The Boston Bruins find themselves trying to gain ground in the Atlantic Division standings with the March 21 NHL trade deadline right around the corner.
There are some trade targets that would make sense for Boston to look into. We’ll examine a few possible Bruins trade targets and offer a verdict on whether the team should make the move. First up: Mark Giordano.
The Bruins are in fourth place in the Atlantic Division Standings and sit one point ahead of the Washington Capitals for the first wild-card spot with the NHL trade deadline approaching.
Boston has some areas of need it should address if the Black and Gold want to make a deep playoff run including defense. The blue line has been fine this season and, at times, not the biggest area of concern, but some last-second goals in recent games and getting beat on rushes has highlighted the need for another defenseman.
The Seattle Kraken have not had a successful inaugural season, which may lead to the NHL’s newest franchise making a few moves. A bright spot on the Kraken has been Mark Giordano. Yes, he’s 38 years old, but he has proven he still can play at a high level.
Let’s take a look and see if Giordano would be a good fit for the Bruins:
Age: 38
Position: Defenseman (left-shot)
2022 stats: Six goals, 17 assists, 23 points, averaging 21:26 time on ice
Contract status: $6.75 million cap hit, will be an unrestricted free agent after this season
Have they already been linked to the B’s?: No
Pros
Giordano certainly isn’t in his prime anymore, but he’s still playing quality minutes at a high level and putting up points for the Kraken and producing them at a steady enough rate that should pique the Bruins’ interest. He was a quality D-man for 15 seasons while he was with the Calgary Flames before being plucked by Seattle in the expansion draft.
Giordano still is a solid two-way defenseman who could help boost a team in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He could slot in as a second or third-pairing blueliner and there’s never anything wrong with adding more size to the blue line. He probably wouldn’t require an overhaul of players and/or prospects to acquire, either.
Cons
While the Kraken could absorb some of it, the cap hit is a tad high, especially for a player like Giordano who is past his prime. He does technically have limited no-trade protection, but ESPN recently reported it doesn’t sound like that will be an issue.
Verdict
At the end of the day acquiring Giordano would be a low-risk, high-reward. The Bruins’ window to win another Stanley Cup is closing and Giordano would be worth taking a flyer on to finish out the 2021-22 season.
