do believe there will be a revisit and that might not end on July 1.''
Free agency isn't what it used to be. However, if Boston is going to improve the roster for next season, it'll likely have to be done through a trade or two. The remaining needs are a top center and right-shot defenseman.
Don Sweeney addresses potential usage with JJ Peterka
Peterka spent one season in Utah after signing a contract that carries an AAV of $7.7 million for four more seasons. However, the Bruins are hoping to get tremendous value out of that deal with the 24-year-old. Sweeney hinted at how they could in a couple of different areas.
“He’s got an elite shot. Probably gives us another look on the elbows in a power play situation. His power play minutes dipped a little bit last year; his 5-on-5 production has been really good, plays both wings, can probably play with a couple different types of centers,” Sweeney said.
Just where head coach Marco Sturm puts him remains to be seen. He's a top-six wing, but does he go beside Pavel Zacha, Elias Lindholm, Fraser Minten, or someone else? That'll be the question over the next couple of days and going into training camp.
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