Bruins Trade Deadline Preview: Under-The-Radar Rentals B’s Could Target
Every year, there's plenty of action in the depth piece market
We all know the big names that are popping up around this NHL Trade Deadline: Taylor Hall, David Savard, etc.
But, historically, plenty of off-the-radar guys get moved. Typically, they are veteran players who are pending free agents.
As such, we rounded up a few players the Boston Bruins could look at who fall into the “under-the-radar” category and are on expiring deals.
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Andreas Athanasiou, Los Angeles Kings
This writer will concede there’s a bit of an agenda here, as Athansiou long has seemed like a good fit for the Bruins, thus this drum has been beaten for a while.
But he’s on a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings, making just $1.2 million, though TSN’s Darren Dreger said Saturday they’re working on an extension. The Bruins could get him cheap, and still have cap space to make other moves.
A swift skater with decent size, Athanasiou has eight goals and seven assists with L.A. this season. His defensive game isn’t anything elite, and often has been criticized throughout his career, but he’s shown a bit more desire to at least look interested in the defensive zone this season.
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Walking away with just Athanasiou wouldn’t make for the best NHL trade deadline, but he could be a really solid bottom-nine piece.
Basically every Coyotes defenseman
We’re looking specifically at Alex Goligoski. However, there’s a glut of pending UFA Coyotes rearguards, with Jason Demers, Jordan Oesterle and Ilya Lyubushkin falling under that umbrella.
Goligoski and Oesterle each have one goal and 10 assists this season, while Demers has three assists through 28 games and Lyubushkin a goal and assist in 27 games.
The latter two are more stay-at-home options if that’s what the Bruins are eyeing. But with Kevan Miller healthy again and Jarred Tinordi as a depth option, targeting puck-moving blueliners might make more sense.
Goligoski is having a down offensive season by his standards. But, perhaps, putting him with someone like Jakub Zboril could help bring his offensive form back around as he prepares for free agency.
Ryan Murray, New Jersey Devils
A lot of the attention in New Jersey is on Dmitry Kulikov, but Murray could be an option if the Devils are willing to retain some of his $4.6 million cap hit.
He’s never been a prolific goal-scorer, but he’s a sound passer who could give the Bruins another option on the power play.
His offensive numbers have tailed off in recent years, but you could argue that has more to do with the team he’s playing on.
Andrew Cogliano, Dallas Stars
It’s been a bumpy season for the Stars, largely due to injuries and the COVID-19 outbreak at the start of their season. And while the reigning Western Conference champs probably won’t (and definitely shouldn’t) go into full-fledged teardown mode, moving Cogliano would be a rational enough move.
His numbers historically have been just fine, but he’s a reliable defensive forward and has a ton of experience both in the regular season (1,048 games) and playoffs (100 games).
Cogliano wouldn’t provide the biggest of boosts from a secondary scoring angle (he has five goals and as many assists in 36 games this year), but he’s not inept offensively and could be a nice bottom-six piece.
Mattias Janmark, Chicago Blackhawks
Janmark is a grinder who plays a responsible game in both ends, and has put up 10 goals and nine assists this season. He’s an all-situations player, which would be particularly beneficial on the penalty kill so that the Bruins don’t have to lean so much on Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.
The analytics — specifically possession metrics — aren’t kind to Janmark. But he’s proven to be a useful secondary scorer, which at this point should trump all else for the Bruins.
The Blackhawks have started sitting Jamark, so they seem intent on trading him.
