After trading Brandon Carlo at the trade deadline back in March, they acquired Henri Jokiharju from the Buffalo Sabres. He was paired with Nikita Zadorov for the final six weeks of the season, and they actually played well for the rest of the season.
In fact, it was a good enough pairing that general manager Don Sweeney brought Jokiharju back this summer on a new deal. That leaves the Black and Gold's right side of Charlie McAvoy (returning from his season-ending injury last year), Andrew Peeke, and Jokiharju entering camp in a couple of weeks. However, one player from a Western Conference team could be on the move, and the Bruins have been linked to him. Let's just say, if Sweeney was able to acquire him, it would be a game-changer.
Bruins linked to Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson
What the direction going forward is for the Calgary Flames remains to be seen, but defenseman Rasmus Andersson is entering the final year of his contract and will likely be moved. Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report listed five teams that he could be dealt to, and one of them was Boston. Here is what Gretz wrote,
"The offense is lacking in high-end talent once you get beyond David Pastrnak, and they still need help at center. But the defense is also lacking in quality depth, as they found out a year ago when both Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm missed significant playing time due to injuries
"The return of both players with better health this season will make a world of difference, but they still need a lot more help on the right side, where the depth chart includes only McAvoy, Henri Jokiharju, and Andrew Peeke. That's not good enough if the Bruins have any intention of trying to compete this season. And given the way the offseason went, they still have that intention."
If Sweeney was able to acquire Andersson and his $4.55 million cap hit this year, it would be a game-changer on defense for the Black and Gold. It would give them a legit No. 2 on the right side behind McAvoy, and it would give first-year coach Marco Strum a top four of McAvoy, Andersson, Zadorov, and Hampus Lindholm. That would certainly shore up the backend in front of Jermey Swayman.
In terms of putting a trade package together, Sweeney has some assets that he's hanging onto that Calgary would be interested in. Whether it's a prospect, a pick, or even a roster player, if he can get Andersson and sign him to a long-term extension, then that changes things going forward and sets up the defense for years to come.