With just over five weeks until the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline, the Boston Bruins remain buyers on the NHL trade market but should they be in on playoff rentals like Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux?
The Bruins seem to be in on almost every NHL trade rumor and it’s well known that general manager Don Sweeney would love to land a top 4 left-shot defenseman to slot in regularly next to the right-shot backbone of his blue line, Charlie McAvoy. Sweeney is also interested in some depth up the middle but numerous sources have told Boston Hockey Now that he isn’t hellbent on that second-line center he’s been coveting due to the emergence of Erik Haula and the chemistry Haula has formed with wingers Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak. That likely is a position that will get more focus in the offseason.
It’s no secret that if Sweeney wants to acquire a white whale like Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun, it’s no secret he’s likely going to have to send a potential package of rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman, Jake DeBrusk, and a first-round pick. That may be a lot to most Bruins fans but the reason Chychrun is worth such a high ransom is he is a 23-year-old, 2016 first-round pick that is under team control for two more years with a $4.6 million cap hit. With a player like Chychrun, Sweeney wouldn’t just be buying to bolster his team for a potential playoff run but also for the future. So that or a similar trade for the Bruins before the NHL trade deadline is still very much on the table.
What about a playoff rental like Giroux or Dallas Stars defenseman John Klingberg though?