Free agency, for the most part, has come and gone in the NHL. As far as the Boston Bruins and general manager Don Sweeney go, there are still areas to address. The need that has been addressed was addressed through a trade.
Boston acquired right wing JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth on June 26, right before the Entry Draft in Buffalo. Boston still needs a right-shot defenseman and a top-six center. It appeared that they were closing in on acquiring defenseman Darnell Nurse from the Edmonton Oilers on July 1; however, a deal reportedly fell through after a Boston player would reportedly not waive his trade protection.
As far as a center goes, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period on The Sheet with Jeff Marek, Sweeney and the Bruins might not be done adding this summer at one position, although it might be tough.
David Pagnotta hints at the Bruins still looking to add this summer
According to Pagnotta, the Bruins are still hunting for a top-six forward, mainly a center, although with the market, it'll be easier said than done.
"Boston has been pretty active,'' Pagnotta said. "The (Darnell) Nurse thing was real, they had a trade in place with the Oilers to acquire Nurse. The player going back wouldn't waive their no-trade protection, so Edmonton obviously pivoted and went in San Jose's direction, but the Boston Bruins have definitely been active.
"(JJ) Peterka is one of the boxes that they checked. I think they are still looking for another forward, another top-six guy to add to that mix. (A) center would be ideal, but it seems like the center market is pretty tough one at the moment. They are looking to add more firepower to the roster up front.''
One of the top pivots available this summer never made it to market when former Bruins forward Charlie Coyle re-signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets back in May. It's highly unlikely that he would have signed back in Boston. Sweeney needs to think bigger than Coyle.
Addressing the center need in the top-six is going to be easier said than done, but there is no doubt some roster subtractions are needed if the Bruins are going to add somewhere. Even if they don't, they are overloaded at some positions that will require some subtractions. Sweeney hinted that activity might happen beyond free agency and later into the summer. We'll see if that ends up being the case.
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