- Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe: Trading Loui Eriksson would no doubt make the the Bruins weaker. They would then need to find a second line winger, another penalty killer and a net-front presence on the top power-play unit.Normally, you would look to get a first round pick and a prospect for someone like Eriksson.
If the Bruins packaged Eriksson with one of their 2016 first round draft picks, it still may not be enough get them what they really want, a young, top-four defenseman like a Matt Dumba, Jonas Brodin (out 3-6 weeks) or Sami Vatanen.
One option could be trading Eriksson for a defenseman with term left on his contract.
There might be some teams, especially some Canadian ones, that might be interested in trading for Loui Eriksson, then letting him walk after the season and taking the extra space. Some candidates could be:
Winnipeg Jets: If the Jets re-sign Dustin Byfuglien, they might want to move Tobias Enstrom who has a $5.75 million cap hit through 2018. The Bruins wouldn’t be the only team interested if the Jets made Enstrom available.
Columbus Blue Jackets: With really only Rene Bourque’s contract coming off the books and with several RFAs needing new deals, the Blue Jackets will have some cap issues. They have Fedor Tyutin at $4.5 million and Jack Johnson at at just over $4.35 million, both running though 2018. The Blue Jackets need to clear out some space.
Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks could get a nice return for either pending RFA in Sami Vatanen or Hampus Lindholm. They could look to trade Kevin Bieksa, or let pending UFAs David Perron, Shawn Horcoff and Chris Stewart walk after the season to help free up cap space.
Calgary Flames: Unlikely to make the playoffs. They could trade Dennis Wideman back to the Bruins. The Flames have to re-sign pending RFAs Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Wideman’s suspension changes things, as it may be too late for the Bruins, unless the suspension is reduced.
Ottawa Senators: Mike Hoffaman and Cody Ceci will be looking for a new contract. They are trying to trade Jared Cowen and his $3.1 million contract. Unlikely to make a trade within the division.
