This Bruins defenseman is being viewed as a trade candidate.
Things are going well for the Boston Bruins right now. At the time of this writing, they have a 28-19-2 record and have won each of their last six games. With this, they are in a position to add to their roster and were recently among the teams linked to Rasmus Andersson before the Calgary Flames traded him to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Yet, even with the Bruins being in a good spot right now, could they also be open to trading away some of their talent this season? It seems possible, as one of their defensemen has been named as a trade candidate.
Bruins defenseman Andrew Peeke was given the No. 23 spot on NHL insider Chris Johnston's latest trade board for The Athletic.
"The Bruins took a serious run at landing Rasmus Andersson, which almost certainly would have forced Peeke out of town as a pending unrestricted free agent. He remains a trade chip for an organization retooling on the fly. Peeke is a mobile right-shot defenseman who excels in the defensive aspects of the game. While big at 6-foot-3, he isn’t known for being overly physical," Johnston wrote.
Seeing Peeke be mentioned as a trade candidate is not necessarily surprising. If the Bruins do not view the 27-year-old blueliner as a player they plan to keep around beyond this season, it would make sense for them to shop him instead of losing him for nothing in free agency.
However, if the Bruins were to trade Peeke, it would be wise for them to bring in another right-shot defenseman. The Bruins' right side could use a boost, and it is exactly why they pushed so hard for Andersson.
With Peeke being a right-shot defenseman with size, the Bruins would have the potential to get a decent return for him if they opted to move him. Thus, it could be worth considering.
In 48 games so far this season with the Bruins, Peeke has posted four goals, five assists, nine points, 58 hits, 92 blocks, and a team-worst minus-11 rating.