In Bruins’ deal for Ondrej Kase, Don Sweeney might have hit a home run

Don Sweeney and the Bruins finally pulled the trigger on a move ahead of Monday’s trade deadline — dealing David Backes, a 2020 first-round pick and prospect Axel Andersson to Anaheim in exchange for winger Ondrej Kase. 

Per the terms of the contract, the Bruins will retain 25 percent of Backes’ salary. 

Much like Tampa Bay’s trade for Blake Coleman earlier this week, Friday’s trade has both short-term and long-term implications for a Cup contender — as the Bruins were able to add a potential top-six winger with term. Kase, 24, is under contract through next season with just a $2.8 million cap hit. 

Kase, who scored 20 goals in 66 games with Anaheim back in 2017-18, has appeared in 49 games with the Ducks this season — scoring seven goals and 23 points. 

With Friday’s trade, Backes will likely get a chance to finish out his contract back up in the NHL ranks, as the veteran forward has been held off the ice after getting waived by Boston on Jan. 17. 

Andersson, Boston’s second-round pick in the 2018 Draft, was skating with the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this season, recording 22 points over 41 games. 

BSJ Analysis



While the cost to get Backes’ contract off the books was always going to be steep, Sweeney might have hit a home run with this kind of deal.

Sure, giving up a valuable trade chip like a first-round pick will always cause some to second guess a move, but Boston not only frees itself up for additional moves by getting most of Backes’ money off the books — it also gains a legitimate winger in Kase with plenty of tantalizing offensive numbers.

Considering that the Maple Leafs had to deal a first-round pick last summer to get the Carolina Hurricanes to take Patrick Marleau’s contract off the books (with just a sixth-round pick in return), the Bruins managed to get a much better return by getting Kase back as cost-controlled winger with some scoring pop. 

Kase’s numbers may not be as flashy as some of the other bigger names on the trade-target leaderboard, but the right-shot forward’s knack for peppering the net makes him a potential bargain pick-up — especially on a roster with considerably more playmaking talent in Boston.

As we noted last month, Kase has been one of the more underrated players in the league over the last few years when it comes to driving 5v5 offense and getting pucks on net. 

Over the previous two seasons, Kase ranked 39th in the NHL (min. 500 minutes played) when it came to individual points per 60 minutes of 5v5 play at 2.23 — leading over players such Jamie Benn (2.22), Phil Kessel (2.22), Mikko Rantanen (2.13) and Vladimir Tarasenko (2.09). 

During that same stretch, Kase ranked ninth overall in terms of individual shots per 60 minutes at 10.54 — ahead of Nathan MacKinnon (10.53), Patrice Bergeron (9.93) and Jack Eichel (9.93).

This season, Kase’s shooting percentage (5.2%) is way down from his last previous two campaigns (13.7% in 2017-18 / 11.7% in 2018-19), signaling that the winger hasn’t exactly had much puck luck in his side so far in Anaheim. 

Based on Kase’s shot map, the winger should have around two more goals than what is currently etched in the stat book, due in large part to the volume of shots he puts on net. 

Perhaps getting out of Anaheim's stagnant offense will do him some good, as his 5v5 shots per 60 minutes rate of 10.38 ranks 15th among all NHLers (min. 500 minutes played) — with David Pastrnak (10.8) the lone Bruin ahead of him. 



Kase should also help the Bruins bump up their lackluster expected goals rate at 5v5 play, with the winger’s xG/60 rate of 0.72 tied with Patrice Bergeron for third on the team.

The one thing to watch with Kase is his injury history, as he’s already suffered three concussions in his career — along with a couple of longer-term ailments (a torn labrum ended his 2018-19 campaign).  

Yes, he may not be as flashy as some of the other targets we’ve mentioned, but Kase fits the bill as a sniper that could finally break out now that he’s surrounding by some established talent. 

Another perk for the Bruins in this trade, beyond getting a great pick-up with term in Kase, is that dealing Backes does open the door for a number of additional moves. 

With Backes now off the books, the Bruins now have over $5 million to spend this season — and should have plenty of freed-up cash in the offseason to retain Torey Krug and others, with perhaps even more money available to add, rather than just simply retain, talent. 

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While it would seem unlikely that Boston now has the assets to swing for the fences for a guy like Chris Kreider, this deal does open the doors for more moves to be made — especially with the glut of wingers now on the roster with Anders Bjork, Danton Heinen, Karson Kuhlman and others now likely fighting for two spots on Charlie Coyle’s line.

There’s still plenty of time for Sweeney to pull the trigger on a few additional trades, so stay tuned. But if you’re a Bruins fan, you ought to be very pleased with how many boxes Sweeney checked off with a deal like this.