Bruins trade targets: Five defenseman B’s should chase before deadline first appeared on NBC Sports Boston.
The Boston Bruins are once again a top Stanley Cup contender in the Eastern Conference, but there are still holes on their roster that need to be filled before the March 8 NHL trade deadline.
One of them is the depth of the blue line.
It’s a fairly frequent requirement for contending clubs around this time of year. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a taxing slog, particularly for defensemen due to the physical nature of their job. The Bruins have had difficulty defending in front of
This season’s net. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Bruins have the 17th most high-danger shot attempts allowed. However, because to their superb goaltending, they rank fourth in high-danger goals allowed.
The Bruins have the seventh-best penalty kill this season, but they have struggled recently. Boston’s PK is ranked 25th (75.7 percent success rate) since the Christmas break concluded on December 27.
As a result, adding a defenseman with better physicality and penalty-killing ability would be a significant enhancement to the Bruins’ team.
Which players could assist address these and other concerns? Here’s a list of five defenseman the Bruins should look into before the trade deadline.
In addition to a lack of high-end trade assets, the Bruins have less than $1 million in salary cap space, according to CapFriendly. Don Sweeney, the B’s general manager, will have to get inventive to acquire a player with a cap hit of $3 million or more.
In 2023-24, Noah Hanifin played 53 games for the Calgary Flames, scoring 9 goals and assisting 20 times.
Contract status: $4.95 million salary cap hit; UFA in 2024.
Hanifin is the top defenseman that could be available at the trade deadline. The Flames apparently extended him a contract offer, and he must now decide whether to accept it. If he doesn’t, the Flames should move him to avoid losing the 27-year-old defenceman for free this summer.
“They’ve been flexible and accommodating, but the Flames need an answer from Hanifin,” Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff said last Friday. “This is where the rubber meets the road.” They put what was thought to be an eight-year, $60 million deal on the table early in the season, virtually exactly what Hanifin asked for.
Before he had cold feet and didn’t put pen to paper. That hasn’t been very comforting for the Flames, who understood last summer that he wanted to play in the United States for the long term.
“But they’ve been friendly and kept the channels of communication open, and they’re still interested in getting him back. The Flames and Hanifin’s camp were set to meet again this week, with GM Craig Conroy seeking an answer. If it’s a ‘no,’ he has the best rental defensemen in the market to move.”
Hanifin, a Massachusetts native who played at Boston College, is a legitimate top-four defenseman in the peak of his career. He is a powerful and gifted skater.
The playmaker needs just one goal to match his career high (10) for a single season. At 5-on-5, he averages 1.17 points per 60 minutes, which is his second-highest rate.
Bruins fans got an excellent look at Hanifin’s abilities when the Flames defeated the Bruins 4-1 at TD Garden on February 6.
Hanifin also plays well on defense. He blocks shots, wins puck fights in tough situations, and contributes significantly to the Flames’ penalty kill, which has the league’s third-best success rate (84.7 percent). Hanifin also had a career-high average ice time of 23:43 per game. He’s the classic all-around defenseman, capable of playing in any situation against top opposition.
Hanifin’s cost is expected to be significant. The Bruins would most likely have to give up a first-round pick, which is not ideal given that they have surrendered five of their previous seven first-round picks (including 2024). However, Hanifin is the type of player worth giving up a first-round selection and other valuable assets to acquire, if he signs an agreement to stay in Boston for the long term. Hanifin would provide a short- and long-term solution for the Bruins’ blue line. He falls into the age range of Boston’s greatest players (David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha, Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman, etc.).
The Bruins may always pass on trading for Hanifin and try to sign him as a free agency in the winter, avoiding the need to move any assets. But, with the Bruins atop the Eastern Conference rankings and a legitimate potential to make a deep playoff run, making the trade now would be the best option.
In 2023-24, Jake Middleton played 52 games for the Minnesota Wild, scoring 7 goals and adding 11 assists.
Contract status: $2.45 million cap hit; UFA in 2025.
Middleton would be an upgrade over the next three players on this list because he can actually play in the top four. In fact, he’s played a bunch on the Wild’s top pairing this season. Middleton kills penalties, blocks shots, play a physical and logs over 20 minutes per game.
If you want to know about Middleton’s toughness, just watch this fight he had with Senators forward Zack MacEwen earlier in the season.
Middleton isn’t just a defensive defenseman. He’s also making a decent impact offensively with a career-high 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 52 games.
Middleton would not be a rental, and that might make the cost to acquire him a bit higher. He is signed through next season at a cap hit of $2.45 million, which is very low for a player capable of playing on the first or second pairing.
Joel Edmundson, Washington Capitals
2023-24 Stats: 35 GP, 1 G, 2 A
Contract status: $3.5 million cap hit, UFA in 2024
The Capitals are six points out of a wild card spot, but let’s be honest: They’re nowhere near being a serious contender. Washington also entered the season as the fifth-oldest team with an average age of 29.2, so it’s time for this franchise to get younger.
Trading veterans with expiring contracts for prospects and/or draft picks is a good way to do that. Edmundson falls into that group, and according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Capitals “are looking to move” the 30-year-old defenseman.
The Bruins need a defenseman who can clear traffic in front of the net and win those physical battles. Edmundson is that type of player. He’s tough to deal with at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds. A steady shutdown defenseman with loads of playoff experience (Two Cup Final appearances, one win in 2019) like Edmundson makes a lot of sense for the Bruins.
Ilya Lyubushkin, Anaheim Ducks
2023-24 statistics: 48 GP, 0 G, 4 A.
Contract status: $2.75 million cap hit; UFA in 2024.
Lyubushkin would undoubtedly bring some snarl to the Bruins’ blue line. He plays a hard style of hockey, which makes him an exceptional penalty killer. He has 91 hits and 122 blocked shots, averaging 2:59 of ice time on the penalty kill per game. The Ducks have the Western Conference’s third-worst record, so there’s no reason to keep him after the trade deadline.
Nick Seeler, Philadelphia Flyers (2023-24): 54 games, 0 goals, 8 assists.
Contract status: $775,000 cap hit; UFA in 2024.
The Flyers may end up being buyers at the trade deadline. After dropping five consecutive games before the All-Star break, the Flyers have won four in a row and are currently third in the Metropolitan Division. There are still more than three weeks until the deadline, and a lot can change during that time.
If they decide to sell, Seeler should have lots of buyers.
He would make an outstanding left-side third pairing defenceman in Boston. He’s an excellent defender who plays with the gritty edge that the Boston Bruins occasionally lack on the back end. Seeler leads the league with 153 blocked shots, the majority of which come during the 2:02 of penalty kill ice time he gets per game.
The nicest thing about Seeler from a trade standpoint is his extremely low cap charge, which makes him an excellent target for a team like the Bruins with minimal cap room. His play style and contract are what the Bruins should look for in a defenseman.
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