Boston Bruins Trade Needs, Linus Ullmark and More
Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic (mailbag): With a little over eight weeks until the NHL Trade Deadline, the Boston Bruins have some needs. One of the issues still remaining is the No. 2 center. Most do not feet the solution is Erik Haula. Is Jack Studnicka a top-six pivot? That needs to be found out soon.
Jake DeBrusk gets moved eventually. That is the consensus. It likely will be for another underperforming player. Linus Ullmark has a no-move clause so he is staying put. Ullmark will likely be a Bruin until later in 2023.
Don Sweeney will have a tough time at best in acquiring top-flight help which is what Boston needs. They cannot compete with teams like Florida and Toronto for the best players on the market. A little defensive depth would not hurt either.
It will be intriguing to see what develops from within in Boston. As they say, it is all about what Patrice Bergeron wants to do, that will determine the Bruins’ needs going forward.
Buffalo Evaluating Value of Robert Hagg, Colin Miller, other UFA’s
John Vogl of The Athletic: The Buffalo Sabres have a laundry list of pending UFA’s including Robert Hagg and Colin Miller. The next couple of months will be telling as far as trade value.
The Sabres believe Colin Miller could fetch a first-round pick. After that, the prices would go down. With these players playing a ton of minutes for them, they are getting maximum opportunity to showcase themselves and increase their value.
Some UFA’s like Craig Anderson and Malcolm Subban are off the table but John Hayden and Mark Jankowski might find a home elsewhere. In all, the Sabres have 14 pending UFA’s. Even Vinnie Hinostroza carries more of a premium than usual.
GM Kevyn Adams has quite a fun dilemma with Mark Pysyk who is also back to good form. Again, by piling on the minutes, the value is increasing the return Buffalo gets to keep their rebuild going forward.