This Playoff-Tested Veteran Makes Sense For Bruins At Deadline

A blockbuster at the NHL trade deadline feels unlikely for the Bruins after general manager Don Sweeney acquired Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from Washington last week.

The official deadline is Friday and with Boston filling any remaining holes it might have had by getting those two Capitals veterans, it had to part with its first-round pick in the process. That alone might remove the possibility of another “big” move. The more likely scenario is that if Sweeney has anything left, it could be work on the margins to further bolster the team’s depth.

If the Bruins aren’t done, one name to keep in mind as Friday’s deadline appears: San Jose Sharks center Nick Bonino. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli included the Bruins along with the Rangers and Penguins as teams that have looked into Bonino.

San Jose is clearly open for business. The Sharks already shipped Timo Meier to the New Jersey Devils, and some wonder whether defenseman Erik Karlsson might be a chip for GM Mike Greier to cash in. As those sort of big decisions are made, it’s time to move down the lineup to players like Bonino.

As Seravalli notes, Bonino is “incredibly smart and his attention to detail is second to none. He is a diligent worker and has a strong work rate, and his point production hasn’t wavered much at all from his career averages.”

Bonino might not even crack the lineup every night for a team like the Bruins — he could ultimately be more valuable in a reunion with the Penguins — but he’s the perfect veteran forward as the playoffs near.

The 34-year-old has been penciled in for 15 goals for pretty much his entire career. He also plays a responsible game, with his defensive prowess landing him just outside the top 10 in Selke Trophy voting a couple of times in his career. He has been called on to play some tough minutes this season on a bad Sharks team and has held his own. Give him better linemates and less responsibility, and who knows what can happen.

Similar to the recently acquired Orlov, the Boston University product’s postseason credentials are top-notch. He has 105 career postseason games under his belt and has been known to score some big goals. He scored an overtime game-winner with Pittsburgh in Game 6 of the second round back in 2016 to send the Capitals packing. He then scored late in the third period of Game 1 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final en route to helping the Penguins win a championship.

One thing to keep in mind with Bonino, though, is the contract. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent with a $2.05 million cap hit. Whether it’s money going out and/or paying a slightly higher price for retention, though, it’s certainly doable for the Bruins.