Bruins Acquire Defenseman From Blue Jackets Before Deadline

The Bruins made another trade before the NHL trade deadline.

Boston on Friday acquired defenseman Andrew Peeke from the Blue Jackets in exchange for Jakub Zboril and a 2027 third-round pick. SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman and TSN’s Darren Dreger were the first to report the deal before the B’s made it official. Columbus will not retain the blueliner’s salary, according to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. The 2016 second-round pick will make $2.75 million per season in the remaining two years of his contract, per Spotrac.

The reported trade was made after the B’s dealt forward Luke Toporowski and a 2026 sixth-round conditional draft pick to the Minnesota Wild for Pat Maroon. The sixth-round conditional draft pick only gets transferred if the forward plays at least one playoff game with the Bruins.

Peeke was in his fifth season with Columbus prior to the trade. He averaged over 15 minutes of ice time through 23 games. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound defenseman blocked 197 shots last season in 80 games for the Blue Jackets, and he recorded 191 hits during the 2021-22 season where he played all 82 games.

The 25-year-old helps add depth to the blue line as Hampus Lindholm and Derek Forbort continue to deal with injuries.