How the Bruins could capitalize on an Oliver Ekman-Larsson trade as rumors continue to gain steam

With a Cup window dwindling and evident flaws in need of addressing, the Bruins were expected to be one of the more aggressive teams this fall when it came to navigating an active trade market across the NHL.

So far, Don Sweeney has apparently made good on such sentiment, given that the Bruins continue to be linked to one of the more intriguing — if not one of riskiest — trade targets available.

For as much as the optics are concerning when it comes to surrendering assets to acquire Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson (and primarily the remaining seven years and close to $58 million remaining on his salary), it doesn't seem like the rumors of the veteran defenseman's links to the Bruins are dissipating any time soon.

After Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported two weeks ago that the Bruins were one of the teams that reportedly "checked in" on the 29-year-old skater's availability, further reports this week have fueled even more speculation that Boston is one of the primary contenders vying for Ekman-Larsson's services — with their reported interest apparently being mutual.

TSN’s Darren Dreger noted on Thursday afternoon that "things are believed to be intensifying” on the Ekman-Larsson (OEL, for short) front, adding that the veteran would not accept a trade to the Oilers — one of the clubs linked to him — by way of his no-movement clause. Friedman noted shortly thereafter that OEL's short list of clubs he's accept a trade to would include the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks — with longtime Coyotes reporter Craig Morgan of  AZ Coyotes Insider adding that Boston has been a favored landing spot for OEL if he is indeed moved.

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What was once viewed as a long-shot blockbuster usually tossed out on message boards, rather than struck on the transaction wire, suddenly feels very, very real.

"(Arizona GM) Bill Armstrong is actively working with both Boston and Vancouver," Dreger said on TSN. "He’s trying to get something done. There is a bit of pressure from the player perspective."

Back when the Ekman-Larsson rumors first sprouted up, we did a deep dive on what the veteran blueliner could bring this Bruin club. While we noted that the Swedish skater would likely slot into a top-pairing role in this lineup and stabilize the left side of a B's D corps likely moving forward without Torey Krug and perhaps Zdeno Chara in a lesser role, there are plenty of concerns with a deal of this magnitude.

When it comes to potential peril, most of that is tied into the fact that Boston would be on the hook for the rest of Ekman-Larsson's mega-deal if such a trade was struck without salary retention — with the B's tagged with an $8.25 million cap hit through the 2026-27 season. Add in the worrying metrics when it comes to the veteran's declining play (especially during 5v5 action) over the last few years, and it makes plenty of sense for fans to approach a move like this with plenty of caution.

And yet, while it might seem like Arizona holds all the cards here, the fact of the matter is that the 'Yotes may not hold nearly as much leverage as one would think here, making a potential deal more palatable from the perspective of the Bruins.

So, after stomping out everyone's hopes of a Jack Eichel blockbuster earlier this week and pointing out the risks of an OEL deal, let's look at the ways in which Boston could capitalize as winners of the Ekman-Larsson sweepstakes:



Arizona Coyotes retain some salary: 

As we noted above, the Coyotes don't exactly hold all the cards in any move related to OEL — given that there are very few suitors who could realistically take on their captain's massive contract, especially during a flat-cap era in which multiple franchises are putting away their checkbooks and hunkering down for a period of stagnant fiscal growth across the league.

Add in the fact that this Arizona franchise is already getting squeezed financially, especially in wake of the massive losses in revenue due to COVID-19, and the 'Yotes' need to get at least most of OEL's contract off the books doesn't exactly put them in an advantageous spot, especially with so few teams willing to barter at the table with them (Boston, Vancouver).

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As such, even though the Coyotes are looking for both a good return for OEL (a first-round pick and young defensemen were noted by Dreger) and clearing off that contract without any retained salary, they've got to be realistic here and understand that some concessions will need to be made.

Agreeing to eat a portion of that contract stands as an obvious way to facilitate a deal like this by assuaging what would be the Bruins' top concern here — that $8.25 million annual cap hit.

"It sounds like Arizona, even though they don’t want to do this, is going to have to retain some money or take some contracts back," Dreger noted.

It remains to be seen how salary retention would impact the return Arizona would get from Boston here (methinks Boston taking on that full deal would significantly lower the Coyotes' asking price), but if Boston was to add a player like Ekman-Larsson for, say, $6.5 million per season — that's much more agreeable than the current contractual structure put in place, especially with Boston needing additional cap flexibility to shore up other holes across the roster.

Arizona takes on poor contracts: 

Another way for Boston to trim down some of OEL's cap hit would be if Arizona offsets it by taking on another hefty or poor contract in return. Now, granted, Boston isn't exactly saddled with albatross contracts anymore, especially after ridding themselves of a majority of David Backes' contract in February, but if Arizona was to take on a contract like John Moore's (three years, $2.75 million AAV), it would certainly help the B's as they look to utilize more of their cap room to address holes in their top six.

Salary retention (perhaps on a lesser scale than $2+ million per year) could also still be in play, given that Moore could actually earn regular reps in Arizona and his contract isn't exactly a major burden — at least when compared to what Vancouver would love to unload, such as Loui Eriksson's horrid contract.

Arizona deals additional pieces as part of larger deal:

Of course, given Arizona's desire to clear off as much cap space as it can, OEL could just be the headliner in a larger deal involving the Bruins and 'Yotes, especially if Boston is taking on the burden of the later years of that contract. While it would seem unlikely that Arizona would toss in a young, cost-controlled scorer like Scituate's Conor Garland (an extremely underrated talent out West), perhaps goalie Darcey Kuemper could be in play if Boston included additional assets in a deal?

In what was an extremely slow news day for Sweeney and Boston, Tuukka Rask's name was repeatedly tossed out in reports as a potential trade chip for the Bruins, who are gauging interest in the veteran netminder's value across the league. Now, much like an OEL deal, trading your franchise goalie (and Vezina Trophy finalist) isn't something that comes without TREMENDOUS risk, especially if you're hoping to contend in 2020-21.

Yes, freeing up Rask;s $7 million cap hit could potentially make you players for a big free-agent target like Taylor Hall or other additions, but man, you better have a suitable replacement in net, because a Halak/Vladar tandem isn't going to cut it.

Kuemper, 30, may not be a household name, but he has fared pretty well out in the desert over the last few seasons — ranking fourth among goalies in goals saved above average (GSAA, 26.93) among a pool of 40 netminders that have logged at least 3,000 even-strength minutes since the 2018-19 season.

(For what it's worth, Rask ranked third in GSAA over the same stretch at 27.93.)

Again, he's not as sure a bet as Rask, but if Boston is opting for a major shuffle and wants to free up some cash (Kuemper is under contract the next two years with a $4.5 million cap hit), perhaps the 'Yotes netminder is ready to step into a larger role with an Original Six franchise.

Sizing up big-picture offseason moves like this could lead to migraine when it comes to connecting all the dots and waiting for all of the proper shoes to drop, but if acquiring additional assets beyond OEL allows Boston to retool (and hopefully improve) other areas of its roster, perhaps the risk of pulling the trigger on such a deal is worth it.

OEL rebounds in a major way: 

Another way in which Boston could really emerge as winners in a gamble like this? Ekman-Larsson benefits from the change of scenery and reverts into the top-pairing force that should have garnered considerable Norris Trophy consideration back during the midway point of the past decade.

Now, at 29 years old, perhaps hoping that OEL simply finds a resurgence upon joining a competitive team with a stronger supporting cast is just viewing this potential move with rose-colored glasses — and that's a valid criticism. If you look at the underlying numbers, OEL's play has dripped over the last few seasons, while his 5v5 offensive production doesn't exactly move the needle when compared to Krug — even if OEL is still a more complete player.

But Craig Morgan, who runs a fantastic website covering the Coyotes, put together an in-depth piece earlier this week that might ease some concerns for Bruins fans if Boston manages to pull off a deal like this.

Whether it be scouts, players or league sources that Morgan checked in with, there seems to somewhat of a consensus that Ekman-Larsson's play, even if it's perhaps stagnated, could pick up again after toiling away with a team like Arizona. Over the last few years especially, playing in head coach Rick Tocchet's system has been an environment in which dynamic offensive production has often withered away, with even skilled forwards such as Taylor Hall, Phil Kessel and even youngsters like Clayton Keller really failing to set the world on fire when it comes to their stat lines.

If acquired by Boston — where he'd not be tasked with being the face of the franchise, would enter a dressing room filled with other established veterans and could operate in a much more creative system implemented by Bruce Cassidy — perhaps this stands as Ekman-Larsson's second wind, a development that could set the B's up for another couple of runs at the Cup with this current core in place.

Again, there are a LOT of moving pieces in a move like this, especially if other assets head back to Boston as part of a mega-deal. At the end of the day, just about any configuration to a deal that results in OEL in a black and gold sweater will still carry some risk. Those are just the facts. But there are certainly ways for the B's to stomach such a move, especially if this franchise has its eyes set on a major roster renovation this fall.