Heading into the three-day Holiday break, the Boston Bruins went 1-3-1 on their five-game homestand. It's not the way that head coach Marco Sturm and his team wanted to go into the break. They had a chance to bank some points ahead of a five-game road trip after the break.
One thing is clear: the Bruins need to upgrade their roster between now and the trade deadline. However, it's not a given that they will be buyers as there is a lot of hockey left in the compact Eastern Conference playoff race. One name rumored to be on the trade block is Vancouver Canucks right wing Kiefer Sherwood, who was recently linked to the Black and Gold.
Bruins listed a trade destination for Canucks right wing Kiefer Sherwood
Pierre LeBrun and Chris Johnston of The Athletic matched up some rumored players on the block to trade partners. Johnson had Sherwood being traded to the Bruins.
"Sherwood is a prototypical Bruin: big, fast, and tenacious on the forecheck. As such, he’s viewed as a player who would be a great fit in an organization that is building back up following last year’s reset,'' wrote Johnston.
"The biggest hurdle here might be the asking price. Vancouver is seeking a meaningful return for a player who looks poised to blow past 20 goals for the first time in his career, and Boston isn’t expected to be chasing rentals at this deadline. However, these teams might be able to thread the needle if this trade comes with a contract extension for Sherwood, which is something he’d be open to."
While Sherwood's AAV of $1.5 million is very enticing, Boston general manager Don Sweeney isn't in the market for rentals. He would like to add someone to the team, and if he tried to add Sherwood, there might have to be an extension worked out before a deal is agreed upon. In 36 games this season, Sherwood has 16 goals and 20 points. It's not a matter of if he'll be traded, but when. It'll be interesting to see how involved Sweeney gets.