The Boston Bruins don’t necessarily need to make improvements to their roster, but that won’t stop them from trying as they approach a critical stage in their quest for the Stanley Cup.
Boston is on a historic pace more than halfway through its season, pushing its record to 34-5-4 with a dominant 6-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. The Bruins have arrived at this point despite Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk and Jake DeBrusk all enduring extended absences at different points throughout the season.
At full strength, the Bruins are a team with great depth and tremendous high-end talent. The fact of the matter is, teams don’t make it throughout 82-game seasons without bumps in the road, which led Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic to take a look at a potential NHL trade deadline addition for Boston.
His choice? Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luke Schenn. Here is an excerpt from LeBrun explaining the choice:
I’m not sure there’s really any glaring need on the powerhouse B’s, but any team that’s serious about a deep playoff run will look for depth, and my sense is adding a right-hand shot defenseman is something that Boston may look at. And I love the idea of the veteran Schenn in a Bruins uniform. Talk about a guy who would endear himself in a hurry to that fan base. He plays the game hard and physically and would be an ideal addition for depth.
It’s my understanding that the Bruins have already had a chat with Vancouver about him, although this is the time of year when contenders are calling a lot of teams to explore what’s out there and potential prices.
Schenn, a veteran of 15 NHL seasons, has long been a trade deadline target for teams looking to contend. The two-time Stanley Cup winner has had some injury struggles in the past but has played 43 games for Vancouver this season while scoring 14 points with two goals.
The Bruins are essentially set on the back end when fully healthy, but adding an option like Schenn would certainly be worthwhile if the price is right. If it’s not, Boston likely wouldn’t have a problem walking away. A nice reality.
