Recent speculation ties the Boston Bruins to big-ticket trade bait, such as Timo Meier and Jakob Chychrun. But some writers are skeptical.
Recent speculation ties the Boston Bruins to big-ticket trade bait, such as Timo Meier and Jakob Chychrun. But some writers are skeptical.
The Boston Bruins enter the final stretch of the NHL regular season comfortably atop the overall standings. GM Don Sweeney could be considering some additions to his roster, sparking rumors linking the Bruins to San Jose Sharks winger Timo Meier and Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun.
Meier, 26, became the top player in the trade market following the New York Islanders' recent acquisition of Bo Horvat. The 24-year-old Chychrun, meanwhile, has been the subject of media rumors since last season.
Boston Hockey Now's Joe Haggerty thinks it's wishful thinking that the Bruins can land Meier. He believes the only way that'll happen is if pending RFA David Pastrnak intends to test this summer's free-agent market. That seems unlikely, given recent reports claiming the Bruins and Pastrnak's agent are drawing closer to an agreement on a contract extension.
The cap-strapped Bruins would have to move salaried players to make room for Meier. Haggerty suggested a forward such as Charlie Coyle or Jake DeBrusk or a defenseman like Brandon Carlo or Matt Grzelcyk would have to go.
As for Chychrun, TSN's Pierre LeBrun and Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman claimed Sweeney had shown an interest in the puck-moving left-shot Coyotes blueliner. LeBrun also noted the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings were linked to Chychrun while Friedman wrote that the Bruins could also look at the Columbus Blue Jackets' Vladislav Gavrikov and the Vancouver Canucks' Luke Schenn.
Haggerty's colleague Jimmy Murphy cited an NHL scout claiming the Bruins would have to shed a defenseman to make room for Chychrun. The scout believes Sweeney prefers to add a player without having to make an impact subtraction.