The Boston Bruins have spoken with the Vancouver Canucks about a center
Marco D’Amico of RG.org: One NHL executive source said that the Boston Bruins are one of the teams talking to the Vancouver Canucks about centers Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.
It was confirmed from the source that Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney, Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas, and Utah Hockey Club GM Bill Armstrong scouted an AHL game last Friday between Abbottsford (Canucks) and Laval (Montreal).
The source added that he didn’t know who the Bruins would prefer, but since they want to get deeper and younger at center, would think that it would be Pettersson.
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Pettersson is 26 and has seven years left on his contract at a $11.6 million cap hit. Miller is 31 with five years left at a $8 million cap hit.
In return for Pettersson, another source said the Canucks are looking for a top-six center or a top-four defenseman, and a first-round pick (depending on where in the first would be) or a top prospect.
It would take more than Trent Frederic according to the source. Maybe Frederic or Pavel Zacha, Mason Lohrei or Matt Poitras. Another source said that wouldn’t be enough and it doesn’t work from a cap perspective for the Bruins, something that will give them trouble working out.
The Montreal Canadiens have time to decide which direction to go
The Fourth Period: The Montreal Canadiens are in the playoff hunt, but there’s still lots of time between now and the March 7th trade deadline. Canadiens GM Kent Hughes said it’s too early to predict which direction they’ll be going in.
“I don’t think we will deviate from (our) plan,” Hughes acknowledged. “That’s not to say in the next few games, before the trade deadline, we could change things.
“We’ll see where we’re at over the next few weeks leading up to the deadline.”
Pending Canadiens UFAs who are believed to be available no matter what include defenseman David Savard, and forwards Jake Evans, Joel Armia, and Christian Dvorak.
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The Canadiens are believed to have started some contract talks with Jake Evans, but Hughes wouldn’t address any of the negotiations.
If they moved any for draft picks, they could then flip those picks for a roster player or a prospect who is close to being NHL-ready.
Hughes indicated that KHL prospect Ivan Demidov won’t be joining the team later this season but would be making his way to North America sooner rather than later.