If the Bruins make a move between now and the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline, there seems to be a pretty clear consensus as to what area of the lineup Don Sweeney and Co. will hone in on.
Whereas Sweeney pulled the trigger on deals for Charlie Coyle and Marcus Johansson in an effort to boost Boston’s third line last spring, many expect the B’s to be on the prowl for a top-six winger this winter — with the club finally looking to put an end to the carousel of forwards to David Krejci’s right.
Even if Anders Bjork has fared well since getting that promotion into the top-six unit, Boston will likely want such a crucial spot in the lineup to be shored up by a more proven offensive threat.
As such, look for names like Chris Kreider, Tyler Toffoli, Kyle Palmieri, Ondrej Kase and others to sprout up in headlines for the next couple of weeks.
But given Boston’s current Cup-contending window, it’s not out of the question for the B’s to look for upgrades elsewhere across the roster before the deadline.
If the center market proves to be more robust than the pool of available wingers, perhaps Boston looks to acquire a pivot like Jean-Gabriel Pageau, while bumping up Coyle on the wing? If Boston wants to add more size in the bottom-six, perhaps they can strike a deal with Columbus for human wrecking ball Josh Anderson?
All of these potential moves stand as viable — and realistic — options for a Bruins club trying to put itself over the top ahead of another Stanley Cup Playoff push.
But what about the blue line?
Even with some recent blips on the radar, Bruce Cassidy has to feel pretty comfortable with his top-four unit of Zdeno Chara, Charlie McAvoy, Brandon Carlo and Torey Krug for the grind of the postseason.
As for that third pairing?
Boston shouldn’t have any qualms about Matt Grzelcyk’s game, as the Charlestown native’s hockey IQ and quick feet make him a valuable asset in Boston’s transition game and during 5v4 situations. The BU product’s ability to play on his weak side is also a luxury for the B’s, allowing the club to slot in another left-shot D when necessary.
In a perfect world, the Bruins will have Kevan Miller back in the fold ahead of the postseason, where the rugged blueliner’s physicality was sorely missed last spring.
But Miller’s expected return is still up in the air after suffering a pair of devastating knee injuries just six weeks apart last season. While the 32-year-old veteran was nearing a return back in mid-November, another setback has kept him off the ice until this past weekend.
“Kevan did skate yesterday for 15 minutes on his own,” Cassidy said Monday morning. “So there’s step one, a positive. We were not here, so I did not see it. He was in this morning doing off-ice workouts, so I don't know if he's an every second day guy on the ice. I guess we'll find out tomorrow."
A healthy Miller would solve plenty of problems for the Bruins, but given both the nature of this current injury and his extensive list of previous ailments, there’s plenty of risk involved in putting a ton of faith in the defenseman for the playoff run.
Among current starters, John Moore has been so-so since returning from offseason shoulder surgery. While the blueliner is a plus skater, can eat minutes and is solid on the penalty kill, he’s still shaking off some rust while testing that shoulder — leading to plenty of lost puck battles in Grade-A areas of the ice. As such, it’s not much of a surprise that Moore’s 5v5 goals against per 60 minutes rate of 2.57 leads all regulars on Boston’s defense.
Connor Clifton, who is expected to return in February from an upper-body injury, has struggled with consistency in his first full season in the NHL ranks. Even though vintage “Cliffy Hockey” has seen the rookie blow up opposing skaters and operate freely in the O-zone, Clifton’s impact down both ends of the ice has been rather muted in 2019-20.
(For more context about Micah Blake McCurdy’s fantastic individual impact charts, I discussed it in my recent Bruins Report Card post).
Given the lack of stability when it comes to Grzelcyk’s regular D partner, perhaps Boston could also scour the market to see what is available on the blue line?
If Boston opted to add a piece on the blue line, it could kill two birds with one stone by adding both size and a capable body on the D corps in Brenden Dillon — who is in the final year of his contact with the cellar-dwelling Sharks.
Given that San Jose is need of a rebuild and have far too many bloated contracts to really net high returns via trade, Dillon seems to be likely bait, especially for a contender looking to add a physical presence on the second or third D pairing.
While the Sharks D-man might not be ideal as a left-shot skater, Grzelcyk’s ability to shift to the right side could accommodate the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Dillon – who has averaged 19:04 of ice time per game this season in San Jose.
Dillon, who has accrued 11 points (1 goal, 10 assists) over 50 games while racking up 73 penalty minutes, could give Cassidy a veteran capable of both eating minutes and adding some thump to Boston’s lineup.
But Dillon is far just a third-pairing option tasked with beefing up his club. Let’s face it, the Sharks’ defense has been ... not good this season — ranking 28th in the NHL at 3.32 goals allowed per game.
But when Dillon has been on the ice during 5v5 play, the Sharks’ defense has gone from complete dumpster fire to, well, somewhat serviceable?
(I mean, look at that chart when Dillon isn’t on the ice for San Jose. That’s a whooooole lot of Grade-A ice where opponents have been firing in quality shots.)
Dillon would be a great pick-up for Boston, but he’s far from the only potential target — especially with the likes of Alec Martinez, Andy Greene and many others likely available for the right price.
Yes, Boston’s priority this deadline season should be to add a surefire weapon up front in an effort to get the Krejci line rolling. But with Boston's title window narrowing and plenty of assets at the ready, the Bruins should not hesitate to pull the trigger on a couple of moves if it puts this roster in the best position for an extended playoff run. If the price is fair, Boston needs some to ensure that there are no holes in the armor of an otherwise stout D corps.
Stats and graphs via Natural Stat Trick and HockeyViz.