The Boston Bruins and Calgary Flames have been down this road before. Rasmus Andersson's trade to Boston was nearly signed, sealed, and delivered, but the lack of a long-term extension scared Don Sweeney away from Calgary's asking price. It was a fair decision for the Bruins' general manager to make at the time, but the Flames have another right-shot defenseman in MacKenzie Weegar who could fit their needs.
Weegar already has an extension in place until the end of the 2030-31 season, which checks that box for the Bruins' front office. His cap hit is also a much more manageable $6.25 million annually, which is nearly $3 million less than what they were reportedly willing to pay Andersson. From the outset, the 32-year-old Weegar feels like a bit of a safer option than Andersson, despite being older.
Weegar is in the middle of a down year, according to his advanced analytics. His Corsi is the lowest it has been since his rookie season, but it is still a respectable 52%. He is also well below his points pace from the past two seasons with the Flames, but Calgary's play this season could have a little bit to do with that.
The age is a bit of a concern, but Weegar has been a reliable player for the Flames. He entered COVID-19 protocol in December 2021 and hasn't missed any time due to a recorded injury since. He played 80 games that season, 81 games in each of the 2022-23 and 2024-25 seasons, and the full 82-game schedule in 2023-24. Weegar also hasn't missed a game for Calgary yet this season.
Flames' asking price for MacKenzie Weegar
The Flames likely won't ask for the same return as they did for Andersson. The price won't be much lower considering the Bruins will be getting him with term, but Boston could also be doing Calgary a favor if they are trying to move some salary and make their team younger. Would Bruins fans be okay with trading Mason Lohrei to get 3-4 more good years of Weegar on Hampus Lindholm's right side?
If the Bruins are okay with being buyers at this year's deadline, Weegar fits what they are looking for. A low-maintenance, reliable right-shot defender who can sure up the top-four with Charlie McAvoy, Nikita Zadorov, and Lindholm. It makes the Bruins an older team, but they could also parlay that deal into an Andrew Peeke trade to accrue some more younger assets.