Coming out of the Olympic break, questions were surrounding what the Boston Bruins' trade deadline path was going to be. Where are they going to buy, sell, or stand pat? Well, a 2-2 record with disappointing road losses to the Philadelphia Flyers and Nashville Predators may have sealed that fate.
After a brutal 6-3 loss to the Predators on the road on Thursday night, the Bruins are just one point ahead of the fast-charging Columbus Blue Jackets for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. It certainly feels like the two teams are trending in opposite directions, with it being bad news for the Black and Gold.
Now, with the trade deadline line here, Boston general manager Don Sweeney saw firsthand what his team told him: sell any players that can get you assets. I mean, he did last year just two points out of a postseason berth, and it is reaping benefits this year.
Bruins must sell at the trade deadline
Just looking around the league and seeing what the asking price is for players and what teams are getting for players, Sweeney would be nuts not to look to sell off some players. Which players? No, we're not talking about David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, or Jeremy Swayman, but there are some players that Sweeney should listen to.
Four players come to mind: Andrew Peeke, Viktor Arvidsson, Henri Jokiharju, and Casey Mittlestadt. Why those four? Peeke and Arvidsson are pending free agents this summer and are unlikely to be part of the future. Both could be deep pieces for a contender. Arvidsson could add some scoring punch at the bottom of someone's lineup.
As for Jokiharju, he's signed for two more years with an AAV of $3 million, and this is looking like an overpay by Sweeney last year. If he can't crack the lineup on this team, then will he ever? Then there's Mittlestadt. He's signed for one more year with an $5.75 million AAV. Is he part of next year's roster, with potentially James Hagens coming on board sooner rather than later? You can make the case that moving on from Mittlestadt is something that Boston needs to seriously consider.
This trade deadline, even though the Bruins are in a playoff spot, they should be selling. It's a seller's market, and acquiring assets for down the line and hanging onto the first-round draft picks is the route Sweeney needs to go. Thursday night's performance sealed that fate.