Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now recently took a look at the Boston Bruins injury situation and the potential return of a few players. While doing so, he noted that the environment might be right for the Bruins to make a trade. Specifically, Haggerty believes the writing is on the wall for a player like Anders Bjork.
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Haggerty notes that once David Pastrnak returns and the Bruins get recently injured wingers Jake DeBrusk and Ondrej Kase back, Bjork could be squeezed out of the lineup, despite being a speedy and versatile forward. The scribe believes the Bruins might shop Bjork to see if anyone bites on a trade.
Right now, the Bruins have a depleted lineup so no trade is imminent. That said, once players start getting healthy, the Bruins will start reaching out to some of the teams Haggerty says have been keeping an eye on the Bjork situation. Among them could be the Edmonton Oilers were who rumored to be interested this past offseason.
The Oilers could really use some help with the depth of their forward lines and Bjork can be used in multiple situations, including defensively and on the penalty kill. He hasn’t quite turned into the scorer the Bruins thought he might, but he’s still useful. With two seasons left at $1.6 million, his contract doesn’t require a huge commitment either.
Bruins Plans for Bjork in the Meantime
Bjork has struggled with consistency this season and Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said the team’s fourth line “may be the best fit” for the forward right now. Cassidy added, “If the offense comes then great, he moves up.”
Unfortunately, that’s about all he’s going to get unless he starts producing more. Earlier this week, the Bruins rolled 11 forwards to close out a game and Bjork was benched. He’s become somewhat of a whipping boy for Bruins fans, but the expectations from a loyal fan base has been pretty high.
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TheNostredummass
January 28, 2021 at 12:22 pm
The Bruins are going to trade a young player like Bjork when Kase is one headshot away from forced retirement?
NHL Trade Talk
January 28, 2021 at 2:23 pm
That’s a good point. I honestly don’t know what to make of some of the Bruins decisions this season?
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