The Boston Bruins are rolling and are considered buyers again.
Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey NOW: Boston’s general manager, Don Sweeney, looks to upgrade whenever he can. Even though Boston has opened the season red hot, there will always be areas to improve.
One of the bigger-named players on the Boston radar is Tyler Toffoli. Toffoli has been long sought-after by various teams the past two-plus seasons. He is a perennial 20-goal scorer mired on an awful Kings squad. Rob Blake has made it known that almost everyone is on the market. The only exceptions are Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty.
Discussions have been ongoing since last week but it is unknown what stage those are in.
Also on Boston’s radar is young forward, Kevin Fiala. The problem with the Minnesota winger is twofold. For one, Fiala generates more interest than Toffoli and second, the cost will be higher. Fiala is only 23-years old and signed to a somewhat friendly bridge deal ($3 million AAV).
Pierre Lebrun of The Athletic: The “cup hangover” is a myth of sorts. Boston is rolling in October and St. Louis is as well because of the adrenaline. Boston, in particular, has the benefit of being able to use two “starting” goaltenders. That load management pays dividends as the season goes along. The Boston Bruins benefit because they can stay fresher than most teams.
For example, Jaroslav Halak has started in six games (soon to be seven) in the early going. That is just the beginning as some other players will be “resting” soon enough.
The radar lights up with more Tyler Toffoli rumors as well. This again is a player who had 55 goals in the previous two seasons before the 2018-19 trainwreck. Boston is a team that immediately hops up to the forefront.
However, his $4.6 million price tag means most teams will wait until the trade deadline for Toffoli. Right now, teams are just gauging the market and doing due diligence.