The Bruins might have acquired a potential top-six solution on Friday by pulling the trigger on a deal for Ondrej Kase, but Don Sweeney and Co. may not be done dealing ahead of Monday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.
"I don’t know what will be or can be done,” Sweeney said of leaving all options open on the trade market. “We’ll continue to make calls and look at different opportunities that may exist. For us, I’d like to pay attention to Ondrej and the potential he brings to our hockey club. As I said before, we did see his scoring abilities, his versatility, his own game, ability to probably play either with Krejci or Coyle on that right side, he’s a right shot.
“Adds to the speed and offensive ability to our hockey club. For us, we’ve addressed what we think we need and also doesn’t take away from any of the players we have on our current roster and the players that have been pushing from down below from a depth perspective to continue to have our club hopefully staying healthy throughout our last twenty games and into the playoffs.”
Kase has the potential to shore up that vacancy on David Krejci’s right thanks to his high shooting volume and 5v5 production over the last couple of seasons, but the case could be made that a loaded Bruins roster is still missing another piece or two, while a crowded bottom-six — with Danton Heinen, Anders Bjork and Karson Kuhlman fighting for two spots — is signaling that another shoe has yet to drop with this roster.
However, Boston’s bargaining chips did take a bit of a hit in order to both acquire Kase and clear a majority of David Backes’ contract off the books — headlined by arguably Sweeney’s top asset in the 2020 first-round pick.
But if Boston is still scouring the market for additional help, Sweeney does have other chips to wager — whether it be additional draft capital, prospects or cost-controlled, young NHLers.
Let's take a look at a few other targets that Boston might hone in on ahead of Monday's deadline:
Josh Anderson, Columbus Blue Jackets
He still has yet to play in a game since Dec. 14 due to a shoulder injury, but Anderson still remains on the radar of many Cup contenders. Much like Kase, Anderson does stand as a bit of a risk due to his recent injury woes — along with his alarming dip in production this year (one goal, four points in 26 games.)
Still, if healthy, there are few options on the open market that offer the rare blend of speed and snarl that Anderson provides — with the physical winger potentially beefing up an already intriguing Bruins' third line anchored by another big body in Charlie Coyle in the middle. Add in the fact that Anderson's expected goals rate is currently tabbed at 6.6 — waaaaaay above his current tally of one — and it seems as though puck luck hasn't been on his side at all this year. After averaging 21 goals his previous three full seasons, it would seem as though a healthy Anderson would see his offensive numbers surge back up to the mean once he gets back on the ice this season.
Anderson also draws other parallels to Kase, who the Bruins have under control next season at $2.6 million before entering restricted free agency. The Blue Jackets winger features that same additional value as a pending RFA, giving Sweeney and his staff added control over a player that could check off plenty of boxes for Boston ahead of a playoff push. Even if Boston parted ways with its first-round pick in the Kase deal, the B's should have enough assets to present an intriguing offer to Columbus GM Jarmo Kekäläinen. Perhaps a second-round pick or a cost-controlled, defensive-minded NHLer like Danton Heinen might be enough to get it done.
Anderson may not be as sure of a bet as some of the big guns like Chris Kreider, but if he's given the green light to return to game action, his skillset can turn the tide of a physical, seven-game series.
Ilya Kovalchuk, Montreal Canadiens
Ah, the one that got away.
As I continue to atone for my sins when it came to writing off Kovalchuk's potential as a viable top-six winger in 2020, the Russian sniper has continued to produce with the heavy minutes that the Habs have granted him since signing with the team back in early January. Now up to six goals and 12 total points over 21 games in Montreal, Kovalchuk has been one of the few bright spots on a banged-up Canadiens crew that could be looking at selling off a few assets ahead of the deadline.
While a 36-year-old pending UFA like Kovalchuk would seem to be likely trade bait as GM Marc Bergevin looks to spin a $700,000 gamble into a potential second or third-round pick — it's not a given that the winger is going to playing elsewhere over the next week.
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But if the Bruins were to offer a quality draft pick for Kovalchuk's services, could Bergevin change his tune? Even if the pieces work in terms of a potential deal, it's far from a given that the Habs and Bruins would even entertain trade talks. In the last 55 years, the Bruins and Canadiens have only agreed to three trades:
Feb. 21, 2001: Eric Weinrich to Boston / Patrick Traverse to Montreal
Aug. 1, 1964: Cash to Boston / Orval Tessier to Montreal
June 28, 1964: Guy Allen & Paul Reid to Boston / Alex Campbell & rights to Ken Dryden to Montreal.
Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks
With the 26-31-4 Sharks floundering down the stretch, it's looking more and more likely that San Jose does Jumbo Joe a solid and sends him off to a Cup contender for what could be one last shot at a title for the 40-year-old pivot. Given that any deal for a player like Thornton shouldn't cost more than a lower-level draft pick or prospect, it wouldn't come as much of a surprise if many teams are keeping tabs on this trade target — especially clubs in need of some playmaking talent in the bottom-six.
It's easy to draw the connections between Thornton and a contender like the Bruins, although most of those ties revolve more around nostalgia — rather than an actual fit on Boston's roster. Thornton could have some value as an offensive spark — with his 1.42 assists per 60 minutes of 5v5 play leading all Sharks skaters this season — but it remains to be seen where exactly Thornton would have a defined role in Boston's lineup. The most likely spot would be at 4C, given that Coyle is finally entrenched for good at the third-line pivot position. But Thornton's style of play wouldn't exactly mesh with a line that's at its best when it's hemming in opponents with a fast, physical forecheck.
All things considered, the Bruins could very well acquire Thornton for a low draft pick or B-level prospect and bring him aboard as a depth option for the playoff run, but the 40-year-old center's arrival wouldn't exactly satisfy a missing need with this B's roster.
Kyle Palmieri, Chris Kreider or another big target?
Now that the Bruins have dealt their 2020 first-round pick, it would seem as though Sweeney doesn't have the necessary ammunition to pull off a larger deal ahead of Monday's deadline — securing a sure thing in the top-six in the form of Kyle Palmieri or Chris Kreider.
It certainly makes things much more difficult for Sweeney, no doubt. But it's far from impossible, especially if Sweeney opts to go all-in and max out this current 1-3 year window with this current core in place.
Even if Kreider remains as the most coveted rental on the market, we noted earlier this week that a player in Palmieri would represent the best return for Boston — for a myriad of reasons.
Similar to the parallels between Kase and Anderson, Palmieri would keep Boston out of a major cap crunch for the next year and a half, as he's signed through the 2020-21 campaign at a reasonable cap hit of $4.65 million. With Kevan Miller still on long-term injured reserve, Boston's available cap space currently sits around $4.6 million — enough to take on Palmieri's contract even before you start looking at potential subtractions from the NHL roster.
Kreider would provide a major lift in the top-six for Boston, given that the Rangers winger is still on pace for 32 goals this season, but Palmieri isn't that far behind — with the right winger currently up to 22 goals and 42 points through 57 games with the Devils. So you'd be picking up a natural RW still on pace for 30 goals — but signed through next year for a reasonable cap hit.
Given that added term, it should be a no-brainer in terms of picking between Palmieri and Kreider. But when you factor in Palmieri's defensive contributions, this becomes even more of a landslide — as the 29-year-old skater could become this year's Mark Stone in terms of his two-way impact on a Cup contender.
From earlier this week:
Among Devils players that have logged at least 300 minutes of ice time this year, Palmieri ranks first in both points per 60 minutes (2.61) and 5v5 expected goals against per 60 minutes (2.12). In other words, Palmieri has been the best driver of offense for New Jersey, while also leading the team when it comes to negating quality scoring chances from the opposition during 5v5 play.
(For Reference: Expected goals accounts for both shot quantity and quality by factoring in multiple shot factors, including the type of shot, distance from the net, angle, 5v5, power play, penalty kill, etc. As such, a player with a low expected goals against means that opposing teams aren’t generating good looks when he’s out on the ice).
That’s a rare blend of stats for one forward to lead a team in, especially on a roster in New Jersey with a horrid defense (3.41 goals against per game – 30th in NHL).
In fact, there are only 10 (!) forwards in the entire NHL with a points/60 rate at 2.61 or higher and a 5v5 xGA/60 rate of 2.12 or lower:
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