2023 NHL Trade Deadline Playbook: Boston Bruins

Credit: © Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

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With exactly five weeks to go until the NHL’s March 3 trade deadline, we’ve got you covered every day at Daily Faceoff with one trade-focused story leading up to Deadline Day.

Today we’re going to focus on the league-leading Boston Bruins.

2023 Trade Deadline Countdown: 35 days

BOSTON BRUINS
Current Record: 38-6-4 (1st in NHL)
General Manager: Don Sweeney (8th season)
Head Coach: Jim Montgomery (1st season)
Captain: Patrice Bergeron (3rd season)

Last Year: Lost to Carolina Hurricanes (4-3) in Eastern Conference quarterfinal.

Current Lineup: Click Here

Goals For: 3.77 per game (2nd)
Goals Against: 2.04 per game (1st)
Power Play: 26.8 percent (3rd)
Penalty Kill: 86.4 percent (1st)

Key Additions
Coach Jim Montgomery- Hired on June 30
C David Krejci- Signed 1-year, $3 million contract (w/ bonuses) after playing in Czechia
C Pavel Zacha- Acquired in July 12 trade from New Jersey
W A.J. Greer- Signed 2-year, $1.525 million contract on July 13
RD Anton Stralman- Signed 1-year, $1 million contract on Oct. 12

Key Subtractions
Coach Bruce Cassidy- Fired on June 6
RW Curtis Lazar- Signed 3-year, $3 million contract with Vancouver

Trainer’s Table
RW/LW Jake DeBrusk- Fractured fibula (Jan. 2) placed on LTIR

Perhaps the most impressive facet of the Bruins’ impeccable season has been the fact that they weathered an early-season storm of significant injuries. Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk all missed a number of games due to offseason surgeries. The thought process was maybe the Bruins could hang on long enough in the playoff race to get them back; they not only healed quickly, but re-joined one of the elite teams in the league and only made them stronger.

Rewind: 2022 Deadline Playbook

It can often be helpful to look back on last year’s trade deadline to see whether any information can be gleaned from the team’s approach for hints on how this year might be managed.

March 19, 2022
To Boston: Hampus Lindholm, Kodie Curran
To Anaheim: 2022 1st Round Pick (Nathan Gaucher), 2023 2nd Round Pick, 2024 2nd Round Pick, Urho Vaakanainen, John Moore

March 21, 2022
To Boston: Josh Brown, 2022 7th Round Pick (Jackson Edward)
To Ottawa: Zach Senyshyn, 2022 5th Round Pick (Kevin Reidler)

For years, the left side of Boston’s defense had been a black hole on GM Don Sweeney’s resume. Numerous acquisitions were attempted, mostly through free agency, and most failed. The Bruins took a big swing last deadline and paid the price in terms of future assets and dollars to finally fill the void. Lindholm signed a massive 8-year, $52 million extension the day after he became a Bruin and although he was a little banged up late last season, his play bolstered the Bruins’ defense corps. This year, the all-purpose defensive stalwart has logged the most ice time on the team and has spearheaded the best defensive unit in the league.

How did we get here?

To be fair, the Bruins were a very competent team last season. They posted 107 points in the regular season and were a tough out against a sexy Stanley Cup pick in Carolina, taking the Canes to Game 7. But they were getting long in the tooth and questions surrounded their depth. Because of that, many declared this season to be the beginning of the end for this core of Bruins players, some of whom have played in three Stanley Cup Finals.

From the outside, it seemed like there were too many questions to start the year. The McAvoy, Marchand and Grzelcyk injuries loomed large. Boston had also moved on from long-time head coach Bruce Cassidy in favor of a more player-friendly bench boss in Jim Montgomery. The Bruins would be relying on 37-year-old Patrice Bergeron to lead the way – and even after another Selke-winning season, maybe his best ever in the NHL, Father Time remains undefeated. No one was quite sure what to expect of David Krejci returning to the NHL after a one-year hiatus in his home of Czechia. Injury history clouded Nick Foligno’s potential contribution. And after rescinding his trade request once Cassidy was fired, the question was whether the mercurial Jake DeBrusk could turn into a consistent top-six threat again.

The Bruins have soundly rebuked every question with a statement. They are on-pace to be the NHL’s best regular season team in history, giving the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings a run for the money. They didn’t lose in regulation on home ice until the calendar turned to 2023. They have award candidates up and down their roster, starting in net.

Linus Ullmark was solid but not otherworldly last season in his first year of a four-year, $20 million deal after coming over from the Sabres in free agency. In fact, after Jeremy Swayman’s strong campaign, many viewed this year’s crease as an open competition heading into training camp. Ullmark appears to be the runaway Vezina Trophy winner now. He tied an NHL record for fastest player to 25 wins in a season (29 starts) and sports a sparkling .937 save percentage. If it all starts in net, Ullmark has been excellent almost every night for Boston without exception, often ending in a joyous postgame hug with counterpart and close friend Swayman.

The Bruins have also locked it down on defense in front of Ullmark. They withstood the injuries to McAvoy and Grzelcyk and, led by Lindholm and the overlooked Connor Clifton, Boston has allowed the fourth-fewest high-danger scoring chances in the league. And they own the league’s best penalty killing unit. Defense can be hard to measure because it is so interdependent on defensive structure and forwards tracking back and picking up lane assignments. Early this season, the Bruins traded chances with their opponents and Ullmark bailed them out. Lately, they’ve assimilated into Montgomery’s philosophy of tracking the puck carrier hard and swarming offensive chances against, making life difficult on the opposition, which has allowed them to successfully limit the number of scoring chances against while maintaining a red hot offense.

Up front, David Pastrnak has been on an absolute tear with 37 goals and 70 points through 48 games. Marchand returned and hit his stride without missing a beat. And the same can be said about Bergeron, who openly considered retirement last summer and is close to a point-per-game player.

But the real story of Boston’s offense is beyond the remnants of the old Perfection Line. Krejci appears to be a refreshed version of his old self, playing as an incredible support piece on countryman Pastrnak’s line. Zacha is already closing in on his career highs in points. DeBrusk was playing the best hockey of his life under Montgomery before fracturing his fibula in the Winter Classic. And Trent Frederic and Foligno are in the midst of special seasons.

Deadline Posture: All-In

It’s been nothing short of remarkable to watch a Bruins team many believed would need to scratch and claw its way into the playoffs absolutely dominate the league and potentially challenge records. Almost every move Don Sweeney made last offseason has worked better than he could have imagined.

Naturally, moving toward the trade deadline, the question becomes: What does a team this complete and this dominant need to do? Is it a risk to disrupt the chemistry made?

The clear answer is to go all-in. The Bruins would hate to get bounced in the second or third round and be left wondering why they left stones unturned in the quest for that elusive second Stanley Cup for Bergeron, Marchand and Krejci.

There may be a way to add that not only enhances this year’s run, which has Last Dance vibes written all over it, but also do it in a way that keeps the championship window open for years to come.

Deadline Objectives

Top Objective: Re-Sign David Pastrnak

This item should come first on the trade deadline agenda because it will help clear up the financial roadmap for future acquisitions. The Bruins and Pastrnak’s camp have made significant progress in recent days and weeks, but the deal isn’t over the finish line just yet. Getting it signed and sealed will let Sweeney know exactly how much salary cap wiggle room he has to potentially sign one of the players he acquires, like he did last year with Hampus Lindholm. Remember: Bergeron and Krejci have $4.5 million in performance (“over-35”) bonuses that will likely need to be applied to next year’s cap, which must be considered in any calculation.

Secondary Objective: Center

Bergeron, Krejci and Tomas Nosek are all skating on expiring contracts. Zacha can play center and was signed to a 4-year, $19 million deal on Jan. 14. But trading for a center would not only make Boston’s top nine one of the most formidable heading into the playoffs, it would also provide a glimpse into the future that would give someone like Pastrnak a reason to breathe easy staying in Boston.

Tertiary Objective: Depth Defenseman

The Bruins have been relatively healthy on the back end since McAvoy and Grzelcyk have been back. Puck-moving defenseman Mike Reilly and Anton Stralman are nice insurance pieces. But they don’t have a surplus of physical, defend-first types like Derek Forbort and Brandon Carlo. It’s possible that the Bruins are able to swing a larger deal and do some one-stop shopping at the deadline.

Potential Fits

Bo Horvat, Vancouver Canucks

The belief is the Bruins’ interest in Horvat dates back to last offseason, long before Horvat’s magical contract year with the Canucks. You can see the obvious fit, even if it’d be painful for Canucks fans to watch their captain in Beantown. Horvat could not only help put the Bruins over the top this season and in the playoffs, but then be the link to the future as someone that Bergeron and Krejci can hand the keys to after they ride off in the sunset with Stanley.

Luke Schenn, Vancouver Canucks

Ah, yes, the one-stop shopping trade that we referenced. If moving on from Carlo, reportedly a player that the Canucks might covet, then Schenn would make perfect sense. He has Stanley Cup pedigree, he is on an inexpensive and expiring contract, and he would provide some additional bite and stability on the back end. He can also play both sides of the blueline which is a nice bonus.

Trade Chips

Pick Capital: The Bruins have their first-round pick in each of the next three seasons, which is a great place to start when talking about adding high-impact players.
Brandon Carlo: It’s unusual to think that a Stanley Cup-caliber team is willing to trade roster pieces in order to add, but that may be what is required given that the Canucks want NHL-ready players who fit their age scheme. Grzelcyk might be a better candidate to move, especially given that Reilly could fill his spot stylistically, but they may have to part with Carlo, who played his junior hockey in Tri-City.
RW Fabian Lysell: The No. 21 overall pick from 2021 who is equally adept at scoring and distributing will be a focal point for teams looking to dig into Boston’s relatively shallow prospect pool.
LD Mason Lohrei: The 6-foot-4 defenseman continues to turn heads at both ends of the ice at Ohio State.