NHL Trade Rumors: Buyer beware, Eastern Conference firesale, Rasmus Andersson moved

Last season at the trade deadline, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney made some tough decisions for a team that was heading toward last place in the Atlantic Division. The former Bruins defenseman traded away franchise icon Brad Marchand, along with defenseman Brandon Carlo and center Charlie Coyle. Also moved was former first-round draft pick Trent Frederic.

Now, almost a year later, the Bruins are seeing some of the fruits of their returns with Fraser Minten being a key part of the Black and Gold's lineup. It appears that another Eastern Conference team is going to head down Boston's route from a year ago by going through a retool, not a rebuild.

On Friday, the New York Rangers drafted a letter to their fans about the reality of where they are in the standings and the injuries the club is dealing with. GM Chris Drury said that they are going to go through a retool with some tough decisions on the horizon. One of those is forward Artemi Panarin.

Drury announced that they will not be offering Panarin a new contract, which caught him by surprise, but also opens the door wide for a potential trade. Several teams would be lining up to acquire Panarin for a postseason run. It feels like a trade is going to happen before the deadline in early March. The Bruins won't get involved here, but another Eastern Conference team could very well.

Former Bruins defenseman given 'buyer beware' label

The last couple of weeks have pointed to former Boston defenseman Dougie Hamilton being traded. It feels like his time with the New Jersey Devils is coming to an end. At 32 years old, the right-shot defenseman comes with some concerns for potential suitors, according to Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report.

"Hamilton's age and injury history cannot be ignored. Since joining the Devils, he's only played more than 64 games in a season once, and that was during his career-best season. Those factors could continue taking a toll on his performance,'' Richardson wrote.

Hamilton also comes with a hefty contract of AAV of $9.5 million through the 2027-28 season. That's a lot of money to shell out for a defenseman who can't stay healthy.

Flames land a hual in return for Rasmus Andersson

After a couple of days of rumors surrounding the Boston Bruins and defenseman Rasmus Andersson, he was traded on Sunday night to the Vegas Golden Knights for a haul that was defenseman Zach Whitecloud, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2027 second-round pick that becomes a first-round if Vegas wins the Stanley Cup, and a college defenseman Adram Weibe.

The would be a lot for Bruins GM Don Sweeney to hand over for a 29-year-old defenseman.