NHL Notebook: Bruins GM Don Sweeney continues his due diligence ahead of trade deadline

TORONTO -- Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said he would still like to add a piece to the team, but he doesn't know at this point if it would be possible between now and the 3 p.m. trade deadline on Monday.

"There's a lot of talks going on, but you never know," Sweeney said. "You realize (with) the one that went down last night (Penguins acquire Derick Brassard from Ottawa), how complicated these things get at this time of the year. We'll just continue to explore and see what clubs are willing to do, what you're willing to do and maybe something fits. We really have to be pretty target specific for us. Our club would like to maybe add a piece but I just don't know between now and Monday."

During the Bruins' 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs Saturday night at Air Canada Centre, reports came out that Boston was the front-runner for New York Rangers veteran forward Rick Nash. After the game, Sweeney wouldn't confirm or deny the reports.

"Talked to a lot of teams. Not denying I called the Rangers. Nothing to report tonight," he said.

According to our friends at capfriendly.com, the Bruins could handle Nash's remaining cap hit of $1,761,290 for this season for the pending UFA.

This week, the Bruins acquired defenseman Nick Holden from the New York Rangers in exchange for defenseman Rob O’Gara and a third-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Then, the Bruins sent forward Frank Vatrano to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a 2018 third-round pick. The Bruins are interested in the possibility of signing veteran forward Brian Gionta, who captained Team USA at the Olympics. He's a Stanley Cup winner and was teammates with Bruins assistant coach Jay Pandolfo when the two played for the New Jersey Devils.

In order for Gionta to be eligible for the Stanley Cup playoffs, he has to sign before Monday's deadline.

"We've had discussions prior to (Olympics) to see what they may or may not do and based on what our needs are," Sweeney said. "It's a short window to turn this around and we're having our discussions and I'll continue to do so. If there's an area we can supplement our group then we'll do that."

Sweeney was also impressed with Bruins prospect Ryan Donato's performance for Team USA during the Olympics. He returned to Harvard and was back in the lineup Friday night. After the collegiate season is over, Donato could decide to forego his senior season and sign with the Bruins.

"Ryan, offensively, was outstanding," Sweeney said. "We've seen that, I've seen that, and we know he can score goals. They put him in a nice situation to be able to take advantage of the power play, so good on him. I know he enjoyed the experience and he jumped right back in and played last night for Harvard. We're excited about Ryan. He's got to finish his season and we'll have discussions as to what his decision will be from that point going forward."

Sweeney admitted he's still looking for depth pieces. The plan seems to be to add without subtracting from the current NHL roster. Upper management has its finger on the pulse of the team and doesn't want to interrupt the chemistry on and off the ice.

"Every team is looking for depth and for areas that they can continue to improve upon," Sweeney said. "I like what our club has done this year. We have a very difficult march. . . Our core players are having a terrific year. Glad where we're at but there's a long way to go. We have a very difficult march, so some of those younger players will go through a stretch, but it's safe to say we've been cognitive of not giving away what we think are our really good players that continue to grow."

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Bruins alternate captain Patrice Bergeron is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team Canada, and no doubt was disappointed when the NHL decided not to participate in the Winter Games. He’s a bit torn with the fact that Germany defeated Canada in the semifinal round because friend and former Bruins teammate Marco Sturm is the coach for Germany.

“It’s always tough,” Bergeron said. “You obviously cheer for your country and that’s what we were all doing. I got up early to catch a little bit of the game and it’s too bad. Germany played really well and there’s a part of me that’s happy for Marco since he’s a friend of mine and I played with him for a long time. That being said, it’s unfortunate and I feel for the guys that are over there and worked hard and coming up short.”

Still, it was tough for Bergeron to watch and not be able to participate in the Olympics.

“You want to be out there. You want to be competing and it’s too bad we didn’t have a say in it,” he said. “My biggest disappointment is that we had no say in being part of it. It’s different because the last two Olympics I was in it and now to watch it on TV, it’s been fun to watch different events any time of the day.”

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It’s not always easy to see a teammate traded at any point during the season. That was the case when the Bruins dealt forward Vatrano to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a 2018 third-round pick in the NHL Entry Draft. It was especially disappointing for Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, who also coached Vatrano in Providence and helped him to develop into an NHLer. Cassidy also understands it’s a results-oriented business and Vatrano was on the outside looking in with the Bruins because of the success of the younger core of players in the organization, including Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen.

“The competition outplayed him,” Cassidy said. “At the end of the day, we thought those other guys were better – plan and simple.”

Cassidy waited until the day after the trade to speak with Vatrano and thanked him for his efforts.

“He was a good soldier for us,” Cassidy said. “He worked hard and worked himself back to getting his opportunity. I wish him all the success. As a person, I hope he does well. He’s still a young guy and has his whole career in front of him.”

In 108 games for the Bruins, the East Longmeadow native finished with 20 goals and 11 assists for 31 points. He played 25 games this season and posted two goals.

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Bruins rookie Anders Bjork had left shoulder arthroscopy and labral repair on Feb. 20 at Massachusetts General Hospital. The expected recovery time is six months. He suffered the injury on Jan. 30 and delayed the decision to have the surgery because he wanted to evaluate all of his options. He decided to have the procedure now so he could be ready for the start of next season.

“At a young age, it’s a wise choice,” Cassidy said. “Get it done. Get it right and be ready to go for training camp next year. He should have plenty of time this summer to get himself up to speed.”

In 30 games for the Bruins, he posted four goals and eight assists for 12 points, including a plus-2 rating.