On the Boston Bruins …
Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports: Heading into the season, many thought the Bruins were a year or two away from being a serious Cup contender. Heading into last night, they were a point out of top spot overall.
The Bruins might be looking to add a rental player or two before the deadline.
The Bruins don’t really have any major holes in their roster. Coach Bruce Cassidy:
“We’ll probably get a little bit more of a test as the degree of difficulty goes up on the schedule. We can better assess . The long and short of it is ‘I love my team. I love the way they compete. And you can always get better.’”
Looking at some veteran wingers and left-handed defensemen that the Bruins could look at.
Patrick Maroon – Has size, strength, and experience that the Bruins could use. Very unlikely that former Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli would deal with the Bruins.
Thomas Vanek – Has the size and offense that fit with the Bruins. Vanek is 34-years old and can be inconsistent.
Michael Grabner – Has a nice pro-rated $1.65 million cap hit, but may not be much of an upgrade.
Evander Kane – Would give the Bruins a legit power-forward, but the potential to disrupt chemistry and the cost to acquire is high.
Rick Nash – Would bring size, strength, and skill, but wouldn’t be cheap to acquire.
Ryan McDonagh – If they want to swing for the fences, they could make a move for McDonagh. Would pair nicely with Charlie McAvoy and an eventual Zdeno Chara replacement when he retires. The Bruins would have to give up at least one young player to get him. McDonagh does have another year left on his deal at under $5 million, and he is exactly what they are looking for.