The Boston Bruins will be looking to upgrade in every way they can this summer. The club was glaring needs across the roster, with some more pressing than others.
But there is one situation the club could address thanks to an unanticipated situation.
At this year’s NHL trade deadline, the Bruins were in hot pursuit of Rasmus Andersson. The right-shot D-man was on the block as the Calgary Flames were looking to land a haul for the impending UFA. The Bruins were one of the teams close to landing the 29-year-old. According to reports at the time, Boston had been granted permission to speak with Andersson’s agent to work out an extension.
However, Andersson wasn’t keen on signing off on the deal with an extension in place. The blueliner wanted to go to a destination that wouldn’t condition him to an extension. And that destination just happened to be the preferred one, Vegas.
The Golden Knights traded for Andersson without an extension in place. And it could be a situation that might now play a crucial role in Vegas’ calculus.
Sin City is one of the preferred destinations for disgruntled Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin. Larkin comes with an $8.7 million cap hit, one that Vegas might be able to squeeze in, but at the expense of other pieces.
In short, the Golden Knights can’t re-sign Andersson and trade for Larkin without clearing some major cap space. Vegas fans shouldn’t expect Andersson to give the Golden Knights a break. He wants to get paid, and so he’ll head to market.
That’s where the Bruins can benefit. Boston can take advantage of the cap crunch in Vegas. If the Golden Knights want to target Larkin, it may come at the expense of re-signing Andersson. And that’s where Boston could get its coveted blueliner.
Bruins in unique position to land Andersson
At the deadline, the Bruins purportedly had a seven-year, $63 million offer on the table. Andersson’s camp balked at the offer, not because it wasn’t becoming of his rank and station, but because the Swedish blueliner wanted to bet on himself.
However, he had a lackluster postseason. While he wasn’t bad, he didn’t light it up as most had expected. That situation will likely hurt his market value. Andersson will, of course, command top dollar. But maybe not as much as he would have liked.
That’s why the Bruins’ offer from earlier this season may look even more enticing at this point. If Boston keeps that offer on the table, Andersson would be foolish to pass it.
It’s worth pointing out that the Golden Knights might decide they can’t afford Larkin and pivot to Andersson. But knowing Vegas, they won’t help themselves if they can get a realistic chance at Larkin. That pursuit could ultimately benefit the Bruins.
We shall see if this scenario plays out.
Add us as a preferred source on Google