With the Bruins off to their best start since the 1929-30 campaign, the concerns regarding the club’s scoring punch and its top-heavy forward corps has subsided for the time being — especially with David Krejci back in the fold.
Well, for now - at least.
As Boston looks to find a couple of permanent fixtures to Krejci and Charlie Coyle’s right for the long haul, the trade market remains an alluring option for a team that could be just a piece or two away from being the top Cup contender in the league.
In a perfect scenario, Don Sweeney and the Bruins likely wouldn’t have to go down a similar route in 2020 — given the team’s history when it comes to dealing away assets around the deadline (see — Johansson, Marcus; Nash, Rick; Stafford, Drew).
But for as much as Boston would likely want to solve any secondary-scoring woes with in-house options, expect the Bruins to once again be active on the trade front this winter, especially if this roster is indeed just one player away from putting itself over the top when it comes to vying for Lord Stanley’s Cup.
While we've already discussed a potential Taylor Hall deal at length last month and how accounting for the Devils' forward's $6 million cap hit might be the most daunting challenge with said move, there is already a market developing for some cheaper wingers — both in terms of cap and cost — that Boston will most likely be keeping tabs on going forward.
Tyler Toffoli
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 197 pounds
Age: 27
Current Team: Los Angeles Kings
Contract Status: UFA this offseason ($4.6 million AAV)
Stats: 13 games played, three goals, four assists/15:00 ATOI
To the surprise of ... well, no one, the Kings are once again really, really bad this season — with an aging core of players and minimal cap space halting any sort of quick rebuild for this club. As such, look for L.A. to once again become sellers this winter as the club looks to shed some cash while injecting some young talent into into its pipeline.
In terms of top-six options, a team looking to add at the deadline can't go wrong with a player like Toffoli, who was at the top of most trade-target talks last winter as well. With the 27-year-old skater set to become a UFA this offseason, it's pretty much a lock that the Kings deal him away — and given the fact that Todd McLellan scratched him earlier this week, the writing seems to be on the wall.
Given the number of trade whispers already surrounding Toffoli and the need to strike before more marquee targets hit the market (like Hall in New Jersey), the onus might be on L.A. to trade him within the next couple of weeks, which likely wouldn't play into Boston's hands — given the B's preference towards evaluating in-house options before looking for outside help.
But if the Kings hold off and look for the perfect fit for their winger, the Bruins are an ideal suitor, especially given the club's glut of defensemen, both down in the minors and up in the NHL ranks. The Kings could certainly use the help, considering they're surrendering a league-high 4.07 goals per game — and Boston has the assets to make a solid offer. While younger players would ideally be L.A.'s preference, John Moore (if healthy) could also be an appealing trade chip for clubs in need of a reliable NHL-ready defenseman — especially with the 28-year-old skater signed for the next four years with a reasonable cap hit of $2.75 million.
Trading from a position of strength certainly makes sense for Boston, especially it allows them to bring in a winger in Toffoli that has tallied 20-plus goals in three seasons including 31 in 2015-16.
Jason Zucker
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 183 pounds
Age: 27
Current Team: Minnesota Wild
Contract Status: UFA in 2023-24 ($5.5 million AAV)
Stats: 14 games played, four goals, four assists/16:15 ATOI
The Wild may not want to pull the trigger on another trade with the Boston after getting fleeced in the Charlie Coyle trade, but Coyle would probably be doing back flips if the Bruins were able to bring his best bud from Minnesota to Causeway Street.
While Zucker's numbers have dropped some since scoring 33 goals two years ago, he's just about everything you want in a top-six winger, averaging 25.3 goals over his last three full seasons in the NHL. Minnesota (28th in scoring / 25th in defense) needs help just about everywhere on the roster, but Zucker's contract could complicate things — as it would seem unlikely that Minnesota would want to retain salary, while Boston doesn't exactly have matching contracts that Minnesota would want to absorb.
Had this been next year with David Backes' contract likely bought out and over $3 million in dead money coming off the books, a trade would likely be much more reasonable when it comes to Bruins and Zucker. It seems unlikely that the Wild wait until next year to deal him, however.
Chris Kreider
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 216 lbs
Age: 28
Current Team: New York Rangers
Contract Status: $4.625 million AAV / Unrestricted free agent for 2020-21 season
2018-19 Stats: 11 games played, two goals, four assists / 17:07 ATOI
This one might be the most realistic for Boston when factoring in the cost, cap-wise, although the Bruins will be far from the only suitors for Kreider — a power forward that can drive a line during 5v5 play.
There's an awful lot to like about Kreider — a BC product and Boxford native who has posted six 20-goal seasons during his time in New York. Like Coyle, he checks off a lot of the boxes that the Bruins like, and his even-strength play could put Boston over the top.
When it comes to Goals Above Replacement — similar to baseball’s WAR in terms of measuring the total amount of goals a player adds to his team relative to a replacement level player — Kreider is one of the best in the NHL. If we look strictly at even-strength GAR, Kreider’s mark of 14.80 in 2018-19 would rank first among all Bruins forwards.
The cost would be steep — with another first-round pick and potentially prospects like Trent Frederic and Zach Senyshyn — but if Boston has a chance, it will do whatever it can to clear up the cash needed to bring a player like Kreider into the fold for a playoff run.
Ilya Kovalchuk
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 222 pounds
Age: 36
Current Team: Los Angeles Kings
Contract Status: UFA in 2021-22 ($6.25 million AAV)
Stats: 14 games played, three goals, five assists/15:33 ATOI
Kovalchuk is in a similar spot as his teammate in Toffoli, although it's going to be much, much tougher for the Kings to get a player with a contract like Kovalchuk's off the books. He may not be the franchise forward that posted five 40-plus goal seasons during his first stint in the NHL, but it looks as though the Russian forward is having a much better time with McLellan as bench boss when compared to Willie Desjardins last season.
Currently on pace for 18 goals and 47 points this season, Kovalchuk could help a team in need of top-six help by providing more of a scoring punch, but that cap figure looms large over any deal — especially for a team like Boston that's already right up against the cap ceiling of $81.5 million. Even with some major cap maneuvering from the Bruins and the Kings having to eat some of that salary, it just seems like too much of a hassle for Boston, given the expected return.
OTHER NOTES:
Good news for Ottawa winger Scott Sabourin — who had to exit Saturday's game against the Bruins on a stretcher due to a horrifying injury.
Sabourin, who was unconscious when he hit the ice face-first following a collision with David Backes, took to Instagram Sunday morning to give an update on his status.
https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1191025775199367169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1191025775199367169&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportsnet.ca%2Fhockey%2Fnhl%2Fsenators-sabourin-expected-released-hospital-sunday%2F
Senators GM Pierre Dorion noted that Sabourin suffered a fractured nose on the fall, but the forward is expected to be released from hospital later on Sunday. Great stuff to hear after such a scary injury. David Backes, who was clearly shaken up after the hit, is also expected be out for some time due to an upper-body injury.
"You can probably do the math on that one," Bruce Cassidy said of Backes' injury. The Bruins coach added on Sunday that the veteran forward might be on the shelf for some time.
"I would say, right now, he's doubtful for the next couple of games. But I think tomorrow I'll have a better determination on that," Cassidy said.
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Man, Milan Lucic — what are you doing here? Lucic is going to be sitting for quite some time after dropping Kole Sherwood for ... trying to jab at a puck? You think the Oilers have any regrets about trading him to Calgary this past summer? While Lucic is averaging 12:15 of ice time and has only landed 18 shots on goal, James Neal is now up to 11 goals in 15 games with Edmonton.
Kole Sherwood gets dropped by Milan Lucic after jabbing at a puck covered by David Rittich pic.twitter.com/3ZljyNfHoU
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) November 3, 2019