This Under-The-Radar D-Man Could Be Perfect Bruins Deadline Pickup

Two areas in which the Bruins could and seemingly would like to improve ahead of Friday’s NHL trade deadline are getting a little tougher and a little more stout in their own end.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler checks both of those boxes. He also has a very affordable contract. In some ways, he and his $775,000 expiring cap hit could be the perfect trade deadline pickup for a cap-strapped team like the Bruins looking to improve in the gritty areas of the game.

Whether the Flyers make Seeler available is the big question, and if they do, he’s likely to generate interest around the league. The Bruins aren’t the only teams looking for a player like Seeler, and Philly certainly knows that.

The 30-year-old leads the league in blocked shots. That reason alone would be enough for Flyers coach John Tortorella to love him.

“He has hockey sense, but that is 99% balls and willingness,” Tortorella told reporters Monday regarding Seeler’s penchant for selling out to block shots. “That’s what he does. It’s some of the things, I watch them on tape, and I don’t appreciate it enough when it’s going on in the game because there are so many other things, but when I watch tape and see the positions he puts himself in for the team, it’s fantastic.”

That’s high praise from anyone but especially from a proud hard-ass like Tortorella (just look at what happened this weekend for the Flyers). If Tortorella is around and has his way, Seeler not only will survive the deadline, but the UFA-to-be also will be extended.

Seeler would like that, too.

“I just want to be here. I love it here,” he said, per The Athletic. “When you find a place in this business that you feel respected and how well they treat their places, that’s some place you want to stick around. I never wavered on that.”

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But if the Flyers and Seeler can’t find common ground on a deal — the reported word is Seeler is looking for a major raise — then it might make most sense for Philly to flip him. The 6-foot-3, 197-pound Seeler would instantly make the Bruins bigger on the back end. He has acquitted himself quite well to a considerable increase in playing time this season, too. Seeler has just one goal in 62 games, but he has pitched in with 11 assists and is a plus-15 while playing a career-high 16:58 per night.

That’s all while he’s also logged 76 penalty minutes, already a career-high. Certainly, someone playing at Seeler’s level should do his best to stay out of the penalty box; he’s more valuable on the ice than sitting next to the timekeeper. The flip side is that Seeler isn’t afraid to stick up for his teammates or handle problems by dropping the gloves, even if fighting is becoming increasingly rare.

He, uh, has some puglistic prowess, too, as Nicolas Delsauriers can attest.

He helps in other ways, too. Seeler is trustworthy in his own end, a big reason why he’s one of Tortorella’s top penalty killers on the Flyers’ top-ranked PK. Special teams have been a major issue for the Bruins recently, and the shorthanded play has dipped. It’s still a solid unit, but after being one of the best in the NHL in the first half of the season, the Bruins’ PK is in danger of falling out of the top 10.

Seeler isn’t elite in anything, especially with the puck on his stick, but he’s incredibly dependable. He’s the sort of stabilizing addition that could really benefit a team like the Bruins that is scuffling but still has aspirations for a deep playoff run.

If he and the Flyers can’t figure out something to keep him in the City of Brotherly Love and assuming the cost isn’t too prohibitive, Seeler would be a great addition for a talented Boston club.