Boston Bruins fans were taken by surprise on Thursday when they learned that Pavel Zacha is still on the table as a potential trade piece. It seemed like the Bruins were sticking with the center as part of their lineup, but a recent report from Jimmy Murphy shows that trade talks could be further along than expected.
Murphy even went as far as to talk about the potential return from the Montreal Canadiens, as he mentioned Oliver Kapanen, Joshua Roy, and Jayden Struble. While Kapanen seems like the best option out of any of those players, Roy and Struble are also valuable pieces in their own right for a potentially rebuilding team.
Stuble sticks out as someone the Bruins don't really need with the defensemen currently on their roster, but Kapanen and Roy are young forwards with high upside. Murphy didn't elaborate on any potential returns from the Calgary Flames, who were the second team mentioned as a possible landing spot. Still, we'll attempt to find some Flames players who could be of equal value to the Canadiens players mentioned.
Aydar Suniev
There is no one who perfectly compares to Oliver Kapanen on the Flames' roster than Aydar Suniev. The Russian-born forward is also the perfect type of player that Don Sweeney would be looking to acquire. Suniev was born in Russia, came to the United States as a teenager and stayed except for one season during Covid when he returned home to play for Moskva. He played in the BCHL for a year where he nearly averaged two points per game, then spent the last two seasons at UMass.
This is just speculation and there is no proof to back it up, but it'd be hard to believe that Sweeney had any conversation with the Flames and didn't enquire about this player. He is a 6-foot-2 center with an edge who played in state for college, it's just right up Sweeney's alley.
Adam Klapka
I genuinely believe that any conversation with the Flames would start and end with Suniev, but this wouldn't be much of a list if I didn't add a few more players. Klapka is another player who fits the mold for the Bruins. He impressed at training camp for the Flames two years ago but played in just 37 NHL games over the last two seasons.
Klapka is a winger who stands at 6-foot-8. His footspeed blocks him from being a consistent NHL player, but he had 26 points in 33 games in the AHL last season. The Bruins might think they can unlock something with him, but he is just four years younger than Zacha and is a much bigger risk than Suniev.
Jeremie Poirier
It wasn't easy to find a defenseman in the Flames' organization who matched Struble. Still, Calgary might be willing to add Jeremie Poirier to a deal, considering they have another offensive defenseman in Hunter Brzustewicz waiting to debut.
Poirer started his AHL career hot with 41 points in 69 games in 2022-23 but hasn't really grown since then. He had another 42-point year this past season, and still hasn't broken through to the big club. The Bruins do have Mason Lohrei as a true puck-moving defenseman on the left side, so adding another one of those guys who lack on the defensive side might not be too appealing.