If you want the Bruins to hoist the Stanley Cup in June, you should probably be rooting for them to make some sort of impactful move ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
Boston’s roster is among the best in the NHL, and no one has gotten more out of its cast than Jim Montgomery’s club. The Bruins are cruising to the playoffs and are both the statistical and betting favorites to take home the title.
But there is no such thing as a perfect roster, which means the Bruins could certainly improve themselves before the March 3 deadline. General manager Don Sweeney has been active at the deadline for much of his tenure. Even relatively simple moves to add depth could be the difference between a deep springtime run and a disappointing early exit.
There is no guarantee that trade deadline activity leads to a championship. There have been plenty of teams who loaded up and still fell short. However, every single Stanley Cup winner dating back to at least 2011 made some sort of move around the deadline. In a lot of cases, teams made multiple major moves, deals that ultimately paid off.
For the sake of this exercise, here’s how the past five Cup champions attacked the deadline.
2022 COLORADO AVALANCHE
Acquired Andrew Cogliano (with 50% retained) from San Jose for a 2024 fifth-round pick
Acquired Artturi Lehkonen (50% retained) from Montreal for Justin Barron and a 2024 second-round pick
Acquired Nico Sturm from Minnesota for Tyson Jost
Acquired Josh Manson (50% retained) from Anaheim for Drew Helleso and a 2023 second-round pick
Remarkable work from Joe Sakic. Lehkonen was sensational, scoring eight goals (with four game-winners, including a pretty big one) to go along with six assists in the playoffs. The veteran Cogliano chipped in with six postseason points. Both players are still with the team, and Lehkonen has been one of Colorado’s most productive players this season. Sturm and Manson were depth additions at pivotal positions and each played during the Avs’ Cup run.
2021 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Acquired David Savard (100% retained) in three-team deal with Columbus and Detroit, giving up a 2021 first-round pick, 2022 third-round pick and 2021 fourth-round pick
The Bolts were still loaded in 2021, but they added Savard, a veteran defenseman with a ton of experience. By nature of that position, he didn’t have a ton of memorable moments, and he saw a decrease in ice time from Columbus, but he was credited for adding a veteran poise to an already impressive group.
2020 TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Acquired Barclay Goodrow and a 2020 third-round pick from San Jose for Anthony Greco and a 2020 first-round pick
Acquired Blake Coleman from New Jersey for Nolan Foote and a 2020 first-round pick (via Vancouver)
The Lightning were still climbing the mountain in 2020, and Steve Yzerman went all in on that team. This one is a little strange, as the 2020 deadline came on Feb. 24, two and a half weeks before the league’s COVID-19 pause. Reconvening in the bubble months later didn’t seem to be much of an issue for the newcomers, especially Coleman. He scored five goals and added eight assists while playing 18 minutes per night. He also was a big factor in Tampa Bay’s 2021 Cup win. The Goodrow deal seemed much bigger at the time, and while he didn’t completely pan out, the agiating forward played a valuable role for a Lightning team that could afford the luxury at the time. In the end, Coleman and Goodrow were both part of two Cup-winning teams.
2019 ST. LOUIS BLUES
Acquired Michael Del Zotto from Anaheim for a 2019 sixth-round pick
Some years, a relatively fledgling team gets red hot and goes on a run. That was the case for St. Louis in 2019 when it fired Mike Yeo midseason. Craig Berube took over, and the Blues went on to win the whole thing. The only move they made at the deadline was a depth acquisiton of the veteran blueliner Del Zotto. He played just seven games for the Blues, all in the regular season.
2018 WASHINGTON CAPITALS
Acquired Jakub Jerabek from Montreal for a 2019 fifth-round pick
Acquired Michal Kempny from Chicago for a 2018 third-round pick
It wasn’t the flashiest deadline for Washington, but the Capitals identified an area of need and addressed it while parting with very little. The Caps picked up two veteran defensemen for the stretch run, adding the always-valuable defensive depth. Jerabek largely was insurance, playing just two playoff games, but Kempny became a real difference maker. He was skating on Washington’s top pairing alongside John Carlson as the Capitals secured the Cup.
So, what exactly does all of this mean for the Bruins? Honestly, not much (thanks for reading, though!). Again, there’s no guarantee making a deadline trade for the sake of making a deal will guarantee a deep run. The Bruins had 112 points in 2018 and gave up a haul to acquire Rick Nash at the deadline, only for Nash to get hurt and Boston to get knocked out in the second round.
But it’s also not too surprising that the best teams in the league, who also are likely the best-run organizations, were able to isolate their respective needs at the deadline and make trades to reinforce those areas of the hockey club. Sweeney, whose deadline dealings in 2019 brought Boston to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, is in a similar position this season. Perhaps even more so, given the Bruins’ dominance performance to this point paired with a lingering feeling that this is the last kick at the can with this core.
