The defensive numbers for the Boston Bruins are quite good this season, but you can never have too much defensive depth, especially as the playoffs near.
That’s especially true once you get to the actual postseason where games become tighter-checking with a heavier, more physical style. The Bruins can attest to that given how they sometimes struggled to deal with a feisty New York Islanders team before bowing out a year ago.
So, it should come as no surprise that the Bruins are among the teams interested in San Jose Sharks defenseman Jacob Middleton, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. The insider didn’t mention what a return could look like for the 26-year-old, and it sounds like talks so far have been exploratory with the Bruins, Tampa Bay and St. Louis all “kicking the tires” on Middleton.
Boston has allowed the ninth-fewest 5-on-5 goals this season, but it ranks first in expected goals against per 60 minutes. Defensively, the B’s have been sound all season, but the goaltending has lagged behind at times. Thus, it’s no coincidence that improved play from Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark has directly correlated to Boston getting on a bit of a hot streak.
It’s worth wondering, though, how much of that defensive prowess comes from two-way forwards, especially with Patrice Bergeron in the midst of a late-career masterpiece this season. Furthermore, it’s hard to predict how a young defense corps like Boston’s might react in the playoffs. Would the Bruins feel comfortable leaning on someone like Urho Vaakanainen or Jack Ahcan against, say, Carolina?
Middleton, a 2014 seventh-round pick, certainly doesn’t have the ceiling of Boston’s younger blue liners, but he has size (6-foot-3, 219 pounds) and relative dependability. This is his first chance as a regular, and he’s averaging a career-high 18:53 of ice time per game and has been a penalty-killing workhorse for the Sharks. He also has seen a massive uptick in defensive-zone starts, with 58.5% of his shifts starting in his own end.
He’s also a tough hombre, as the Bruins — specifically Trent Frederic — learned earlier this season.
Middleton wouldn’t be a complete game-changer for the Bruins or any team that might acquire him, but he is the sort of player — as LeBrun noted — teams love to stockpile for when the physicality and attrition get ratcheted up. Middleton also is extremely affordable with a cap hit of just $725,000 as a pending restricted free agent.
“The Sharks don’t have to move him, of course, he’s RFA not UFA after the season, but for the right offer they might bite,” LeBrun wrote for The Athletic on Wednesday.
The NHL trade deadline is Monday, March 21.
