3 seemingly unreasonable offseason moves that would actually make sense for the Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins need more firepower to surpass the NHL’s best next season, but that could require some seemingly unreasonable transactions this offseason.
While we can sit here and talk about a plethora of logical moves Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeny can make this offseason, we should also discuss counterintuitive measures. There isn’t a single offseason transaction that fans will universally embrace, but there will be a majority of them approving of a few, or many.
But Sweeney could do something that will make a fan wonder what the storied organization’s leader is thinking. That’s what we’re talking about today, because although some potential moves may look as though they make zero sense, they could also factor in as genius decisions.
We’re talking about seemingly coming off of the wrong end in trades to one of those, “Why do they need that player,” type of signing. So what kind of eyebrow-raising moves might Sweeney conduct this summer, only to potentially benefit Boston in the long run?
Trading Linus Ullmark for less compensation
Trading Linus Ullmark in a blockbuster deal is the only thing that makes sense, right? Ideally, yes, so much that I put it onto the Bruins ultimate offseason checklist. But it doesn’t mean Ullmark needs to go for top-notch compensation for this to be a successful trade if it occurs.
Listen, Ullmark is due $4.5 million this season, and the Bruins have an excellent goaltender in Jeremy Swayman. So moving Ullmark and getting little more than draft picks, prospects, and low-end NHL-caliber talents for him could help Boston in the short and long term.
One reason is that Don Sweeney will have more money to work with in either free agency, or to re-sign someone like Jake DeBrusk. Or, he could funnel it into Swayman’s new contract, which is also a priority this summer.
Plus, if the Bruins get more prospects and draft picks into the system, it will only help them when they need to make a trade at the deadline for either a rental or an established talent who they may keep around for a while. Hey, why not keep all options open, right?
I’m not saying that I’d rather see Ullmark go for lesser compensation, or else I wouldn’t have said the ideal route would be to include him in a blockbuster trade. Ullmark should bring a lot of value to the Bruins if they trade him, but that value can arrive in a few different ways, even if it’s not the ideal way.
Signing a true 1B to play goaltender alongside Jeremy Swayman
There aren’t many outstanding goaltenders in free agency this summer, but quite a few have 1B potential. While Jeremy Swayman will be a clear-cut No. 1 goaltender, signing a 1B for a season or two and waiting for him to organically slide into a true No. 1 role also wouldn’t be a bad investment.
It won’t be this way following the Swayman and possibly the DeBrusk re-signing and extensions, but Boston is currently 11th in the league in 2024-25 cap totals, with just over $22.5 million available. But even with the extensions, there is a good chance they will have enough money left over not just to sign a reputable free agent, but to also bring in a 1B goaltender as opposed to a pure No. 2 netminder.
Someone like Ilya Samsonov could end up signing a “prove-it” deal, and one at a reduced rate, thanks to his sheer inconsistencies from year-to-year. Kaapo Kahkonen could be available, and during his short stint with the New Jersey Devils, he showed us he could factor in as one of the best, if not the best, 1B in hockey.
But few are banking on Kahkonen to sprout into becoming a 1A at this point, so he wouldn’t cost a fortune to bring in and play him between 30 and 35 times in 2024-25. Cameron Talbot showed us this past season that he can still play, and since he will be heading into his age-37 campaign, he will also go for a reduced rate.
Trading Ullmark and bringing in a true No. 2 goaltender at a cheap price may sound more feasible, and it is. And it may cause some of us to think it’s not worth inking a 1B to a deal for the upcoming season, but it’s a better idea than you may otherwise think to believe.
Packaging first-round picks in 2025 and 2026 for a big trade
This is actually another reason I don’t believe trading Ullmark for lesser compensation is a complete deal-breaker. But even if Ullmark went for some current talent and no early-round draft picks, packaging the first-rounders in 2025 and 2026 in another trade and sending them elsewhere for a big name, preferably at forward, could cause many hockey fans to quip, “They just won the 2025 Stanley Cup.”
Ordinarily, I’m the type who’s all for keeping or replenishing at least the number of draft picks for an organization because you can only keep trading away future assets for so long. But the Bruins are in a different situation, having disappointed an entire fanbase in 2023 after a legendary regular season before once again failing to make the playoff run we all should have expected.
For Don Sweeney, this means doing all he can to bring a Stanley Cup back to Massachusetts, even if it involves trading away top draft picks in 2025 and 2026. Imagine mortgaging at least a first-rounder in 2025, and trading it to the St. Louis Blues - an organization looking to do what they can to get younger - for someone like Pavel Buchnevich.
Or what about calling up Pat Verbeek of the Anaheim Ducks and pulling off a trade for Frank Vatrano? If Don Sweeney wants to get younger, he can opt for Trevor Zegras, who should be a star in this league despite the rough 2023-24 outing he stumbled through.
Anything short of an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals next season should be unacceptable for the Bruins. So bringing in a proven talent, even at the expense of high draft picks, shouldn’t be a tough decision.
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